What Fruit Will We Fear, And What Fear Will We Refuse?

Good Morning Friends,

Transfiguration Sunday was a few weeks ago, yet its light still centers today’s readings. We remain in a season of reflection on the journey to the cross, preparing for the ongoing change Christ’s resurrection brings to our lives. Scripture shows us the tension between our inner fears and our outward witness. Even our passing of the peace—now more socially acceptable with elbows and waves after Covid—reminds us that fear presses in. So today we ask: What Fruit Will We Fear, And What Fear Will We Refuse?

Scripture Summary: God calls Abram to leave everything familiar and trust Him for a future he cannot yet see. God promises to bless Abram, make his name great, protect him, and use him so that all the families of the earth will be blessed. Abram obeys and begins the journey at seventy‑five years old.

Genesis 12:1–4a

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain and is transfigured before them, shining with divine glory. Moses and Elijah appear, and God’s voice declares Jesus as His beloved Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him. Overwhelmed by fear, they fall, but Jesus touches them and says, “Do not be afraid.” They descend the mountain with instructions to keep the vision quiet until after His resurrection.

Matthew 17:1–9

Paul urges believers not to be ashamed of the gospel or of suffering for Christ. God has saved and called them by grace, not by their own works. This grace, planned before time, is now revealed in Christ, who has defeated death and brought life and immortality through the gospel.

2 Timothy 1:8b–10

True wisdom begins with reverence for the Lord, and knowing the Holy One brings deep understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

Jesus gives His own peace—different from the world’s fragile peace—and tells His followers not to let their hearts be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27

Message: There is a pattern in today’s scripture that includes a call, courage and glory.  God calls Abram to leave everything familiar and trust a promise he cannot yet see. Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up the mountain and reveals His glory, only to send them back down into the world’s need. Paul urges Timothy not to be ashamed or afraid but to rely on God’s power. Today’s selection from Proverbs reminds us that the fear of the Lord—awe, reverence, surrender—is the beginning of wisdom. And Jesus gives His peace, commanding, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” Across these passages, fear is real, but it is not final. As we end our study of the Fruit of the Spirit in Worship, the connection between fear and fruit becomes more evident. Fear narrows our vision. The Spirit widens it. Paul teaches that the Spirit forms in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control. These are not just virtues; they are the evidence of God shining through us, the everyday transfiguration of an ordinary life. On the mountain, the disciples fall in fear. Jesus touches them and says, “Get up and do not be afraid.” That moment is the Spirit’s work: fear giving way to peace, panic giving way to trust, trembling giving way to self‑control—the Spirit‑given ability to choose faith over fear, obedience over impulse, courage over retreat. Self‑control is not willpower. It is the Spirit steadying us so we can keep walking when the valley is dark, keep loving when it is costly, keep blessing others as Abraham was blessed to do.

And So, on our journey down the mountain we have a promise that can shape us in its fulfillment. You see, God’s sevenfold promise to Abram—nation, blessing, name, purpose, protection, justice, and worldwide blessing—finds its fulfillment in Jesus. And through Jesus, that promise continues in us. We are blessed so that we may bless. We are transformed so that we may help transform the world. But like the disciples, we cannot stay in “the thin” places. We go back down into a disfigured world as a people who are being transfigured from within. The Holy Spirit forms in us the fruit we need for the work ahead. Fear of God—the awe that anchors us—drives out every lesser fear.

Pray that God’s peace steadies our hearts. Pray that Christ’s light shines through us. Pray that the Holy Spirit grows in us the fruit needed for this moment. Pray for self‑control, the  Holy Spirit‑given courage and clarity that guides our choices as we follow Jesus into the world He loves. Pray we fear the right things at the right times.

Blessings,

John Lawson