Sermon of the week: Overcoming fear

(In this 93rd installment of the UPI series of sermons, UPI Religion Editor Uwe Siemon-Netto, a Lutheran lay theologian, reflects on fear as an expression of man's awareness of his finitude.)

(This sermon is based on John 16:33.)

Let's face it -- these are fearful times. We'll probably soon be at war with an enemy who has biological, chemical and perhaps even nuclear weapons and may well use them against troops and civilians alike.

It's a platitude to say fear is normal. Of course it is. But it is more. Theologian Paul Tillich once described anxiety as an expression of man's awareness of his finitude. This gives our fear a special quality, which is quite distinct from the fear of other creatures.

They don't know that they will perish. But we do, which is why Tillich, following Soren Kierkegaard, defined our fear as the knowledge "of being a mixture of being and non-being."

The Bible -- and especially the New Testament -- distinguishes between two types of fear. There is wholesome fear -- the fear of and reverence for God. Knowing God necessarily involves this kind of fear. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," the Epistle to the Hebrews informs us (Hebrews 10:31).

Why is our fear of God so utterly different from our anxiety about creatures, be they human, snakes or wolves? Because God alone can destroy body AND soul (Matthew 10:28).

Wild animals, or tyrants such as Saddam Hussein, can annihilate our bodies with their claws or bombs -- but never our essence. This is why Scripture counsels us not to fear our opponents (Philippians 1:28), who cannot kill our soul.

The antidote to fear is faith -- the sense of security in God, which causes us not to be afraid of other humans. On this level, a fascinating link can be established between faith -- a gift of God -- and good sense, a quality we normally attribute to the realm of reason.

Many Germans, who in their intense fear of the impending war seem prepared to chuck out a 50-year friendship with the United States, are disregarding one of their culture's most profound insights.

"Angst ist ein schlechter Ratgeber," a famous German aphorism runs -- fear is a bad counselor. It is bad because it makes us do despicable things, as the cowardly comportment of the disciples at the time of Christ's passion so vividly illustrates. If we follow fear's counsel, we become despicable cowards.

Cowardice is a reprehensible act of unfaith.

This is not to say we should not be prudent. Scripture does not teach us to take senseless risks. Prudence is a child of reason, and reason is God's gift to us so that we may find our way around this finite world.

During the Vietnam War, I often witnessed brash young officers exposing themselves unnecessarily to dangers because this seemed "manly." I have seen many die that way, causing suffering to their families -- and to some extent also to their country. That was foolish, not heroic.

On the other hand, Scripture teaches us, love vanquishes fear. Love of one's fellow man -- love of one's country -- makes a good soldier, policeman or fireman overcome angst, as we have all witnessed on Sept. 11, 2001.

This does not mean that, thanks to an adrenaline surge, these men forgot their finitude. Rather, it means that the awareness of their finitude was not paramount in their hearts and minds -- love was.

And in this sense, they proved Christ-like, acting like the one who left us with these immensely comforting words, "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).