DO NOT BE AFRAID
The 4 words, given to 4 people, that broke 400 years of silence
I’m not sure how I missed it until now. I don’t quite understand what it means. But I know that this invitation must be for me. (And perhaps for you, too).
Let me explain.
It’s been a quiet year for me over here. Quiet in some sweet, beautiful ways as I soak up time at home with my precious boys. Quiet in some strange, unsettling ways as I wrestle with calling and identity sorts of questions. And quiet in some holy, healing ways as I lean into the silence of God and let it do its good work in me.
I never knew how the quiet— an absence, a void, a lack— held such richness and could be so full.
I have not always met the silence of this year with open arms, but rather, have thought of it as something to get through, to endure for whatever was on the other side. But I’m slowly realizing that the silence IS the point. Waiting in the stillness IS the joy. And I’m trusting that there’s a lot more going on in the in-between, on this seemingly blank page.
You know that blank page in your Bible between Malachi and Matthew, between the end of the Old Testament and beginning of the New Testament? That little page holds 400 WHOLE YEARS of nothingness. An echo into emptiness. An absence, a void, a lack. There was not one single word from the Lord recorded during hundreds of years, generations upon generations.
All they had to hold onto was God’s faithfulness in the past and a hope that God would show up once again.
And then, the quiet suddenly ends.
Four words, four different times, break into those 400 years of silence:
“Do not be afraid!”
First to Zechariah, then to Mary, then to Joseph, then to the shepherds. After all that time, the first syllables God utters, the first glimpse into His heart, the first thought He wants to convey is, DO NOT BE AFRAID.
Why?
Perhaps, because silence can make us squirm with unanswered questions and heavy burdens and anxiety-laden worries. Silence can make us forget what we know.
Silence can make us wonder who we really are, or who God really is, or what we’re really doing here anyway.
Perhaps, because in the silence, we learn to not expect things to change.
Even though we may have been waiting and watching for a very long time, when the silence does indeed end, when God finally does step in, it can catch us by surprise. It can unsettle us that God really does keep His promises.
Perhaps, because the silence was unknowingly preparing us for something new. Transformation was happening all along. And it’s here! The time is now, the ball is rolling, you’re ready. Chin up, lean in, move ahead.
And. DO NOT BE AFRAID.
I wrote today’s poem thinking of the upside-down, life-altering change that those in the Christmas story were called upon to embrace.
Out of the silence, God breaks through and gives words of courage and confirmation that they’re ready, they have what it takes, they’ve been prepared all along.
However this finds you, may you too hear God’s gentle voice today… “Dear one, do not be afraid.”
with you,
Sarah
But first, an Advent Invitation: THIS Sunday, December 15th at 8pm EST, join me in a live zoom reading of some well-loved poems from my Advent Collection! I’ll share behind-the-scenes stories and offer a few guided practices and prompts as well. Together we'll reflect on themes of waiting, growing, mourning, and preparing. If you long for a moment to catch your breath in this Advent season, then this one is for you! REGISTER HERE!
DO NOT BE AFRAID
A poem based on Luke 1 and Matthew 1, by Sarah Bourns Crosby
Is it any wonder
The first words the angels always say
Before announcing news of a transition
Before proclaiming a great change
Is
Do not be afraid.
To Zechariah,
For years you have waited
With tears you have prayed
Today, the Lord has seen and heard
You will have a child in your old age.
And
Nothing will ever be the same
But
Do not be afraid.
To Mary,
The Lord your God is with you
O highly favored one
Though you are a virgin, young, and poor
The Savior of the world will be your son.
And
Nothing will ever be the same
But
Do not be afraid.
To Joseph,
You’re about to be a first time father
You’ll soon begin a new life
You will take this unwed teen mother, a scandal,
To raise this child together as your wife.
And
Nothing will ever be the same
But
Do not be afraid.
To the Shepherds,
Today you will see the glory of God
And hear the angels sing good news
Now go, make known this wonder
For God has especially commissioned you.
And
Nothing will ever be the same
But
Do not be afraid.
And to you,
Who are facing a big transition
Or making a life-changing decision
Or going an entirely new direction
When everything is about to change
And nothing will ever be the same,
Dear one,
Do not
Be
Afraid.
Paul and I got to preach together for the first Sunday of Advent on these very themes of waiting, silence, and preparation. You can watch or listen here!
A PRACTICE
Receive the silence
I’ve never thought of it this way before, but, what if Zechariah’s forced silence (“you will be unable to speak until the child is born”) was not for punishment but for preparation? What if in order to steward the great promise God was fulfilling, Zechariah first needed 9 months of quiet transformation? What if his doubts would be softened and his trust would be strengthened in this long stretch of silence?
What if the weighty calling ahead of him required a time of absence, the vulnerability of nothingness, the void of emptiness before he would be ready?
Like Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, or the Israelites 40 years of wandering, or the 400 years of waiting for the Messiah, God often seems to provide solitude and stillness to prepare us for what’s next.
How might you receive silence this season?
In what ways may God be drawing you into the quiet, a hiddenness or anonymity perhaps, for the purpose of slow transformation deep inside?
Dear one, do not be afraid.
“With no distraction from his doubt—and no way to voice it, either—all that was left for Zechariah to do was listen. In the silence, God spoke to him again, and this time, he believed. When Zechariah finally spoke months later, it was to prophesy about the Messiah, in a song bursting with wonder, faith, and love. In the silence, Zechariah was transformed from a man of resignation to a man full of hope.”
— Christina Gonzalez Ho, Advent devotion in Christianity Today
A PRAYER
An Advent Breath Prayer
{inhale}
You give silence as preparation
{exhale}
You ready me for transformation
Both printed copies and instant digital downloads of my Advent Collection are still available! With 15 short readings, it’s not too late to savor the season of anticipation for Christ’s arrival. Purchase your copy in my shop or hit reply and I’ll send you one!
P.S.
Attend our last Selah Prayer & Practice of the year!
THIS Sunday, December 15th at 8pm EST, join me in a live zoom reading of some well-loved poems from my Advent Collection! I’ll share my own reflections and offer a few guided practices and prompts as well. Together we'll reflect on themes of waiting, growing, mourning, and preparing. If you long for a moment to catch your breath in this Advent season, then this one is for you! REGISTER HERE!
Thank you so much, Sarah, for sharing your insights on the importance of silence and God speaking into it finally with those 4 words. A profound lesson that truly resonates with me.
SO good and timely for me❤️