Dear one,
Predictably, because Christmas looms before us, once again I have been drawn to that account of the angel’s announcement to the shepherds:
“Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:9-11).
You might recall, previously I shared with you thoughts regarding the angelic host (i.e. “army”) proclaiming “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14); but just prior to their hallelujah chorus, a solo messenger (i.e. “angel”) spoke to unsuspecting shepherds. Based upon the angel’s first words, “Don’t be afraid,” it seems clear that the shepherds were terrified; but if so, they were in good company: Zechariah feared when he heard that he’d father a son (Luke 1:13); Mary feared when she heard that she’d bear a son (Luke 1:30); and Joseph feared to marry his betrothed (Matthew 1:20).
Without question, the experiences of those who lived that first Advent-to-Christmas were marked by fear. In my view, this was not a cowering, cringing terror, which expresses itself in mindless panic; rather, it was a fear that expresses itself in overwhelming humility, for it knows itself in the presence of a power, which is inexplicable, fully beyond human limits—and yet, glimpsed or perceived within those limits. It is the fear expressed by Mary: “How can this be?” and yet, it was. Equally in my view, this is “holy fear.”
Earlier this morning, I read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas "reflection":
“We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas, that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable from it and forgetting the serious aspect, that the God of the world draws near to the people of our little earth and lays claim to it.”[1]
Bonhoeffer penned these words nearly a century ago, when the Nazi terror was being unleashed upon the world; and yet, that world like our own, was far more aware of such fear, choosing to tranquilize or sanitize the holy fear of Christmas: Immanuel, God with us.
With fear,
Stan
[1] A Testament to Freedom: The Essential Writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kelly and Burton (eds.), (San Francisco: Harper-SanFrancisco, 1995),p.185.