HOPE

OVER FEAR

A DEVOTIONAL COMPILED BY PASTOR JORDAN RIMMER

FOR NORTHMINSTER CHURCH DURING A CLOSURE FOR

CORONAVIRUS

INTRODUCTION

The outbreak of the Coronavirus has caused widespread concern and even panic. There are a

number of cases confirmed in Ohio and in Pennsylvania, and now as close as Warren, Ohio.

This pandemic, as well as the influenza that is spreading, is a source of concern for many of our

members, especially those who are older and with compromised immune systems. Many

colleges, businesses, sports teams, schools, and churches are choosing to cancel events to try to

cut down on the exponential spread of the disease.

This week, the session of the church decided that we should be proactive and prudent. We have

decided to cancel the public worship gathering for the next three weeks. On March 15, 22, and

29, we will not have church services on the Northminster property. A sermon will be posted to

Youtube, Facebook, and our Church website (http://www.npcnc.org) by early Sunday morning.

Church family can give online through Paypal on the website or send check in the mail. We will

make decisions for Sundays after that as the situation unfolds.

This also means we are pausing all activities that were happening at the church until further

notice. Meetings, Sunday school class, and all other gatherings or activities are cancelled. We

are encouraging outside groups that use the building to do the same.

We are called to care for one another in the church. If you have a basic need (toiletries, food,

medication…) and you cannot get out or are uncomfortable leaving the house, please let us

know if we can help. You can leave a message at the church (724-658-9051) or email me at

jrimmer@pts.edu. Just know that the office will not be covered as much as normal, so you will

likely need to leave a message.

As your pastor, I am concerned not just with health needs, which are important, but also with

spiritual needs. As Christians, we are not people of fear but people of FAITH. We do not want

to work out of fear or panic. So be cautions, be wise, but do not let fear rule in your heart.

In response, I decided to throw together this little devotional. I wanted to offer some

encouragement in these challenging times. So I have put together 4 weeks of devotions, with 5

days each week. Some are scriptures, while others are thoughts from the Christian tradition.

Week 4 is a sermon by Deitrich Bonhoeffer broken up into 5 days. I have added prayers, as well

as some links and resources at the end.

I hope this is helpful. Please be graceful with typos as this was thrown together very quickly.

Stay safe. Wash your hands. Love your neighbor. Be filled with hope and peace.

-Pastor Jordan Rimmer

WEEK 1 MONDAY

Psalm 20

[1] May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

[2] May he send you help from the sanctuary

and give you support from Zion!

[3] May he remember all your offerings

and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

[4] May he grant you your heart's desire

and fulfill all your plans!

[5] May we shout for joy over your salvation,

and in the name of our God set up our banners!

May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

[6] Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with the saving might of his right hand.

[7] Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

[8] They collapse and fall,

but we rise and stand upright.

[9] O LORD, save the king!

May he answer us when we call. (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

Chariots and horse were a huge advantage in battle. If you had chariots, it was like having

tanks. In most battles, the army with the most chariots won. You could trust in your chariots.

But the Psalmist stays that this is not our way. Some trust in those things, but we trust in the

name of the Lord our God.

The name of the Lord means his character, his person, who he is. And in Jesus we know the

name of God. We know it is God’s nature to enter our suffering. It is God’s name to love. It is

God’s nature to suffer for us rather than punish us. It is God’s name to rise again and bring

resurrection from the dead. It is God’s nature to bring faith and hope and peace, even peace that

passes understanding—peace that doesn’t make sense.

So remember where your real hope comes from—we trust in the name of the Lord our God!

TUESDAY

From the essay "On Living in an Atomic Age" by C.S. Lewis, 1948. Insert the idea of the

coronavirus to the topic of the atomic bomb and Lewis speaks directly to us today.

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. "How are we to live in an

atomic age?" I am tempted to reply: "Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth

century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in

a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or

indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of

paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents."

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe

me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death

before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die

in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors -

anaesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and

drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and

premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death

itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves

together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it

comes find us doing sensible and human things - praying, working, teaching, reading,

listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint

and a game of darts - not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about

bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate

our minds.

From Pastor Jordan-

It seems like every time I read CS Lewis, he is speaking to my world, even though he died in

1963. I think he calls to us to keep our heads amidst our current upheaval.

WEDNESDAY

2 Chronicles 32:1–8

[1] After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came

and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for

himself. [2] And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight

against Jerusalem, [3] he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water

of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. [4] A great many people

were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the

land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” [5] He set to

work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it,

and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David.

