If I could, I’d gather you all around a cozy fire and read this out loud to you so we could discuss.
This week started advent and I started reading the book of Luke. This book in the Bible contains 24 chapters, and is one of the four gospels written to share the life of Jesus. Luke is writing to a fine fella named Theophilus to share the good news of Jesus birth, death, and resurrection. I am already a behind on the reading, so you too can join me if you’d like.
Holidays typically shave hours off my sleep schedule and have me scrambling, even when I’m “relaxing”. I’m at a point in life where things have been in a constant state of flux for some time. Job changes, family health, living changes, school changes for my daughter, just to name a few. God is blessing us constantly, though each blessing has to end for a new one to come through. I believe His blessings come in abundance, and we often expect them to last forever too.
The first day of the study was like any “normal” day I’d been having lately. Working on my freelance projects, dropping off and picking up my daughter, and wrestling her to get her homework done. It had been in the back of my mind all day to pick up my bible and begin the 24 days of Luke. Honestly, I’d been inspired by friends and social media, when I wish to say I was led by the Holy Spirit themself.
At last there was a break in the wrestling, where I was able to lay down for a moment and open my Bible to Luke Chapter 1. Having been through gospels a couple of times, I’d expected to open to something familiar. And to no surprise, as the Bible does, it was a brand new perspective, as if I were a brand new person approaching the reading.
For context, the story includes Elizabeth and Zechariah, the future parents of John, along with Mary and Joesph, the future parents of Jesus. Oh, and a heaven sent angel, Gabriel.
Now I don’t know about you, but if an angel appeared to me.. anywhere.. I’d be terrified. Thankfully, Gabriel recognized he was a stranger to these people, and immediately attempted to disarm them by saying, “Do not be afraid”. Gabriel not only startled Zechariah and Mary in his appearance, he also stunned them with the information he came to share.
For Zechariah, he was being told that his wife, who was well beyond her child bearing years would be with child soon. And Mary, who was equally unprepared for news of a child, was told she would in fact be carrying the son of God himself, as a virgin.
OH YEAH, Gabe?
Could you imagine? Just take a moment with me. A holy moment, if you will, to think about the sight of an angel in your living room while you are watching Yellowstone. Or working out at the gym. Or sitting in the doctor’s office. When suddenly, an angel appears.
For fun, what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an angel? My mom always had baby cherubs around the house growing up, so I see a small plump rosey lipped baby flying around. From what I’ve gathered since my baby cherub days, that is not what Gabriel looked like at all.
Once you’ve got this visual of an angel appearing spontaneously in the middle of your life, I want you to imagine the most absurd thing that angel could say to you today. Maybe you are asking for healing of something ‘unhealable’, for a child knowing ‘you can’t conceive’, or the savior of our world to ‘return again’. I dare you to listen for the good news that angel is bringing.
The news we want may not look like to news we get. Though the news we get ends up being better than what we had started with.
Gabriel, the angel, had enough emotional intelligence to realize that both Zechariah and Mary needed the encouragement to not be afraid before he shared the news he did. When’s the last time you told someone that? Probably not often enough do we offer the encouragement we probably need the most.
“Oh, it’ll be alright!”
“Things could be much worse.”
“Don’t worry, be happy!”
What if it really isn’t alright? And what if your worse is the worst you’ve ever experienced? The worry lives dormant waiting to attack and the happy is temporary, hard to get the same happy back.
That’s where the good news comes in. The illustration that advent paints for us is one of hope, peace, joy, and love. All four which work together and can equally stand alone.
This week’s theme has been hope. History tells us the hope was coming, hope did come, and hope will return again.
My hope is strengthened in knowing that Zechariah and Mary were just going about their day to day, trusting God the way they were raised, sometimes worrying, other times lamenting, and on occasion celebrating. When suddenly an encounter with God came out of the blue and changed everything they had known into something miraculous and new.
God holds your story like a precious gem in His sovereign hand. He has given us reason to be hopeful. As Luke’s encouragement to Theophilus encouraged me, I hope it encourages you to not be afraid as you go forward through this season.
Do not be afraid that you won’t afford it.
Do not be afraid that your body can’t overcome it.
Do not be afraid that someone’s opinion is different than yours.
Do not be afraid about what the future holds.
Do not be afraid about what you are lacking.
Do not be afraid of anything.
My hope, love, peace, and joy are with you during this season. May the encouragement to not be afraid be just the medicine you needed.
Till next time,
Local Pulse Staff Writer & Holy Moments Columnist, Makenna Curtis
** Find Luke Chapter 1 – 2 here. Email me at Makenna@localpulse.com if with any questions or thoughts you may like to share.
