The Christ Church Motto Verse for 2010 (1 Peter 3:14-15) has focused us upon the need to resist fearing those things that others around us fear but, in our hearts ‘set apart Christ as Lord’. Many of the most destructive decisions that we take in life are somehow linked to our fears. This means that identifying these fears and then responding to them in the light of our faith in Jesus Christ is often one of the most important spiritual issues that we face.
Against this background it is helpful to note how many times fear is mentioned within the Christmas stories. Within these stories Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds are all told by angels not to be afraid. We also hear of Herod’s murderous response to the news of “one born king of the Jews” being driven by him and all Jerusalem being “disturbed”. As we approach Christmas in our morning services at Christ Church, we will therefore use these familiar stories to reflect upon how news of the coming of Jesus Christ relates to and addresses the deepest fears that we possess.
