Don't be afraid.
Did you know ‘Don't be afraid’ is the most repeated phrase in the nativity story? Experience this message for yourself with a 10-minute guided meditation to help calm fear.
Did you know ‘Don't be afraid’ is the most repeated phrase in the nativity story? Experience this message for yourself with a 10-minute guided meditation to help calm fear.
Whether you fear the winter ahead, looking stupid in front of your peers or something else altogether, join our Facebook community taking on daily challenges throughout Advent to help calm fear.
The phrase ‘Don't be afraid’ appears three times in the nativity story, each time to people whose lives were about to be disrupted in unimaginable ways. An elderly priest, a teenage girl and a group of shepherds all received this message. And while there was much to fear, they were all given reasons to hope.
Discover how the words ‘Don't be afraid’ brought hope to its first hearers. The characters in the story weren't given neat answers to their problems, but they were given a reason to hope. They didn't know how the birth of a child would be the answer. This was just the beginning of the story.
‘But the angel said to him, “Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You are to name him John. How glad and happy you will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born! He will be a great man in the Lord's sight.”’
– From the Gospel of Luke
An angel appears to Jewish priest Zechariah and announces he's going to be a dad. ‘Don't be afraid’ might be appropriate reassurance for any dad-to-be, but Zechariah's old and this child is totally unexpected. The angel assures him God’s on his side and has good things for him. He says the baby that's on the way – who you might know as John the Baptist – is going to play a key role in God's plan. Though there's much to adjust to, good things are coming.
‘The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.”’
– From the Gospel of Luke.
An angel appears to teenager Mary and announces she's going to be a mum. ‘Don't be afraid’ is a good message for all mums-to-be, but this was especially the case for an unwed young woman in first-century Palestine. With the judgement of her community and the potential loss of her fiancé, and no means to support herself, there was much to fear. But the angel assures Mary that God's on her side and that her son is going to be very special. Though Mary faces challenges, amazing things lie ahead.
‘But the angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Saviour was born — Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”’
– From the Gospel of Luke
A choir of angels appears to a group of shepherds on the night shift. As herdsmen under Roman rule, they wouldn’t normally be involved in significant events – especially the birth of an apparent saviour. They were just normal people working hard to make ends meet, at a time of high taxes and great uncertainty. But the angels say the God they believe in has come in peace, and not just for the rich and powerful, but for everyone. Though the state of the nation looks bleak, there’s a saviour.
Perhaps you’ve been to dozens of nativity plays and hundreds of carol services, but you’ve never spotted this before.
It turns out ‘Don't be afraid’ is the most repeated phrase in the entire Bible, clocking up 365 appearances. Maybe it’s something worth holding on to every day of the year, too.
If you want to know more about the Bible but wouldn't consider yourself particularly religious, you're in the right place. We're here to help people who are curious about the Bible experience it as ancient wisdom with hope for today.
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