 |
And
the Angel said "Do Not Be Afraid" 28 November 1999 CAPTAIN MARIEKE VENTER Reading: Luke 1:26-38 Christmas is just about upon us. Today, in fact, is the first day in Advent, which means that we have just 3 more Sundays before Christmas. For some it is a season of great joy – but for others, somehow Christmas seems to hold so many fears. The fear of getting everything done in time – buying all the presents, having to spend time in those busy shopping malls, getting all the preparations for family get-togethers’ sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction. The fear that perhaps the business will not bring in a good enough yield. For some Christmas holds memories of sadness, when loved ones have been lost, or are missed at this festive time. The message I want to bring you today is that of the angel of the Christmas story who repeated came with the words: "Do not be afraid". I guess we are living in a society where there is so much fear. Yet, as we have it in one of the well-known Christmas carols "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Christ." Let us look at what the angel said and to whom:
…..Receive God’s good favour .Luke 1:30-31 says: "Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name Jesus". As the angel greeted Mary, I guess that fear of the unexpected must have well up in her heart, and there must have been so much confusion. She was a mere teenager, the Bible scholars tell us – probably no more than about 15 years old. But the angel told her that she had found favor with God. She had found grace with God. A definition of grace is simply "The undeserved favour of God". I should imagine that Mary did not quite know how to face the future. How would she explain her condition? How would she be able to face her family, her fiance, her friends, the town folk? What did her future hold? The fear must have been overwhelming. But the angel said: "Do not be afraid – God is showing grace to you!" There was something special about this girl who was able to say; "Let it be done to me according to you will!" Things happen to you and me from time to time that we don’t quite know how to cope with. Bad things do happen to good people, you know! It was Paul, who was constantly on the receiving end of bad things happening to him, and who suffered from something he called a thorn in the flesh, who was able to hear from God these words: "My grace is sufficient for you…" Although it is hard, you have found favour with God – he will allay your fears and help you through. Can I go one step further and tell you that God’s grace is available to us all. By giving Jesus at this Christmas time for you and for me, God has shown His grace – his undeserved favour. That should help to dispell our fears. Again we find the angel saying: Listen to what Matthew 1:20-21 says: "But while he thought about these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins".A certain article appeared in a newspaper in which an interview with several kinder garden children was reported. The children were simply asked the question: "Where do babies come from?" Listen to some of their answers: Linda Stacey, aged 5, said; "Mommies go and buy them at the shops. Girls cost R5 and boys cost 50 cents" Michael Sale, aged 5 said; "I’m not really sure, but I know Mums have to get them. If you’re kind of handsome it means you’re a boy, and if you’re wearing lipstick, you’re a girl" Alicia Crews, aged 5 said; "From fairy god-mothers. They make them out of yarn and crayons…" Kelly Sweat was 6 years old, and she said: "They come from the frozen food counter in the supermarket, just like TV dinners. All the Mummies have to do is warm them up when they want them". David Joyner, aged 6, said: "My mommy told me that storks bring them, but I know that isn’t true because we have lots of babies around here and no storks. I think they come by parcel post." I wonder if folks in Nazareth laughed like that when Joseph told them about where his son had come from. From the Holy Spirit? Yes, right, Joseph. Sure – you never touched her? Right! We can only imagine the thoughts that raced through Joseph’s mind. Mary had told him about being pregnant. That could mean only one thing. She had been unfaithful to him. His frustrations and fear must have mounted really quickly. The fear of loss as well as disappointment came over him. He stood the chance of losing
his betrothed. He is about to get married. It would be the normal Jewish three-step
procedure. There was the engagement, which was often made when the couple were only
children, usually through the parents or a professional match-maker. And it was often made
without the couple involved ever having seen each other - marriage was considered far too
serious a step to be left to the dictates of the human heart. Then there was the betrothal
which was the ratification of the engagement into which the couple had previously entered.
It lasted for one year during which the couple was known as man and wife, although they
would not live together. Betrothal could only be terminated as a full-blown marriage could
be - death or divorce. The third stage was the marriage proper, which took place at the
end of the year of betrothal. Joseph and Mary were at stage two. Suddenly, Mary turns up pregnant. And the baby is not Joseph's. Joseph KNOWS it is not Joseph's. What a dilemma! Nightmare! What a jumble his feelings must have been! Rage? Unquestionably. Fury at her
unfaithfulness. Fury at whomever had defiled the marriage bed with her. Embarrassment? Of
course. Sorrow? No doubt. His life was planned out - it was going to be with Mary. Now
that would not be possible. Sorry for her too, even though this was something she had
brought on herself. Now what? Jewish law allowed stoning as the penalty for adultery, but that was a sentence not often carried out in practice. Joseph could have made a public spectacle of Mary to prove his own innocence in the affair. No. Finally, the decision was made to handle the situation quietly, to give her a Bill of Divorcement in the presence of two witnesses as the Law required, and then let her go her way. Perhaps she would return to the home of her cousin Elizabeth to avoid the shame of having the child in Nazareth. One way or another, the nightmare would be over. The situation seemed hopeless – but Joseph was about to discover that there are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them. The reality of the situation was that God was being faithful to His word. We have it prophecied in Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel".The angel spoke calming words of Joseph, assuring him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because what was happening was taking place by the hand of God. God’s Word is powerful to overcome and drive fear away from us. Why? Because God is true and faithful to His Word. Think for a moment of all He provides for us through His Word. Psalm 119 -–the longest Psalm in the Bible – which I am not going to read to you, has some of the most powerful fear chasers that you can get. He provides: Cleansing (vs 9) Revival (vs 25) Strength (vs 28) Comfort (vs 50) Mercy (vs 58) Hope (vs 74) Light (vs 105) Direction (vs 133) Truth (vs 160) Understanding (vs 169 Deliverance (vs 170) The Word of God came to Joseph, calming his fears, and we read that he took Mary to be his wife, and did not have any physical relationship with her until Jesus was born. ….Receive God’s Good Tidings Luke 2:10-11 says; "Then the angel said to them; "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."You can imagine the fear of those shepherds. They had probably finished a hard day’s work, and now it was time to settle down into a nice comfortable, ordinary evening. This was what they had done hundreds of times before. But this night was to be no ordinary evening. The silence was shattered as they were confronted with an angel proclaiming the good news of all the years, and then the heavenly choir burst into song as well. What a night to remember. What a frightening experience to have to go through. But you know, their fears were unfounded. The good tidings that they heard brought incredible joy to those lowly shepherds. They had a choice of whether to believe the angel, or to forget everything and get some serious sleep. But those lowly shepherds were so thrilled with the good tidings, that they set off immediately to go and seek for the Christ child. They quick and willing obedience was rewarded when they found everything as the angel had said. Their fear was replaced with joy – and I don’t think that those shepherds were ever the same again!
CONCLUSION: Today, if you find yourself like Mary – being given a task by God that is hard to bear – do not be afraid, for His grace is sufficient for you. If you find yourself like Joseph, frustrated and fearful at the same time – receive God’s good Word. If you find yourself like one of the shepherds, tending to get on with the ordinariness of life with our fears, our concerns, our worries - receive God’s good tidings. At this Christmas time, I pray that the angel of God might break into our lives, and put an end to any fears that we might have. My prayer is that we will know the life-changing experience that Christ came to bring at that first Christmas 2000 years ago. |