If you're looking to impress friends and family at your next gathering with your knowledge of Scripture, consider posing the following question: "What is the most frequently repeated phrase in the entire Bible?" While many may pause in wonder, you will already know the answer. After reading this insightful Pastor’s Desk column, you’ll be equipped to surprise the group with the answer: “Do not be afraid.” This phrase appears in various forms around 365 times, once for each day of the year.

This raises an important question: why, among all the possible phrases God could have chosen to emphasize in the Bible, does He repeatedly urge us, "Do not be afraid"?

To explore this, we need to reflect on our own fears. If we’re honest, most of us can identify something we fear. We fear losing our health, being alone, losing loved ones, or seeing those we care about suffer. We fear financial instability, revealing our true selves, facing the consequences of past mistakes, or confronting an uncertain future. The list is long, but it’s clear that fear is a common part of the human experience. To all these fears, God responds again and again, “Do not be afraid.”

The foundation of our Christian courage and confidence lies in our relationship with a God who reveals Himself as our loving, attentive Heavenly Father. Take a moment to reflect on this truth: God is our Father. Like any good parent, He provides for our needs. Jesus reminds us of this in the Gospel of Matthew, where He says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31).

This Father is actively guiding human history toward a final, redemptive purpose. His providence unfolds before us, often in ways we cannot immediately see, but we are called to have the faith to trust in His plan. This theme resonates powerfully in this Sunday’s Gospel passage. We see Jesus returning to Nazareth, the small town where He grew up, and entering the synagogue He once attended. In this intimate setting, where everyone knew Him, Jesus unrolls the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which had been written some 600 years earlier. The passage He reads foretells the coming of a figure who will bring hope and liberation: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

After reading, He rolls up the scroll, sits down, and delivers a statement that would send shockwaves through the crowd: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words, He is the one they’ve been waiting for. He is the one who will remove their deepest fears and bring hope, freedom, and peace.