“But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’” – Luke 1:29–30
Read Luke 1:29-30. Here, we see Mary reacting to the angel’s message that the Lord is with her. Mary was greatly troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.”
It may seem unusual to begin such an exciting and festive season with the topic of fear, but so much of the beginning of Jesus’ life was a story of fear. Mary is tasked with carrying the Savior of the world in her womb, Jesus was born into a scary time and place, and His life was threatened soon after His birth. Let’s be honest: this isn’t how most of us would plan on bringing the Savior of humanity into the world! If it were up to us, we would’ve made it a lot safer instead of being clouded by danger and fear.
As we enter into this holiday season, fear is one of the things that can begin to creep into our lives. As school begins to wind down, there’s a fear of finals and grades coming in. For some of you, there’s stress or fear about time with family over the holidays, as distance, divorce, or some other factor can make things difficult. Fear of unhealthy family dynamics, fear of not making Christmas “big” or meaningful enough, fear or anxiety about how busy Christmas is, and so on. There are aspects of the Christmas season that can cause significant stress on families and can turn these holy days into busy days.
As we enter into this holy time of year, commit to keeping it holy, less busy, and less fearful. Seek to find joy in this season. Find comfort in the fact that while there can be many things to fear, Jesus’ coming is a reminder that we should “Fear not.”
QUESTIONS:
What's something you fear, dread, or stress about this time of year? Why?
What do you think it would look like to find joy amid all of the busyness of Christmas?