He also made weapons and shields in abundance. [6] And he set combat commanders

over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and

spoke encouragingly to them, saying, [7] “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or

dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more

with us than with him. [8] With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God,

to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of

Hezekiah king of Judah. (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

King Hezekiah was leading Israel in a very dangerous time. Assyria was a major power that was

taking out Israel’s fortified cities. In response, Hezekiah did two things—he got ready for battle

and he preached that God will fight their battles. It is not easy to trust and get ready. Most

people think if they trust they don’t need to prepare or if they are preparing they are not trusting.

Hezekiah teaches us that it is both. In the end, Assyria did not fight with Hezekiah in Jerusalem.

THURSDAY

Mark 4:35–41

[35] On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other

side.” [36] And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was.

And other boats were with him. [37] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were

breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. [38] But he was in the stern,

asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that

we are perishing?” [39] And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace!

Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [40] He said to them, “Why

are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” [41] And they were filled with great fear and

said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

If I am honest, this story drives me a little crazy. I don’t like the idea that Jesus was sleeping.

For the storm to panic a group with a lot of professional fishermen, it had to be bad. And it was

likely a small boat. How can Jesus be sleeping while everyone in the boat thinks they are

drowning? They wake him up in anger.

It is easy to get angry at God when God is not doing what we want and responding how we

think he should. Is God sleeping as our world falls apart? I love that Jesus first rebukes that

wind and the sea, then rebukes the disciples. In hindsight, they must have felt silly, to doubt the

one who could order nature around.

FRIDAY

Philippians 4:2

[2] I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. [3] Yes, I ask you also,

true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel

together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of

life.

[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be

known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in

everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made

known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard

your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever

is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there

is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and

received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be

with you. (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

Paul encourages the church at Philippi, but his words are kind of foolish. Rejoice in the Lord

always? Can you always rejoice? But he says it again—rejoice! Be reasonable and thankful.

Have a peace that surpasses understanding. Focus on what is good. It is crazy advice today too.

WEEK 2 MONDAY

2 Timothy 1:3–14

[3] I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I

remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. [4] As I remember your tears, I

long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. [5] I am reminded of your sincere faith, a

faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am

sure, dwells in you as well. [6] For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of

God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, [7] for God gave us a spirit not

of fear but of power and love and self-control.

[8] Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner,

but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, [9] who saved us and called us

to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace,

which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, [10] and which now has been

manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and

brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, [11] for which I was appointed a

preacher and apostle and teacher, [12] which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not

ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard

until that day what has been entrusted to me. [13] Follow the pattern of the sound words

that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [14] By the

Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

Paul insists that God did not give Timothy a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-

control. That last phrase is also translated sound judgement. We should not be motivated by

fear, but by the power and love of Christ. We shouldn’t be ashamed either. We should share the

love of God.

TUESDAY

In 1527, the plague or the black death came back to Europe. It hit Wittenberg, Germany hard.

Martine Luther wrote a letter titled “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague” to address

how to live and how to pastor in the face of the plague. Here is a snippet of that letter.

If one makes no use of intelligence or medicine when he could do so without detriment to

his neighbor, such a person injures his body and must beware lest he become a suicide in

God’s eyes. By the same reasoning a person might forego eating and drinking, clothing

and shelter, and boldly proclaim his faith that if God wanted to preserve him from

starvation and cold, he could do so without food and clothing. Actually that would be

suicide. It is even more shameful for a person to pay no heed to his own body and to fail

to protect it against the plague the best he is able, and then to infect and poison others

who might have remained alive if he had taken care of his body as he should have. He is

thus responsible before God for his neighbor’s death and is a murderer many times over.

Indeed, such people behave as though a house were burning in the city and nobody were

trying to put the fire out. Instead they give leeway to the flames so that the whole city is

consumed, saying that if God so willed, he could save the city without water to quench

the fire. No, my dear friends, that is no good. Use medicine; take potions which can help

you; fumigate house, yard, and street; shun persons and places wherever your neighbor

does not need your presence or has recovered, and act like a man who wants to help put

out the burning city. What else is the epidemic but a fire which instead of consuming

wood and straw devours life and body? You ought to think this way: “Very well, by

God’s decree the enemy has sent us poison and deadly offal. Therefore I shall ask God

mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine,

and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not

to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their

death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me

and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my

own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid

place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith

because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.

WEDNESDAY

Luke 12:22–34

[22] And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life,

what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. [23] For life is more than

food, and the body more than clothing. [24] Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor

reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more

value are you than the birds! [25] And which of you by being anxious can add a single

hour to his span of life? [26] If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why

are you anxious about the rest? [27] Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil

nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

[28] But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is

thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! [29] And

do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. [30] For all the

nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

[31] Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

[32] “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

[33] Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags

that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief

approaches and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there will your heart

be also. (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

I am an anxious guy. Sometimes it is under control, but sometimes I can be overwhelmed. I

come back to this text often as a reminder to pull back the reins on my worry. I need to take

time to consider the lilies. I need to share love and possessions with others. It seems we are in a

time and in a world filled with anxiety. We need to be different.

