WELCOME
Communion Worship Service
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
Welcome to worship today! We are glad to be worshiping with you today!
Even when things get hectic, always know that you will find welcome here.
Come, let us worship the God who always welcomes us.
GOOD MORNING FBK & WELCOME TO WORSHIP!
Songs
Prayer
Prayer of Confession & Assurance
God of Creation, Jesus Redeemer, Holy Spirit who guides and sustains us, hear our prayers this day. We know the many ways in which we have failed to do the tasks which you have set before us. We have often chosen our comfort over service to you. Our fears and doubts lay claim to our lives and we shrink from the opportunities you give to us. Forgive us for the many failings. Lift and restore us to your grace. Put our feet on the pathways of service, offering justice and peace to all people. Heal us, O’gracious One, for we ask this in the name of Jesus the Christ. AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon:
Rejoice! Do not doubt! God has poured love, hope and forgiveness on you. You are healed and forgiven in Jesus’ Name. The Holy Spirit empowers you to ministries of healing and hope. Rejoice! AMEN.
Fear and Anxiety
Anxiety – How’d You Sleep?
Today's Message: Pastors Marlee Page and Dave Page
So, how about you? do the circumstances of the world around you, your family or your personal circumstances keep you awake at night…Do you find yourself, more and more in a heightened state of anxiousness….well, if any of this does feel familiar to you personally or maybe you recognize these feelings in someone in your family or circle of life…if this is the case, then you are in the right place this morning….Increasingly, the people around you are feeling greater and greater anxiety – especially since the pandemic became the endemic of covid-19….February 2023 data from Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) shows the mental stability of Canadians has flatlined since the summer of 2022.
As vaccinations became available and social distancing measures were eased, the mental health of Canadians showed some improvement, but new MHRC data shows Canadians’ mental health has plateaued, and in some cases, gotten worse – much worse as a matter of fact.
“Right at the beginning of COVID we asked people what their mental health was, and 5 to 7 per cent of people experienced high to extremely high anxiety. That quadrupled to 20 per cent,”
And this is significantly impacting the way we interact with each other and the world around us – here is some very recent Canadian data from the Telus Health Mental Health Index
- Thirty-two per cent of workers surveyed avoid being with or interacting with others, and 62 per cent say their avoidance started or worsened since the pandemic began. This group has a mental health score more than 13 points below the national average.
- Workers under 40 are 70 per cent more likely than those over 50 to avoid being with or interacting with others and are more than twice as likely to have difficulty controlling their emotions.
- Twenty-one per cent of workers in Canada have difficulty controlling their emotions, and 64 per cent said this started or worsened since the pandemic began.
So one of the first questions we need to ask as we get into this discussion should likely be:
What’s at the root of all this anxiety ?
Is it the aftermath of the Pandemic, is it the worsening political or economic environments – can it be the environmental challenges the planet is facing…there seems to be so many more challenges that we are faced with today…Well, what if we suggested to you that it’s not actually any of these things, that these factors individually or combined are NOT the root of all of the anxiety so many are feeling….Would you accept the root is actually… FEAR?
And so, your response might be – ” Fear, anxiety, what’s the difference” And that would be a fair question, because Anxiety and fear do seem to have a reciprocal relationship in many ways.
Fear is the ultimate root of our anxiety, but anxiety can also fuel our fear to new heights. In fact, we’d like to further suggest to you that the fear and anxiety that we feel, and our faith and peace/contentment that we seek, are all interrelated.
Look at this Diagram:
Anxiety <—>Fear
Faith
Peace
As anxiety grows, fear which can deplete our faith and then further deflate peace in our lives
When we understand this, in its proper context, we can develop some ways to deal with anxiety, redefine our fear, that can bolster our faith and lead us to a life of peace and contentment.
Over these next four weeks, we want to discuss how each of these four words are interrelated. So often they can take on a negative personification, however, when understood and applied through the filter of God’s word, we can see how each of these terms can inform our lives.
To start, we need to clarify some terms-and define the words, anxiety and fear, so that’s where will spend most of our time today.
Definition of fear:
An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.Fear is the result of a threat or impending danger. And while scary, they are a natural part of the human makeup, which is protective of life and limb. Fear is a quality that is shared by all higher animals, as no members of any species would ever survive without a protective mechanism to anticipate and react to danger, thereby protecting themselves from harm.
When we feel fear, the body undergoes several near-instantaneous physical reactions designed to help escape from danger. The heart starts to race, breathing becomes shallower and faster, and one might jump or flinch. All the physical changes that fear causes help us respond rapidly to danger.
