From Fear to Joy: A message at the heart of Christmas

Reading the Christmas story in Luke, I can’t help thinking about how challenging it can be for some of us to hear that we are truly ‘seen’ – that we are really known by God and deeply valued.  

Mary, probably in her early teens, is told by the angel Gabriel that she is favoured, that God is with her. And she is troubled. She is frightened. 

When love feels hard to believe 

It can be painful to be told we are loved. Maybe we run away from love because we’ve been made to doubt that we’re loveable, or even likeable. Love can feel like a bright light, exposing what hurts or makes us feel ashamed. Our first reaction may be to try and hide from our fear. We can lose sight of who we really are. We can lose sight of how God sees us. 

Mary is frightened at first. Then the angel says to her, ‘Do not be afraid:’ – do not be overwhelmed that God has recognised and chosen you. 

The deep, intuitive wisdom that fear may be our greatest barrier to accepting and opening to love is perhaps why the most commonly repeated teaching in both the Old and New Testaments – do not be afraid, do not fear – is placed here at the beginning of the Christmas story. 

The angel has brought a life-changing, world-changing message: truth is coming, love is coming. Not coming to our ideas of who we are, but to who we really are; coming to us in our fear, in our weakness and pain, in the fullness of our humanity, to set us free from our illusions and cast out fear. 

Love arriving in the world’s darkness 

God knows there is plenty going on in the world to be fearful and anxious about: the horror of the conflicts in Israel-Palestine, Ukraine, and many other places; the degree of inequality and injustice in the UK. There is much that may cause us to be more anxious, suspicious and afraid of each other, and to doubt the presence of God. One might be forgiven for thinking this a particularly bad climate in which to approach Christmas. 

And yet, if we remember the challenging circumstances of the Christmas story, perhaps not. Now, as then, in the midst of challenge, the Light shines in the darkness and says, ‘Do not fear. Trust. Wake up to the light within you. And let your wakefulness be a light for others.’ 

Christ is coming. Christ is always coming. In each moment, in every encounter, the transfiguring light of God’s love is waiting to reveal itself. 

Beholding the face of Love 

With this in mind, we might approach each other with a sense of deep reverence.  

Reading the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta and those who knew her, you quickly sense how she went about her work, coming to each person in a spirit of reverence, expecting that each face would be the ‘disguise’ of Christ. She looked for the face of Love looking back at her, and in that expectation she was free to become a place of love for the person before her. 

Christian meditation – cultivating loving-presence 

The way of Christian meditation (silent prayer) is very simple. We simply allow ourselves to be present, open to God, open to the One who is love. Somehow, beyond our understanding, something gentle but real begins to happen: love is set free in us. If you would like to try this ancient way of prayer, here are some simple guidelines. 

Make sure you are sitting comfortably, with your back as straight as you are able, with your body still, relaxed but alert.  

Begin to silently recite a simple prayer word in your mind, in time with your inbreath and with your outbreath. It might be a word as simple as ‘love’ or ‘peace’ or ‘thank you’ – or ‘Jesus’. Bring your whole attention to this gentle repetition. 

Whenever you notice your attention has followed a thought (and you’ve begun to chat to yourself or watch a film in your mind), just let go of it by gently taking your attention back to reciting your prayer word. 

By this simple means we accept Christ’s invitation to ‘come away to a quiet place and rest awhile’. We leave the busyness of our mind and come home to the peace of our heart. If we can practice for twenty minutes each day, the peace of Christ will grow within us, and flow out as a gift to those around us. 

Mary is told by Gabriel that she is favoured, that God is with her. She is frightened. Then the angel says, ‘Do not be afraid… You will conceive and give birth to the Word of God. You will give birth to Love itself.’ 

This is also God’s message to each of us: you are seen, you are held, God is with you; do not be afraid. Conceive and give birth to the Word of God. Give birth to Love in the world. 

Loving God, 

through your son you have laid open a path for us, 

a path of peace and love. 

Help us to turn to you through loving those around us, 

that we might become for them, 

places of peace, places of love. 

Amen 

Chris Whittington is the founder of The School of Contemplative Life which hosts the largest Christian meditation practice group in the UK. 

His recent book ‘The Missing Peace: Meditation as a spiritual path to peace, community and oneness’ is published by Canterbury Press.