At this afternoon's fellowship meeting, people mostly older in years, though some in their 40s and 50s, for the devotions/epilogue bit, I invited them to tell me the Christmas story as it unfolds in the gospels of Luke and Matthew.  It was fascinating to hear the contributions, see the leaps in the narrative and the way that scripture and tradition are eleided in people's minds.

The kind of theme that emerged was around responses to fear... we noted that that

• the angel told Mary not to be afraid, suggesting she probably was
• Joseph's initial reaction suggests fear
• the shepherds were told to 'fear not', so they obviously were afraid
• Herod is described as being afraid

We noted also the responses...

• Mary was afraid but she said 'yes' anyway
• Joseph was afraid but he did the 'right thing'
• The shepherd's were afraid but they went to see if what they'd heard was true
• Herod was afraid, and allowed that fear to give way to anger, hatred and murder

Being afraid is normal, natural, everyone experiences it. What matters is what we let that fear do to us... will we give way to anger, hatred, revenge or attack, or will we choose the path that leads to life, hope and a future...

It was a great afternoon, a blagged reflection, and brilliant engagement/interaction.