Facing Fear

December 5, 2010
Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 11:1-10
Sermon: Facing Fear
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

On August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit stepped out onto a wire cable illegally rigged between the newly constructed north and south towers of the World Trade Centers in New York City. As he commenced his performance on the high wire, the police were dispatched to apprehend Petit. One of the officers, Sargent Charles Daniels, later reported his experience:I observed the tightrope ‘dancer’ -because you couldn’t call him a ‘walker’ – approximately halfway between the two towers. And upon seeing us he started to smile and laugh and he started going into a dancing routine on the high wire. . . And when he got to the building we asked him to get off the high wire but instead he turned around and ran back out into the middle. . . He was bouncing up and down. His feet were actually leaving the wire and then he would resettle back on the wire again. . . Unbelievable really. . . Everybody was spellbound in the watching of it. [Wikipedia, “Philippe Petit”]

After performing on the wire for 45 minutes, Petit stepped onto the roof of the tower, was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation, jailed, and then released, in exchange for a free performance for the public, this time in Central Park! Petit’s exploit is described as “the artistic crime of the century.”

Those who witnessed the walk, Petit’s friends and associates, the police, the public, describe the event as “beautiful,” “profound,” “awesome,” “extraordinary,” “magical,” “magnificent and mysterious,” “beyond anything you could ever imagine.” Petit walked, jumped, knelt, saluted, even laid down on the cable, making eight crossings 110 stories above the street. It was a moment never to be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Beautiful and thrilling.

When we listen to the prophecy of Isaiah and the vision of the peaceable kingdom, this image is also one of extraordinary beauty. The human community is led with wisdom, compassion, and sensitivity to the poor and meek. There is absolute harmony between humanity and nature, and within the natural world. It is captivating. Wolf and lamb. Leopard and goat. Calf and lion. Cow and bear. All together in peace. The nursing child plays at the hole of the poisonous snake. This vision is magical. Beautiful. Profound. Awesome. Extraordinary. Magnificent and mysterious. Beyond anything you could ever imagine.

The 19th century painter Edward Hicks has memorialized this vision in his paintings The Peaceable Kingdom. He paints a forest scene safe for all animals, and all humans, even babies and children. In one version, William Penn is making peace with American Indians, a contemporary dimension of the biblical vision. A vision of peace that is spellbinding and magnificent.

For high wire artist Philippe Petit to realize his dream of tightrope walking between the World Trade Centers, he had to overcome incredible fear. His girlfriend at the time, Annie, says, “We were petrified. Very worried.” Petit’s best friend, Jean-Louis, was beside himself. As the day came, he reflects, “Everybody felt more and more nervous. . . We are going to die. We are going to live.” The whole thing was extremely stressful. Though they had planned and plotted and practiced for 6 years, they were still possessed by fear. But they continued. And finally the moment came when Petit stepped off of the roof and onto the cable and the dance began. When his friends saw the smile on Petit’s face, they finally relaxed. They had triumphed over their fears.

When we think of the vision of peace in Isaiah, here, too, we can see the overcoming of enormous fear. Think of the risks to the lesser animals to lie down with a predator. What about the fear of the parents for their children playing with dangerous animals? What about the fear of the human leaders who take the risk of ruling with peaceable intentions, with pure hearts of goodness, banking on a vision beyond anything anyone had ever imagined? Would these leaders be taken advantage of? Ousted” Killed, even? There are great risks involved in fulfilling this vision portrayed by Isaiah. People and animals put their lives on the line. Usually we think of fear associated with those who go to war, but as we think deeply about peace, we see that there are fears to be faced in the pursuit of peace as well.

When we think about the ministry of Jesus, we can see that he, too, faced his share of fears. There was the fear for his personal safety. Think of the story of the crowd at his hometown synagogue trying to drive him over a cliff. Or the Pharisees plotting to kill him. And then there is the betrayal, trial, and crucifixion. Much cause for fear. There was fear of failure. What if people did not take to his message? In the gospels we’re told of how he comes out of the wilderness temptation experience raring to go, but then meeting unexpected resistance along the way. Would he fail? Jesus knew fear for the well-being of his followers. If he was in danger, then his followers would be, too. And he probably also had fear for the security of the Jewish people living under the tyrannical rule of the Romans. So Jesus, too, knew fear in many ways. But this did not deter him. He did not let the fear prevent him from investing his life in his mission of peace.

