Fearless Faith
“… And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
Fear comes in many different forms. We know primal, existential fear – fear for our safety; fear for our lives.
We know fear of the unknown – deep distrust of things we’re uncertain of. That “I don’t know what this thing is, so I’m just going to keep my distance” sort of fear.
Some fears are rational – a fear of venomous snakes is probably a healthy fear to have.
Some fears are irrational. I remember as a young kid being petrified at the sight of fiddlehead ferns – the most harmless plant life you can imagine.
What is the fear that these shepherds are feeling when they are described as “terrified” at the sight of the angels?
We don’t really know. It may have been a perfectly rational fear. After all, the descriptions of angels’ appearances in the Bible aren’t always the cherubic baby-faces we see on Valentines cards, or even the popular images seen in centuries of artwork of winged human-like figures of extraordinary beauty.
The angels described by the prophet Ezekiel, and the image we see again in the Revelation of John, are of considerably more terrifying stuff. They have wings, so that part hasn’t changed. Two sets of wings, really. And also four faces – One human, one eagle, one lion, and one ox. And also straight legs, with a brassy appearance, and hooves like a bull.
So if that’s the image of the angel that the shepherds saw, then, yeah – “terror” might be the response we’d all have.
But we can’t assume that the shepherds were terrified because the angels they saw were some horrific figures. After all, in the first chapter of Luke when Mary is first visited by the angel, Gabriel, she is merely perplexed. Not terrified. Not frightened. Just a little bit troubled and confused. And I have to think that if Gabriel had appeared to her with four heads and cloven hooves… well… she might have thought to mention it.
Instead, what I think we’re dealing with here in the fear of the shepherds is something altogether different. Fear – not as in a scary, terrifying fear – but something else entirely.
The scriptures are full of promises of blessings for those who fear the Lord.
Psalm 128 – Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
In the Book of Job, 28:28, it is written, “…And the God said to the human race, ‘the fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’”
Throughout the Proverbs – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (9:10); “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (1:7)”; “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.” (14:27)
Indeed, what we are seeing when people throughout the scriptures fear the Lord isn’t so much existential fear (though there may be some of that). But fear as in overwhelming awe. That people, encountering the divine for the first time are so overpowered that it does make us feel fear. That we feel utterly small and insignificant next to God’s glory and majesty.
It’s like being star-struck meeting your favorite celebrity, and you get nervous and totally uncool and you stutter and stammer and forget your own name. Like that, but times a million.
And God’s response in every situation is always the same. “Do not be afraid.” If you feel fear – if you feel real, existential fear at God’s presence… God understands. He knows he’s kind of a big deal. But you don’t have to be afraid. Be awestruck, yes! Wonder at his glory and power, absolutely! But do not fear for your life or safety, because in God’s glory we are kept secure. In God’s mercy we need not be afraid.
To have faith is to both live in fear and live fearlessly. It is to live in awe. To recognize that God’s power is infinite over us. We recognize God’s majesty. And there is wisdom and knowledge in that. There is life in that sense of overwhelming wonder.
And we live without fear. Knowing that no matter what happens to us in this life, we have God’s own son, Jesus Christ, advocating for us, blessing us, and putting our interests in front of God.
Tonight we celebrate the Son, Jesus Christ. We are humbled and made bold by him. We worship in his name, fully aware that he was born, he lived, and he died as one of us. Yet our awe is not diminished because he was human. But rather, our worship increases because it shows just how fully God loves us.
So tonight and tomorrow, and through this Christmas season. I ask you: embrace that awe. Embrace that reverence. Embrace the love and the mercy and the majesty of God our Heavenly Father and of Jesus Christ, his Son and our Lord, and the faithful renewal found in the Holy Spirit. And do not be afraid, for God is with us. Amen.
Let us pray.
Gracious Lord, on the eve of your Son’s birth we pray to you in wonder and amazement. For the messages of your angels, for the presence of your Spirit, for the gift of your Son, we are humbled. Keep us worshipful of you this Christmas. That among the friends and family, the phone calls and Zoom meetups, the food and the presents, that you stay always at the forefront of our celebrations. Lord, we pray to you in awestruck humility, in the love and veneration of the name of Jesus. Amen.
“… And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
Fear comes in many different forms. We know primal, existential fear – fear for our safety; fear for our lives.
We know fear of the unknown – deep distrust of things we’re uncertain of. That “I don’t know what this thing is, so I’m just going to keep my distance” sort of fear.
Some fears are rational – a fear of venomous snakes is probably a healthy fear to have.
Some fears are irrational. I remember as a young kid being petrified at the sight of fiddlehead ferns – the most harmless plant life you can imagine.
What is the fear that these shepherds are feeling when they are described as “terrified” at the sight of the angels?
We don’t really know. It may have been a perfectly rational fear. After all, the descriptions of angels’ appearances in the Bible aren’t always the cherubic baby-faces we see on Valentines cards, or even the popular images seen in centuries of artwork of winged human-like figures of extraordinary beauty.
The angels described by the prophet Ezekiel, and the image we see again in the Revelation of John, are of considerably more terrifying stuff. They have wings, so that part hasn’t changed. Two sets of wings, really. And also four faces – One human, one eagle, one lion, and one ox. And also straight legs, with a brassy appearance, and hooves like a bull.
So if that’s the image of the angel that the shepherds saw, then, yeah – “terror” might be the response we’d all have.
But we can’t assume that the shepherds were terrified because the angels they saw were some horrific figures. After all, in the first chapter of Luke when Mary is first visited by the angel, Gabriel, she is merely perplexed. Not terrified. Not frightened. Just a little bit troubled and confused. And I have to think that if Gabriel had appeared to her with four heads and cloven hooves… well… she might have thought to mention it.
Instead, what I think we’re dealing with here in the fear of the shepherds is something altogether different. Fear – not as in a scary, terrifying fear – but something else entirely.
The scriptures are full of promises of blessings for those who fear the Lord.
Psalm 128 – Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
In the Book of Job, 28:28, it is written, “…And the God said to the human race, ‘the fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’”
Throughout the Proverbs – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (9:10); “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (1:7)”; “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.” (14:27)
Indeed, what we are seeing when people throughout the scriptures fear the Lord isn’t so much existential fear (though there may be some of that). But fear as in overwhelming awe. That people, encountering the divine for the first time are so overpowered that it does make us feel fear. That we feel utterly small and insignificant next to God’s glory and majesty.
It’s like being star-struck meeting your favorite celebrity, and you get nervous and totally uncool and you stutter and stammer and forget your own name. Like that, but times a million.
And God’s response in every situation is always the same. “Do not be afraid.” If you feel fear – if you feel real, existential fear at God’s presence… God understands. He knows he’s kind of a big deal. But you don’t have to be afraid. Be awestruck, yes! Wonder at his glory and power, absolutely! But do not fear for your life or safety, because in God’s glory we are kept secure. In God’s mercy we need not be afraid.
To have faith is to both live in fear and live fearlessly. It is to live in awe. To recognize that God’s power is infinite over us. We recognize God’s majesty. And there is wisdom and knowledge in that. There is life in that sense of overwhelming wonder.
And we live without fear. Knowing that no matter what happens to us in this life, we have God’s own son, Jesus Christ, advocating for us, blessing us, and putting our interests in front of God.
Tonight we celebrate the Son, Jesus Christ. We are humbled and made bold by him. We worship in his name, fully aware that he was born, he lived, and he died as one of us. Yet our awe is not diminished because he was human. But rather, our worship increases because it shows just how fully God loves us.
So tonight and tomorrow, and through this Christmas season. I ask you: embrace that awe. Embrace that reverence. Embrace the love and the mercy and the majesty of God our Heavenly Father and of Jesus Christ, his Son and our Lord, and the faithful renewal found in the Holy Spirit. And do not be afraid, for God is with us. Amen.
Let us pray.
Gracious Lord, on the eve of your Son’s birth we pray to you in wonder and amazement. For the messages of your angels, for the presence of your Spirit, for the gift of your Son, we are humbled. Keep us worshipful of you this Christmas. That among the friends and family, the phone calls and Zoom meetups, the food and the presents, that you stay always at the forefront of our celebrations. Lord, we pray to you in awestruck humility, in the love and veneration of the name of Jesus. Amen.
