Week 2: The Second Sunday of Advent | “God meets us in our fear”

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focal scriptures Luke 1:26-38 | Isaiah 11:1-10
theme connections
When the angel Gabriel comes to Mary, she is perplexed and confused—and no doubt, afraid. And yet, the angel’s news is: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid. We hear this refrain all throughout the Christmas story and remember it is the most common phrase in all the bible. From generation to generation, God shows up in the midst of our fear and uncertainty and confusion. From generation to generation, faithful people have said, “yes,” despite apprehension. From generation to generation, our ancestors in faith have accepted the invitation. The prophecy in Isaiah paints a vision of what we work toward when we say “yes”: righteousness and equity reign, the wolf lives with the lamb, no harm or hurt shall destroy the earth, a child shall lead the way. This is the vision passed down to us: we must pursue it and make it real.

Commentary on luke 1:26-38 | by Dr. Christine J. Hong
The story of the annunciation has always held dissonance for me. After all, the angel’s exclamation that Mary should not be afraid is terribly unrealistic. People have been afraid in far less tenuous circumstances. How could Mary not have felt fear when confronted with a celestial being? How could she avoid feeling afraid after hearing the angel’s message about her pregnancy? Later, Mary’s son, Jesus, also felt fear at Gethsemane when faced with betrayal and capital punishment. As she watched him suffer and die, the fear and anguish she must have felt!

As a young child, I remember whenever my brother or I were very ill I would hear my mother praying in Korean, “Jeh-gah dae-shin” (“Take me instead”). My mother bargained with God to ease her children’s pain. In my time as a chaplain and pastor to parents with sick children, sometimes with life-threatening illnesses, I have heard many parents whisper the same prayer, “Take me instead.”

Some theologians try to explain the dissonance between the command to put away fear and what comes later in the story. Yet, what if the dissonance is what we are meant to sit with? This same dissonance is part of many people’s stories. Every day, people are faced with untold grief and pain, and the gospel, or the good news, is not enough to take that pain and fear away. Hope sounds hollow to those who are enduring the wretched parts of life. We cannot move to theologize the fear and anguish of those around us who suffer. Rather than gloss over the dissonance, can we sit with Mary? Yes, the Magnificat, her song of courage, is a mark of her bravery. Still, we know—because we too are human—that courage rises despite our fear, not in its absence. Those who have suffered loss know this.

Perhaps this story and the dissonance of the angel’s command are an invitation to sit with those who are experiencing the dissonance of a world moving on despite their personal struggle—a world that says, “Cheer up! Move on!” while they are still grieving. Perhaps the dissonance invites us to accompany people moving through their pain, as Mary and Jesus accompanied one another through life events only the two of them understood. Despite the dissonance, they moved through the liminal and tender space of their lives together. In other words, God moved through the liminal and tender spaces of God’s human life with Mary, even as they were both afraid.

Guiding Q’s
• In Luke 1:29, the Greek word, dietarachthē (from dia and tarasso), often translated as “perplexed,” could also mean “disturbed,” “agitated,” or “deeply troubled.” How do these meanings help you to imagine Mary’s initial reaction to the angel? What, exactly, is she afraid of or troubled by?

• After Mary’s initial skepticism about what sort of message she is receiving, the angel says, “Do not be afraid” (v.30). He shares with her the message of what will come and then explains how it will occur, responding to Mary’s questioning. Then he points to her cousin Elizabeth as an example to prove that “nothing is impossible for God” (v.37). At this point, Mary replies, “Let it be.” What changes Mary’s mind? What convinces her to trust this message? From where—or from whom—does she summon her courage?

• In Luke 1:30, the Greek word, phobos, means “fear.” However, in Isaiah 11:2, the Hebrew word, yirah, is used to imply deep reverence and awe. What is the relationship between fear and wonder? How do we decipher what types of fear are generative and what types of fear are destructive?

• In Isaiah 11, the stump of Jesse alludes to the Davidic dynasty, believed to be the arbiters of God’s goodness throughout the generations. In Isaiah’s vision, God’s spirit will intervene, leading to a world of righteousness and peace. Prey will no longer fear their predators. The vulnerable will be protected. All of creation will be filled with the wisdom of God. Where do you see glimpses of this vision coming to life? What actions can we take today to help bring this prophecy into fruition for the generations that come after us?