Submitted by Pastor Donna Clark Fuller, Rock Port and Watson United Methodist Churches

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid…’”  Luke 1:30

In the Christmas story there are many instances of angels making announcements to people whose first response was fear. Zechariah, at the announcement that he and Elizabeth would have a son in their old age, a son who would be known as John the Baptist. Joseph, on hearing that Mary would give birth to a child that was not his. Mary, on hearing that she would have a child who would be the Son of God. All these people were afraid of those who brought the news, and also afraid of the news itself.

It was a difficult time for ordinary people. Those who would acquire power, or maintain the power they have, thought nothing of using violence to achieve those purposes. People who had little power did not want to be visited by strange people. They did not want to be expected to do anything that might be seen as disruptive to the current power structure. People like Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, were people who worked hard in life and who survived, but did not have a lot of wealth and the power that wealth often provides. They knew that if they got on the wrong side of someone with greater power, they could lose what they did have in life, or even lose their lives.

But these angels who visited told them that they would most certainly be the beginning of stories of those who would disrupt the world as they knew it. John the Baptist would call people to repent of their sins, to come back to the God they had forgotten. He would lose his life for it. And Jesus would change the world in such a great way, but He would also be crucified for it.

What are our fears today? What might God be asking of us that might cause us to react first of all with fear? Are there ways that God might expect us to cause a stir in the world? Are there things that God wants us to do to make the world a better place for all of God’s children, but that might get us in trouble with those who want things just the way they are?

In this Advent season, as we anticipate the birth of the Christ child, let us also remember everything that event meant for the world. Let us remember the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus even as we celebrate His birth with joy. And let us listen to the voice of God calling us and try not to be afraid.