“Say to those with feeble hearts, ‘Be strong, Do not fear, your God will come.” The Prophet Isaiah, the Thirty-Fifth Chapter

“Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy; today is born to you in the City of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”  The Gospel according to St. Luke

What do you fear?  And why?

People are living in a state of fear.

As the presidential election looms, there is fear on the national stage in the United States.  Some people are afraid of what will happen if Trump gets elected.  Others are just afraid of what will happen if Harris does.

As the Russian and Ukraine war escalates, with North Korea and China now involved, and as the conflict in the Middle East broadens, there is fear on the world stage.

As parents try to feed their children in light of rising costs, as people try to find affordable housing, as individuals worry about losing their jobs for fear of an economy that is tottering dangerously on the precipice, there is fear in individuals.

To be human is to be fearful.  Fear can be healthy, say for example when one is hiking and encounters a moose or mountain lion.  But fear is also a cancer that eats us alive, from the inside out.  And it is not new.

At the time of Isaiah the Prophet life was not much different.  He wrote to a people afraid.  Those living in the Northern Kingdom of Samaria were taken into captivity by the Assyrians.  Those living in the Southern Kingdom would face the same fate just a hundred years later as they were led to the foreign land of Babylon. 

Into this milieu Isaiah spoke words of comfort as well as warning. His message was simple, and timely.  Trust in God.  Specifically, trust in the Promise of a Savior.

Some of our most-loved prophesies come from Isaiah, like this one from the seventh chapter:  “This shall be a sign to you, the Virgin will be with child and shall give birth to a savior, who will be called Immanuel.”

It took seven centuries for that prophecy to be fulfilled.  And when it was the two words accompanying the birth spoken by angels were “Fear Not.”

Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Immanuel, which means “God with us.”  I know, I know, it is not Christmas.  At least not officially.  But the meaning of Christmas is for Christ to be born.  Not just as a historical event, but a personal experience.

Christ is to be born in us, in each of us.  And when that happens a mystical and marvelous thing happens:  We begin to trust more in God than we do in people; our fear is replaced by love; we claim citizenship in the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of people.

After the death of Jesus His disciples were living in fear, enclosed behind locked doors.  Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  And suddenly a transformation occurred in these simple fishermen and women.  They were filled with the love of God, and went out boldly, facing dangers and death, to proclaim the glories of God’s marvelous good news, which is simply put, “There is nothing to fear, for God is with us.”

I invite you to welcome Christ into all the corners of your life, especially those filled with fear.