MANNA: 12/18/12

Third Week of Advent

Luke 1:13
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah,...
Luke 1:30
"And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary,..."
Matthew 1:20
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear..."
Luke 2:10
And the angel said to [the shepherds], "Fear not..."

If your church is like mine, then your church is preparing to be visited by...angels, as well as the whole cast of characters in the children's Christmas pageant.  Angels are described in traditional interpretation as innocent and beautiful.  Well, I ask you...is there anything that strikes the soul with more innocence and beauty than a child dressed up in white and gold with a halo and wings?

Angels are an intrinsic part of the Christmas story.  Christmas simply would not have happened without these God-sent messengers.  In truth, we don't know whether or not the angels were clothed in white robes, whether they had halos or even whether or not they flew with wings.    What we do know is that these angels carried the heart of God to frightened people whose roles were instrumental in the story of Christmas.

Angels appear four times in the traditional Christmas story and each time, although they carried different pieces of information concerning what was to happen, their message always begins the same way, "Do not be afraid!"  It was what the angel said first to Zachariah, then to Mary, then to Joseph and finally to the shepherds on the hillsides of Bethlehem.

"Do not be afraid!"

I believe that this is the message before the message, of Christmas.  Before we can believe that God entered human history in the vulnerability of an infant boy...we need to hear the heart of God say to us, "Do not be afraid!"  Before we can believe that God is with us, preparing us, sustaining us, empowering us for whatever life throws at us next, we need to hear the heart of God say to us, "Do not be afraid."

As we consider the horrible evil that befell Sandy Hook Elementary, we hug our kids, and ask, "WHY?"  And the question, like so may other questions of despair, remain unanswered...Yet, still, God does not remain silent as so many mistakenly assume.  He comes to us with the message of the angels, "Do not be afraid."  Before we can embrace the possibility that God truly does enter a fallen world to heal the deepest wounds, comfort the deepest hurts, bridge the widest chasm of despair, we must first hear and believe that we need not be afraid.

Prayer:
As we send our kids to school...As we face personal trials...As we answer God's call...As we grieve...May the message of angels remind us that we need not be afraid.  Amen