THURSDAY

Isaiah 41:1–13

[1] Listen to me in silence, O coastlands;

let the peoples renew their strength;

let them approach, then let them speak;

let us together draw near for judgment.

[2] Who stirred up one from the east

whom victory meets at every step?

He gives up nations before him,

so that he tramples kings underfoot;

he makes them like dust with his sword,

like driven stubble with his bow.

[3] He pursues them and passes on safely,

by paths his feet have not trod.

[4] Who has performed and done this,

calling the generations from the beginning?

I, the LORD, the first,

and with the last; I am he.

[5] The coastlands have seen and are afraid;

the ends of the earth tremble;

they have drawn near and come.

[6] Everyone helps his neighbor

and says to his brother, “Be strong!”

[7] The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith,

and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil,

saying of the soldering, “It is good”;

and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

[8] But you, Israel, my servant,

Jacob, whom I have chosen,

the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

[9] you whom I took from the ends of the earth,

and called from its farthest corners,

saying to you, “You are my servant,

I have chosen you and not cast you off”;

[10] fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

[11] Behold, all who are incensed against you

shall be put to shame and confounded;

those who strive against you

shall be as nothing and shall perish.

[12] You shall seek those who contend with you,

but you shall not find them;

those who war against you

shall be as nothing at all.

[13] For I, the LORD your God,

hold your right hand;

it is I who say to you, “Fear not,

I am the one who helps you.” (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

There are many promises from God in the Bible, but this one seems especially important in

these times. “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen

you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Realize today that God is

with you and helping you; strengthening and upholding you.

FRIDAY

1 John 4:7–21

[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been

born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because

God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his

only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that

we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our

sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one

has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in

us.

[13] By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his

Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior

of the world. [15] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him,

and he in God. [16] So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. [17] By

this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment,

because as he is so also are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love, but perfect

love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been

perfected in love. [19] We love because he first loved us. [20] If anyone says, “I love

God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he

has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21] And this commandment we have

from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

Perfect love, like the love that God has for us, should cast out fear. If you fear in your life, then

perhaps you need to fill your heart with love. The love of Christ kicks fear out of life.

WEEK 3 MONDAY

Psalm 27

[1] The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

[2] When evildoers assail me

to eat up my flesh,

my adversaries and foes,

it is they who stumble and fall.

[3] Though an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me,

yet I will be confident.

[4] One thing have I asked of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

and to inquire in his temple.

[5] For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

[6] And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

[7] Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;

be gracious to me and answer me!

[8] You have said, “Seek my face.”

My heart says to you,

“Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

[9] Hide not your face from me.

Turn not your servant away in anger,

O you who have been my help.

Cast me not off; forsake me not,

O God of my salvation!

[10] For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the LORD will take me in.

[11] Teach me your way, O LORD,

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

[12] Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they breathe out violence.

[13] I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living!

[14] Wait for the LORD;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the LORD! (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

One of the things the Psalms so often capture is the feeling that someone or something is out to

get us. It is often in war terms—adversaries, foes, enemies… In real life, it can be viruses,

anxiety, our past, or our mistakes that are coming for us. But the Psalmist insists that if God is

God and you and I are God’s that we don’t need to fear. Sometimes we need God to teach us his

ways and we need to wait for his rescue.

TUESDAY

From the essay “The Minister’s Fainting Fits” by Charles Spurgeon in the book Lectures to my

Students. Though written for pastors, these are great words in dark times.

By all the castings down of his servants God is glorified, for they are led to magnify him

when again he sets them on their feet, and even while prostrate in the dust their faith

yields him praise. They speak all time more sweetly of his faithfulness, and are the more

firmly established in his love. Such mature men as sonic elderly preachers are, could

scarcely have been produced if they had not been emptied from vessel to vessel, and

made to see their own emptiness and the vanity of all things round about them. Glory be

to God for the furnace, the hammer, and the file. Heaven shall be all the fuller of bliss

because we have been filled with anguish here below, and earth shall be better tilled

because of our training in the school of adversity.

The lesson of wisdom is, be not dismayed by soul-trouble. Count it no strange thing, but

a part of ordinary ministerial experience. Should the power of depression be more than

ordinary, think not that all is over with your usefulness. Cast not away your confidence,

for it hath great recompense of reward. Even if the enemy's foot be on your neck, expect

to rise amid overthrow him. Cast the burden of the present, along with the sin of the past

and the fear of the future, upon the Lord, who forsaketh not his saints. Live by the day—

ay, by the hour. Put no trust in frames and feelings. Care more for a grain of faith than a

ton of excitement. Trust in God alone, and lean not on the reeds of human help. Be not

surprised when friends fail you: it is a failing world. Never count upon immutability in

man: inconstancy you may reckon upon without fear of disappointment. The disciples of

Jesus forsook him; be not amazed if your adherents wander away to other teachers: as

they were not your all when with you, all is not gone from you with their departure. Serve

God with all your might while the candle is burning, and then when it goes out for a

season, you will have the less to regret. Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are.

