“Fear not.” This is the message of the angels to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds; and it continues to be God’s message to us today! There have always been endless reasons in this world for people to be afraid; but six hundred years before Christmas, the prophet Zephaniah proclaimed, “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst! You need fear disaster no more.” (Zephaniah 3:15) This is a message that is completely fulfilled with the coming of Christ! In Christ, God is truly in our midst, which is why he is called Emmanuel, “God with us.” And if God is with us, we need not fear.

If God is with us, we need not fear. Share on X

So Christ draws us out of fear into faith. May we hear the message of the angels—“Fear not!” – and so live in faith and genuine hope, as we rejoice in the good news of Christmas.

Sunday’s Scripture Readings
Zephaniah 3:14–15

About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.