"Fear not, little flock." So go the words of Jesus from the Gospel of St. Luke (12:32) which I chose as the motto for my episcopal ministry twenty-one years ago. Perhaps, now, thinking about my motto, you might be tempted to ask, "Why not be afraid? We live in frightening times!" And indeed, the world seems a scarier place than it did this time last year, or even six months ago, or perhaps even last week, as we tumble headlong into a kind of national and global chaos, unfamiliar to us and full of foreboding and dread. And there certainly is no lack of the "principalities and powers" of which St. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12, willing and able to feed off of our fear, to make use of this fear in ways that seem able to threaten the very existence of the human race.

"Fear not, little flock." In this season of long nights and cold days, I find it comforting to remember these words of the Master as he advised His disciples to depend totally on God. We cannot look to the unstable, transitory powers of this world to provide us with the security we need to live a life worthy of the name "human." Instead, we need look no further than a simple manger in a dark cave in Bethlehem for the answer to all of our questions and the solution to all of our problems. In that manger lies the very mystery of Emmanuel, God-With-Us.

But we must look into that manger ourselves; no one can gaze into it for us and see what we would see. Still, this much is certain: that Manger is not empty. When we look into it, it is the very eyes of God looking back at us with unconditional love and everlasting mercy. He says we are safe with Him, and I believe Him.

May you too know the security and peace that comes from knowing Jesus this Christmas.

Music: Kevin MacLeod - Meditation Impromptu 01