When your own emptiness is painfully forced upon your consciousness, chide yourself

that you ever dreamed of being full, except in the Lord. Set small store by present

rewards; be grateful for earnests by the way, but look for the recompensing joy hereafter.

Continue, with double earnestness to serve your Lord when no visible result is before

you. Any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light: faith?s rare wisdom enables

us to march on in the dark with infallible accuracy, since she places her hand in that of

her Great Guide. Between this and heaven there may be rougher weather yet, but it is all

provided for by our covenant Head. In nothing let us be turned aside from the path which

the divine call has urged us to pursue. Come fair or come foul, the pulpit is our watch-

tower, and the ministry our warfare; be it ours, when we cannot see the face of our God,

to trust under THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS.

WEDNESDAY

John 9:1–12

[1] As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] And his disciples asked him,

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [3] Jesus answered,

“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be

displayed in him. [4] We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night

is coming, when no one can work. [5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the

world.” [6] Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva.

Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud [7] and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool

of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

[8] The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this

not the man who used to sit and beg?” [9] Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he

is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” [10] So they said to him, “Then how were

your eyes opened?” [11] He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed

my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my

sight.” [12] They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

This healing begins with an important theological question. Why was this man born blind? We

often want to know why things happen. We want explanations. We want to blame. We want

someone or something to be at fault. The longer I am a pastor, the more I think that our desire

for a why answer is nothing in comparison to God’s desire to do good works in us. We don’t

need to understand to get healing.

THURSDAY

Isaiah 26:1–9

[1] In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city;

he sets up salvation

as walls and bulwarks.

[2] Open the gates,

that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

[3] You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

[4] Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

[5] For he has humbled

the inhabitants of the height,

the lofty city.

He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,

casts it to the dust.

[6] The foot tramples it,

the feet of the poor,

the steps of the needy.”

[7] The path of the righteous is level;

you make level the way of the righteous.

[8] In the path of your judgments,

O LORD, we wait for you;

your name and remembrance

are the desire of our soul.

[9] My soul yearns for you in the night;

my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.

For when your judgments are in the earth,

the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

Isaiah wants perfect peace for the city, but the Exile is coming. Isaiah is calling the people to

trust the Lord, to stay humble, and to walk God’s path. I love the line, “You keep him in perfect

peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Whenevery I do not feel peace, I

normally find that my mind is stayed on something other than God. My brain is aimed at what

is wrong and outside my control.

FRIDAY

Matthew 25:31–46

[31] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will

sit on his glorious throne. [32] Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will

separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33]

And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. [34] Then the King will

say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom

prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave

me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

[36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and

you came to me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we

see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see

you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see

you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to

you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

[41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal

fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me no

food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not

welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit

me.’ [44] Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or

thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ [45] Then

he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least

of these, you did not do it to me.’ [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment,

but the righteous into eternal life.” (ESV)

From Pastor Jordan-

This teaching of Jesus, like others, is kind of confusing. Somehow when we love and care for

others, we are actually doing those things for Jesus. Or, in a different way, we love Christ by

loving others. We cannot outsource this kind of love to church, nonprofits, or governments. We

must respond to those who don’t have food, drink, or clothes around us.

WEEK 4 For week 4, we will ready through a sermon by Dietrich Bonhoeffer titled “Overcoming Fear.”

Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who was later killed at Auschwitz for his part in a plot to kill

Hitler. This sermon was preached the second Sunday of Epiphany, January 15, 1933. Hitler

was just about to come to power, and there was widespread fear in Germany. The government

was struggling and different movements were striving for power. His words on overcoming fear

are just as potent today as they were in that troubling time. Each day we will read a little more

of the sermon.

MONDAY

Sermon- “Overcoming Fear” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The overcoming of fear—that is what we are proclaiming here. The Bible, the gospel,

Christ, the church, the faith—all are one great battle cry against fear in the lives of human

beings. Fear is, somehow or other, the archen­emy itself. It crouches in people’s hearts. It

hollows out their insides, until their resistance and strength are spent and they suddenly

break down. Fear secretly gnaws and eats away at all the ties that bind a person to God

and to others, and when in a time of need that person reaches for those ties and clings to

them, they break and the individual sinks back into himself or herself, helpless and

despairing, while hell rejoices.

Now fear leers that person in the face, saying: Here we are all by our­selves, you and I,

now I’m showing you my true face. And anyone who has seen naked fear revealed, who

has been its victim in terrifying loneliness— fear of an important decision; fear of a

heavy stroke of fate, losing one’s job, an illness; fear of a vice that one can no longer

resist, to which one is enslaved; fear of disgrace; fear of another person; fear of dying—

that per­son knows that fear is only one of the faces of evil itself, one form by which the

world, at enmity with God, grasps for someone. Nothing can make a human being so

conscious of the reality of powers opposed to God in our lives as this loneliness, this

helplessness, this fog spreading over everything, this sense that there is no way out, and

this raving impulse to get oneself out of this hell of hopelessness.

Have you ever seen someone in the grip of fear? It’s dreadful in a child, but even more

dreadful in an adult: the staring eyes, the shivering like an animal, the pleading attempt to

defend oneself. Fear takes away a person’s humanity. This is not what the creature made

by God looks like—this per­son belongs to the devil, this enslaved, broken-down, sick

creature.

But the human being doesn’t have to be afraid; we should not be afraid! That is what

makes humans different from all other creatures. In the midst of every situation where

there is no way out, where nothing is clear, where it is our fault, we know that there is

hope, and this hope is called: Thy will be done, yes, thy will is being done. “This world

must fall, God stands above all, his thoughts unswayed, his Word unstayed, his will

forever our ground and hope.” Do you ask: How do you know? Then we name the name

of the One who makes the evil inside us recoil, who makes fear and anxiety themselves

tremble with fear and puts them to flight. We name the One who overcame fear and led it

captive in the victory proces­sion, who nailed it to the cross and committed it to oblivion;

we name the One who is the shout of victory of humankind redeemed from the fear of

death—Jesus Christ, the Crucified and Living One. He alone is Lord over fear; it knows

him as its master; it gives way to him alone. So look to Christ when you are afraid, think

of Christ, keep him before your eyes, call upon Christ and pray to him, believe that he is

with you now, helping you . . . Then fear will grow pale and fade away, and you will be

free, through your faith in our strong and living Savior, Jesus Christ.

TUESDAY

Sermon Continued- “Overcoming Fear” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Let’s say there is a ship on the high sea, having a fierce struggle with the waves. The

storm wind is blowing harder by the minute. The boat is small, tossed about like a toy;

the sky is dark; the sailors’ strength is failing. Then one of them is gripped by . . . whom?

what? . . . he cannot tell him­self. But someone is there in the boat who wasn’t there

before. Someone comes close to him and lays cold hands on his arms as he pulls wildly

on his oar. He feels his muscles freeze, feels the strength go out of them. Then the

unknown one reaches into his heart and mind and magically brings forth the strangest

pictures. He sees his family, his children crying. What will become of them if he is no

more? Then he seems to be back where he once was when he followed evil ways, in long

years of bondage to evil, and he sees the faces of his companions in that bondage. He

sees a neighbor whom he wounded, only yesterday, with an angry word. Suddenly he can

no longer see or hear anything, can no longer row, a wave overwhelms him, and in final

desperation he shrieks: Stranger in this boat, who are you? And the other answers, I am

Fear. Now the cry goes up from the whole crew; Fear is in the boat; all arms are frozen

and drop their oars; all hope is lost, Fear is in the boat.

Then it is as if the heavens opened, as if the heavenly hosts themselves raised a shout of

victory in the midst of hopelessness: Christ is in the boat. Christ is in the boat, and no

sooner has the call gone out and been heard than Fear shrinks back, and the waves

subside. The sea becomes calm and the boat rests on its quiet surface. Christ was in the

boat!

We were along on that voyage, weren’t we? and the call, Christ is in the boat, was once

our salvation too. And now, strangely enough, all of us are at sea again, on that voyage

without faith, without hope, overwhelmed, in chains, in bondage, paralyzed by fear; we

have lost heart, lost the joy of living, our limbs heavy as lead; each of us knows what it’s

like. Perhaps, or most likely, we don’t even quite realize what has happened to us; we are

already so used to this state of affairs that it seems natural to us, and we almost like it that

way, all this misery around us and in our own lives. What would we do if we couldn’t

even complain anymore?

And that’s the worst of it: we don’t even want to find a way out. That is the final triumph

of Fear over us, that we are afraid to run away from it, and just let it enslave us. Fear has

conquered us; it can be found among us in various forms. Some persons have become

dull and insensitive and just live from one day to the next, brooding gloomily and

doggedly along, but too apathetic to take their own lives. Others are noisy about their

fear, pouring it out to everyone else in the form of crying and complaining. Still others,

on the other hand, think they can drive out their fear with fine words and bold fantasies,

and if they shout these words loudly enough it may seem to take care of things for awhile.

