Happy Groundhog Day. We are either going to have six more weeks of winter or spring is around the corner.
How many of you knew that Groundhog Day had its beginning as a religious holiday? On the 2nd day of February there was a celebration called Candlemas Day. It was the Christian festival of lights. It commemorated the ritual purification of Mary forty days after the birth of her son Jesus. Also forty days after the birth of a Jewish boy, it was custom to take him to the Temple in Jerusalem to be presented to God by his thankful parents. Therefore, it was on February 2nd that Christians remembered the presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
It also was a day to bless the candles used in the church. It was the Festival Day (or mass) of the candles. Candles were important due to the lack of electricity. But they also believed that candles gave protection against plague, illness, and famine. And of course, the candles represented Jesus as the light of the world.
Eventually the idea that Candlemas could predict the weather for the rest of the winter came into play. The Candlemas proverbs expressed the idea that a fine bright sunny day meant more winter was to come, whereas a cloudy wet stormy day meant that the worst of winter was over.
The Germans added the animal factor.
“The badger peeps out of his hole on Candlemas Day, and, if he finds snow, walks abroad; but if he sees the sun shining he draws back into his hole.” When this proverb made it to America, it became a groundhog or woodchuck.
With the invention of electricity, Candlemas Day became less important. But with the assistance of the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper Groundhog Day was established. In an article published in 1886 it was declared, "Today is Groundhog Day, and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen his shadow." And every since people have watched for Punxsutawney Phil to make his prediction.
What drives Phil back into his hole? It is the fear of his own shadow of course. And sometimes it is the shadows in our lives that scare us the most.
How many of you remember the movie “Jaws?” When it was released in 1975 people developed an unrealistic fear of sharks. And although we occasionally hear about a shark attack somewhere, they are really a rare occasion. You are 30 times more likely to be hit by lightening than to be bitten by a shark. Thousands of more people are bit dogs than by sharks. But there are those with an irrational fear of going into the ocean.
A lot of us are afraid of spiders. We cringe at the sight of one and scramble to find a shoe to squish it. But in our area, there are only two types of poisonous spiders; the brown recluse and the black widow. Neither of the spiders delivers venom strong enough to kill a person. The black widows bite is painful and the brown recluse can cause excessive skin damage. Both spiders remain hidden and therefore not seen crawling around. Those you see are usually harmless and beneficial for controlling annoying insects.
Another great fear is snakes. There is a nearly zero chance of dying from snakebite. Fewer than one in 37,500 are bitten by snakes each year and only one in 50 million people will actually die from snakebite. You are 9 times more likely to die from a lightning strike than from snakebite. Snakes are
non-confrontational and will flight before fight. They also control the population of rodents and insects.
For those who fear these things, your fears are rational and real but often unfounded. We, sometimes, are like the groundhog. We are scared of our own shadow. And that fear can hinder us from doing what God has called us to do.
The Bible tells us to fear. However, as Christians, we are to fear only one thing and that is God. Over 160 times I discovered a variation of the term “fear God.” The Hebrew word had a dual meaning. One was a terror or fright; the other was honor, respect, and awe. There are times when we are to have a terror toward God because of his might. For example Jesus said “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) That is a terror type of fear. But mostly when we read about our command to fear God, it means to approach him with honor, respect, and awe. The Bible says “Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.” (Proverbs 14:26)
As I have already stated, many of us fear our own shadows. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
We are a chosen people, each of us. We are God’s very own possession. We have been called out of the darkness and into the light. And where there is light, there is a shadow and sometimes we become afraid. And when we fear our shadow, we retreat back into the safety of our hole. Let us discover those shadows that drive us away.
The shadow of rejection.
Romans 8:12-16“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
For some it is hard to believe that God has accepted you with all your flaws and weaknesses. The Word does not say all your sinful urges go away. It states that you are not obligated to do those sinful things.
If you will be led by the power of the Holy Spirit and not your urges, you can be certain that you do not need to have a terror fear of God. Our “Abba, Father” will not reject us when we mess up.
Let me tell you about Sparky. For Sparky, school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero. Sparky also flunked Latin, Algebra, and English.
He did not do much better in sports. Although he did manage to make the school's golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. There was a consolation match. He lost that one too.
Throughout his youth, Sparky was socially awkward. He was not actually disliked by the other students; it was just that no one cared that much about him. He was astonished if a classmate ever said hello to him outside of school hours.
