But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” – Luke 1:31-33
Over and over, through the stories that tell about the birth of Jesus, we read about different angels appearing. They appear to Zechariah in the temple. They appear to Mary. They appear to Joseph. They appear to shepherds. It seems that each time they appear, the initial response from the people seeing them is fear. Almost immediately, each time, the angels respond with, “Do not be afraid.”
I was recently teaching our Confirmation class and we were talking about the Church Seasons. When we talked about Advent and Christmas, one of the students asked why we celebrate Christmas on December 25. There is actually a lot of history around why that date was chosen (hint: we don’t believe it was actually the day Jesus was really born). Part of the reason why that date was chosen was because, in the early Church, they thought that December 25 was the darkest day of the year. It is actually December 21, but they were close! They wanted to make a statement that the light of Christ still shines even on the darkest of days.
It is easy for darkness and fear to take hold in our lives. But it is in those moments the angels come to us with the reminder that we don’t have to be afraid. Because we know that even in the darkest of days, there is good news of great joy. A baby will be born in Bethlehem who will be called the Son of the Most High. He is the Prince of Peace, and we no longer have to live in fear.
Rev. Josh Attaway, Edmond Campus Pastor and CFO
