We call this time of the year the season of light, and we probably all enjoy

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Leo Porter
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1 Luke 2:4-16 Afraid of the Dark We call this time of the year the season of light, and we probably all enjoy driving through neighborhoods where the houses are lit beautifully and decorated with religious themes or with Santa and reindeer. But, of course, there s not much to it in the daytime- it is all so dull, except at night. And here at church, we will worship on Christmas Eve at night, and we will carry candles outside the sanctuary to symbolize the light going out into the darkness, the light of God s love coming into a lost world. Did we get the idea of nights and lights from the gospels? Did you ever notice how much of the Nativity story takes place at night? Think of Matthew s gospel, where the wise men see a sign in the night sky that a new King has been born, and they follow it to the place where the baby was; think of the dreams of Joseph- four times in the night an angel visits him to inform him about the Baby s divine parentage, and to instruct him where to go with his wife, Mary, and the baby Jesus. And here in our passage the shepherds are watching the flocks at night, and the light of God and the angels appear. Think about the darkness of the place where Mary laid him: in a manger, in a stable or a cave where animals were kept, lit only by a small, oil-burning pottery lamp.

2 I m sure you ve been in a place where you were enveloped, or perhaps overwhelmed, by the darkness. I remember once taking a tour in Longhorn Caverns, when the guide switched off the lights. And maybe you are thinking about your bedroom at night, or perhaps places you ve traveled, far away from cities. It can be the most peaceful experience imaginable, or a terrifying one. It means on thing if you are in the open desert with the stars shining above, and quite another if you ve just wakened from a nightmare, or heard a strange sound in the night. These give you very different feelings about the silence and the darkness. Our passage has the shepherds watching the sheep in the dark. My understanding is that sheep like to sleep outside unless the weather is very cold or wet, they are well insulated, after all; so the sheep weren t spread out all over the country that night grazing, but were close together, sleeping. And again, it was dark, the shepherds may have had a little fire, but they couldn t have been watching the sheep with their eyes, but with their ears- listening for restlessness among the flock that could mean predators were near. If they were capable shepherds, they would have been alert, but not frightened by anything in the nighttime. But when the sky lit up with the glory of God, they were filled with

3 fear- literally, the Greek text has it, they were frightened with great fear, and the angel had to speak the words, do not be afraid. The shepherds were afraid of this unexpected and inexplicable occurrence in the field, as any of us would be. They were terrified of this strange light, even if they were not afraid of the dark. Then again, maybe they spent every night shivering with fear at the thought of unseen demons and ogres and spirits. It was a superstitious time. How did Mary spend her time in the dark stable? Fourteen or fifteen years old with a baby, and so poor the nursery was a barn, looking down on a baby that gave unique meaning to the phrase, gift from heaven, or this one, bundle of joy. If what the angel had told her months before was true, this wasn t just her son, but the Son of God; if what the shepherds told her was true when they had come to worship, this child was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. And how does a parent care for a child like that? I would think that amidst the moments of joy and pride, as she gazed down at her perfect little baby, there were also periods of darkness and terror. What do I do now? she may have asked herself. In these first two chapters of Luke s gospel, the angel appears; here, with the whole army of God to proclaim to the shepherds the birth of the Lord; but earlier, he comes to Mary to announce that God has chosen her to bear a Son who will be

4 the son of David and the Son of God; and earlier still, the angel comes to Zachariah the priest, in the temple, to tell him that his infertile wife will give birth to a son whom they will name John, and this one would become the Baptist, the forerunner, who would prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. These three supernatural appearances, and each time the angel speaks, do not be afraid. Now, were those words spoken just to calm them, to assure Mary and Zachariah and the shepherds, that they weren t in danger from these strange happenings? Or was there something more to this being unafraid? Is there a theological point to this repetition, do not be afraid? Surely there is something more to it. Why do we fear? Isn t it that we are uncertain? What are we afraid of? Why, that which we don t know. Something that may overpower us and cause us harm. So, here is the word of the angel that says do not be afraid of the unknown, do not fear something unexpected or powerful or dangerous. But what could keep us from being afraid? There are many passages in the Bible that help us here. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, the Psalmist sang, for thou art with me. Again and again God says to the people of Israel, just as they are entering the Promised Land to confront new challenges and other tribes

5 and enemies, I will be with you wherever you go, just as I was with Moses; be strong and courageous; do not be frightened. One of the Old Testament prophets proclaimed, the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst and you shall fear evil no more. Isaiah wrote this word of the Lord, fear not, for I have redeemed you; when you pass through the waters I will be with you. And there is the story of the disciples of Jesus one night out on the Sea of Galilee, and they were having trouble making progress against a heavy wind, and Jesus came to them walking on the water. And they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. But Jesus spoke to them, take heart, it is I; have no fear. Is this what the angel is telling Zachariah and Mary, and the shepherds in our passage, Do not fear, the Lord has come, and all is well? Last weekend was the Area clergy Christmas party. We met at Dynasty Restaurant on Airport Road. I hadn t been there before, and I really enjoyed itnothing says Christmas to me like a Chinese buffet. And at the end of the evening someone said to our Area Minister, Dr. Hall, give us a Christmas benediction. And he replied, I think the word for all of us, and for your churches, is this: fear not, the Lord is with you. Yes, the times ahead may seem dark, the economy and our personal prospects may be uncertain, and our church is small. But this is the

6 time, even amidst great worry and hurt and fear, even when the darkness may be deepest, that the Lord will remain with us, and his light will shine about us. So let us not lose hope. Be not afraid, even now, for God is with us. Be not afraid, for the light has come into the world, and the scary things cannot overcome it. Now, this gospel message is not just a pleasant word for Christmas, but something we can celebrate every week. Each Sunday we come here to share the Lord s Supper, and we believe that Jesus meets us here. So, as we eat and drink together, let us take courage, and be hopeful, and remember that he is with us, and that we need never be afraid. If an angel were to appear to us (which could be alarming- I hope he would say, Do not be afraid! ), I don t think we could respond in a better manner than the shepherds in our story today: to come to worship the Newborn King. And part of worship is to tell to one another the wonderful things of God we have seen and heard, just as they did. And in this way we encourage one another. Perhaps we need to keep our eyes and ears open, and attuned to the mighty, and humble, things

7 God is doing in the world. And then, after an hour or two together, giving thanks and marveling in the Lord s goodness, we go forth, back out into the world, praising and glorifying God, as the shepherds did; and taking with us the light of Christ s truth and love into the dark night, going out to tell the Good News to others hurt and afraid in the darkness. So let us dedicate ourselves to being servants of Jesus the Lord for the sake of those who do not know him.

The Light of Christmas: the Wonder of Light Pastor Jon Haakana. Merry Christmas! Tonight we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world.

The Light of Christmas: the Wonder of Light Pastor Jon Haakana Merry Christmas! Tonight we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world. How many of you have a tree with lights on it at home? How