Do Not Be Afraid

Pastor Russell Lackey                                                               December 24, 2007

Luke 2:1-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.  4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."  15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Are you terrified of God?  I do not mean fearing God with holy fear.  Rather, are you afraid or terrified of God? 

When I was a child my parents attended a little church in Fallbrook that met in an old two-story school house.  This congregation did not allow the children to worship in the sanctuary.  We had our Sunday School class on the first floor and the adults worshiped on the second floor.  

One day, I decided that I wanted to go to the sanctuary with my parents and so I slipped away from my class.  I climbed up the stairs and when I got to the top, I noticed that instead of wood floors, the top story had red carpet.  Being young and knowing that red carpet was meant for important people, I thought the carpet meant God was coming to church that day.  Now, I could not see into the sanctuary because the doors were shut.  But as I moved closer, I heard the sounds of a loud voice yelling inside the room.  I immediately became afraid because I thought God was in the sanctuary yelling at people (I did not realize it was the pastor).  I was so frightened by the sound I began to cry.  I also ran back to my Sunday School class.  Once there I prayed to Jesus to make God the Father go back to heaven.   

In the Bible, whenever God came close, the people were afraid.  They feared seeing God (Exodus 3:6), they feared God’s voice (Exodus 20:18ff), they were even afraid to say God’s name.  Even more, Israel feared those sent from God.  They were afraid to approach Moses when he came back from his encounter with God (Exodus 34:30).  They feared Joshua because God made him great (Joshua 4:14).  Israel feared Samuel because he did the work of God (I Sam 12:18).  Israel feared Solomon because he had received wisdom from God (I Kings 3:28).  In fact, the only one they did not fear was David.  The people of Israel loved David because he was their shepherd.  The rest of the prophets frightened the people.  The people were so afraid of God and his prophets that seventy-five times, in the O.T., they were told, “Fear not!” 

This should not surprise us.  We too are afraid of God.  Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, humanity has been trying to hide from God, trying to appease God, or even trying to erase God from our minds so that we no longer have to deal with him. 

Think about all those religions that try to appease God.  They tell their followers that by doing certain deeds God will bless them: sacrifice young virgins into volcanoes or strap a bomb onto your body and surely God will grant you paradise. 

We might think such ideas are primitive but we are no different.  How many times have we said, “Why is God punishing me, I am a good person?”  Or, when things are going well we say, “I must be living right.”  Like Santa, we think that God is in heaven with his list checking to see who is naughty or nice.   

For a young woman, named Michelle, she wondered this herself.  Michelle was the mother of four.  Her marriage was terrible.  After years of bad choices, abuse, abandonment, debt, an eating disorder, and despair she mustered up the courage to make an appointment with her pastor.  At that appointment she shared everything she had done, and had been done to her, and with tears running down her eyes she asked, “Pastor, does God still love me?” (Timothy Wengert, A Formula for Parish Practice, p. 137).

What a painful question.  All of us have asked some form of this question.  Does God still love me?  Does God love me at all?  Is God angry at me?  Is God punishing me?  Why does God punish me and not that wicked neighbor down the street? 

But what if we have it wrong?  What if God actually loves us and does not want us to be afraid of him? What must God do to demonstrate his mercy?  If God comes close, the people will be afraid.  If God sends one of his prophets the people will still be afraid.  What must God do to convince us of his love so that we will no longer be afraid? 

The answer is Christmas.  God must come to us in the most unthreatening way possible.  God must come to us as a humble, lowly child so that we will not be afraid.  That is what God was doing on that first Christmas. 

Listen to some of the details surrounding Jesus’ humble birth.  Jesus is born under the reign of Caesar.  Caesar should bow to Christ.  But Jesus came for the lowly and was willing to submit himself under the reign of Caesar.  Second, Jesus was born in a tiny village instead of Jerusalem (a short distance away).  Had he been born in Jerusalem, everyone would have taken notice.  They would have put him immediately in the palace.  Once inside, no one would have had access to him.  Third, Jesus was born in a manger instead of the inn.  Even in this he takes the lowest of places.  The truth is his birth was so inconspicuous, so common, that the angels had to tell the shepherds about it, otherwise no one would have even noticed.  Truly a humble birth. 

Then there is the message.  To these lowly shepherds, the angel said, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  Each word is important here.  “Do not be afraid.”  Jesus’ birth means we no longer have to be afraid of God.  “I bring you good news of great joy.”  There are many things in this world that bring joy: presents, friends, a good meal, etc.  But only Jesus brings great joy!  “For all the people.”  This joyful message is not just for the elite, but rather for all people.  “Today a Savior is born.”  If you remember Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house” (19:9).  On the cross, Jesus said to the criminal, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).  “Today a Savior” not a judge, a prophet, or a prince, but a savior is born who is Christ the Lord.  “In the city of David”, David was the beloved king.  David was the shepherd who tended to his people.  David was the one king that the peopled loved and were not afraid of.  Jesus was born in the city of David because he is the beloved shepherd who will lay down his life for the sheep.  What a wonderful message.   

Then there is the sign.  The sign that we no longer need to be afraid is that the child lying in the manger is swaddled.  Any parents who have ever swaddled a child, knows that you swaddle them so that they will not move.  Don’t you understand?  To make sure we would no longer be afraid of God, God allowed himself to be bound, held down, restricted, and restrained.  Can you imagine?  God was swaddled so that we would not be afraid.  This would not be the last time God would be bound.  On the cross, Jesus was tied and nailed.  On the cross, God was restricted and bound in order to demonstrate his love for us.   To Michelle who wondered if God still loved her, the fact that God was bound is the answer.  God does love her.  God suffered in the flesh for her and for you. 

Hark the herald angels sing, “Glory to the new born king;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinner reconciled.” 

At the beginning of the sermon I said that when I was afraid of God the Father, I prayed to Jesus.  I was half right to do this.  I was right to pray to Jesus.  He is merciful and loves for us to pray to him.  I was wrong about God the Father.  God is not a monster.  God is a loving Father who sent Jesus.  I do not need to be afraid and neither do you.   

Jesus became a child to unite you to God.  Instead of hiding from God come and behold Jesus where he had promised and bound himself to be found. 

·         Come little children to the waters of baptism; Jesus is there to unite him to you. 

·         Come young men and women to the Lord’s Table; rejoice like Mary and Joseph as you hold the savior in your hands. 

·         Come you lowly shepherds to confess your sins; hear Jesus say you are forgiven. 

·         Come you men and women advanced in years to the Holy Scriptures; rejoice like Anna and Simeon who were able to see Jesus. 

You do not need to be afraid of God.  Come and behold him: Christ Jesus your Lord!

Merry Christmas,

Amen!