Christmas Eve, 24 December 2022, Austwick, Midnight
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: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’
The Christmas story reinforces what we know from our lives: that good news can be terrifying.
Good news can be terrifying to the couple staring at the positive pregnancy test in the woman’s hand, feeling awed and thrilled - and thoroughly and completely unprepared to be parents for the first time.
Good news can be terrifying to the young woman reading and re-reading the letter in her hand telling her that she has been offered a promotion to a senior post in her company which she felt in her heart she now could do, but which she’d dared not even dream of holding when she’d started there fresh from school just a couple of years before.
Good news can be terrifying to the family having just been told that their offer on their first house has been accepted - hearts sinking thinking about the mortgage they’ve just committed to; hearts jumping at the thrilling anticipation of moving in, and starting this new life together.
Outside of our own immediate experiences, perhaps, but within the experience of many with whom we share this earth, we might think of the mixture of joy and relief, and fear and anxiety which someone who has lived on the streets for years might feel when told that they have been found a starter home; when an asylum-seeker is granted permanent residence in a country quite different from their own, and whose welcome they know is mixed-in with hostility.
In the Christmas story, we know that besides the shepherds, the good news also terrified Mary and Joseph at first, and brought the Wise Men both overwhelming joy, on finding the newborn king, and anxious fear, in knowing that Herod was on their trail.
And Herod is, of course, the archetype for every holder of power and wealth who fears good news breaking into the world, where ‘good news’ for the majority of people looks like ‘bad news’ for the Herods, as it is likely to involve them having to give away some of their power, having to share more fairly their wealth, having to tread more lightly on the earth.
In a world which can be often ruled by fear, for reasons such as these, the Christmas story invites us to hold fast to a faith in a power which is all for our good, committed to our well-being, devoted to our peace. If the Christmas story teaches us anything at all it is the message brought over and over again by the angels to the characters in the story: ‘Do not be afraid’.
Will you be sharing with family this Christmas, good news, which might be both thrilling you and also raising fears and concerns? Or are you bracing yourself for hearing news of this kind from others? If so, remember that the angels’ message holds true for us too. The good news may be terrifying at first; but do not be afraid, hold fast, in confidence and faith, embrace it, and look forward in hope.
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