This instantaneous physical response is one important difference when it comes to the difference between fear and anxiety. If you’re walking down a dark street, for example, and someone points a gun at you and says, “This is a robbery,” then you’d likely experience a fear response. The danger is real, definite, and immediate.
Definition of anxiety:
A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.Anxiety is different than this ….kinda…. Anxiety is a word we use for some types of fear that are usually to do with the thought of a threat or something going wrong in the future, rather than right now. While anxiety and fear feel similar, anxiety is a reaction to emotions instead of danger in the environment.
Suppose you are walking down a street at night. There aren’t any sounds coming from the bushes and the only people you see is a family walking with their dog ahead of you. Even so, you start to worry that something bad is going to happen. You experience a similar reaction: Your heart starts racing, your breathing becomes short and shallow, and your muscles tense up.
You are experiencing anxiety. Nothing has happened that would signal any danger; your reaction is from the possibility of danger. Anxiety is a natural human emotion in response to a stressful or perceived threatening situation that may occur, rather than one that is occurring around us.
Although the focus of the responses are different in fear vs anxiety, fear and anxiety are interrelated. When faced with fear, most people will experience the physical reactions that are described under anxiety. Fear can cause anxiety, and anxiety can cause fear.
So, what do we do about anxiety, that’s what we’re going to spend the rest of our time on this morning….and to some degree, this is ground we’ve recently covered. As we worked through our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we ran across some good counsel relating to how we might deal with anxiety in our lives:
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The wonderful truth about being a follower of Jesus is that the transformation which comes to us in Christ is not just about us getting to have a place in heaven for eternity. Jesus also walks with us to bring practical life changes. To move from the old self to the new self.
To grow and mature and live … really live.
If you are struggling with Anxiety, let me invite you to pause and remember this statement – In Christ you can be a different person … a Spirit transformed person.
That is the motive which Paul has in mind when he writes Philippians 4.
This isn’t about setting out a new command to cause you guilt when you feel anxiety – It is about knowing that Jesus Christ loves us enough to want to help us in the journey as we make our way through this life.
So, out of love, and by Paul’s words Jesus wants you to know that you can be free of debilitating anxiety.
We have to know how to deal with this!
Anxiety and worry disrupts our thoughts, so we can’t think clearly or make wise decisions. Our productivity decreases because worry wastes time and energy. Relationships with our spouses, families, coworkers, and friends suffer. Anxiety contributes to a host of health problems. And, it can sometimes indicate a lack of trust in God and hampers our relationship with Him
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
How can you and I overcome anxiety? Well again, we’ve partially talked about this just a few weeks ago.
The remedy for anxiety begins with Prayer
- a) We are to walk with God – Prayer is a constant in our life.
- b) We are to pray about everything – Hold nothing back
No matter how small or insignificant the need may seem, God wants to hear about it from you. God is interested in the details of your life.
Prayer enables us to have peace
Years ago a maritime officer and his wife were aboard a ship that was caught in a raging ocean storm. Seeing the frantic look in her eyes, the man tried unsuccessfully to calm her fears. Suddenly she grasped his sleeve and cried, “How can you be so calm?” He stepped back a few feet and drew his sword. Pointing it at her heart, he said, “Are you afraid of this?” Without hesitation she answered, “Of course not!” “Why not?” he inquired. “Because it’s in your hand, and you love me too much to hurt me.” To this he replied, “I know the One who commands the winds and the waves, and He will surely care for us!” We should, each of us, be praying in all circumstances and situations.
Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything… by prayer …
As Jesus followers, we can trust that He will answer our prayers….and because of that, most anxiety is needless. Do you believe that? The truth is that as anxiety or worry dances around inside our minds, God is blocked from doing His best work. You are fearfully and wonderfully made – and part of your intended makeup includes fear – we talked about that and its need for our survival….Do this with us…
Place a finger on each of your temples. Now say, “Thank you Lord for my amygdalae. Thank you Lord, for the two almond-shaped neural clusters that reside inside my brain.”
We wouldn’t be alive without them.
Your amygdalae operates like an alarm system. If an intruder breaks a window or pries open a lock to your house, your home-security-system warns you.
The same is true for you. However, your amygdalae wasn’t created to work in overdrive 24-7. That’s what anxiety does – it keeps us in this constant state of implied fear – most of the time needlessly!
If at the beginning of this discussion we’re going to have together, we could just give you one key ingredient to unlocking God’s will for your life, that’s of the utmost importance – live free of any needless worry.’ Remember this, “If it’s a concern for you, it surely is a concern for God.”
Listen to these words from the prophet – Jeremiah:
Lamentations 3:17-20 HCSB
My soul has been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 Then I thought: My future is lost,
as well as my hope from the Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my homelessness,
the wormwood and the poison.
20 I continually remember them
and have become depressed.
…and now watch where the prophet takes us…
Lamentations 3:21 HCSB
Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
Let me say this about the word – Hope:
Seasons belong to God – He’s the season creator and the season changer.
Genesis 8:22
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”
Right this very minute, I want you to make a pivotal decision, and that decision is:
- As I Hope, I will rejoice.
- As I Hope, I will sing.
- As Hope, I will trust.
- As I Hope, I will NOT BE ANXIOUS.
Jeremiah goes on and writes:
Lamentations 3:22-24 HCSB
Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for His mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!
24 I say: The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in Him
Author Max Lucado wrote in his book: Anxious For Nothing – “In the famous lace shops of Brussels, Belgium, certain rooms are dedicated to the spinning of the finest lace with the most delicate patterns. These rooms are completely dark, except for a shaft of natural light from a solitary window. Only one spinner sits in the room. The light falls upon the pattern while the worker remains in the dark.”
Here’s a question we’ll finish with today: Has God permitted a time of darkness in your world? You look but you cannot see Him you see only the fabric of circumstances woven and interlaced.
When that happens to us – You might question the purpose behind the thread – But be assured, God has a pattern. He has a plan. He is not finished, but when He is – the lace will be beautiful!
You know so often we think that casting anxiety upon the Lord is a human undertaking, but it’s not – it’s divine. So, the next time you cannot sleep because the raging swells of anxiety, of both realized and imagined trouble fill your soul, in hope, fuelled by faith ask your sympathetic high priest Jesus Christ to take the burdens you cannot bear and in unmerited grace to grant you His peace that surpasses all understanding!
And in that moment be confident that God hasn’t leveraged tomorrow’s blessings from your bank account. Not the Mighty God of the Bible. Remember, God owns every cattle on 1,000 hills. I didn’t say He owns 1,000 cattle on a hill but cattle on 1,000 hills (Psalm 50:10).
God doesn’t say, “Be anxious on Mondays,” “Be anxious in times of drought,” or even “Be anxious on test days.”
Your God owns all and he tells you to be anxious for nothing.
Instead of lying awake tonight, the One who owns all things and controls all things, encourages you to rejoice and be happy in Him.
Sleep well knowing, truly that you are not alone. The Holy Spirit is present to ease your anxiety so you can experience the rich grace of God.
Prayer
Almighty God,
Most powerful, most near, most good
I surrender my worries to you
I have asked, you will supply
I have made my needs and desires known
You will bring goodness and mercyThank you for your steadfast love and faithfulness
Thank you for your saving power
Thank you for grace upon graceYour peace surpasses all need and understanding
Guard my heart with your peace
Guard my mind with your peace
Guard me now and always in Christ Jesus my Lord, the Prince of Peace.Focus my attention and hope on your goodness, your truth, your honor, your justice. All are at work in your world.
Focus my attention and hope on your goodness, your purity, your delight, your commending. All are at work in your world.
Focus my attention and hope on your goodness, your excellence, your praise. All are it work in your world.
All are at work in me, my situation, this very moment.
Focus my attention, my power, my resources to keep doing all you show me to be right, for you are with me, God of Peace and Hope.
Focus me on your promises that I may persevere, no matter the season or situation, for the building of your kingdom and the glory of your name. Amen.
Communion
Invitation:
This is God’s Table come all of you – you are invited to dine on the banquet of heaven.
You are God’s People come all of you- you are invited to sit with your Lord
Here is God’s feast come all of you -you are invited to share in the bread and wine
The table is waiting for you all of you of every age, you are invited to be here.
Elements:
On the night he was handed over, Jesus had a meal with his friends. He took a loaf of bread and after giving thanks to God, he broke it and gave it to his disciples. He said, “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper Jesus took the cup of wine; and after giving thanks, gave it to them and said, “Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
Let us pray:
Dear Heavenly Father…. we come to your table tonight because you have invited us here… let this meal be nourishment for our souls… let it fill us up from the inside out ….Father, we thank you for the gift of your son Jesus Christ, whose love pursues us our whole life long. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life to us in word and deed, even unto death, even death on a cross. Come Holy Spirit, feed us with your love that we may be filled with power to love God with all our hearts and souls and minds. AMEN.
“Through the broken bread we participate in His body, given for you.”
“Through the cup of blessing we participate in the new covenant Jesus gives.”
Song
Benediction
Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Have a Great Week!