Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your gift to us, Jesus Christ who we celebrate this morning. Thank you for your presence with us, enlighten our hearts with your message of good news this morning. In your sons name we pray. Amen.
Extra, Extra read all about it!! Extra, extra read all about it!!
Breaking front page news – Shepherds quietly minding their sheep report a visitation by a host of singing angels. One bringing a message of good news…did you hear that- good news! A baby has been born who is Christ the Lord – the Messiah and Saviour of all. The shepherds were told how to find this baby with a sign that they would find it (and I quote) ‘wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’. These shepherds rushed off to the town of David – Bethlehem, and they found the baby and worshipped him. They have been spreading the amazing news and message from the angels – good news!
Extra, extra read all about it!!
Wouldn’t it be remarkable to have a message of good news splashed over the front page of all the papers. And I don’t mean just good news for some – like enough funding to build a new stadium in Hobart so we get an AFL club!
News that today we celebrate the birth of our saviour, born as a baby (a baby’s birth is always good news) but this was not just any baby, but Jesus the Messiah, the Lord. A message of hope for all.
So many are looking for hope right now, after yet another Christmas surrounded by anxiety and suffering with COVID, a year filled with more disasters around the world, including Australia with devastating floods still impacting and threatening people today. And of course, ever present war and conflict. The big news item this year being the war in the Ukraine, so many deaths, refugees, people suffering in the cold this Christmas without power, homes, warmth, and enough food. And sadly, that is the case in other countries around the world also.
And we mourned the death of the Queen in September. This Christmas we have a new king, Charles the third. Many will be waiting to see what he has to say in his Christmas message today. The queen would always bring an element of the Christian message of hope even in the most difficult annus horribilis of years.
Charles, I’m sure, will do his best but we’ve already seen his human imperfections, imperfections that we all have, but his get recorded for all to see. Impatience and frustration at a pen not working when signing a condolence book for the Queen, more impatience at his wife, Camilla the Queen Consort, for spending too long with the crowds when it’s time to get back in the car and move on! And of course, there’s all the front-page news regarding family and a certain Netflix documentary!
Refreshingly, today we celebrate the birth of a perfect King whom we can worship and adore and put our utter faith and hope in. A King whose arrival brought a message of good news both then, and now and for eternity.
A message that brings us comfort, joy, hope and peace. A message of love.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Like parts of our world today, the world was weary when Jesus arrived, longing for hope. The Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come, to deliver them from darkness, and at that time from Roman rule. At Jesus’ birth there was a thrill of hope, a new beginning.
Isaiah the prophet had brought a message of good news to a people walking in darkness that one day a child would be born, a son given to them who would reign forever on their great King David’s throne. He would be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
The people waited a long time for this good news to come to fruition…about 700 long years!
They waited and they waited, they hoped, and they hoped and in God’s perfect timing the good news finally arrived that their Messiah had come.
The coming of the Saviour was all in God’s control and his plan. At an unexpected time and in a most unexpected way!
The Messiah was coming as a vulnerable baby – God humbled himself to become human and live among his people, to be a suffering servant that would be despised and rejected and then die to save us all.
Those who heard the good news of Jesus’s arrival rejoiced – how happy were those shepherds that night as they went to worship their King and saviour. How blessed were those who met Jesus as he grew up and began his ministry, as he went among the poor, the sick, the sinners and he gave them new hope and new life as they put their trust in and followed him. How the people rejoiced when Jesus was raised from the dead, their despair turned to great joy and wonder – Jesus hadn’t left them after all! He was still Immanuel God with us – and then he sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in those who believed in his name.
Like the Jews who waited in hope for their Messiah to come for hundreds of years, we too wait in hope for the day when Jesus will return, and all things will be put right – no more viruses, floods, hunger or devasting wars, no more death and suffering and pain. Because Jesus was born and died and rose again, we live and wait in certain hope.
I’ve been reminded of that certain hope this last week having gone to my sister’s funeral and as I prepare to take a funeral this coming week. Hope that our loved ones, those who believed and trusted in Jesus as their saviour, are now released from the troubles of this world and are rejoicing with Christ, in his presence, what a gift for them this Christmas. No doubt singing with the angels.
But despite the worries of the world, both the big ones and the issues in our own personal lives, we too can rejoice this Christmas. For Jesus is present with us right here and now.
God sent Jesus to dwell among us, Immanuel – God with us. And Jesus promised to be with us always, to never leave nor forsake us. As we welcome him into our lives, he lives in us. He sent the Holy Spirit to fill us with his very self.
Last year I told the story of my parents leaving me behind on the kitchen table, a little baby in a carry basket, as they headed off on holiday with the four other children! Fortunately, they didn’t get too far, and they came back for me, and I joined them on the journey!
We might forget God sometimes, forget to take him with us on our journey. But he never forgets us, he is with us always. Even if we feel like he has forgotten us, he never does. Jesus, Immanuel, God with us – is an amazing concept. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, God is with us. No matter how far into despair we feel, God is with us. In times of great joy and times of insurmountable grief, God is with us. Why is he with us? Because he loves us – he loves you and there is nowhere else he would rather be than with you. We read in Romans 8 that no matter what our hardship, God is with us…
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That is good news.
Because he is with us, we can still experience peace, joy, love and hold on to hope in the midst of despair, anxiety, grief, and uncertainty in the coming year…
The Angels sang…Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests….
His favour rests on us…we know that because God sent Jesus his one and only son to save us. We just need to trust in him, worship him and surrender our lives to him who cares for us.
Many people in our world have forgotten all about Jesus, and Christmas has become known as the holiday season. As I noted last week, one young boy at our community carols didn’t know who Jesus was, and the Christmas slogan in Myer is ‘the season is the reason’. The reason to spend up big buying gifts.
We need to be bearers of the good news to those who have not heard and received God’s gift – Jesus. Let’s get out there like those old news boys – excited with the good news we have…Extra, extra, read all about it!
We need to share and model lives of hope, joy, love, and peace because we have Jesus with us. We need to shine his light in the darkness, many are hurting and broken in our world. Many live with hopelessness, let’s invite them to meet the one who brings eternal hope.
The good news goes beyond the story of Jesus being born in a manger. Some like to keep him as a baby and forget the rest of the story. You will note that there is no baby in our manger. We remember and celebrate his birth today, but that message of good news didn’t end with story of the baby in the manger.
The story continued, Jesus grew up and did some amazing miracles and taught us how to live and love, then he suffered and died to save us and rose again that we might have hope in eternal life.
Today we worship Jesus – King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel – God with us. Let us celebrate the good news of Jesus!
Let us pray: Father God, we thank you for the gift of your son Jesus.
I pray that we will always remember that you are with us, no matter what we face. Thank you that you came and dwelt among us, and you know our needs.
When we are confused and afraid, may we remember that Jesus is with us as our Wonderful Counselor.
When we worry about the state of the world and despair at our leaders and governments, may we remember that the government is on God’s shoulders and that Jesus is the Mighty God who reigns forever with justice and compassion and righteousness and will one day return to put all things right.
When we feel isolated and alone, I pray we remember that Jesus is our Everlasting Father, his arms around us always, now and for eternity.
I pray that when we feel anxious, we will remember that Jesus is our Prince of Peace.
Help us to put our trust in you, for as the Prophet Isaiah declared; The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Just like the angels, we worship you today…
Glory to God in the Highest Heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.
Amen.