“Fear not.” This is the message of the angels to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds; and it continues to be God’s message to us today! There have always been endless reasons in this world for people to be afraid; but six hundred years before Christmas, the prophet Zephaniah proclaimed, “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst! You need fear disaster no more.” (Zephaniah 3:15) This is a message that is completely fulfilled with the coming of Christ! In Christ, God is truly in our midst, which is why he is called Emmanuel, “God with us.” And if God is with us, we need not fear.
If God is with us, we need not fear. Click To TweetSo Christ draws us out of fear into faith. May we hear the message of the angels—“Fear not!” – and so live in faith and genuine hope, as we rejoice in the good news of Christmas.
Sunday’s Scripture Readings
Zephaniah 3:14–15
