“Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.” Luke 2:9-10
With the birth of Jesus, God breaks into our frightened, fearful and fallen world with the words, “Do not be afraid!” This is the message he sends through the Angel to Mary, to Joseph and to the shepherds on that first Christmas so long ago and the message is the same for us today.
In a week that has seen, amongst other things, a truck driven into a Christmas market in Germany, a car bombing at the offices of the Australian Christian Lobby in Canberra and even plans for a terrorist attack on our own Cathedral here in Melbourne, it may seem that there is much to be afraid of, but the good news is God’s message of love remains the same. Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.” Christ the Saviour is born! Celebrate it loudly, proclaim it boldly and have a blessed, safe, wonderful and holy Christmas!
Till next week Andrew
