Afraid

Afraid. That's pretty much how we all feel right now. Whether it's politics, our medical condition, or climate change, we're all afraid of something! That's what Advent is all about. It gives us a reason to move past fear to hope!

It’s dark. It’s dark all around us. It’s even dark within us. And we’re afraid of that dark.

Oh, it doesn’t look like it’s dark! We’re surrounded by all kinds of colorful lights now that we’re in what our culture calls “the Christmas season.” There are lights in the stores, lights on the public square, and lights in our own homes. But those lights disguise the fact that it’s really very dark.

The lights in the stores disguise the fact that our economy is built on buying things that we don’t need, that just a few people have most of the wealth, and that many people can’t afford even the basic necessities of life.

The lights in the public square disguise the darkness that swallows us up in racism, sexism, violence, and poverty.

Even the lights in our homes are an attempt to disguise our interior darkness that eats at us like a cancer: greed, resentment, and hatred.

Only last week, we celebrated the end of the Christian year with the Reign of Christ Sunday; and we looked forward to the time when God’s gracious kingdom will arrive in fullness. When it arrives, there will be no more death, no more violence, no more weeping, and no more broken relationships. But even as we look forward to that time, we realize that God’s kingdom isn’t here yet. Between last Sunday and today, we have slid down a long slide all the way from the end of the Christian year back to its beginning; and now the Messiah is only a promised dream. While Walmart and Kohl’s might already be in “the Christmas season,” we Christians are just beginning Advent, waiting for the Messiah to arrive. While we wait, it’s dark; and we’re afraid.

Why are we so afraid? Why, all we have to do is to turn on the evening news to be reminded of the reasons. Stephen Clark, a young black man, was shot to death in his own back yard by police in Sacramento when they mistook the cell phone that he was holding for a weapon. Just yesterday, on London Bridge, two people were stabbed to death and three others wounded in an unprovoked attack by a man who has been described as a domestic terrorist. The climate around us is changing faster than we can adapt to the changes, threatening hundreds of thousands of animals with extinction – and threatening even our own human race. Afraid? Of course, we’re afraid! Who wouldn’t be afraid in a world like this? We’re like Matilda, the little three-year-old who is afraid of the dark. She curls up to sleep every night wondering if there are monsters under her bed and a bogeyman in the closet.

What do you do when darkness surrounds you, and you’re afraid? I’ll tell you what Matilda does. She calls for her daddy. Sometimes her daddy doesn’t come right away, but he always answers her sooner or later. He stands by her bed and reassures her. “Don’t be afraid! I’m right here! I won’t let anything hurt you!” Sometimes, her daddy’s promises are enough for Matilda, and she turns over and falls asleep. But on other days, when something has really frightened her, she asks her daddy to stay with her until she feels better. And then, her daddy will sit down on the bed right next to her. Sometimes, he sings quietly to her, or tells her “Goodnight Moon,” her favorite book. (He knows it by heart.) And then, Matilda’s fears don’t control her any more, and she can sleep peacefully.

We’re not that different from Matilda. We may not worry about monsters under the bed, or the bogeyman in the closet; but we have plenty of other things to worry about. And when we’re afraid, we cry to God: “Come and save us! It’s dark and cold, and we’re afraid!” God hears our cries, even when we may not think that he does. And he comes to us in the person of Jesus Christ! He sits on the bed right next to us, and he says, “Don’t be afraid! I’m right here! I won’t let anything hurt you!” Sometimes, he even gives us a little piece of himself to hold on to, so that we won’t be afraid any more.

That’s what happens when we share Holy Communion. Jesus stands right next to us and reassures us: “Don’t be afraid! This is my body that was broken for you. This is my blood that was shed for you. Whenever you eat it and drink it, I’m right here with you.” The darkness of our world won’t magically disappear. We will still fear all the brutality and oppression in our world. But we know for sure, during this Advent time of waiting, that Christ is coming! Soon, the Light of the world will arrive, and the brightness of his dawn will begin to dispel the darkness of the night. Don’t be afraid. The Messiah is on the way.