A Christmas Story To Dispel Fear

Our church is entering a month of change. I think most of you know what I'm talking about. As most of you know, this is my last month to serve as pastor of Southeast Baptist Church. You may have noticed today that we have several that are not here that normally are here.

That is because our pastor search committee is attending another church this morning listening to a prospective new pastor to serve here in our church. Continue to pray for our committee as they have been working diligently searching for God's replacement for me. PRAYER

As the New Year rolls in, I am sure there will be some changes in the normal procedure of things. And that’s not a bad thing. Freshness is good. And with changes there is always a little bit of anxiety and possibly fear. Earlier this year I spent over a month preaching about eliminating the fear of any changes that are coming our way.

So let's get rid of one mistaken idea about older adults. They don't like change. But it is not only the adults that don't like change. The children may dislike change more than anyone. We don't like change. With us older folks, the rationale has been that we don't like change because we're older and, therefore, set in our ways. The truth is, none of us like change and we all get set in our ways. We get used to a routine or doing things a certain way, and we see no reason to change.

But you might not realize that really you willingly make some changes on your own. You purchase a new car or you change to a new job. We also embrace the changes that come with being a parent. But when change is thrown at us by others, we tend to resist. What if things aren't better? What if this is harder? What if...? We can quickly raise a lot of concerns and with those concerns come potential fears.

Even when we know that God is behind the change, fear can still be present. Since we are entering into the Christmas season, I thought I would use a well-known Christmas story to help us dispel any fear. It may be coming our way. You probably remember the story in Luke 1. In this story we see a young woman who was about to experience an incredible change in her life and circumstances. I thank God for this story and how we can apply it to what we're going through right now. We can be encouraged by her example to trust God no matter what.

The angel Gabriel plays a prominent role in the events recorded in Luke 1. He had already appeared to Zechariah to inform him that his prayers had been heard. Although they were "well along in years" (a nice way of saying that they were old), Zechariah and Elizabeth were told that they would have a son who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Now beginning in Luke 1:26, Gabriel announced the birth of that Messiah.

Luke 1:26-29 – “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.”

Mary was a young woman and scholars believe she was no more than a teenager. Luke points out twice in verse 27 that she was a virgin. The Greek word for virgin means exactly what it means in English. She had no relations with a man.

Usually, when an angel appeared in Scripture, the response was fear. That's understandable. I'm sure the appearance of an angel, a Holy messenger from God would be intimidating. Mary would have been familiar with those times when God's messengers delivered one of two types of messages.

Some messages were warnings or announcements of impending judgment. Other

messages were invitations or announcements that the person would play a part in God's work. God's work may sometimes be difficult, but it will always yield something extraordinary.

The angel's message to Mary wasn't one of judgment. God had bestowed a special honor on Mary. Why else would God send an angel to tell her that God was with her? For many of us, knowing that God is present can be comforting. For others the presence of God might cause them to tremble with fear. But Mary was troubled because she did not know why she was favored or blessed with the presence of God. What did this message mean to her, a typical young Jewish woman?