Voices

by Vic Jameson

They are plain words, clear and simple;
words of announcement; of promise,
of hope, and fulfillment.
Words to a young woman
betrothed but not married
to a man we mostly assume
to be older; a man
who will play a vital role in this story
before he disappears
from it.
The woman and the man—
and later, others — are
participants in a drama
they cannot even begin
to understand.

We may suppose
that Mary was the first
to hear the angel words —
the words this accounting
is all about.
“Greetings, favored one!”
the angel Gabriel said,
“the Lord is with you.”
And before departing
also said,
“Do not be afraid.”

An angel also came to Joseph
and said these things:
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take
Mary as your wife,
for the child conceived in her
is of the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son,
and you are to name him Jesus,
for he will save his people
from their sins. “
There were other visitations.
Shepherds in the region
were terrified when an angel
appeared among them. But
the angel said, “Do not be afraid...
I am bringing you good news of
great joy to all the people; for to you
is born this day in the city of
David a Savior, who is the Messiah.”
Many comparisons might be drawn
between circumstances prevailing
in the long-ago times described here
and our own. Instead, let one phrase
suffice:
The essential message conveyed in this
summation to a wondering
and worried world
is simply but profoundly this:

Do not be afraid.

[See also Love Notes, by Bill Love.]