In
that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their
flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 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. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped
in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with
the angel a multitude
of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the
highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!
Luke 2:8-14
There are many things that strike me about this story, but the one thing that I initially reacted to was the word ‘fear’. The shepherds were terrified. Because we know the story, we usually skip past this part and go right to the end, to the peace and love and joy. But I don’t think we should. Let us be with those shepherds if even for a moment, in their fear. Think about how you would react if you were there, not knowing the story. What you would be feeling?
There are many things that strike me about this story, but the one thing that I initially reacted to was the word ‘fear’. The shepherds were terrified. Because we know the story, we usually skip past this part and go right to the end, to the peace and love and joy. But I don’t think we should. Let us be with those shepherds if even for a moment, in their fear. Think about how you would react if you were there, not knowing the story. What you would be feeling?
The message of this story is that with God,
we have no need to fear. That with God, there is peace and joy. God became one of us to show us that we have
nothing to fear. For most of us at
this time of year, our lives are
filled with this peace and love and hope and joy. It
is also true that for some people, this is not the case. For some people, their world has turned
upside down and they don’t
know how to right it. That is where the Liberty Lutheran family
of services comes in, helping those in our communities bridge that gap
between fear and peace, between fear and love,
between fear and safety. In my work
as the hospice chaplain, I see this every day,
how we are stronger together, empowering
others.
Holy One, may your love and your peace
touch the deepest places of our hearts,
chasing away the darkness where our fears live and empower us to serve you by serving others so that they too may
live in your peace and love.
Amen.
Karynjean Dickhoff serves as Chaplain at
Liberty Hospice.
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