Advent's Fourth Sunday

On this coming Lord's Day, many of you will light the fourth candle representing the final Sunday in Advent.  Over the past couple of weeks, I have addressed the Advent subjects of light and peace.  In this last post on Advent, the words "fear not" come to mind.

The angels, in announcing the birth of Christ, proclaimed, "Do not be afraid." An angel was sent to Joseph with the comforting words, "Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife" (Matt 1:20)  But it was the words of Jesus Himself that gave man the greatest hope:  "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind and to release the oppressed" (Luke 4:18).  Wherever He went, He put people at ease.  When they were sick or troubled or perplexed, He would encourage them.  "Don't be afraid.  Just believe" (Luke 8:50).  But it was His teaching found in John 14 that brought clarity to a lost and hopeless world: "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me. ... Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:1,27) He was the divine liberator. Jesus looked the enemies of sin, death and loneliness in the eye and said, "You cannot terrorize my people anymore." Paul said it this way, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity [fear], but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline: (2 Tim 1:7)

Encourage your people, my colleague!