Do not be afraid

Luke 2:10-12 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Tommy was in the Preschool class of his Sunday School. All the children were assigned different parts to play for their church’s Christmas play. Tommy was given the role of the first angel on Christmas Eve announcing to the shepherds, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” Other older children were the other angels who would them recite the longer, more difficult verses. All Tommy had to say was one line, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” To his credit, no actor on the silver screen ever rehearsed his lines with as much dedication as that little lad.

Again and again he said, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” He said it fast; he said it slow; he said it with emphasis on one word and then on another; he said it loudly and he said it with a whisper.

I would love to tell you that all this practice made the prospect of the play more comfortable. It didn’t. By the day of the Christmas service, he was a wreck. Tommy’s stomach churned, his hands shook and his voice had a quiver, which hadn’t been there during rehearsals.

Trying to alleviate his butterflies, Tommy’s Sunday School teacher kept coaching him until it was time for him to walk out to the front of the church. It was then that he got his first look at the crowd. The church was packed! Hundreds of faces were looking right at him.

Tommy’s brain stood still and his mouth operated independently. Instead of saying, “It is I. Do not be afraid,” he shouted, “It’s me! And I’m scared to death!”

Although we might not like to admit it, that little Preschooler’s words are familiar to all of us. Think how many times in your life you have silently admitted with trembling in your voice, “Lord, it’s me and I’m scared to death.” Did you say it when you learned you were laid off from work? Did you admit it after the doctor told you the lump you found was cancerous? Did you pray it when the bank said they were foreclosing on your house or when your employer said you were being relocated across the country or while your child was in the ambulance on the way to the emergency room or after your beloved spouse of decades just died?

Yes, most of us, at one time or another have admitted, “I’m scared to death.”

And if we really think about what was happening that first Christmas evening, we would also have to cry out, “God, I’m scared to death.” For this was the most momentous event in human history. The Creator was coming among His fallen creation. The holy God was setting His feet upon His corrupted planet. The Judge of heaven and earth was coming down among people who had continually disobeyed Him. The King of kings was coming among His subjects who had constantly disregarded His rule. The Lord of lords was coming to peasants who had consistently destroyed His perfect Kingdom.

For if the Creator was coming to destroy, the Judge was coming to bring justice, God was coming with righteous anger, the King was coming to punish, and the Lord was coming to call down judgment, then we should be afraid; very afraid. More than just knocking knees and a cracking voice, it should be a terror that comes from the knowledge that we deserve the Lord Almighty’s righteous wrath. We should be like those pictured in Revelation on Judgment Day calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” (Revelation 6:16-17)

But we can listen to the angel’s announcement, “Do not be afraid!” Why not? The angel continues, “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. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

This was good news the angel was announcing. Not the terrifying judgment we deserved. The Creator has come, not to destroy, but to become one with His creation. The Judge has come to be our Advocate. God has taken on human flesh. The King has come to dwell among His people. The Lord Almighty has come to live so He might die.

We don’t need to be afraid for the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). Jesus comes not in anger, but to bring peace on earth. Many of our hymns and the children’s songs tonight sing of this peace. “Peace came to earth at last that chosen night When angels clove the sky with song and light And God embodied love and sheathed his might” (CWS: 707). They explain peace: “Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay Close by me forever and love me, I pray” (CW: 68). They examine the reason for peace: “Sing glory, glory! God’s Son has come to us.” They instill peace: “Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright, Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy Infant, so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace” (CW: 60).

After the Christmas meal you have tonight, you’ll be hungry again. Though there is relative peace around the world right now, wars and rumors of war will continue. Though you’re looking forward to spending time with your extended family tonight and tomorrow, you’ll soon return home wondering what were you thinking. The Christmas toys you’re kids wanted so desperately will soon be broken or forgotten.

None of these things bring peace – real, lasting, true peace. Peace comes to us tonight as a present from heaven wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Peace because our Savior became one of us so He could repair our broken relationship with God our Father. Peace because He lived the perfect life to make up for our rebellious life. Peace because He endured the punishment we deserve for our disobedience and suffered in our place on the cross. Peace because He rose from the tomb so we might have the promise of eternal life. Peace because He returned to heaven so He might make His home our home.

This “peace” Jesus gives is not intended to make all the bad things in life go away. The peace Jesus gives strengthens us as we endure the many difficult challenges of life. The peace Jesus gives also lifts our eyes from the temporary things of this world to the eternal things of heaven. The peace Jesus gives is the assurance that our sins are forgiven, and we will be in heaven forever with him.

Jesus doesn’t just show us the way to peace … He IS our peace. When Joseph delivered the Christ Child and handed Him to His mother, Mary, there was no terror on his face or in her eyes. Oh, yes, there were tears, but tears of joy streaming down their cheeks. A son was born to them – a baby boy whose name would be Yeshua, Jesus, “Savior.” But unlike so many other Jewish boys who shared the same name, this baby boy was their Savior-God, their Messiah, their “Jesus.” With hearts full of joy, they beheld the face of God. No fearful hiding. No terror of His holy condemnation. Just hearts and minds and eyes filled with joy and peace that had come for us.

It is a Christmas peace that calms our heart, quiets our conscience and removes our fears. Not just tonight, but every day. It is a peace we have with us in the hospital room, in the unemployment line, after the divorce papers are signed, at the cemetery … and even in front of hundreds of faces at a Christmas Eve service. This is the reason we can have peace and listen to the angel pronounce that one line, “Do not be afraid!” Amen.

Christmas Eve at Epiphany on December 24, 2011