Advent Journey
Can We Find Love in Fear?
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
Fear is physical. It is the body’s emotional response to a perceived danger or threat. The moment you experience fear, your body’s stress hormones are released. Your blood pressure and heart rate increase. You start breathing faster. And before you know it, a desire for fight-or-flight, or even freeze, kicks in.
As we read the Christmas narrative, we hear the phrase, “Do not be afraid ” four different times as angels of the Lord appear suddenly and majestically on scene – first to Zechariah, then to Mary and Joseph, and finally to the shepherds. We know little about their emotional responses to encountering these heavenly messengers bearing the Good News, but it would be understandable if it was fear followed by a fight-or-flight response. Beyond the sheer magnitude of an angelic encounter, there were the personal and prophetic implications of the news being told to them – news that would change them and change history. A King, the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, was to be born to a young virgin girl in the small, quiet town of Bethlehem. Could there be a greater paradox?
For Mary, the young virgin, the stakes were high. She was being asked to do what no other person in history has been asked to do – to be the earthly mother of God’s only Son. In this defining moment of encounter, Mary made a choice. She chose love over fear. She placed her entire life in God’s hands in an act of holy love and surrender, and in doing so she became part of God’s redemptive love story for the world.
The reassuring words, “Do not be afraid,” as spoken by the angels throughout the Christmas narrative, echo the very words spoken across the ages by our loving Father who says to us, “Fear not, for I am with you ” (Is. 41:10). Like Mary, when we place our lives in God’s hands, He promises to be with us and to go before us. He promises us His perfect love which overcomes all our fears.
Esther Lysakovsky
Senior Advisor, Alpha Canada
Prayer:
Loving Father, we thank you that throughout history you have reassured us of your faithful presence through every storm. When fear and anxiety threaten to overwhelm us, we ask the Holy Spirit’s help to comfort and guide us and remind us of your love. Today, we hold fast to your promise to go with us, and to never leave or forsake us (Deut. 31:6). You truly are Immanuel, God who is with us.
Application:
Take a moment to meditate on the words the angels proclaimed throughout the Christmas story, “Do not be afraid.” As you reflect on your own life’s journey, are there spaces in your past or present where fear and anxiety have been louder than love? Today, be reminded of these words from your loving Father, “Fear not, for I am with you.” Lay your fears at the feet of Jesus, and embrace the gift of His steadfast, perfect love.