"Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus."
Luke 1:11-12, 29-31
"Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:19-21
Last night, a group of women went to a nursing home to sing Christmas music to the residents. During the "service," someone read the Christmas story, the Scripture from Luke. I've heard that passage many times, but this time, the part about the angel appearing to Mary and her reaction stuck out to me. She was troubled...Zechariah was gripped with fear...Joesph was told not to be afraid...
Fear, trembling, startled...all of these were emotions felt by people that God used...to save the world. They weren't superheroes...they didn't fly; they didn't preach eloquent sermons; they didn't ask for prosperity in politics or leadership...they were ordinary people who got scared when angels talked to them. Honestly, I don't know what I would do if an angel spoke to me...I know I would be scared though. But, their response is what matters...they accepted...Zechariah was silent for a while to soak it all in...Mary accepted and rejoiced with a song...Joseph married a woman pregnant in a way he couldn't fathom.
Angels may not appear to us...but God speaks. The Holy Spirit asks us to do things all the time that stretch us, that seem awkward, that sometimes seem ordinary to us, but could be extraordinary to someone else. Someone's gold is someone else's bread. The good news of the Gospel is just that...it is bread for one person...it is an angel speaking to another...it is clean water...it is a Savior...it is a good night's sleep....but it is good. And it is news, so it is worthy of telling, of sharing...and some people might be scared or even tremble when they hear it...God speaks...are you listening...and are you being spoken through?
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