Advent Series: Fear Not
Overview: It is said that the Bible tells us not to fear 365 times, one for each day of the year! During this Advent Season, we see several instances of fear gripping the hearts of various people. Within our own lives, from wars and famine, natural disasters and unrest, the news encourages fear. But as ones who anticipate the coming of the Lord, we hold fast to the words of the angels, “Fear Not!”
November 30 • Fear of Being Forgotten
Isaiah 64:1–8 (NRSV); Luke 2:25–38 (NRSV)
Being forgotten is one of the worst of human experiences. Our deepest fear is that someone, or everyone, or even God has forgotten about us, and we are left to fend for ourselves, with unmet hope. As news cyclesHave a rise and fall, those who are featured continue to live out their story. In the coming of the Messiah, we look at two people who were afraid that they, and the people Israel, had been forgotten by God. But God arrives precisely when God means to and not when we think God should. God continues to work out the story.
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December 7 • Fear of Doubt
Luke 1:26-38; Hebrews 11:1-3, 13-16
A life of faith doesn't exclude doubt. Oftentimes, we tell children, and each other, "Have faith, just believe." We are told not to question and not to doubt, as if it is unfaithful. However, a grounded and strong sense of faith includes times of doubt. When the angel Gabriel tells Mary about her role in the kingdom of God, she questions its possibility. Instead of chastising her, the angel assures her of God's great power. While visitations from angels these days are rare, faith and doubt go hand in hand in a healthy life with Christ.
December 14 • Fear of the Unknown
Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 55:8-11
God calls us into places that are beyond us. For Joseph, his call was way over his head. He was asked to not fulfill his first desires; he was asked to accept the social fallout and fulfill prophecies of old. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have the strength to get off the couch and refill my soda; Joseph shows us, with his ability to step into the unknown, how we can step into God’s plans without all the answers.
December 21 • Fear of Change
Matthew 2:1-12, 16-17; Isaiah 40:21-24, 27-31
We don’t often admit it, but many of us live with a quiet fear of losing control—fear of losing influence, stability, status, or the life we’ve carefully built. We often associate this fear with change, and we will go to great lengths to prevent it. Herod, who trembled at the news of Jesus, clung desperately to his power, imagining that this child born in Bethlehem would threaten his reign. His reaction exposes the truth in all of us: when we fear change, we often resist what God is trying to do. Jesus does not come to take life from us but to free us from fear, grounding us in the unshakeable security of God's love.
