December
22, 2002
The
Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Saint
Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Lessons: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Romans 16:25-27; St. Luke 1:26-38
I’m
afraid, that Christmas is coming. In fact,
I’m afraid that Christmas is this week!
Now, it might seem strange, at first, to be afraid, of Christmas. But, isn’t that true for many, at this time
of the year, just a few days before the holiday? It is the sad, but true, fact of human life, for many of us. There are many, who fear, maybe even dread,
the approach of Christmas. Of course,
it’s not Christmas, in and of itself, that people fear. For some, it’s the hassle and the extra work
that makes them fearful. For others,
it’s the strain put on their already overstretched finances by the Christmas
splurge. For others it’s the fear of
the conflicts and tensions that often occur in families and relationships at
Christmas time. And for others, it’s
the fact that Christmas will reawaken painful memories—the memory of a death or
a tragedy that occurred around this time, or the awareness that a beloved
family member or friend is no longer with us.
There are indeed many reasons for us to fear this holiday season—and
many reasons, why you may be, afraid, as we approach Christmas. And does it offer any comfort—can you take
heart, in the fact, that you are not alone, in your fear? Does it console you at all, that in the Christmas
story, there was plenty of fear, as well?
Today,
in our gospel lesson, we hear how Mary was afraid, on hearing the greeting of
the angel, Gabriel. But the angel said
to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and now,
you will conceive and bear, in your womb, a son, who will be great, and will be
called the Son of the Most High, who will sit on the throne of David.” We know that Gabriel meant what he said,
when he said, “Do not be afraid”—but really, nothing Gabriel said would’ve
lessened Mary’s fear. First, there’s an
archangel in her bedroom, for God’s sake!
Then, in a culture where virginity was cherished, and a birth out of
wedlock was shameful—then, Mary was told that she, a virgin, would conceive and
bear a child—who would be Son of the Most High God. And what is there in all this that might help Mary, not be
afraid?
And Mary
is not the only one to fear. In the
Gospel of Matthew, we hear that Joseph, too, was afraid when he found out that
Mary was pregnant, and expecting a child, even though they weren’t married, and
hadn’t yet lived together! And angel
appeared to Joseph, too, and told him to not be afraid, and to not be afraid to
take Mary for his wife, because the child, in her womb, was conceived by the
Holy Spirit. And though the angel told
Joseph not to be afraid—we wonder—did Joseph’s fear, simply melt away? Were there still, those fear-ful times, as
Joseph awaiting Christmas, and the birth of the God-child?
And if
that isn’t enough fear, we will hear, on Christmas Eve, how the shepherds were
also afraid. The Gospel of Luke says
that when the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shown around them, they were terrified.
But the angel said, “Do not be afraid.
For behold, I bring you good news of a great joy—for today, has been
born to you, a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord!” And then, the whole angel host appeared, singing, “Glory to God
in the highest, and peace to His people on earth!” We aren’t told much more about the shepherds, except that they
went to Bethlehem, saw the baby, and returned glorifying God for all they had
heard and seen. In some way, somehow,
the shepherds, and Joseph, and Mary, seemed to be able to push through their
fear, to live in faith. The shepherds,
going to see the Christ-child; Joseph,
taking Mary to be his wife, and raising Jesus as his own; Mary, trusting God to
do as He had promised, saying, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord, let it be
with me according to your word.” Each
of these are examples of ordinary, everyday people, moving from fear, to
faith. But for us, ordinary, everyday
people, we have to ask, “How?” How does
one move from fear to faith? How do I,
release my fears, and look forward to Christmas, in faith—that it will be
okay—in faith, that God will provide and guide, and care for me? In faith, that no matter what happens to me,
in life, that Jesus, the Christ, will be with me?
It seems
to me one of the most powerful, yet overlooked sentence in scripture, may very
well be the words of the angel, Gabriel, to Mary, when he says, to her questions,
“for nothing will be impossible with God.”
Have you thought much, about these words, and what it might mean--for
Mary and Joseph, but also, for you and me?
On the one hand, our fears, our struggles, our life situations can seem
huge, and insurmountable! But the
fears, struggles and situations of Mary and Joseph were no molehills! And yet, they overcome their fears, because
for God, nothing is impossible!
Together with God, they were able to bear, give birth to, and raise, a
child who would become, indeed, Son of the Most High God, and Savior of the
world! Because, for God, nothing is
impossible. And for you, and for me,
with God, nothing is impossible, either.
With God, we can meet our fears, head on, and overcome them. With God, we can deal, straightforwardly,
with the stresses and strains in our lives, and find new and creative ways to
address them. With God, we can look
honestly, at our relationships and our families, and bring the love of God to bear,
so that for all the disfunction and unhealthiness, we can go on in life. With God, there is nothing in our lives that
cannot be changed, transformed, made new.
So, with God, there is nothing to fear.
For with God, nothing is impossible.
With God, nothing is impossible.
With God, there is nothing in your life, your relationships, your job,
your home, your family, your Christmas preparations—that cannot be made
better. For with God, nothing is
impossible. With God, there is no
reason, to fear. So, as Christmas fast
approaches, let us not be overcome by fear—let us be overcome, by faith in the
God who makes all things possible. Let
us be overcome by the fact, that with God, nothing, is impossible!
In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen