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“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid…”  -Luke 2:10

  In the West signs of Christmas are undoubtedly everywhere: Christmas lights, Christmas decorations, Christmas sales, Christmas displays, Christmas music…you would have to lock yourself in a basement for the month of December or live in Montana to miss it.   Here in Southern China we don’t have that many reminders.  But, as the season of Advent came upon FueledByRice we happened to be surrounded by ancient Christian tradition at the Maryknoll House in Hong Kong.  We were able to participate in some Christmas decorating by dressing a real tree and helping Fr. Sean set up the hundreds of nativity scenes from all over the world that make up Maryknoll’s fascinating collection.   For me it was a comforting bath of familiar culture as well as a good reminder that even though there’s no snow, we are in the Christmas season.

  Back on the road I had some time to reflect over my humming tires about the Christmas story.  One of the first messages the angel brought to the characters in the nativity was, “Don’t be afraid.”  The shepherds got it first thing, and I can imagine why after camping in a rice patti in the black of night.  Come to think of it, seeing “the glory of the Lord” shining around you at any time might be startling, but there’s a special terror to being out in the fields at night.  Either way, the message from God starts, “Don’t be afraid.”  Mary and Joseph also get this same message from the angel that appears to them.  It might be dismissed as a greeting or small encouragement, but I tend to think this simple admonition is at the heart of God’s message: “Don’t be afraid.”

  One of FueledByRice’s main messages is along similar lines:

• Don’t be afraid of other people because they may be different or far away or associated with some uncooperative government.
• Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone.
• Don’t be afraid of the big challenges.
• Don’t be afraid when the wind is dark, and a heavy world is crushing you…

  What’s wrong with fear?  It makes us do things we wouldn’t do if we weren’t afraid.  Our defenses are up in fear; we are prepared to protect ourselves using whatever means necessary or possible.  Fear clouds our judgement.  Fear makes us dangerous. 

Jesus’s close friend John writes that fear is not a part of love.  He says there is no fear in love because perfect love drives out all fear (1Jn4:18).  Earlier in the gospel he tells us Christ came because God loved the world so much…  So connecting the dots we see Christ’s advent was because of God’s love, love and fear don’t mix, God says Don’t be afraid.

  It’s a good message for us today.  Love more, fear less.  In a world where fear is being used as a tool for manipulation, both by terrorist groups and democratic governments, we do well to prepare ourselves to face others in love and not in fear, so we can act in ways that honor our fellow humanity rather than in ways that bind freedom and demean life’s value.

  The celebration of Christmas is a celebration of God’s love toward humanity and our love for friends and family and even strangers, sometimes.  Whether or not you may be in the practice of celebrating Christmas, allow this message from the angel in the story to be spoken to you this Advent season: Don’t be afraid.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Drew's Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.