Matthew 28:1-10
April 5, 2026 Sunrise Service, 6:30 AM
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA.
Fear is one of those emotions that we, humans have, as a safety mechanism. When we experience fear, it’s a caution around danger so that we can protect ourselves. This is healthy fear. Unhealthy fear is when we are persistently or chronically afraid that would require a health professional to address.
But the number one fear that we have, 50% of us, is the fear of death or the death of a loved one.
When I was a child and something scared me, my mother would pull the lobe of my ear and say, “Be not afraid, be not afraid!” She always said it twice. I don’t know if pulling the lobe of my ear or the words, “Be not afraid” made me not afraid or not. I think it was more my mother’s calming voice and the fact that she was with me that I was no longer afraid.
“Do Not Be Afraid”
In Luke, the angel Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid that she was about to have a son named Jesus because she has found favor with God. Later, when Mary’s son was born, the shepherds out in the field heard the host of angels telling them not to be afraid.
When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb and found it to be empty and an earthquake happened, an angel reassures them to not be afraid. And after the women told the disciples and Jesus appeared to them, he told them, “Do not be afraid.”
Today, we have many things to be afraid of. There’re wars in the world that the US is in and we are afraid how these conflicts might possibly find peaceful solutions. There are astronomically high prices at the supermarkets and we are afraid that we won’t be able to feed our children. There are gas prices at $7.00 a gallon at gas stations and we are afraid about our ability to drive to work.
And for the Burmese people, our fellow Baptists, who may be worried about being pulled over, arrested, detained by ICE just because they don’t look American enough.
We do, indeed, have much to be afraid of today.
I would love to tell you not to be afraid and you won’t be afraid. But I know that I don’t have the authority to do that. It’s like when we are on a plane and we are about to fly into some turbulence. And the pilot comes on the telecom, “Ladies and Gentlemen, you will notice that we are experiencing an unusual amount of turbulence in our flight today, but let us assure you that there’s no reason for concern.” It’s like I wasn’t worry before that but now I am afraid!
It’s like when Pastor Naw San or I visit you at the hospital and we may say to you, “Do not be afraid.” Honestly, we don’t know what the future prognosis might be; neither do the doctors. But we can hold your hands and together, we travel down that road with you and pray that whatever happens, we’ll be here for you.
God’s Messengers
The truth and the Good News of Easter is that the person who does have authority to tell you to not be afraid is God. God sends messengers, the angels to reassures us to not be afraid. And when we read about the many ways Jesus ministered to the people, Jesus also said, “Fear not!” Do not be afraid!
When the angel says, “Do not be afraid,” or when Jesus says, “Fear not,” it is not assurance that nothing can go wrong, because often things do go wrong. It is not assurance that everything turns out to be the best, because, if we are honest about it, it seldom does. Rather, it is assurance that, whatever may happen to us, whatever a day may hold, God has the power to strengthen us and uphold us; that whatever we must face, we do not face it alone; that nothing we encounter is stronger than God’s love; that ultimately God gets the last word; that in the end, God’s love is triumphant.
Only God can offer such assurance, and that is why, in the end, only God, or one of God’s messengers, can say, “Do not be afraid,” and say it with authority.
My mother was able to assure me to not be afraid as a kid by pulling at my ear lobe. But it is only God, Jesus, and God’s angels who have the authority to tell us that even in the face of death, in life’s uncertainties, in whatever the future might be, that we as God’s people can find comfort, strength, and the assurance that because Christ lives, we live too.
As one ancient benediction says, “May you fear God so much, that you fear nothing else at all.” We are not afraid because God is with us. Christ the Lord is risen. He is risen, indeed!
Let us pray.
Dear God, lead us to not be afraid because in Christ, we are redeemed. Whatever happens, we are not afraid because Chris is risen and nothing in life and in death, will we be ever alone. Thank you, God for this Day of Resurrection. Amen.