But those who know can recognize in such empty words the horrifying power of fear all

over again. Fear is in the boat, in Ger­many, in our own lives and in the nave of this

church—naked fear of an hour from now, of tomorrow and the day after. That is why we

become apathetic, why we complain, why we intoxicate ourselves with this and that.

What else is all the razzle-dazzle and drunkenness of New Year’s Eve, other than our

great fear of a new era, of the future? Fear is breathing down our necks.

WEDNESDAY

Sermon Continued- “Overcoming Fear” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Those who would try to keep up their pride, as if all this had nothing to do with them, as

if they didn’t understand what it’s all about, would hardly be human. No one human

could fail to understand what the people of the world have to be afraid of today.

But look here, right in the middle of this fearful world is a place that is meant for all time,

which has a peculiar task that the world doesn’t under­stand. It keeps calling over and

over but always anew, in the same tone, the same thing: Fear is overcome; don’t be afraid

[John 16:33]. In the world you are frightened. But be comforted; I have conquered the

world! Christ is in the boat! And this place, where this kind of talk is heard and should be

heard, is the pulpit of the church. From this pulpit the living Christ himself wants to

speak, so that wherever he reaches somebody, that person will feel the fear sinking away,

will feel Christ overcoming his or her fear.

You of little faith, why are you so fearful? In these words we must hear all the

disappointment of Jesus Christ in his disciples and all his love for them. Do you still not

know that you are in God’s hands, that where I am, God is? Why are you so fearful? Be

of good courage, strong, firm, adult, sure, confident, not shaking with fear. Don’t hang

your heads; don’t com­plain about what bad times these are . . . I am in the boat. And

Christ is here, too, in the nave of this church. So why not hear him and believe him?

We have come here, very probably, because somehow or other we know that something

in our lives needs to change, and because we think perhaps the church can somehow help

us with this. We are aware of how meager, how poor, how petty and short-sighted our

lives have become. All of us see only our own worries and difficulties and no longer

those of others that may be a thousand times worse. Our affairs seem so enor­mous and

infinitely important to us that we have become dulled toward anything else. This is the

work of fear in us. And now we sense that we can’t bear to be hemmed in like this

anymore; it’s suffocating. The call of the church cuts through this questioning and

foreboding. There is one thing we are lacking: to believe that the Almighty God is our

father and our Lord. To believe that for God, our greatest cares are like the worries of

small children in their parents’ eyes; that God can turn things around and dispose of them

in no time at all; for God it’s easy, not hard at all. We must believe that a thousand years

in God’s sight are like a day [Ps. 90:4], that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts

[Isa. 55:8–9], that God is with us in spite of everything. Let us receive the call of the

church once again: You of little faith, why are you so fearful? In the midst of the storm,

Christ is in the ship. Away with you, Fear! Let us see you, Lord Jesus, strong helper,

Savior!

But now comes a host of objections and excuses. We say we would like to believe, but

we simply can’t anymore. The suffering is too great. Oh, but let’s not take this kind of

talk too seriously. You cannot believe? Well, neither can we. Do you want to believe?—

in that case you already do, in a way, perhaps not very strongly, only a beginning, but

perhaps a thousand times stronger than many others who think they are able to believe.

Don’t worry about your faith, whether it is weak or strong. Just look to him in whom you

believe, and speak to him: Lord, increase our faith! [See Luke 17:5].

THURSDAY

Sermon Continued- “Overcoming Fear” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We say that it is not life’s misery that frightens us, but rather our own sin that we fear;

and that we need to fear it, so we won’t be overcome by it! Again, that sounds so right,

but it is really only a trick of fear itself. No, it is not true that we must be afraid of sin.

Those who are afraid of it are already up to their necks in it. Fear is evil’s net, spread to

catch us. Once evil has made us afraid, confused us, we are in its clutches. Don’t be

afraid, be of good courage . . . How can you meet the enemy with fear in your heart? You

of little faith, why are you so fearful? Isn’t God greater than your sin? Let God grow

strong in you; then sin is knocked down. Believe in God . . . Lord, strengthen our faith!

Now, finally, let the most depressed and despairing people speak, those who ask: Isn’t

our time up? Aren’t the years of catastrophe, of utter decline and breakdown, the chaos of

our lives in both great and small things, which no one can ignore, the sign that God has

let us go? God doesn’t want us anymore. There’s no more mercy coming our way from

God. God is against us, and we have to accept it. It won’t do to keep clinging if we aren’t

wanted. This is the cry out of the very depths of despair. There is only one thing that

helps, and it is what the church does with any of us who thinks and feels this way. It takes

the cross and places it before our eyes and asks: Did God abandon him? And since God

did not abandon Jesus, we will not be abandoned by God, either.

