Luke 2:10-14 (NKJV)
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Do you remember a time when you got such good news that you felt like you were about to explode? One time that stands out to me is when I found out I got my first Juno Award nomination in 2015.
It was a snow day so all my roommates and I were home. The specific time of the award nomination announcement was posted so I made sure to be in front of my computer at that time. I had no idea if I was going to be nominated or not and I was feeling pretty nervous. My heart started pounding when they said, “And now the nominees for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year.” Truth be told, I didn’t even hear them say my whole name because when I heard that first “Chel” syllable I freaked out and accidentally hit something that closed the window. I had to go back and look for tweets and internet postings to make sure they actually said my name.
Then I freaked out and started bouncing around the whole house. My roommates must have thought I was nuts. I was too excited to care what my celebration looked like.
As good as that news was, it is completely dull compared to the news the shepherds heard on that first Christmas night. I love it that the angel had to say, “Do not be afraid,” because I’m sure they were almost having a heart attack. After over 400 years of worshipping a seemingly silent God, they were the first ones to hear the news that the Messiah they have been waiting for has come; the One whom Jewish prophet Isaiah had written about 730 years before!*
If you are not a Jewish person living around the year 5 BC (the approximate year of Jesus’ birth), is this good news for us as well? Absolutely!!
The Good News is that God cared so much about humanity that He couldn’t bear to spend eternity without us. Out of His love, He sent His Son Jesus to live among us in human form. Jesus is God’s love with skin on! He taught us how to pray, how to care for those in need, and how to humbly serve each other. Then he made the ultimate sacrifice by dying on a cross to pay the penalty for every wrong deed and thought we’ve ever done or will do. But, death couldn’t defeat Him! Three days later He rose from the dead and now He is in heaven on His throne. From a baby to the King... There is no better news than that!
Thank You, Jesus, for coming down to Earth to be with us in human form. Thank You for all that you’ve taught us about Father God’s character and for how You sacrificed Your life for us. This Christmas in the midst of all the busyness and gift giving, help us to remember the real reason we are celebrating!
COMMENT BELOW: When was a time you received such great news that you felt like you were going to explode?
*Find a timeline of Biblical events at http://biblehub.com/timeline/.