2010 Christmas message: "Fear Not!"

Munib Younan- Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and president of the Lutheran World Federation

When we think of the Christmas story, the most common words that come to mind are peace, joy, hope, faith, and love. Christmas is a pleasant time when families come together, when choirs sing, and when children are filled with fantasies. Yet the first two words of Christmas are “Fear not!”
"In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Fear not! for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”–Luke 2:8-11
It was the same when the angel appeared to the aged priest Zechariah at the temple: “Fear not!”
And when Gabriel appeared to the young girl Mary in Nazareth: “Fear not!”
And when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant and an angel appeared to him in a dream: “Fear not!”
In the first epistle of John, we are told “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). And so the first word of Christmas must be that spoken by the angels, “Fear not!” It is the first, the middle, and the last word of Christmas. “Fear not!” Here in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and into the whole world, “Fear not!” Then, 2,000 years ago, and today at Christmas 2010, “Fear not!”
In first century Palestine, there were so many reasons for them to be afraid:
* For Zechariah, the impotency of old age and the potential loss of mental and physical abilities.

* For Mary, a young vulnerable girl, pregnant outside of marriage in a patriarchal society.

* For Joseph, the pressures of leading an upstanding and righteous life with religious zealots judging him on the basis of Mary’s pregnancy.

* For the shepherds, the threat of the natural world with wild animals about to attack their flocks during the darkness of night and the lawlessness of thieves and bandits who would not be afraid of using violence on them for material gain.

* For all of them, questions about God’s presence in their lives when God seemed so very far away.

And yet, “Fear not!” was the message of the angel to all of them. And it was not the terrifying, life-destroying, bad news they might have expected. It was good news of great joy for each one of them and for all people. “Fear not! For I bring you good news of great joy!”
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”–John 3:16
For Zechariah, for Mary, for Joseph, for the shepherds, the message was very simple, “God has not forgotten you. God is not far away or removed from your lives. God hears your cries of loneliness, inadequacy, uncertainty, doubt and fear about who you are, what is your purpose in life, how you fit in with your relationships to others, your relationship to this vast universe, and most of all your relationship to God—to God who comes in the form of a child born in a
humble manger, among common people like you, on a still silent night, in a small village like Bethlehem. This is good news of great joy. God loves you. Fear Not!”

There are many issues today that cause us to fear: health problems like cancer and diseases like HIV/ AIDS, economic issues like job loss and decreasing funds for retirement, family issues like divorce or the death of a spouse, environmental issues like global warming and disappearing natural resources, international tensions and the development of more destructive weaponry,
extremism in politics and religion. Once again we need a Christmas angel proclaiming, “Fear not!”
Yes, here at Christmas time 2010 in the Middle East, we once again long for a heavenly angel to comfort us with these words, “Fear not!”
Our people are in danger of drowning in fear. Many Christians in many parts of the Middle East are increasingly cowering in fear and becoming timid in their witness. Just a little over a month ago in Baghdad at Our Lady of Salvation Church terrorists gunned down two priests and fifty-one defenseless worshippers.
Since then, another three were killed in Mosul and an elderly Christian couple were murdered in their own home in Baghdad. So how do Christians respond? In an Associated Press story, one woman, afraid to give her name, said she lives in a constant state of fear, keeping her children indoors and out of school. In less than fifteen years, the number of Christians in Iraq has declined from one and a quarter million to only 400,000. For centuries Christians and Muslims have lived side by side, yet today religious extremists are holding hostage the moderate
majority, Christian and Muslim alike. Iraqi Christians are once again in need of a Christmas angel proclaiming “Fear not!”
A similar picture is developing in Egypt where Coptic Christians have fresh in their memories the drive-by shooting that left six Christians dead in Nag Hammadi as they were leaving church after last year’s Christmas Eve Mass. As we approach another Christmas season, there are heightened tensions in Egypt. We ask both sides—Christians and Muslims alike—to dialogue concerning their differences for the sake of their long-standing relationship. We announce to
them from Jerusalem, “We are praying for you.” And we say, “Fear not!”

These and other situations have resulted in the U.S. State Department “International Religious Freedom Report” for 2010 reminding us that: “The right to believe or not to believe, without fear of government interference or restriction, is a basic human right.” To believe without fear—to worship without fear—is a fundamental human right. Yet, because of extremism, people are afraid.

These and other situations were the reason that the Vatican recently held its Synod on the Middle East to:
* “confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the Sacraments.

* And to give new life. . . so that they might provide an authentic witness of joyful and attractive Christian life.”

I hope that the World Council of Churches will hold a similar conference so that we Christians of the Middle East will have a coordinated strategy and be strengthened in the process.

