"Do not be afraid..." pt. 1 | A Christmas Post

The Angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah the birth of his son.

One time I was kayaking off the coast of North Carolina with my cousin. Suddenly, to the left front of our boat, something huge breached the surface of the water.

My cousin and I sat there speechless for about 10 seconds before one of us gasped, "Did you see that?"

We had happened into a school of dolphins. Every few minutes one would emerge, its back lolling up out of the water just past the breakers. It was a captivating treat.

But I'll really never forget the uneasiness I felt the initial emergence from the deep. I knew there were big things "out there", but now one such thing was right in front of me.

I can't help but feel like this was a taste of what those who encountered angels in Scripture experience. After all, the first thing the angel always says is, "Do not be afraid."

This stood out as I was reading through the nativity accounts over the past few days. There is a pattern.

I thought I might write a few (2 or 3) reflections on these instances.

It was the middle of the day during Zechariah's shift burning incense in what was probably the Most Holy Place of the temple when he had his encounter. (Luke 1:8-25)

An angel appeared, and Zechariah was "troubled"--he was agitated, uncertain. Evidently he was dumbfounded too, because the angel finally assured him:

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard..."

Two things stand out about this statement:

1. The angel knew Zechariah's name, and used it.
2. The angel knew Zechariah's circumstances, and addressed them.

Advent is, after all, the introduction of the Gospel (the good news), and this news must address us and our fears in personal ways. It is a message of assurance.

The angel knew that Zechariah must be afraid, or at least uncertain. Shouldn't we all in the Presence of God or one of his Messengers (the true translation of angel). Is there a way to definitively quiet such fears? The Gospel says, "yes!" and the advent would begin to address the question of "how?"

The Gospel is a message about who God is and what He did. The advent is the beginning glimpse--in the end you will have no need for fear, of this I assure you.

Not only that, but we are told, "your prayer has been heard."

In Zechariah's case, it was the barrenness of his wife Elizabeth. "Your prayer has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John."

I would argue that each of us spend most of our days in prayer: they are silent yearnings and hopes that may never even find verbal expression. They are the opposite sides of our fears, and they are always present. The Gospel addresses both our fears ("do not be afraid") and our hopes ("your prayer has been heard").

After hearing "Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John." Zechariah might have thought that was it, but it wasn't.

"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." (vv. 14-17)

 As it turns out, God had heard every ache, every groan, every hope, every longing. Yes He had heard the cry for a son, but He had also heard the cry for a Savior. And Zechariah's son John would be instrumental in his coming.

All our hopes and fears can be traced back to the fundamental, searching question: is God for me? This is really all that matters, and the Gospel emphatically answers yes.

Ask yourself, What are my fears? What are my prayers? Where do they find their root?

Hear from the angel Gabriel, "Do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard." Look back at the Gospel story in its entirety for assurance, and look forward with hope and joy! Enter into the journey of those to whom this message was first announced this advent as a way of sparking reflection and meditation.

Zechariah ended up being struck mute for his unbelief regarding this message, but is it any wonder that when his tongue was loosed he broke out into a song declaring:

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people  and has raised up a horn of salvation for us......that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." (vv. 68-79)