Between the Glory and the Fear
Dec 13, 2009
As Christian believers we live between 2 worlds and 2 kingdoms: the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of heaven. That tension is sometimes quite difficult for us to navigate. We see this tension in the Apostle Paul’s lament: “I am not sure which is better: because to die is gain, but to live is Christ.” Each day we live in this world, but we are not really of this world. We are but sojourners traveling in this body of flesh and blood until we arrive at our real destination: heaven.
It is also fascinating that we live in this tension between good and evil, between optimism and pessimism, between health and illness. As Charles Dickens described his time as “The best of times and the worst of times.” There is much about our times in 2009 that is best and much that is worst. We marvel at the exploration of space and shudder at the violence in our schools. The advancement of medical science is akin to the miraculous and supernatural, but the cost of that ‘health’ is staggering as we battle cancer, obesity, diabetes, autism and strange, unknown viruses. We live in this tension between prosperity and poverty. Many of us are struggling financially, which leads to worry, anxiety, and even panic.
While we may think that we live in unusual times, there was another time in history when the world was at peace, yet there was an air of uncertainty with pessimism about the future strong and confidence in the social structures weak.
It was on a Palestinian hillside on an evening when a group of shepherds were tending their flock. Nothing except slavery was as joyless and difficult as being shepherds in 1st century Bethlehem. At the mercy of a foreign government, these shepherds’ future was always uncertain. Their tax burden makes our laughable. They adhered to a religion that was unpopular with government and irrelevant to their particular situation. Being caught between a rock and a hard place looked enticingly appealing to these ancient shepherds.
Then it happened. Out of the clear blue like a shooting star in the nighttime sky, an angel appeared and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. The Biblical record in Luke says that these shepherds were terrified, scared to death. And you would be too if an angel suddenly appeared at the foot of your bed and 3:00am, or how about a spacecraft landing in your backyard?
These shepherds found themselves caught between the glory and the fear of God, between excitement and terror. Here was something happening outside their control and they were terrified. I have known fear in my life, but I have never known terror. It must be a terrible feeling to be terrified. And yet at the same time these shepherds were also a part of the shekinah glory of God.
It seems to me that all the glory of this world, the I-Pods, the laptops, the cell phones, the microwaves and GPS systems, all cause us to marvel and be in awe. And yet we are afraid and fearful of Big Brother using GPS systems to track our every movement and maybe even our every conversation. Can thought control be close behind? Maybe that’s why we often hide behind Facebook, Twitter, and emails because we are becoming increasingly afraid—of scammers, identity thieves, and phish-ers, and afraid even in the “safety” of our own homes. Something isn’t quite right. We can’t put our finger on it, but something just doesn’t sit right.
Even as Christians we are caught between the glory and the fear—both the godly fear and the worldly fear. Like the shepherds on the Bethlehem hillside, when the glory of the Lord breaks into our worlds, our initial reaction is one of fear, but then we hear those comforting and powerful words, “Fear not!”
Remember waking up during a nightmare, crying out in fear and then feeling the strong, safe, comforting arms of dad or mom holding you close and whispering “It’s alright. I am here.” We are comforted and soon all the fear vanishes. Into the terrors of our lives Jesus comes to us as a Father, holds us close, and whispers, “Don’t be afraid.” The terror is dispelled by God’s love and presence.
Into our world caught between the warp and woof of time, the joy and the sorrow of life, and both the placid waters and the maelstrom of our journeys, the angels’ words to the ancient shepherds resonate anew and afresh, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” Terror replaced by hope. Fear replaced by love. In Psalm 91 we read, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Surely He will save you…and you will not fear the terror of the night.”
You just doesn’t encounter God and continue life as usual. Whenever God breaks into our worlds, a response is elicited. The shepherds encountered this great message from God. How would they respond? In skepticism? In derision? In unbelief? Verse 15 tells us: “When the angels and left and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this great thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’” Have you ever wondered who the shepherd was who spoke first and said, “Let’s go?” What was his name and what was he like?
These ancient shepherds didn’t have a choice in not having a choice. They didn’t have a choice in being confronted with this message from God. It happened by divine fiat! And yet they did have a choice: either they ignore it and go back to sleep or do something about this call of God and this message of good news. You know the choice they made. They went.
How have you responded to your encounters with the living God? Some of you have responded like the shepherds and some of you and turned over and gone back to sleep, going on with life as usual! Here’s the question: Why should you respond and go “see this thing?” Because you need a Savior and you need to respond to God’s message, and you need to meet Him face to face. Of course this begs the question, why? Why do I need to respond? Why do I need to meet Jesus face to face? Why do I need a Savior? The simple answer is because we are sinners, each and every one of us. We are sinners by nature and by our actions. David wrote, “In sin did my mother conceive me.” There is no choice in this matter. It is what it is. The decision however is do we believe it and accept it, or roll over and go back to sleep? If we ignore it and roll over, there is no salvation for us. The angel told Joseph, “His name will be Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.”
No one is healed until they understand and accept the fact that they are sick. Many of you know that I am now gluten-free. That means that I can no longer eat bread nor pasta. Why? Because I have Celiac’s disease. Gluten in wheat, barley and rye hurts my physical health. Now most people with this disease get very sick if they eat bread or pasta. However I do not. I have none of the typical symptoms. Now I could say, “What’s the deal? I can eat bread and pasta. Nothing happens. Those doctors are nuts. I could choose not to believe the doctors, and go on my merry way.” So how do I know that I have Celiac’s disease? Because the doctor told me that I do. I don’t see it and I can’t feel it. It is nothing obvious. But the doctor put a scope down through my stomach and intestines and found it. The blood results confirmed it. Whether I like it or not, whether I chose to believe the doctor or not, the reality is that I have Celiac’s disease. It is what it is! For me to be and live healthy I have to make changes in my life and in my eating. Now I could continue to eat bread and pasta, but I would slowly starve myself to death.
Whether you like it or not, the Great Physician says that you have a spiritual disease that is slowly destroying you. It is a kind of spiritual Celiac’s disease called sin. For some of you the symptoms are pretty obvious. For others you have no outward symptoms at all, but if you don’t do something about it, it will cause your spiritual death. Until you accept and understand that you have a spiritual disease that is causing your death, you will never know God’s salvation.
The shepherds responded to God’s truth and came to Jesus. God didn’t send Jesus to earth just so we could have a big Christmas celebration each year with Santa Claus, decorations and presents. God sent Jesus to be our Savior:
- To save us from fear and terror.
- To save us from the power of sin in our lives.
- To save us from the consequences of sin both here and now and for all eternity.
- To save us from the effects of sin upon our lives.
Jesus saves us so that we might know and experience health and wholeness and His glory and presence each and every day. This is a change and transformation we can really believe in. The realization of our own sin sickness can bring us to fear and terror, but God’s Spirit comes to you even as the angels came to those Bethlehem shepherds and says, “Do not be afraid.” Like a loving dad or mom God hears the cry of your heart and comes to you with tenderness and love, wraps those strong comforting arms around you and says, “It’s okay now. I am here. I will be with you and I will never leave you.
Let me invite you this morning to first realize that you are spiritually sick even though you may not have the typical symptoms, to respond to God’s call by saying ‘yes’ to Jesus that you may find Him as the ancient shepherds did. Those shepherds responded in faith. Will you respond in faith this Christmas and come to Jesus.