Here We Go!

"Farewell to the decade of fear," runs columnist Michael Barone's adieu to the '00's. From the Y2K scare to 9/11 to the current recession, the events of the past decade certainly cast a pall on prospects for the future. Barone's advice for handling the next decade is no more inspiring: "Many surprises are bad news, and they should often be regarded with fear." Jesus offers more hopeful advice: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me" (JN 14:1)With this assurance Christians move forward, grappling with the dominant emotion in our world, one that poses a serious challenge to discipleship in our era - fear. But why? Why move forward into a future supposedly full of fear and trepidation?

Rolling Stone called the '00's the "Decade of Lost Chances." Humanity senses something has been lost, a feeling existing long before the '00's ever happened. With this feeling comes a sense of urgency to recover what is lost and recorrect what is wrong.

The disciples understood this sense of urgency. The gospel of Mark begins with Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom of God: "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (MK 1:15) Each of the disciples immediately respond to this exhortation - when Jesus calls them, the follow "at once" and "without delay" (MK 1:18,20). This is the response of the Fellows. Jesus has called us to the Fellows Program, and we have followed in order to help proclaim and usher in the Kingdom that is now, but not yet. It is why all thirteen of us move forward into the future despite the climate of fear surrounding it. The time has come.

The fellows are halfway into the Fellows program, and the world is one day into the new decade. Why face the future? In the words of '80's indie rocker Paul Westerberg, "It's too late to to turn back - here we go!"