Fear not!

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:10-11 [KJV]

Nativity

It often feels as though there is much to fear. We fear change, people, evil, our own failings, and uncertainties. Each of us also has private fears we never voice to others.

And yet, around 2000 years ago, an angel appeared to a group of shepherds who were “keeping watch over their flock by night.”

Luke 2:10-11 records, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Fear not! The angel’s message is just as true today as it was then. It is just as true in Australia, the Caribbean, America and anywhere else in the world as it was in Bethlehem.

How is it possible to live without being controlled by fear? Because a Saviour, Christ the Lord, was born. Jesus came to bring us peace – peace with God through salvation, and the peace of God dwelling in our hearts. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” He also promised, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

This Christmas, and as we look ahead to the new year, may the angel’s message continue to encourage us. Let us fear not!