Learn to recognize this sign in your own life. Learn to recognize and understand the hour

of the storm, when you were perishing. This is the time when God is incredibly close to

you, not far away. Right there, when everything else that keeps us safe is breaking and

falling down, when one after another all the things our lives depend on are being taken

away or destroyed, where we have to learn to give them up, all this is happening because

God is coming near to us, because God wants to be our only sup­port and certainty. God

lets our lives be broken and fail in every direction, through fate and guilt, and through

this very failure God brings us back; we are thrown back upon God alone. God wants to

show us that when you let everything go, when you lose all your own security and have

to give it up, that is when you are totally free to receive God and be kept totally safe in

God. So may we understand rightly the hours of affliction and tempta­tion, the hours in

our lives when we are on the high seas! God is close to us then, not far away. Our God is

on the cross.

The cross is the sign that stands in judgment on all the false security in our lives and

restores faith in God alone. Be of good courage, be valiant, be confident, be certain—that

is what it says. Yes, but everything depends here on making sure that one last, terrible

misunderstanding does not arise. There is such a thing as false courage, false confidence .

. . and this false confidence is itself only the most subtle form in which fear disguises

itself. Let us return to our story.

FRIDAY

Sermon Continued- “Overcoming Fear” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

When the disciples were climbing aboard the boat, they seemed quite confident; they

seemed not at all afraid. Why were they confident? They looked at the lovely calm sea

and saw no reason to worry. But as the wind and waves increased in force, the disciples

lost their calm and fear grew in them. They gazed apprehensively at the wild sea. Its

appearance had made them feel safe, but now fear was gaining the upper hand. The story

says that Jesus was asleep. Only faith can sleep without a care—that is why sleep is a

reminder of paradise—faith finds its safety in God alone. The disciples couldn’t sleep;

their security was gone; their confidence had been misplaced and now was lost. It was a

false sense of security—it was only fear in disguise. This sense of security does not

overcome fear and soon breaks down. Only the faith that leaves behind all false

confidence, letting it fall and break down, can overcome fear. This is faith: it does not

rely on itself or on favorable seas, favorable conditions; it does not rely on its own

strength or on other people’s strength, but believes only and alone in God, whether or not

there is a storm. It is the only faith that is not superstition and does not let us slip back

into fear, but makes us free of fear. Lord, make this faith strong in us who have little

faith!

But the other side of the coin is also true. When Christ is in the boat, a storm always

comes up. The world tries with all its evil powers to get hold of him, to destroy him along

with his disciples; it hates him and rises up against him. Christians surely know this. No

one has to go through so much anxiety and fear as do Christians. But this does not

surprise us, since Christ is the Crucified One, and there is no way to life for a Chris­tian

without being crucified. So we will suffer and make our way through together with

Christ, looking always to him who is with us in the boat and can soon stand up and

rebuke the sea, so that it becomes calm.

However, it does seem to be true, what you have surely all been qui­etly wanting to say

for some time, that today Christ is no longer doing such amazing things. He is so

strangely hidden away that we often think he is no longer there at all! Dear brothers and

sisters, what do we know about what Christ can do and wants to do for us, this very

evening, if we will only call upon him as we should, if we call out, “Lord, save us! We

are perishing!” That was fear all right, but it was faith in the midst of fear, because it

knew where help comes from, the only place. We say there are no miracles anymore . . .

but what do we know really, you and I? We will certainly be ashamed of ourselves if one

day we are allowed to see what God can do.

They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea

obey him?” We can well understand their amazement. What sort of person is this on

whom fear has no effect, who overcomes the fear in human life and takes away its

power? By asking this question, we are already on our knees before him, praying to him,

pointing to him, the wonder worker, and saying, This is God! Amen.

PRAYERS FOR THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION

Pastor Jordan compiled the following prayers from online and print resources.

Jesus, during Your ministry on Earth You showed Your power and caring by healing people of

all ages and stations of life from physical, mental, and spiritual ailments. Be present now to

people who need Your loving touch because of COVID-19. May they feel Your power of

healing through the care of doctors and nurses. Take away the fear, anxiety, and feelings of

isolation from people receiving treatment or under quarantine. Give them a sense of purpose in

pursuing health and protecting others from exposure to the disease. Protect their families and

friends and bring peace to all who love them. Amen

Lord, I want desperately to take your Word to heart, but a tsunami of negativity and fear engulf

me. My thoughts wander to worst-case scenarios. I need your insight to diligently untangle

truthful facts from embellished hysteria. I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me in filtering out what I

should avoid listening to or considering. Infuse me Lord with discernment and wisdom. Give

me clarity of mind and heart. Guard my mouth that I don’t spread gossip or hearsay to alarm

others. Help me to exhibit love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self-control. Like the apostle Paul, may I learn the secret of being content in all

circumstances, knowing that I can do all things through you who gives me strength to fulfill

your desires. Praise you Lord, Amen.

