It is a fair question to ask, “Okay, Smart Guy, how do we defeat the dragon and rout the monster?” I admit, it is not as easy as Gandalf declaring to the Balrog, “You shall not pass.” We have to remember that even though the Balrog did not cross the bridge and fell into the pit of flames, Gandalf the Gray also fell into the flames, but later appeared as Gandalf the White. Engaging the dragon or monster in a quest to defeat it places us in peril. Where do we find the courage to accept the potential peril and to engage the dragon/monster?
I have no where else to turn than to the sacred writings of my tradition. I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to look for encouragement upon entering the battle with the dragon or monster which I most fear. Encourage is an interesting word. Originating from Fifteenth Century old French it means to make or put into the heart courage. (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=encourage). We think of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz who lacked courage. Here are some places where I typically find the courage to take on the dragons/monsters which frighten me.
First, the whole thirty first chapter of Deuteronomy is one of my mainstays. The forty years in the wilderness is nearly over for the Hebrew people. Their temporal leader, Moses, is giving his farewell address. He is fully aware of the fear and anxiousness of the people. In verse six Moses declares, Be strong and bold (courageous); have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; the Almighty will not fail you or forsake you. To engage my personal dragons and monsters and the dragons and monsters in the world, I have to believe there is a higher power who has me covered.
The second is very much the same, Joshua 1:9. The Lord God is commissioning Joshua to take over as the leader before crossing the Jordan, I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. For those of us in leadership, whether in secular or ecclesiastical settings, in one way or another we too have been commissioned to our role. If the people we lead are to be strong and courageous, we have to be courageous, not because we are so physically, emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually better than others, but because we believe the Lord our God is with us wherever we go. That doesn’t mean we believe the flaming sword of the Lord will clear the way for us, but that we are not alone as we engage the dragons and monsters.
Thirdly is Ephesians 6:10-18, Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. This armor is not the heavy, bulky armor Saul wanted David to wear in his confrontation with the giant Goliath. Physical armor is useless in the battle with dragons and monsters (rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, spiritual forces of evil). We need not be naked and defenseless when we take on the dragons and monsters.
Lastly, is Romans 8:37-39, …. I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Oh, we like Gandalf, when we take our stand against the dragons and monsters of our life and in the world and declare, “You shall not pass,” may die with the Balrog. However, death is not the last word. As Jesus was raised from the dead, so too shall we be raised with him.
That is where, whether in my own life, in the church or in the world, I find the courage to engage the dragons and monsters.
Very nice, Wayne!
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