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3. Today's "Learning with Luke" (5)

• Today's "Learning with Luke" (5)

  26 December, 2012

  
  That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!  The Saviour — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! (Luke 2:8-11 NLT)

  There it is again!! .....an angelic visitation and (again) they first have to reassure the recipients of their message that they have no need to be afraid. A few days ago in this series, "Learning With Luke", we noted the response of Zechariah and Mary when Gabriel, one of the Arc h-Angels, delivered the stunning news about the birth of Messiah. Both were terrified. Zechariah is said to have been "overwhelmed with fear". Mary is said to have been "confused and disturbed". Now the shepherds respond the same way. So the message has to be prefixed with the reassurance that they (and we) are not to be frightened.

  I have observed over the years that when God is on the move, doing a new thing, the response is often one of caution at best and fear at worst. Over these days we have been reflecting on the Christmas events and maybe we are now coming to realise that to re-live the Christmas story is to realise that Christmas is a Heavenly disturbance on earth. There is nothing comfortable about it. And if we think in terms of comfort we must be missing the dynamics of God on the move.

  We can do strange things when we are frightened. When fear overwhelms us we are prone to become a different person. Our thinking becomes confused. We can become very withdrawn or very aggressive. The presence of fear suggests the presence of threat. Maybe we have become comfortable with life. Suddenly nothing is what it seems to be and our comfort zones are disintergrating .

  
  If we are facing some threatening situation today, the first part of God's word to you will be the same as it was to Zechariah. The same as it was to Mary. And the same as it was to the shepherds.
  "Don't be afraid".  What you are experiencing may be a heavenly disturbance in your heart which is designed to undermine the comfort of inertia and prepare you for a new era.