Listen to the angels: do not be afraid
By the Rt Rev Sally Foster-fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
SACRED stories tell themselves over and over again.
Generations wrestle with them, question and quarrel and conjure.
It is our searching that stirs life into words and ideas and truth beyond fact.
There is a first-nation way of introducing a story: “I don’t know if it happened exactly this way, but I know that this story is true.”
I invite you, in the midst of our merry Christmas chaos, to listen to the story. Let it tell you what it will.
Here is one thought to pique your imagination.
The Christmas story is filled with images of angels visiting. Listen to their whispers, echoes and songs.
The angel came to Mary and said: “Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.”
An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
An angel came to shepherds, as they kept watch over their flocks, and the angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
I find the words of the angels in our Christmas story telling – did you hear them?
Every time the angels appeared, they said the same thing: “Do not be afraid.”
In fact, “do not be afraid” is the most frequently spoken phrase in the Bible. I wonder why. Possibly because there is a difference in feeling afraid, which everybody feels sometimes, and ‘being afraid’ – fear being the driver and determining factor.
Do not be afraid. When the temptation is to circle your wagons, look after number one and the ones you know, do not be afraid to let love steer you towards those on your margins and seek common ground.
Do not be afraid. There is enough for all of us when we believe that enough to share.
Do not be afraid. Justice and peace hold hands and they walk the road together.
Join them and change the world one step at a time.
In the midst of our merry Christmas chaos, listen to the story. Let it tell you what it will.