Recently I read that the expression "fear not" is mentioned 366 times in the Bible. "Fear not." God is with us. Fear not. God will provide. Fear not. God will not abandon us in our moments of need. Fear not. Psalm 23:4 helps us to "fear not." In the valley of the shadow of death and evil, fear not. God is here. God is helping us.

The Psalms help us pray as real people, with real feelings, when life is not nice. People in all walks of life have wet the pages of the Psalms over the years, finding help in their time of need. Whether we lament, grieve, rage and harbor feelings of hatred and revenge, the Psalms are real prayers by real people to a real God who knows, who hears, who respects our feelings and needs.

Comfort, courage, strength, good grief is ours in these powerful words. Someday all of us will need them at sometime in our lives. Or perhaps we will be caring for people who have been deeply damaged and broken. These tender words offer us God’s deep compassion and concern. We can pray these profound words when life is chaotic and threatening. These prayers empower us, heal us, bring us into good grief so we can continue on with our lives. Sometimes we need them to bury our dead before we can go forward with our lives.

Psalm 23 helps us acknowledge our feelings of grief. These words give courage.

Here is some very good news in a world full bad news. God sees. God cares. God provides. God is with us in the mess. God’s faithfulness is new every morning. Morning by morning, new mercies we see. We can live with blessing and hope in a world filled with fear. Goodness and mercy, blessing and love are God’s good gifts to us in the presence of those who wish us harm. We are invited to live in God’s heartbeat as beloved people forever and ever. God delights in providing for us even in the midst of danger. God wishes to bless us with simply abundance and tender spiritual hospitality and generosity.

In ancient days oil had many uses. Certainly one was for healing. Even today people of faith frequently ask to be anointed with oil when they are sick, injured or are in special times of need and affirmation. To be anointed with oil with blessing is a tender gift from the Shepherd. Once anointed, no one can take that blessing away from us. Wherever we are in danger, confusion and fear, remember that we are God’s anointed. God is with us. God provides for us.

Today I offer you an opportunity to reclaim your blessing as God’s beloved. I have two blessing cups with oil in them. I am going to pass them among you. As the cups pass among you, if you wish to claim a special blessing today, simply dip your finger in the oil and touch your forehead with a drop. Perhaps make a sign of the cross with the oil. Say quietly to yourselves, "I am God’s anointed and beloved child." Or feel free to simply hold the blessing cup as God’s beloved child. Silently pray a moment for a special blessing. Then pass the cup to your neighbor and share God’s blessing.

As the blessing cup circulates among you, I offer you a new picture of Christ as the good shepherd. The picture comes from a Russian icon, an religious painting of a compassionate face of Christ by the artist Rublev. This orthodox icon was painted to help people pray in Russia in the 15^th century at a time in Russian history of civil war, violence, destruction and much hatred and fear. The icon was lost and much later discovered in an old barn. The painting was damaged and partially destroyed. Henri Nouwen writes of this icon in his book, Behold the Beauty of the Lord.

Nouwen shares this reflection. "To see Christ is to see God." ‘This face of Christ is severely damaged upon first impression. It’s a sad, yet very beautiful face. This holy face, he writes, expresses the depth of God’s compassion in the midst of an increasingly violent world. Through centuries of destruction and war, this face of Christ reminds us of God’s mercy. It is the face of Christ the peacemaker. In this ancient icon we see a tender human face that no violence, hatred, destruction or war can remove from this world. In this tender face we are invited to lay aside our fears and approach God with confidence and love. We are invited into God’s compassionate heartbeat as a suffering, struggling people in an imperfect world damaged by evil.

As God’s anointed people, we are to share this tender face of Christ the Peacemaker among those among us. May God bless us and help us to "fear not." Be comforted and take courage. Know that the Shepherd walks with us. We are the Beloved’s anointed ones. May blessings upon blessings be yours. Amen.

The author of this material is "Surprised by Joy" (surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com). "Surprised by Joy" is an ordained UFMCC Christian minister who discovered that God is wonder-full to be with. It is our hope and prayer at soulfoodministry.org that all visitors will experience the tenderloving- kindness of God and receive spiritual food for their journey.