Here in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, including Jordan, we are not facing the same problems of persecution as our sisters and brothers in many countries of the Middle East. There may be social and political problems, but we thank God for the religious freedom we enjoy. Here Christians today number only 1.4 % of the population with many Arab Christians emigrating because of the political situation and the lack of willingness and resolve to bring about a just peace, because of lack of jobs, because of lack of housing, because of the difficulty of travel, and because of the rise of extremism on both sides.
Palestinians and Israelis today face a common enemy: fear. In the absence of justice and peace, the common denominator is fear. Fear of the other. Fear for the future. Fear that freedom is not coming. Fear that children will grow in hatred. Fear of insecurity. Fear of the occupation. Fear is our common prison that keeps us locked up in cycles of mistrust and shattered dreams. It is a fear that builds non-productive “facts on the ground”. It is a fear that will only
ever vanish when there is peace based on justice and reconciliation built on forgiveness. We proclaim that such a just peace is possible today. We pray that all political leaders will seize the opportunity before it is too late. The same message of the first Christmas rings true today, “Fear not!” There is a child who was born into a world of fear in order to take away that fear and to bring peace to earth and good will to humankind.

The Christmas message must speak loud and clear once again, “Fear not!” We are in need of a heavenly angel, a messenger of God, who says, “Do not be afraid.”
“Fear not, Zechariah. Fear not, Joseph. Fear not, Mary. Fear not, shepherds. Fear not, Palestinian Christians. Fear not, Arab Christians. God hears you. God loves you. God empowers you. God calls you to be a vibrant and living witness in this place at this critical time in history.”
When the angels appeared to the Beit Sahour shepherds, the promise of good news overshadowed all their fears. The announcement of God’s love for them and the world cast out all the fear that might have prevented them from traveling to Bethlehem amidst the crowds and the Roman soldiers on that first Christmas night.
The announcement of God’s love for them brought them to the manger where they bowed in humble worship to the long-promised Christ-child, where they prayed, where they uttered songs of thanksgiving, where they were fed spiritually and strengthened in order to return to their normal, mundane, and sometimes exhausting tasks of daily life. Luke describes this return in such encouraging words, “The Shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
For the shepherds, the dangers were still there. The threats of violence were still very real and no different than before. The demands of making a living, of supporting their families, and sharing with their neighbors and communities, none of that was different from the day before. In many ways, their lives had not changed, but their spirits had. They went about their daily tasks glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. From the beginning of those
two small words—“Fear not!”—the shepherds were called to witness, and sent out, unafraid, to share the good news with those around them.

Likely their home communities, their friends, and even their families met them with some reluctance, perhaps with skepticism and doubt. Those around them were still living in fear. I wonder how the shepherds began their stories about that first Christmas night? Most likely it was with those same two words, “Fear not!”
And their witness would have provided a contagion that changed families, transformed communities, and encouraged others no longer to live in fear, but to share in that vibrant witness of the hope that came to Bethlehem in the child born in a manger.

Our task as a church is to be the salt of society, the leaven of the dough. Our task today is to provide education. It is also our task to provide our society with educated individuals who promote the values of human rights, freedom of religion and democracy. Our task is to train leaders who will become teachers, lawyers, and professionals who will contribute to the well being of society. Our task is to provide a witness of non-violent struggle against injustice, to
promote religious toleration, to provide a model of peoples of different religious and ethnic backgrounds learning to see God in the other and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We can no longer be timid or afraid about our witness to the world. At this time of hopelessness, it is essential that we Christians develop a theology of witness and coexistence focusing on the reasons that the babe of the manger calls us—like the shepherds of old—to witness here in the
Holy Land.
Today Christians in the Middle East are just a small minority, living in a world filled with danger and filled with what must seem to be insurmountable challenges. And so it was with those first shepherds of Beit Sahour, only three or four of them, perhaps one or two still children, all uneducated and untrained in speech. I could understand if they had been timid in telling the story. But Luke tells us they went home glorifying and praising God. And I could understand
if today’s Christian community remained timid about its witness. But then I hear again those first two little words of the Christmas message:
“Fear not!”
The angels call to us from the first Christmas.
“Fear not!”
They speak to us when we hear the Christmas story once again.
“Fear not!”
And from the manger in Bethlehem we continue to hear.
“Fear not!”

(Posted for Pastor Bob)

Christmas Eve

SERVICE OF LESSONS, CAROLS, AND COMMUNION

8 PM

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL 10 AM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26

SING FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CAROLS, COMMUNION & SHARE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

EVERYONE IS INVITED

Christmas festivities

• Remember to bring a side dish to the service next week (Dec 19, 2010.) Ham will be served after the Christmas pageant; we already have plenty of sweets.
• Organist Helen will be playing our services again on Christmas Eve (service probably around 8 from the looks of the show of hands today, but the time is still not firm) and Sunday, Dec. 26 which will be a Christmas Carol Fest. Individuals or groups that would like to sing or perform on an instrument or give a reading or express the holiday spirit in any way they would like are welcome to come prepared. Let Pastor Bob know your plans (794.7769)
• By the way, the office next door is for rent for $400.
• Business: Annual Meeting: Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. Recommended names or nominations, as well as personal volunteers, can be placed in the offering plate. Three open positions and one youth position.
  

