Message.

There’s one phrase which comes again and again in the Christmas story, although it might not be the first to come to our minds when we think through it. That phrase is, “Don’t be afraid” (or, if you prefer, “Fear not”) and, if I’ve counted correctly, it comes four times, in fact nearly every time an angel, God’s messenger, turns up.

The two instances we instantly remember are when Gabriel comes to Mary and when the angel (soon to be followed by an entire choir) appears to the shepherds in the fields. Although we don’t know what these good people actually saw, it’s hardly surprising that they were startled. Indeed they may well have assumed that the angels were a portent of imminent death, that their last hour had come. So they had to be calmed with the words: “Don’t be afraid! There’s nothing to be scared of; the news I’m bringing is good”. For Mary, the unexpected and probably troubling news was that she would give birth to a son; for the shepherds, the news was that this child had been born – together with directions to the place where they could go and see him.

That’s just two of the “Don’t be afraids”. The next one I’ll mention is actually the first, chronologically speaking: it’s when the angel comes to Zechariah and tells him that, after many years of trying, his wife Elizabeth, Mary’s relation, will soon bear a child. Because Zechariah finds it hard to believe what he’s being told (well, who wouldn’t?), he is temporarily struck dumb. And the final instance of our phrase comes when Joseph, having been told by Mary that she’s pregnant, is tossing and turning at night, wondering if he should part company with her – not an easy decision if he loves her. It’s then that the angel (who seems to have been working overtime) comes to his rescue by explaining the situation. Joseph’s fears are, it seems, dispelled.

Assuming we believe these stories, we can understand how the angelic appearances struck terror into the people who saw them. I think we’d have the same reaction if we encountered an angel, assuming that we recognised it as such (for the Bible does talk about “meeting angels unawares” who presumably appear to be ordinary people). But of course these were very specific moments of fear for all concerned; I wonder what ordinary, day-to-day fears were in the minds of the folk in the Christmas story? All we can do is make sensible guesses.

For instance Joseph, presumably self-employed, must have worried about getting enough orders for his work. The trip to Bethlehem would have meant delay in finishing the jobs he had in hand, with loss of income and the fear that his clients might take their custom to someone else. (And, as a carpenter, Joseph’s would also have had the fear of injuring himself and being unable to work, perhaps permanently). What about Mary? Well, she knew that, once her pregnancy started showing, she would face gossip and criticism; she also knew that her explanation of what had happened would have been laughed out of court – what a good thing social media hadn’t been invented! Mary must also have wondered if her parents would give her the support she needed. Let’s think about the shepherds; their fears must have been of being attacked by wild animals or sheep rustlers – or simply of whether they’d get paid. Finally, let’s think of paranoic Herod, so frightened of being ousted from his insecure throne that his response to any threat, real or imaginary, was to lash out and kill. The citizens of Bethlehem must have often feared his unpredictable behaviour.

I wonder what fears we – and other people – might have tonight? Is it the fear of not being able to pay the rent or the energy bills after the expenses of Christmas? Is it the fear of a meeting with the boss which could end up in redundancy? Is it the fear of what recent medical tests will reveal? Is it the fear of upcoming exams at school, college or university?

Those, and many others, are personal to us – but there are bigger ones too: the fear of Russia or China disrupting our digital infra-structure and economy, concerns arising from President Trump’s erratic behaviour and edicts, the fear felt by Jews, Muslims and Christians in places where gathering for worship runs the risk of death, the fear of being flooded out yet again, whether that be in the Indian subcontinent, or in Monmouth, Porth and Briton Ferry, the fears of gay and transgender people who are increasingly marginalised and vilified in our society, the fears of women being abused by their partners, the fears of what climate change may mean for our children and grandchildren, even the fears of Bethlehem Palestinians who see Zionist settlers waiting to pounce on their land … We may not admit it, but many of us may be harbouring fears tonight. So we all want – indeed need – to hear those angelic words: “Be not afraid”, we want to be given reassurance and hope.

I wish I could promise that God will send you an angel who will miraculously “make everything better” and release you from your fears. But I can’t, and angels aren’t fairy godmothers; that idea isn’t just childish and ridiculous but it flies against world history and the Bible. What I may be able to offer is the promise that God will be with us, hopefully giving us courage and taking away at least some of our concerns. We recall that St Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind”; while Jesus told his disciples that they would hear of “wars and rumours of wars”, “nations rising against nations”, earthquakes and famines – and said, “Do not be alarmed”.

Can we dare to hope that God’s angels – and Jesus himself – will meet with us and calm our fears tonight? I very much hope we can.