O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need: We humbly beseech

thee to behold, visit, and relieve thy sick servant N. for whom our prayers are desired. Look

upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with

a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; and give him patience

under his affliction. In thy good time, restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue

of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory; and grant that finally he may dwell with thee in life

everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Oh Holy, Mighty, Majesty, my Father, You Who are the Great Physician. If it is Your will,

please intervene speedily to help my friend/family member be healed or speed their recovery.

The chief goal of my pray is not for my will but to magnify and glorify Your Great Son’s

Name, Jesus Christ, because it is through this Great Name that I am praying through. You are

sovereign over all sickness, illness, and disease. These are nothing to You and so if it be Your

express will Father, please help them supernaturally to the glory of Your Son’s Name. Please

guide the doctor’s hands, bless the nurses work, and give them steady and skilled hands to do

what needs to be done and for the glory of and in the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.

Righteous God in Heaven, thank You for blessing my friend/family member who is in the

hospital with such a good staff and even though it seems we often have to wait, at least here we

have better facilities and staff than most of the world does. Please forgive me for so often taking

these things for granted. I ask you to bless the staff, the work of their hands, the people who do

so much for so many. I would ask to have these blessings be especially poured out on the

doctors and the nurses so that they can perform to the best of their abilities for the benefit of my

friend/family member and for others. So many depend on them and I know I take them for

granted so bless them and I thank You for them and in Jesus’ most holy Name, Amen.

Great God in heaven, I pray for my friend/family member who is in the hospital with a serious

condition. Give them comfort and strength to endure what they are experiencing right now and

to help the family deal with the stresses of being removed from home, their insurance

paperwork and acceptance, their employers that they’d be understanding of the missing

employee, or anything else that I can’t think of that would help them all endure in this time of

crisis for their friend/loved one. Please help the doctors and nurses know exactly what to do in

each specific area and to find the proper diagnosis so that they can specifically treat the

problem. If this means the laboratory staff, the radiologist, or any of the other staff associated

with the care of my friend/family member, I ask for that in the Glorious Name of Jesus Christ,

amen.

Jesus, keep our nurses healthy and strong in all areas of their lives. Protect their families, their

marriages, their children, their incomes, their futures. Provide them with physical and emotional

and spiritual rest. Help them not to “grow weary in doing good”(Galatians 6:9) and build them

up when they’re breaking down. Bless them with so much compassion that it spills effortlessly

into their patients’ lives. Be their backbone, their living water, and the one who continually fills

them before they even come close to running on empty.

Lord, I know that Satan created the spirit of fear, anxiety, doubt, and worries to torture and

entrap my mind and rob me of my joy, peace, and sleep. When what-ifs wake me in the dark of

night, please help me to denounce Satan and remember 1 Peter 5:7 where you say internal peace

is as simple as casting all my anxiety on you because you care for me. I am comforted that you

see into the depths of my heart and the intricacies of my mind where unhealthy fears dwell. You

already know what’s troubling me, but you want to hear me share my concerns with you to

release the stronghold grip they have on my thoughts and emotions. Father, I trust that you

don’t want me to waste a moment of my life fretting. Please calm my racing heart and fill my

troubled mind with hope and my spirit with peace. Assure me that no weapon formed against

me will prosper and you have a plan and a purpose for me in this time of turmoil. Show me

your ways Lord and grant me the courage to follow where you lead. Amen.

RESOURCES, LINKS, AND HELPFUL WEBSITES

• Northminster Website- http://npcnc.org/

• Jordan’s Sermon Page- http://jordanrimmer.podbean.com/

• Jordan’s Blog- http://www.jordanrimmer.com/

• Book of Jordan’s Previous Sermons-

http://www.jordanrimmer.com/wp-content/uploads/Pulpit-

Proclimations-Rimmer-Sermons-Book.pdf

• Jordan and his friend Chris’ Sunday School curriculum about

suffering called The Shadowlands- https://thestorypastor.com/

• CS Lewis Essay- https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cs-lewis-

coronavirus/

• Martin Luther’s Sermon- https://blogs.lcms.org/wp-

content/uploads/2020/03/Plague-blogLW.pdf

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Sermon-

https://politicaltheology.com/overcoming-fear-sermon-dietrich-

bonhoeffer/

• A letter from a Wuhan Pastor- https://www.chinasource.org/resource-

library/chinese-church-voices/wuhan-pastor-pray-with-us

• CDC Website on Coronavirus-

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

• World Health Organization-

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019