“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was not guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”      ~ Luke 2:6-14

“Do not be afraid.” An angel appears to Zechariah as he prays at the altar of incense, to tell him his wife—who was barren—was going to have a son, John the Baptist.

“Do not be afraid.” An angel appears to Mary, “because she found favor with God.” He tells her she is going to give birth to a son (without the traditional method of conceiving, by the way) and he will be called the Son of the Most High.”

“Do not be afraid.” An angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds in the middle of the night to announce the birth of Jesus. “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”

Don’t be scared—we have the best news EVER! I haven’t ever been visited by an angel like this—and I’m sure it was to scare me. But then there is that news of great joy for all the people. After the initial scare, wouldn’t you be at least a little curious? What kind of news would bring joy to all people—not just joy—GREAT joy? And not to just a few, but to ALL the people?

The news of GREAT joy for ALL the people is that God decided to come to earth in the human form, as a baby, tiny, vulnerable, crying and screaming, cooing and laughing. He came to bring us back into right relationship with God. To show us how to live so that we would be worthy of eternal life. To teach us that hope endures forever, that mercy, grace, and forgiveness are things we cannot earn, and that Love always wins. Even when we are scared. Even when we are in the lowest of the lows, the deepest valleys, and most oppressive times.

I don’t like being scared, but I do love good news. Is there a time in your life when you were scared beyond scared? How were you able to get over it? Did it come with news? Good or bad?

How did you react to the fear? How did you react to the news?

Every time the angel says, “Do not be afraid.” The news gets better. Barren Elizabeth. God’s favored one, Mary. And then, Jesus. And God wanted to share it with the lowly shepherds first, not those in power, but the ones who were despised. What a radical move, from a radical God.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Baby Jesus, where can we show up in radical ways for those who need to hear this story? And as we prepare for the second coming of Christ, where do we need to share God’s radical love? To whom can we say, “Do not be afraid? I want to tell you a story that is filled with GREAT JOY for ALL OF YOU!”

In this season of preparation, be of great courage. Prepare yourselves for the moment the angels come to you. And in turn, be the angel for those around you. May it be so!

Always Peace, 

Pastor Heidi