DEC. 24, 2006 PASTOR SCOTT FULLER
MAL 3:1-4; LK 1:68-79; PHIL 1:3-11; LK 3:1-6
Prepare our hearts, Lord, to receive your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own that in hearing we believe and in believing we obey your will revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Don’t be afraid says a parent to a child who cries out in the darkened night.
Don’t be afraid says a coach to a climber on a ropes course high in the trees.
Don’t be afraid says a doctor to a patient who is nervous about surgery.
Don’t be afraid….
How would you describe that little phrase? Is it a command, a decree, an imperative, a plea…all of the above? Those of you who have ever said those words, or heard them…does it work to do so?
If only we lived in a world where our words could make our goals come to life, where the simple act of speaking could accomplish our heart’s desire. That seems to be what we humans envy most about God’s power…
Back in the creation story, God speaks…and light comes into being. God speaks again…and dry land appears. God speaks once more…and plants, animals and human beings appear. Imagine the power! What would it feel like if we could: order our offspring to obey; command co-workers to cooperate; enjoin enemies to embrace; tell a ne'er-do-well to start doing well; command cancer to quit, dispel diseases and prevent poverty… simply by saying the word? That’s power.
Alas, we are not so gifted…yet that never seems to stop us from trying…
To someone who is feeling depressed, we say…Cheer up!
We advise those who are lonely…You should get out and meet people.
We tell the chemically dependent…Just say no!
And to those who are gripped by fear, we say Don’t be afraid!
Don’t be afraid. These same few words are spoken three times in the brief story of Jesus’ birth. When the angel visits Zechariah with news that his wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a boy…the heavenly visitor says Don’t be afraid! When Mary hears the news that she, too, is pregnant…the angel says Don’t be afraid! And, finally, when those herders of sheep are invited to welcome the Good Shepherd of the people, the angel says to that scruffy bunch Don’t be afraid!
The truth is, that our travelers to Bethlehem had many good reasons to be afraid. Help me brainstorm a few of them:
-Mary was barely a teen -She and Joseph were not married
-Tough travel late in pregnancy -Birthing room was a barn
-No medical/midwife attention -No money for help along the way
-Inns were harbors for hard people -Threat of Herod’s jealousy
In contrast, our celebrations of Christmas tend to focus on the peaceful, pleasant, pastoral parts of the plot. In the carol Away in a Manger we sing The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes… And again, in the carol Silent Night we sing Holy infant so tender and mild…sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.
A friend of mine, the director of Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in Montana, talked about a different translation of the song. So this week I googled it and discovered almost twenty different takes on the text. One version, I thought, did a good job of doing both things: celebrating the star-dust-and-stable-straw-magic of the moment, while noting its challenges as well.
Say the words of this version:
Still the night, Holy the night, Sleeps the world, hid from sight,
Mary and Joseph in stable bare, Watch o’er the child, beloved and fair,
Sleep in heavenly peace! Sleep in heavenly peace!
When I remember the days with our new born babes, I give thanks to God that we were not camped out in some stable bare, that we were able to come home quickly, and that our children posed no threat to a person in power.
And I was reminded of the awesome responsibility borne by Mary and Joseph, the sense of fear that is part of the charge to watch o’er the child. I remember wondering: -Why is he crying? -Is she still breathing?
-Do you think he’s hungry? -Does she have a fever?
As all who have walked or rocked a crying child can attest, the phrase Sleep in heavenly peace! is probably less about how things are, and more about how we pray they might be. And so says the angel, Don’t be afraid! And so says the parent, Sleep in heavenly peace!
This means that though our burdens may seem unbearable and our fears well-founded, still God has promised to provide for, protect and prepare us to face whatever challenges lie ahead. In Isaiah 41, the prophet offers a vision of how we might do this, how we might face today, tomorrow and the day after that. The few words of verse ten speak volumes about the power of God’s word as a living and helpful gift. Says the Lord,
Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand (Is. 41:10).
Amen.