Worship Where You Can
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 Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. – Luke 2:10-11
I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas Eve with you here at Easter! You can worship with us at the Hill or the Lake at 2, 3:30, or 5 pm and at the Hill at 9 pm. All services will have candlelight and the 9 pm service will have communion. You can join us online as well; the 2 pm Lake and 3:30 pm Hill services will be livestreamed and can be watched live or later at easter.org/livestream. I am so excited for carols, candles, and Christmas joy.
However, even as I write this post, a blizzard is bearing down on the Twin Cities. I heard stories on the radio today about the “tripledemic” of RSV, influenza, and covid causing unbelievable stress on families, schools, and healthcare systems. I also heard the stories of fears of winter offensives in Ukraine, a country that has already seen enormous devastation. I even heard a story of an organization that quotes the prices of the gifts from the 12 Days Of Christmas as a way of tracking inflation (apparently, swan prices have remained steady), and the overall cost has gone up by 10%.
In other words, in this festive season of hope and joy, there’s plenty making me anxious. Maybe you feel the same way.
Whenever angels appear to people, they always seem to warn them not to be afraid. Part of the joke is that angels must be actually, truly terrifying if they always have to tell people not to be afraid when they appear. But sometimes I wonder if it’s because humans so constantly live in fear that we’re almost never able to hear a heavenly word from one of God’s messengers. Angels have to tell people not to be afraid in hopes that the humans can take a breath and finally hear what God has been trying to tell them.
In that spirit, I tell you: do not be afraid. Not because there aren’t hard, scary, frustrating, demoralizing things going on in the world, but because God continues to speak even through these events. Sometimes we have to intentionally set aside our fear to listen for God’s word at work among us. I hope you’ll join us for worship on Christmas Eve, whether onsite or online, that you might be surrounded by community, music, and scripture so those angelic messages can work on your heart.
Do not be afraid. Christ is born, and this is good news of great joy.
Let us pray:
In the midst of fear and sadness, Christ, you still arrive. Bring joy to my heart and peace to my mind so that I can truly hear the good news of your birth. Amen.