THE Christmas Story

So, I was reading THE Christmas story to my ESL kiddos yesterday and today...we were doing a legit activity with vocabulary and such...and I noticed that each time an angel announced God's plans and good news, the angels prefaced it with "Don't be afraid..."

So, the message for us today?  Don't be afraid..

God woke Mary up in the middle of the night with a stirring...
She went and met an angel
Who told her she would become pregnant...
With God's Son...
She was scared.
But, she said yes anyway.
She decided to let things happen "as God chooses."

Joseph wanted to marry a pure young woman.
She shows up pregnant....
Yeah Joseph, it's not yours, but it's God's...
Huh?
Yeah...
Joseph wakes up to the voice of God
Telling him to marry Mary..
He lays fears aside and decides to trust God.

The shepherds were minding their own business,
Keeping watch over their sheep,
In the dark,
In the middle of nowhere.
Angels appear and tell them to go find their Savior...
They tremble,
They probably stare wide-eyed, jaws dropped...
But they decided it was probably worth it
To meet a baby King that would save them all.

Throughout time, people have had to decide
What to do with fear.
We will fear.
We will be afraid.
But, what do we do with angels telling us "Do not be afraid..."
Do we listen?
Do we walk forward?
Or do we stay in the fear?

Joy...Do not be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy!
Leave fear behind...move toward joy.