“Even if I knew for sure that the world came to an end tomorrow, I still would plant a little apple tree today.”– Martin Luther (Protestant Reformer, 1483 -1546)

One of the most important sentences in the Christmas story begins with the words of our heading: “Do not be afraid.” And then it gives us the antidote to fear: joy.

In Luke 2:8-11 (New Revised Standard Version) we read: “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 Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’”

Sometimes, when I am terrified with what is happening around me, when bad news builds up like a tsunami and threaten to roll over me, I think of these four words the Herald Angel said: “Do not be afraid.“ There is something very comforting in hearing those words.

First, it gives me the confidence that I am not alone. I remember when I was a little child and was scared of the dark, my father would come to my bed and whisper in his deep voice: “Do not be afraid. You are safe. I am here with you.” And I would feel safe and get back to sleep.

What could happen to me when my father was with me, when he watched over me just like the shepherds were “keeping watch over their flock by night”?

You might have similar childhood experiences, whether it was a parent, grandparent, or an older sibling who was able to comfort you. I think it is a blessing when we have somebody who helps us feel safe, loved and protected so that we realise: I am not alone.

The Herald Angel continues about “bringing you good news of great joy for all the people”. This is a very personal message to you and me. All people, that means all of us, not just the successful, or the religious ones, the Pharisees, not just men or just women, or just adults. All are included, and each one is personally invited.

We easily forget that we are actually loved, not only by people, but by the God who created us. God so loved the world that he came right to us on Earth. He did not go just to the high places. At the palace of King Herod the Wise Men looked for the Christ Child in vain. It was in the most lowly place, a stable, that they found the great joy.

God did not choose super hero parents for the Christ Child either, but an ordinary young woman, and a young carpenter, who were in love. They did not have much and they were no VIPs, the inn keeper did not even have a room for them when they were forced to travel just around the time of the due date. The needed courage for that journey. Joseph needed encouragement from the angel. He was afraid of what people might say. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the decision that something is more important than your fear.

In Matthew 1:19-21 (NRSV) we read: “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

“But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”

Even two years after the pandemic we still have to recover from the fear that it induced in many of us. However, a German proverb says: “Fear is a poor adviser.” We need the Angel’s message: do not be afraid, there is great joy. If God is for us, who could be against us? When we give Christmas gifts, donations, or Christmas greetings we actively overcome the fear and replace it with love and joy.

Christmas thus reminds me every year that the words of the Herald Angel are still true today. We do not have to be afraid. There is Good News in the birth of Jesus Christ. God is not just far away in the universe. God is near, he comes right to us and lives among us. His light shines in the darkness.

The Gospel of John puts this Good News in poetic language. He talks about the light that came into the darkness (that is why we celebrate Christmas just after the darkest day of the year, when the light begins to win over the darkness again, the exact date of Christ’s birth is unknown).

In John 1:9-14 (New Revised Standard Version), we can read: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is also called Emmanuel, which means: God is with us.

Merry Christmas, Bermuda.

• Karsten Decker is a German theologian with a double degree equivalent to an MTheol and MDiv. He studied in Marburg (Germany), Knoxville (USA), and Toronto (Canada) and comes from a united church of Lutheran and Reformed Churches. He was the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Bermuda from 2010 to 2017, and after returning from Germany is now the temporary pulpit supply at Centenary Untied Methodist Church in Smith’s. He and Diana (MSSW), his wife of 37 years, have the counselling practice Integrated Family Counselling Ltd in Hamilton, focusing on relationship issues