Fear Not! [Part 1]

Scripture:

Luke 1:5-13 [AMP]

5 In the days of Herod [the Great], king of Judea, there was a certain priest whose name was Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron [the first high priest of Israel], and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They both were righteous (approved) in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years.

8 Now it happened while Zacharias was serving as priest before God in the appointed order of his priestly division, 9 as was the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense [on the altar of incense]. 10 And all the congregation was praying outside [in the court of the temple] at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

Observation:

What does Zacharias have to be afraid of?

He is from a respectable family line. He has married well. He is living life full of faith. Luke even goes out of his way to tell us that both Zacharias and Elizabeth "were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord." ... BUT ...

But, they were childless and advanced in years.

Now, its possible that Zacharias was overcome with fear at the overwhelming glory of Gabriel. A person does not need to be guilt stricken or possessed of unworthiness in order to be painfully aware of their own smallness and fragility in the face of something eminently awesome. Try standing on a cliff-side lookout or next to an elephant with frisky feet: you'll see!

Today I'm struck by another possibility. Did you know that the phrase "Do not be afraid" 

(along with other analogous terms such as "Fear not") appears throughout scripture one hundred eleven times?

Of those occurrences, about ninety follow the pattern of individuals or groups receiving encouragement from the Divine assurance (either through direct revelation; or, more frequently, through a messenger) that God is present with them, active for them and calling them to respond in trust.

So, what if Zacharias is not afraid of the awesome otherness of God that radiates in righteous judgement from Gabriel? What if the source of his troubled spirit is that, seeing this messenger of God, he actually anticipates the message: 
"I am with you! I am acting for you! Come and join me!"?

What if the source of his fear is the prospect of God delivering 

a disruptive blessing into their tolerably dissatisfactory lives?

Application:

I usually hear the imperative: "Be not afraid, for I am with you!" as a call to courage. But, what if it is less an injunction to bravely summon my own resolve in order to endure a scary situation, and more an invitation to look beyond myself 
(my composure, my plans, my actions ...) to God who is faithful and reliably active in bringing about the thriving of my 
(and of all) life.

As I get older, and failures are added to defeats, I am aware of my own flagging "youthful enthusiasm". I am more and more tempted to look around and accept the notion that the best I can expect is this "world-as-it-is". ... But ...

...The Gospel - while never minimizing or despising the "world-as-it-is", God's Good News For All is always more focussed upon the "world-as-it-shall-be". 

Where there is emptiness --> fulfillment.

Where there is barrenness --> fecundity.

Where there is loneliness --> community.

Where there is shame --> restoration.

Where there is disease --> wholeness.

Where there is hunger --> feasting.

Where there is injustice --> right relations.

Where there is shrivelling death --> abundant life.

Let me be the first to confess, I don't know how we're gonna get there. There is a lot of corruption and hurt all around us. I'd be afraid to take the lead. 

Thanks be to God, neither you nor I have to. 

That position has been filled indefinitely by Christ Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord, when I look to the world: heartache. God, when I look to myself: fearful despair. 

Father, when I look to you: hope. Jesus, lead the way. Amen.