When You're Afraid, Give Me Your Hand - "What Do You Fear?" Advent Worship Series

Fourth Sunday of Advent
What Do You Fear?
When You're Afraid, Give Me Your Hand
Isaiah 41:5–10 & Matthew 1:18–25

This Sunday, Advent brings us right into the noise… the kind of fear that fills headlines, fills rooms, fills the space inside us that was made for trust and wonder.

Isaiah speaks into a world trembling with uncertainty.
Nations shaken.
People watching power concentrate in dangerous ways.
Communities unsure what’s coming next.

And into that fear, God speaks a steady word:
“Do not be afraid… I am with you.”
Not because the world is calm.
Not because everything is fixed.
But because divine presence is not fragile,
and fear is not the truest voice in the story.

Then we turn to Matthew…
and to Joseph, who is carrying a decision that feels impossible.
A decision shaped by cultural pressure, personal shame, political danger, and very real fear.

And in the middle of his fear…
in the middle of the night…
good news breaks in.

It doesn’t erase the danger.
It doesn’t silence the uncertainty.
But it speaks a word strong enough to guide him through it.
Because Advent doesn’t pretend the fear isn’t there.
Advent simply refuses to let fear be the loudest voice.

So we keep asking the question this whole series has invited us into:
What do you fear?
The noise of the world?
The power of corrupt leaders?
The systems harming people you love?
The future that feels fragile?
The vulnerability of doing the right thing when it costs you something?

You don’t have to hide any of that.
Bring your noise.
Bring your ache.
Bring the places where fear has taken up too much room.

Good news may not shout…
it refuses to be drowned out.

This Sunday, December 21, we light the fourth candle.
Not because fear is gone…
but because love speaks louder.
Justice speaks clearer.
And hope keeps rising, even now.

Join us for Week 4 - “When You're Afraid, Give Me Your Hand.”
Sunday at 10am ET
Onsite & Online

There is room for your fear.
There is room for your longing.
And there is room for the good news already breaking in.

WeAreChangingLives.org

You may also like the following events from First Congregational Church, UCC in Randolph:

• This Saturday, 6th December, 07:30 pm, Holiday Spectacular in Randolph
• This Sunday, 7th December, 10:00 am, When We're Running Out of Hope, God is at Work - "What Do You Fear?" Advent Worship Series in Randolph
• Next Thursday, 11th December, 11:00 am, Widows' Might: A Ministry of Accompaniment in Randolph