Hendrick Hudson Male Chorus presents CHS choir

What a turn-out!

Donations requested

I think it is interesting that on page 3 of the Register Star today is an article about "It's A Wonderful Life" and on page 5 a headline: "Edith Casey fund out of toys." For the first time since Edith Casey, a "children's agent" with the County Charities office (now Social Services), began her fund in 1920, the organization does not have enough toys to give to the families who have requested them. Perhaps Jimmy Stewart can inspire us to do our part. There are drop-off points next to Peebles and at the DMV both in Hudson. Money is accepted at Key Bank, 160 Fairview Avenue, Hudson NY 12534.

Frank Capra once said he strove "to champion man, plead his causes and protest any degradation of his dignity, spirit and divinity." The article on "Wonderful Life" suggests that Seneca Falls, NY may have been the inspiration for Capra's Bedford Falls, a working, everyday small town that is not perfect but in a crunch pulls together and helps each other out.

I think Chatham also embodies this spirit-especially the Christ our Emmanuel congregation.

Council Highlights

1. Christ our Emmanuel had our December Council meeting yesterday. We are required to obtain congregation authority to contract for the heating work:
   The Congregation Council has discussed estimates for an essential "Service Contract" for the heating systems at the church. The furnaces in the main church are old and parts are no longer available for the original one. Service providers are also unwilling to offer any repair contract for this furnace. The second furnace alone is also older, inefficient and inadequate for the church. There are also come safety and repair requirements. After extended consideration it is recommended that a propane system conversion with a high efficiency boiler be undertaken. A cost outlay and approval of at least $10,000 needs to be considered by the congregation within the next several weeks.
2. LAST CALL: Doug Stalker (Tel: 392-5690) will be available one more time at his home studio: 170 Hudson Ave.,Chatham on Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 4:00-7:00 P.M. Please come and let him make you look vibrant and younger for the church directory and family gift photos.
3. JOY (and a little bit of effort) in giving and offering your own special experience-sharing::::::::::::::::Sign up for one Sunday for the "CHILDREN'S MESSAGE" and one Sunday for "SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE HOUR". /////////Many Hands
   Make Light Work//////
4. Christmas concert ticket income will be distributed in three parts: (1) The Ghent Food Pantry (2) The Chatham Food Pantry (3) The High School Chorus and the Hendrik Hudson Male Chorus. Additional donations may be placed in a labeled envelope in the offering plate.
5. Sunday, December 19, 2010---CHRISTMAS PAGEANT under the direction of Richard Tucksmith. Congregation Luncheon to follow. Please bring to share: a side dish to compliment a spiral ham main meal a dessert or holiday cookies
6. December 26, 2010----A Special Sunday to close out the season of Advent with the focus on the singing of treasured, traditional carols to organ music by Helen
   

Pastor Serena & family

Great visit! My how those babies have grown!

Choir rehearsal

Those of us who were able met last Sunday to try and figure out how to prepare for Christmas and decided that we would meet next Sunday, December 5 at 9:00 to give as much of a full hour as possible that week to prepare. Beyond that one hour we can discuss on the 5th. We have some ideas of things to sing for Christmas and Advent, too, if possible. We welcome any ideas you may have.

2010 Christmas Message from Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation!" Isaiah 52:7

When Jesus was born, angelic messengers broke the still calm of a Galilean night to sing joyously and proclaim, "This very day in David's city a Savior is born for you - God's Promised One, your Lord." Glad tidings of great joy! Common shepherds were the first and heartiest heralds of the promised Savior's arrival then, and today the joy in Jesus' birth fills every corner of this season.

Admittedly sometimes in modern America the commercial clatter and cultural clutter of the season seem to overtake the angels' song and the shepherds' joyous news. But such a majestic message of God's salvation cannot be silenced. Some loudly lament that the world will not listen to the Gospel message, but in this season so many beckon. "Christians, sing with us. Bring your songs of Christmas, of Jesus." A few may shush you, just as there were those who would later attempt to silence Jesus and his message of God's remarkable, revolutionary mercy, even to the point of crucifixion.

If so, then that is all the more reason to enter into the commotion and clutter, to let go of your inhibitions, to join the angels in singing and the shepherds in exulting with unashamed joy: Jesus, the Savior is born!

"Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy." "See, your salvation comes." Isaiah 52:8; 62:11

Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America