The Bible talks about 2 kinds of fear. One leads way from life, the other that leads toward it. In Matthew 1:18-25 and Jeremiah 2, we see both of these fears in action, and in the Christmas story, we are led to a life giving awe of God and His grace.

Awe and wonder are key to living a full life. The Christmas season offers us a fresh opportunity to experience awe as we look at what God has done.

Why don’t we feel moved by the Christmas story like we should? Mary’s song in Luke 1 shows us that pride will keep us from being moved by the wonder of Christmas, because Christmas is for the needy. From this song, we consider our own need – that we might enjoy afresh the good news of Christmas.