Living with love, not fear

Dear St. Augustine's 'ohana,
In a conversation this week, a friend was lamenting the state of the world. “I think I was born at the wrong time,” she said. “What makes you say that?” I asked. “Fear,” she answered.

As events continue to unfold across our nation and the world, the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church met this week in Maryland. In her opening remarks, House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris said, “This is not a moment of chaos. It is a moment of consequence. The tactics we are witnessing are not random. They are strategic: deliberate efforts to co-opt public institutions, erode the rule of law, and blur the boundaries between faith and state... These are hallmarks of what scholars call theocratic and state capture—the systematic merger of religious and political authority reshaping how power operates in our world.”

Amid this climate of fear and manipulation, we turn to scripture that grounds us in something deeper. On Sunday, we’ll hear of Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem, knowing the cost of love yet moving forward with unwavering commitment. He invites his followers—then and now—to do the same: to let go of what gets in the way of love, and to trust the deeper current of the Spirit.

This story invites a question worth sitting with: What do we need to release to live more fully for love—not fear?

Sometimes the greatest obstacles to Divine love aren’t external forces, but what we grip inside:

• our expectations
• our assumptions
• our need to be right
• our judgment of others
• our fear of getting it wrong
• our clinging to what once made us feel safe

The Spirit calls us to let go—not into apathy, but into active, intentional love. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been reflecting on the image of the Water of Life—the water of our baptism that connects, nourishes, and teaches us how to live in the flow of grace. Like water, love flows in the present moment. It doesn’t cling to the past or force the future. It meets the moment fully, offering itself without fear. To live for love is to loosen our grip. To live with love is to let the Spirit guide our steps.

As Paul reminds the Galatians: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.”

So may we ask ourselves honestly: What needs to be released in me today, so I can live more freely in love—and not in fear?
Blessings,
Vicar Jennifer

P.S., Mahalo for reading this message! I send my thoughts on the coming Sunday's scripture lessons in our weekly e-newsletter. If you'd like, you can sign up here to receive it. My e-message is usually a sneak peak of the coming Sunday's sermon, so if you're curious to hear more, head to our Facebook page for our livestream or go to our YouTube page to view past services. As always, I would love to see you in person on a Sunday! And please let me know if you'd like to talk about anything I've written here.

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