Luke 2

READ: Luke 2

REFLECT:

I would like for you to meditate with me on the annunciation of the angel to the shepherds in Bethlehem.

I don't know what the angels look like. Scripture does not describe them very carefully. The best description we have of the appearance of angels tells us that they are like young men dressed in white garments. Those were the angels that appeared at the resurrection. Never once are they referred to as having wings. I don't know where that idea came from, unless it came from the concept that angels are free to move about rapidly, and to us that suggests flying.

But the angel suddenly appeared out of the darkness of the night. Around him shone the radiance of glory -- a nimbus -- as the glory of the Lord shone round the shepherds. And as the King James Version puts it, "they were sore afraid." Luke 2:10:

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

Thus the birth of God's long-awaited redeemer was introduced to a darkened, weary, and exhausted world. History tells us that the time of our Lord's birth was indeed a time of weariness and widespread despair among men and among the nations of the earth. The civilisations of that day had all played themselves out. This is how Matthew Arnold describes the world into which the Lord came: 

On that hard, pagan world, disgust and secret loathing fell. Deep weariness and sated lust made human life a hell.

It is striking that the human emotion that was first encountered by the angelic messenger was that of fear. Men were afraid in that day. They were afraid of many things, as they are today. There was Herod the Great on the throne. Herod was cruel, and was able to accomplish his wrath upon whoever was the object of his dis-favour. He had personally put to death many, even in his own family, because of their antagonism to his plans. Also there were the Romans, too, with their proud legions, marching up and down across the face of the earth, holding everything in a severe and iron bondage. Many wars broke out and the economy was uncertain. The people were afraid.

Perhaps the most striking thing to us about this story is that we can so easily put ourselves back into that situation of fear, for by far the dominant mood of the hour today is that of fear.

RELATE:

The other day I was having a conversation on how senior citizens today in not so secure countries are afraid to go out of their homes, and must lock themselves into their apartments for months on end because of their fear of being assaulted, mugged, injured, or killed if they step outside their door. Even policemen must ride in city buses and trains in order to protect people from danger. Crime has mounted to such a degree that people are afraid to walk the streets.

It always amazes me that anyone should really think that we have made any progress in solving the basic problems of humanity in all these 2,000 years. I am almost tempted to laugh out loud when someone talks to me of the great progress we, as human beings, have made when we are still working about the same problems they worked on 2,000 years ago. The movies of our day are reflecting the uneasiness that is in people's hearts -- movies such as The Omen, Jaws, Kong. Such disaster movies all reflect the sense of impending doom that is so deep in the hearts of people today. All the mini-wars that break out betray the increasing tension among the great powers of the earth as they move toward a certain conflict that everyone knows is yet to come.

As we watch countries hold their elections, we do so with mingled apprehension and hope, not sure what will happen. We are told by the economists of our day that all we can look forward to is more inflation, higher taxes, high unemployment, and more uncertainty.

Yet the first word of the angel to those shepherds in the field was "Fear not. Be not afraid." I do not think any greater news can come to us than that announcement. It came to them, as the angel went on to say, because a Saviour was born in Bethlehem -- a Deliverer. Because of the presence of a Deliverer, they need not be afraid of anything.

You and I know how frequently we draw the parallel between the coming of Jesus as a babe in Bethlehem and the coming of Jesus into the human heart. Even our carols do this. The third verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" says,

How silently, how silently,

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him still,

The dear Christ enters in.

Every Christmas season we remind each other that it is not enough for Christ to have been born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. What really counts is Christ being born in the human heart. Your Bethlehem is when Christ came to you and was born in your heart. It is that remarkable parallel that constitutes the good news of Christianity today -- that Jesus can be born in us as certainly as he was born in Bethlehem. Therefore, to us, the angel stands to make his welcome announcement: "Fear not. Fear not, for unto you is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."

Last year I learned that the words "Fear not" appear in the Bible exactly 365 times. Did you ever wonder why? Did you ever wonder why we are not to fear? The reason, of course, is that a Saviour has been presented -- a Deliverer, a rescuer, one who is adequate to free us from any threat and danger in any situation. That is why the shepherds were told not to be afraid. It did not make any difference what Herod or the Romans would do, or what the clever, manipulative minds of men would try to set in motion; there was a Deliverer, a Saviour among them. A Redeemer had come who would change the situation and use it for His own glory and bring them through. Therefore the announcement of the angel was "Be not afraid."

I think this suggests to us that what the presence of Jesus in our lives ought to bring us is the absence of fear and the presence of joy. That is what it is all about and it is not intended to be a once-for-all experience. I know that many of us look back to the moment of our conversion as a great moment of joy. We had a sense of deliverance, a sense of freedom, a sense of release. But this is intended to be an ongoing process. We don't face dangerous and frightening situations just once or twice in a lifetime; we face them every day. Anytime something strikes terror in the heart or grips us with the cold hand of fear, anytime we are anxious and troubled and weary, anytime something seems to threaten us or our loved ones is a moment of danger. For that moment, we have a Saviour, a Deliverer. Therefore the continuing word of God to us who have such a Deliverer is "Be not afraid."

That is why the chief mark of the Christian ought to be the absence of fear and the presence of joy. We have often quoted the description of a Christian as one who is: Completely fearless, continually cheerful, and constantly in trouble.

How fitting that is! This is not to be a once-for-all experience, but one that is continuous, day-by-day. It is that presence of joy and absence of fear that marks our genuine Christianity and proves that we really are what we claim to be.

I think this is what is missing oftentimes in our evangelistic endeavours today. I am not against many of the movements that try to tell the great story of Christianity by various ways and means. But I tell you this: None of these movements or methods will ever mean a thing unless they are backed by a life that has this mark of genuine Christianity -- the presence of joy and the absence of fear. Paul said in Romans 14:17:

The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 14:17)

REST:

Therefore that ought to be the mark of every Christian, that same sense of being free, of being delivered because the Deliverer is present. As we look at Him -- not as we seek for the feeling or look for the joy, but as we concentrate on the Saviour, as we remind ourselves of who He is and what He came to do and what He can do -- then we will discover again that same wonderful fulfilment of the angel's announcement. We need not be afraid. Friedrich Nietzsche, the atheistic German philosopher, made this remark; "If you want me to believe in your Redeemer, then you've got to look a lot more redeemed." That is true, isn't it?

No matter what the trial may be, the promise of this verse is that we have a Saviour, a Deliverer, especially designed to handle that problem, a Saviour who is with us always. If we remember that, and look to him, He will take us through it. He does not promise to take the problem away, but He will take us through it. He will strengthen us to face it and will give us courage and peace and joy in the midst of it. Therefore the promise of the angel was "Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

This is what Christmas must mean to us. All the days of the year that lie ahead are to be met by the fact that we have in our midst and in our hearts, a Saviour, a Deliverer, a Rescuer, Christ the Lord. All authority has been given to him, in heaven and on earth. No event and no circumstance can come into our lives that will be more than He can handle, more than He can take us through. It is that knowledge that gives the heart peace and joy.

TAN TEE KHOON