We, too, face fear on many fronts. Some of us face fear at home, perhaps because of domestic violence. Or maybe we are afraid in the neighborhood we live in, for our personal safety. Then there are economic fears. Will the money hold out? Will we loose a job? Will we have to foreclose on our home? Will there be money for schooling? Retirement? Will we have to choose between paying for food and paying for needed medication? There are fears of crime. Fears of aging and dying. Fears around personal change. Fears that we cannot adapt to technological change at the pace it is occurring. Fears of pain and hurt in relationships. Fears of adapting to new attitudes and social norms. Fears of failure; failing ourselves, failing others, failing God. There are fears of not being liked or accepted. Fears of not being successful, however we may define that. There are fears about what will happen to people we care about, our children and grandchildren. There are fears around addiction and the toll that takes. Fears relating to health concerns. Fears about the environment and global warming. There are fears of outside threats – terrorism, and the like. You are reminded every time you fly.

There are also fears that relate directly to international peace. One country is afraid of another. And so defends itself out of fear. Israel is afraid of Palestine. Palestine is afraid of Israel. Christians are afraid of Muslims. Muslims are afraid of Christians. People are afraid of loosing their way of life. Their culture. Their language. Their access to resources, like food and water and energy. And then they react in ways that are aggressive and defensive. Fear. Fear. And more fear.

There is so much fear around us and within us each and every day. And fear can be very powerful. But it is our responsibility to decide how much power we are going to give those fears. We determine if we will let fear control us. We choose how much influence fear will have in our lives. Will fear prevent us from full and abundant life? Will it prevent us from birthing peace? It is up to us.

Philippe Petit, the tightrope walker, saw an illustration of the still to be constructed World Trade Center towers in a magazine in a dentist’s office in France when he was 18 years old. As he says it, “but the object of my dream does not exist yet.” The towers had yet to be built. Then they were built. And Petit came to New York to see the towers that he was determined to use as a stage for a tightrope performance. When he came out of the subway and saw the towers for the first time, his reaction was, “Impossible.” He says, “My dream was destroyed instantly.” It was clearly impossible. “Out of human scale.”

Fear. Of failure. Of death. Insurmountable. It could not be done. And yet, he reflects, something, “pulls me.” There was something at work stronger than the fear. A vision. A dream.

When it comes to the pursuit of peace, in our lives and in the world, there will always be fear. It looks impossible. It cannot be done. There cannot be a world with no war, no gun violence, no domestic violence, no bullying in schools, no injustice, no economic violence, no violence to the earth. It’s simply impossible.

And those fears will hold sway, if we don’t have a vision, a dream that is more compelling. Stronger than the fear. A dream that cannot be denied. A hunger for justice and righteousness that pulls us. The images in scripture of the peaceable kingdom are meant to do just that. Pull us onward, in spite of our fears. Jesus’ stories of the realm of God, told again and again, are intended to draw us in. Captivate us. Compel us. Pull us. Past our fear.

Fear loves a vacuum. It will fill every empty crevice of our imaginations. We have to have a dream that is huge, strong, and consuming that will overcome and drive out fear. We have to cultivate, tend, and feed the divine dream of peace so that it is stronger than our fears.

This season of Advent as we prepare for the birth of Jesus, who was taken in by that dream, and overcame all of his fears, we are encouraged to rekindle our passion for the dream of peace. We are drawn to revision those dreams of righteousness, of justice, of anti-violence, of peace on earth good will to all. This is a time to be captivated by the beauty of creation and all that life is intended to be. This is a time to become enchanted once again by the magic of selfless service, compassion, generosity and kindness. And it takes the angels, the shepherds, the kings, the innkeeper, the poor peasant parents, the lion and the lamb, the wolf and the sheep, pulling out all the stops, to give us a vision glorious enough to overcome our fears.

When Philippe Petit stepped off of the tight rope, he was taken into custody, as were his collaborators. They were arrested. They knew they had broken the law, though for an act of beauty, not evil or violence or harm. They had given the world a gift, though they had defied authority and employed deception of many kinds. Looking back, Petit counsels, “Exercise rebellion!” For the sake of his dream, and the beauty of that artistic undertaking, a gift to the world, they had exercised rebellion.

So many times in scripture when a divine messenger approaches a human, the opening words are, “Fear not.” In the story of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary, the first thing the angel tells her is, “Fear not.” In our pursuit of peace, with its myriad manifestations of beauty – within ourselves, in our relationships, in our social order, in international relations, in relationship with the earth – we must exercise rebellion over fear: The fear that would hold us back from living the dream of the beautiful realm of peace. As we face our fears, and rebel against them, we will know peace – beautiful, profound, awesome, extraordinary, magical, magnificent and mysterious, thrilling beyond anything you could ever imagine. Peace. Amen.

The information and quotations related to Philippe Petit are taken from the movie, “Man on Wire,” except as noted.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.