Tuesday, March 3
Read: Psalm 128; Isaiah 65:17-25; Romans 4:6-13
Psychologists, anthropologists, and other students of human behavior have long observed that fear tends to turn people inward. When fear takes hold, we grow more insular—more suspicious of others, more distrustful, and more isolated. We can see ample evidence of this dynamic in the world today, as many people live with deep uncertainty and anxiety about the future.
Lent, of course, is a season of reflection and repentance, a time when we follow the story of Jesus as he sets his face toward Jerusalem. Given the gravity of that journey, it might seem natural to assume that fear belongs at the center of this season. Yet the scriptures for today tell a different story—one marked not by fear, but by hope. The psalmist speaks of joy found in walking in God’s ways. The Apostle Paul reminds us that God’s grace does not depend on human achievement or religious markers (circumcision). And the prophet Isaiah dares to imagine a new creation in which all people know belonging, nourishment, shelter, and peace.
Together, these texts offer a shared and powerful vision: a future defined by universality and peace. In this new creation, the faithful gather without fear, weapons are laid down, and neighbors live in harmony. Former enemies become companions, the land yields enough for all, and God’s purposes for humanity are finally revealed. In such a world, fear has no place.
If fear is what drives us to distrust one another, to hoard resources, to vilify our neighbors, and to turn away from suffering, then perhaps Lent calls us to repent not only of our actions, but of our fear itself. In releasing it, even imperfectly, we may begin to take small but faithful steps toward the world God longs to bring into being.
Prayer:
God, who created all and called all things good, grant me your eyes today that I might see others with your generous love. Amen.
The Reverend Dr. Tyler Christiansen is Pastor of Grace, a United Methodist Congregation, in Birmingham and serves on the Huntingdon College Board of Trustees
