"Comforting Words for Anxious Times" - Isaiah 43:1-7 - January 7, 2001

Ten years ago this week I began my ministry here at St. Paul’s Church. Housing was difficult to find so I commuted from Dayton for the first six months. Fortunately the winter was not as cold, however we did have a normal amount of snow. I hardly knew anyone and on evenings when I had church meetings I remember going to the KFC place near the church for dinner.

Remember the year 1991? Sidney didn’t have a Bob Evans or CJ HiMarks. Things were different at the Church too. We weren’t on the radio then. We had no Director of Christian Education. The custodian was thinking of quitting and we had an organist for a substitute. And the choir director had already given notice.

To make matters worse the trustees announced to the congregation that the roof leaked and that a major expense was involved to repair it. There were many other repairs that needed to be made and just about every space in the building was due for updating. I must admit it seemed a bit overwhelming.

Those were anxious times, and also for the nation. We were in the midst of the Gulf War and no one knew where that was headed. The economy was really struggling too. But think how difficult it was 100 years ago. For example; the life expectancy in the United States was forty-seven. Only 14% of homes had a bathtub. The average wage was 22 cents per hour. Insulin and antibiotics had not yet been discovered. Women washed their hair only once a month with borax and egg yolks for shampoo. Only 6% of all Americans graduated from High School.

Today, things are vastly improved in our society. Here at the church we have a highly talented staff, including a Director of Christian Education, a permanent organist and choir director. The trustees have repaired or replaced just about every system in the building. Almost every room has been renovated and we have many new people. Fortunately the nation is not at war and we have enjoyed almost a decade of prosperity.

One of the ways the prophets, like Isaiah, give us hope is to remind us how difficult it was in the past. He reminded the people of Israel how they had been freed from bondage in Egypt. At the time of this chapter conditions for them were miserable. They had little hope. But, the same God who helped them in the past will help them in the present. And the same God who helped us in anxious times years ago will be with us in the anxious times of the present too. "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you."

By looking to the past and remembering that we somehow endured those anxious moments gives us hope for the present. Another comforting aspect of hope is to remember the people who walked with us. God doesn’t promise us a life free of problems, crises or pain. God does, however provide individuals during our anxious times.

This was written by Christopher Reeve, the actor who was paralyzed in a fall from a horse.

"Five days after the accident on Memorial Day weekend 1995, I became fully conscious and able to make sense. Dr. Scott Henson and Dr. John Jane, chief of neurosurgery at University of Virginia Hospital, explained my situation. They told me in detail about the extent of my injury and said that after the pneumonia cleared from my lungs, they would operate to reconnect my skull to the top of my spine. They didn't know if the operation would be successful, or even if I could survive it. They had a plan, but it was extremely risky and they needed my consent.

Dana, my wife, had insisted (over the objections of some of the family) that the doctors discuss everything with me and that nothing be done without my permission. I answered somewhat vaguely, "Okay, whatever you have to do." Ever since childhood, I'd been used to solving my problems. Whatever scrape I would get myself into, I was always sure of a way out. So at first I thought this was just another temporary problem. I needed surgery, but I'd be up and around before long. It was only after the doctors left that I began to absorb what they had told me: This is a paralyzing injury. Dana came into the room. We made eye contact. I mouthed my first lucid words to her: "Maybe we should let me go." She said, "I am only going to say this once: I will support whatever you want to do, because this is your life and your decision. But I want you to know that I'll be with you for the long haul, no matter what." Then she added the words that saved my life: "You're still you. And I love you."

If she had looked away or paused or hesitated even slightly, or if I had felt there was a sense of her being noble, or fulfilling some obligation to me, I don't know if I could have pulled through. Because it had dawned on me that I had ruined my life and everybody else's. But what Dana said made living seem possible, because I felt the depth of her love and her commitment to me. (From Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul)

Nothing gives us more hope than when others are there for us during the difficult times of our lives. Every week two colleagues and I meet together for breakfast. We are all pastors and we share our experiences with one another. Each of us gets our turn to receive encouragement from the others or visa versa. As I look back to 1991, I remember that I also had friends to share breakfast with then, only they were two different friends. God seems to rotate people through our lives for different times and circumstances. The good news is that there has always been someone there to walk with me.

We have hope by looking to our past. We have hope because of there are people among us who walk with us during our difficult times. And we have hope through the promise God makes that God will be with us always in the future. "When you pass through the waters, I shall be with you."

It is impossible for us to look ahead and know what problems we will encounter in the new year. Regardless of the precautions we take and the preventative measures to protect ourselves there will be things that happen beyond our control. Just ask our neighbors in Xenia, who experienced a destructive tornado last year. As Isaiah proclaimed, "We will walk through rivers and fire but they will not overwhelm us or consume us for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior......and I am with you."

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio