Rev. Debbie Cato
Isaiah 11:1-10 and Luke 1:26-38
Fairfield Community
Church
December 4, 2022
Holy God, whether it’s through angels or music,
friendships or sermons, study or nature— when you speak, we long to hear it. In
a world as chaotic and broken as ours, we could use your words of hope and
healing. With gratitude we pray, amen.
God Meets
Us In Our Fear
These
verses in Luke are called the Annunciation.
An annunciation is an announcement of something – in this case the
announcement of the incarnation by the angel Gabriel to Mary.
In twelve verses, Mary is described as favored, perplexed, thoughtful, and afraid. She questions, believes, and submits to her call to mother the child of God.[1]
The Greek word often translated as “perplexed,” can also mean “disturbed,” or “agitated,” or “deeply troubled.” How do these other meanings help you to imagine Mary’s initial reaction to the angel? What, exactly, is she afraid of or troubled by?[2]
I remember so clearly sitting in the oncologist’s office with Jessica and Tracy when I found out I had breast cancer. She told me the mammogram and biopsy confirmed I had two cancerous tumors not just one and I would need surgery as soon as the drugs I was on for my rheumatoid arthritis got out of my system. Time stopped and the doctor’s voice seemed to fade like I was in a tunnel and all sound was muted. I could no longer listen. All I heard was cancer and my brain got stuck. Cancer. I was deeply troubled with this news. I was afraid.
This wasn’t the first time I was deeply troubled or afraid. When I was 12 years old and my parents said we were moving from the small rural town in Minnesota to a place called Oregon, away from my Grandma Potter and my friend Joannie. I was deeply troubled and very afraid.
When Jessica had a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics when she was 4 years-old. Her joints swelled up like basketballs and her body was covered in hives. Her throat began to close. The doctors at Children’s Hospital fervently worked on her. I was very afraid.
Have you received news that deeply troubled you? News that disturbed you or agitated you? News that left you afraid?
Every day, people are faced with unexpected news, with untold grief and pain. The gospel is not enough to take that pain and fear away, not immediately. Hope sounds hollow to those who are enduring the wretched parts of life. Often, we cannot begin to understand the fear and anguish of those around us who suffer. Nor should we. Everyone’s fear and anguish is different and unique. We can’t and shouldn’t compare it to ours, even if we have experienced similar things.
Still, we know—because we are human—that courage rises despite our fear, not in its absence. Those who have suffered loss and tragedy and bad news know this. We can get through things we think impossible. Perhaps this story and the angel’s command to not be afraid are an invitation to just sit with those who are experiencing a world moving on despite their personal struggle—a world that says, “Cheer up! Move on!” while they are still grieving. While they are still afraid; still disturbed, we can just sit with them. Be present. Be their strength. Perhaps we are invited to accompany people moving through their pain, as Mary and Jesus accompanied one another through life events only the two of them understood. Despite the dissension in the world, they moved through the tender spaces of their lives together. And because Jesus was not only Mary’s son, but the Son of god, God himself moved through the tender spaces of Jesus’s human life with Mary, even as they were both afraid.
When the angel Gabriel comes to Mary, she is perplexed and confused—and no doubt, afraid. I have to wonder if she wasn’t deeply troubled. She was merely 13 years old and engaged to be married. She was a virgin. And now this angel – whose appearance alone would be disturbing, is telling her she is going to conceive and give birth to the Son of God. This is unexpected, and yes, I would say, disturbing, troubling news for Mary.
I can imagine the angel’s voice muted in Mary’s head just like the doctor’s voice muted in my head as she tried to process what was happening and what he was saying to her. “Stop! I have plans. I am going to marry Joseph. We are going to have our own family. We have plans. This will change everything. What will Joseph think? What will he do? What will my village think? Why me, God? Choose something else.”
And yet, the angel’s news is: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid. We hear this refrain all throughout the Christmas story. It is one of the most common phrases in all the bible, over 100 times Scripture tells us not to be afraid.
Do not be afraid,
for I am your God;
I will strengthen
you; I will help you;
I will uphold you
with my victorious right hand.”
Do not be
afraid, for I am your God. That’s a good
verse to memorize. “Do not be afraid,
for I am your God.”
Jesus tells us, (Matthew 28:20), “Do not fear, little flock.” Do no fear. And near the end of his ministry, Jesus tells is disciples, “remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” That sounds an awful lot like he is telling them not to be afraid. “Remember, I am with you always.
From generation to generation, God shows up in the midst of our fear and uncertainty and confusion. From generation to generation, faithful people have said, “yes,” despite apprehension. From generation to generation, our ancestors in faith have accepted God’s invitation. The prophecy in Isaiah that I read this morning paints a vision of what we work toward when we say “yes”. Righteousness and equity reign, the wolf lives with the lamb, no harm or hurt will destroy the earth, a child shall lead the way. This is the vision passed down to us: this is the call God gives to us. We must pursue it and make it real.[3]
After Mary’s initial skepticism about what sort of message she is receiving, the angel says, “Do not be afraid”. He shares with her the message of what will come and then explains how it will occur, responding to Mary’s questioning. Then he tells her about her cousin Elizabeth as an example to prove that “nothing is impossible for God” . At this point, Mary replies, “Let it be.” What changes Mary’s mind? What convinces her to trust this message? From where—or from whom—does she summon her courage? Was it more information? Time to process? Hearing about the miracle of her old, barren cousin Elizabeth? Or just her faith kicking in? Perhaps it was a combination of these things. Whatever it was, Mary says, “Let it be,” putting into motion God’s plan for her life and God’s plan for the world.
This idea of Mary’s transformation from fear to strength and the surrogate mother of God resonated with me. While my cancer diagnosis initially filled me with a fear I hadn’t felt before, looking back I realize it eventually transformed me. I found a strength I didn’t know I had. I became a warrior, fighting for my health. I learned how strong my daughters are – they are warriors too. I learned how loved and valued I am by my friends, and I gained new friends who had walked this journey before me and experienced the same, yet different journey. And yes, I felt God’s presence with me in new and stronger ways than I had before. Not at first. I had to experience that fear. That darkness. That unknowing-ness. But God was there too. God met me in my fear. And it wasn’t long before I heard him say, “Do not be afraid. I am your God.” And I chose to believe him.
Perhaps you can think of a time when you were afraid yet stepped forward and were able to move past your fear. Often, we don’t have a choice. We have to keep going. If we are fortunate, we will hear God’s voice through the encouragement of friends or family. Sometimes He speaks to us in the quiet of the darkness or the craziness of the moment. We have to listen. God is always there. Always. Do not be afraid. I am your God.
I think it’s O.K. to be fearful and confused and deeply troubled. These are honest human feelings and reactions to difficult situations in our lives. It’s how we begin to process. It’s O.K. to question. Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message. She questioned it and after receiving more information, she believed and submitted to God’s call. In the process, she was transformed and her life forever changed. It wasn’t an easy life. Following God’s call seldom is. Mary suffered considerably as the Mother of God. But if we are faithful, we will be transformed. And God will always be with us. Always. He meets us in our fear as well as our joy. Thanks be to God. Amen.
[1] Feasting on the Word. Year B, Volume 1. Fourth Sunday of Advent. Luke 1:26-38.
Theological Perspective. Cynthia
L. Rigby. P. 92.[2] Sanctified
Art. Second Sunday of Advent 2022. Guiding
Questions. Dr. Christine J. Hong.
[3] Sanctified Art. Second Sunday of
Advent 2022. Guiding Questions. Dr.
Christine J. Hong.
[4]
Sanctified Art. Carmele Beaugelin. Artist.
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