Encouragement: Christmas – Do Not Be Afraid

The message of the angels who appeared in the night during the first Christmas season when Jesus was born was: “Do not be afraid!” – firstly to Joseph and then to the shepherds. Joseph’s night was due to the upsetting news that his fiancé was pregnant. Should he decide to leave her, she would be stoned to death and he would lose his fiancé and the baby would also not survive. Luckily for us, he accepted the message in faith and married Maria without being afraid and by doing so, created a space for our Saviour to be born.

The shepherds were terrified when the angels visited them in the night and visualised all the scenarios of the sheep running away and them losing their jobs and being seriously scolded by the owners of the sheep. However, they stayed calm and reacted positively to the “Do not be afraid!” They immediately took action and left for Bethlehem.

Today we are also in the midst of a dry darkness and the Christmas message for you is still the same: “Do not be afraid, because a Child is born and our Saviour and Provider is alive.”