For use with devozine meditations for January 30–February 5, 2011. Print-Friendly Version
MAKING THE CONNECTION
“Ever since 9/11, I’ve observed the increased effect that fear has had on the church and on our culture. Lots of decisions about security and safety are made from a gut level with little consideration for what Jesus might say about the matter. Fear has also been more prominent in my own life, so as a point of personal research and prayer, I began to explore what drives our fears and to try to develop a theology of fear. All of it seemed to come together when I read to my son the book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which wrapped into one great story so many of the hang-ups we have about fear. Some of the fruit of these connections are included in this session. I hope you are blessed by it. Cheers!” —Dixon
MEET THE WRITER
Dixon Kinser is a husband, father, speaker, author, musician, amateur filmmaker, and Episcopal priest. He works in youth and young adult ministry, rides his bike when he can, and takes movies and TV way too seriously. His first book, Exploring Blue Like Jazz with Donald Miller, will be released in March 2012. Dixon lives with his family in Nashville, Tennessee.
STUFF YOU WILL NEED
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on DVD
- TV and a DVD player (or a computer)
- play dough
- masking tape
PLUGGED IN
These resources may help you start conversations that explore fear and Christianity:
+ Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear by Scott Bader-Saye is great book on fear and discipleship in our culture.
+ The Science of Fear by Daniel Gardner is not written from a faith perspective but explores how fear works in our brains.
+ The movie Batman Begins focuses on the way fear motivates us to act or not to act.
+ Where’s God When I’m Scared? is a classic Veggie Tales video about fear and courage.
+ International Justice Mission is an organization of Christians acting courageously for justice in our world.
CHECKING IN
Begin the meeting by inviting the group to watch the scene from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in which Harry and his class learn how to defeat a boggart (Chapter 11: Boggart in the Wardrobe).
Then invite the group to sit in a circle. Go around the circle, asking each person to say his or her name and to answer this question:
If you were standing in front the closet and a boggart popped out of it, what shape would it take this week?
EXPLORING THE WORD
Scripture: Genesis 3:6–10, Matthew 14:22–33
Read aloud or invite one or more volunteers to read the Bible stories in Genesis 3:6–10 and Matthew 14:22–33. Then invite people to explore the following questions connected to the boggart scene. (I’ve included a few leaders notes to help you see where I’m going; but as always, take the discussion where you want.)
Were you afraid of something as a child that you are not afraid of today? If so, what was it? What made that thing scary when you were a kid? Why is it not scary now?
How do you see people reacting to fear today?
Why is fear such a powerful motivator?
Both Genesis 3:6–10 and Matthew 14:22–33 talk about fear. What are the connections between the two? (In the garden, fear motivates Adam and Eve to hide from God. Fear is a product of their rebellion, not part of God’s good order of things. The story of Jesus’ walking on the water is a picture of God’s world turned right-side up again. Humans were not meant to be subservient to nature but to live in harmony with it. Jesus is an example of how the world is supposed to be, but the disciples react with fear. Explore what Jesus says in response.)
How do you defeat a boggart? (You imagine that the thing you are afraid of looks so silly you can’t help but laugh at it.)
What does this teach us about courage? (Ultimately, courage doesn’t mean “not feeling afraid.” It means acting even though you feel afraid. Courage is about action and doing what’s right even when you are scared. That’s how the Riddikulus Boggart-Banishing spell works and also why Jesus tells Peter to get out of the boat.)
When have you had to have courage?
Is having courage difficult or easy? Why?
Why does doing what’s right sometimes take courage?
Does Jesus’s call for his disciples to have courage and to act when they are afraid extend to us as well?
Where in the world is God setting things right-side-up again? How is getting involved in what God is doing scary? (Explore this a bit and see what people say. One example that comes to my mind is the work of the International Justice Mission, in which people, at the risk of their own lives, actively storm into brothels and rescue young girls who are being trafficked.)
SHARING IN PRAYER
After the conversation, give people some quiet space and time to consider what they are afraid of. Give each person a piece of clay or play dough, and ask people to sculpt a representation of their fear.
While they are sculpting, use masking tape to make a line in the middle of your meeting space.
Invite each person to place his or her fear sculpture on the line and to stand behind it. Remind the group that courage is about acting in spite of your fear. Then invite people to step over both their sculpture and the line of tape. Ask them to do this both as an act of prayer and a means of saying “no” to the fears that control them.
TAKING IT FURTHER
Fear is a powerful motivator. We may respond to it without knowing it. If you have time, watch the rest of the movie or at least watch the scene outlined below in which Harry has a conversation with professor Lupin about his experience with the boggart. Then invite people to discuss their conversation about fear:
Harry: Professor, can I ask you something?
Professor Lupin: You want to know why I stopped you facing that boggart, yes? I would have thought that would be obvious. I assumed it would take the shape of Lord Voldemort.
Harry: I did think of Voldemort at first. But then I remembered that night on the train and the dementor.
Professor Lupin: I'm very impressed. That suggests that what you fear most of all is fear itself. This is very wise.
What does Professor Lupin mean?
Is fear good or bad? When can fear be good or when is it good to be afraid? How is good fear different from other kinds of fear?
The Bible often calls people to fear of the Lord. Is it asking us to be afraid of God? Is there a difference between the fear of God and being afraid of God?
Where do you see evidences of good and bad fear in our culture today?
Old Testament professor and theologian Walter Brueggemann believes that “sabbath is the antidote to anxiety, and hospitality is the answer to fear.” How can these two classic Christian disciplines be used as tools to cultivate good fear and to heal bad fear?
