When Fear Hides and Love Stays | The Very Rev. Dr. Michael W. DeLashmutt

On the fourth Sunday of Advent, Rev. Michael reflects on how fear often teaches us to withdraw, stay quiet, and protect ourselves. Reading the Christmas story through Joseph’s eyes, it explores a man who responds to fear not with cruelty or indifference, but with cautious, compassionate love. Yet the gospel invites Joseph—and us—into a deeper faithfulness: a love that remains present, names truth, and accepts risk. In a season filled with exhaustion, tension, and quiet avoidance, this story calls us to remember that fear hides, but love stays, and God abides with us still.