November 25, 2002

Greetings in the name of our Triune God. Oh, how fear permeates our lives – the possibility of war, the instability of the economy, the uncertainty of our children's future, the reality of debilitating illness, the finality of death. Amid all the fears that haunt us, it is my prayer that we might experience something of the shepherd's holy fearfulness. For it is not finally the power of weapons, wealth, or wisdom that causes us to tremble, but the incomprehensible possibility that God comes to us in this way and in this place:

To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. . . . You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:11-12, NRSV)

What fills us with awe and holy fearfulness is not just the familiar Christmas story, with its miraculous detail or its wondrous blending of the ordinary and mystical, the lowly and the most high. It is the great mystery of God's love for the whole creation, revealed through Jesus' birth and life, death and resurrection.

O great mystery
and wondrous sacrament,
that animals should see the newborn Lord, lying in a manger!
Blessed is the virgin whose womb was worthy to bear our Lord Christ: Alleluia!
Lord, I heard your call and was afraid,
I considered your works,
and I trembled between two animals.
   — "O magnum mysterium," Latin hymn, ca. 11th-13th century; based on passages from Luke and Habakkuk

The angel's announcement of Christ's birth leaves us trembling in holy fearfulness. It stirs us to ponder with Mary the wonder of God's love. It bids us to join the shepherds in glorifying and praising God. For in Christ we are called to faith, not fear; to hope, not despair. We are set free to proclaim Christ and strive for peace in all the world.

"The God of peace be with you all." (Romans 15:33)

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

ELCA News Service