There's no way to tell how he might have done with dating, because Sparky never once asked a girl to go out with him while he was in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down.
Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates... everyone knew it. So he rolled with it. Sparky had made up his mind early in life that, if things were meant to work out, they would. Otherwise, he would content himself with what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity of just blending in with the crowd.
However, one thing was import to Sparky: drawing. He was proud of his artwork. Of course, no one else appreciated it.
In his senior year at high school, he submitted some cartoons to the editors of the yearbook. The cartoons were turned down. Despite this particular rejection, Sparky was so convinced of his ability that he decided to become a professional artist.
After completing high school, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney Studios. He was told to send some samples of his artwork, and the subject for a cartoon was suggested. Sparky drew the proposed cartoon. He spent a great deal of time on it and on all the other drawings he submitted.
Finally, the reply came from Disney Studios. He had been rejected once again. Another loss for the loser. So Sparky decided to write his autobiography in cartoons. He described his childhood self: a little boy loser and chronic underachiever. The cartoon character would soon become famous worldwide.
Sparky, the boy who had such lack of success in school, and whose work was rejected again and again, was Charles Schulz. He created Peanuts, and the cartoon character whose kite would never fly and who never succeeded in kicking a football – was none other than that of Charlie Brown.
It would have been easy for Charles Shulz to accept the shadow of rejection. We would not have had “Charlie Brown Christmas Special” every year. Do not fear rejection from God. What ever He places on your heart to do, do it. He will impower you.
Next is the shadow of abilities
2 Timothy 1:7-8 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.”
Timothy was a young pastor in the early church that Paul had become a mentor. Some people in his church questioned his ability to lead due to his age. Paul encouraged him not to be shy or fearful but rather bold. And to always tell others about Jesus.
Some people fear telling others the Gospel of Jesus. It is not because they are ashamed of Jesus but rather question their own abilities to do so.
One day three men were walking along and came upon a raging, violent river. They needed to get to the other side, but had no idea of how to do it.
The first man prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength to cross this river." Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs and he was able to swim across the river in about two hours.
Seeing this, the second man prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength and ability to cross this river." Poof! God gave him a rowboat and he was able to row across the river in about three hours.
The third man had seen how this worked out for the other two, so he also prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength, ability, and intelligence to cross this river." And Poof! God turned him into a woman.
She looked at the map, and then walked across the bridge.
Do not depend on your own abilities to do what God has called you to do. When He calls you, He will enable you. Trust in him and not yourself.
The shadow of unworthiness.
John 4:17-18 “And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”
Do you fear judgment day? Does the thought of standing before God frighten you? If so, it is because you have yet to experience his perfect love. His love is not earned. It’s freely given. And “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” (Ephesians 3:12) We do not have to cower before him.
I love the story of the Prodigal Son. You know the story. He went from the love of a father to the stench of a pigsty. An inheritance squandered. A life wasted. Forlorn and dejected. And then he resolved to return home. We read about the speech he had prepared. He would recount his own unworthiness. He would offer to take the position of a humble servant. He would make amends. He must have recited that speech a hundred times on the road home.
He never got a chance to use it. His father was waiting and watching and came running to meet him. Before he could say a word, the father’s arms were around him. Loving. Forgiving. Comforting.
Make no mistake about it. You are worthy. How worthy? God gave his Son for you.
Those arms were never stretched as wide as they were on the cross. They were stretched for us. Saving. Loving. Forgiving. Comforting. Welcoming us home.
The shadow of fear
Whenever God shows up in what is the supernatural for us, He sends the message of “fear not.” We discount the idea of speaking in tongues, of laying hands on the ill, and of God speaking to us. And because of our fears, we inhibit the supernatural flow of the Holy Spirit.
I once was a skeptic until a trip to Pensacola, Florida changed my spiritual life forever. There an individual I did not know spotted me in a crowd of hundreds and knew personal information about me through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. I saw my wife healed of a sever sunburn through laughter. I saw a woman “slain in the spirit” fall and hit her head against a pew with enough force to break the bolt attached to the floor. She was uninjured and apologetic for the damage. It was there an evangelist said; “Fire” as he touched me and began a burning inside of me that would lead me into ministry.
God wants to do something powerful in our lives but we must allow him to do so. When you praise him in music, release yourself. Raise your hands, sway, dance. Fear not.
Let’s quit being groundhogs. Remember this; to see a shadow there must be a light. Our light is Jesus. It is because of him we cast a shadow. We have nothing to fear.
