The Good News

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

¹⁴  “Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 2:8–14.

Abba,

The angels came to herald peace.  And this is incredibly good news!  So much of our Christmas celebrations focuses on the good news, and for sure, it is!  

But what makes it good news?

It is good news because You came to make peace with men. 

And why was there a need to make peace with men?

Because of our sin and rebellion against Your holy and divine name.

The good news of Christmas is only good news because of the bad news of our sin and Your judgement for that sin.  

The problem is, we want to take all the good things You have promised, that You give…

We want to take all the good of You and we tend to leave out the bad.  Our gospel has become man centered.  Our theology has become man focused. 

But the truth is, the good is not good apart from the bad.  The good is good precisely because of the bad of our sin.  The gospel is not about us.  The truth of theology is not about us.  It is about Your glory.  It is about YOUR person.  

Jesus, Your entrance into this world was not just because You felt like it.  It was necessary in order for You to successfully divert Your own holy wrath from me.  It was to show us You and to make much of You and cause us to delight in You.  Your love, Your unselfish choice for my highest good, is what necessitated Your coming.  You willingly endured what You did in order to put MY needs above Your own rights.  And in so doing, You made much of Your infinite worth.  No, this is not, nor ever was, about goodness in me.

Your coming is good news.  But it is good news precipitated by the bad news of my sin and rebellion against my Divine Creator and God.  It is good news because of my utter worthlessness and filth.

It is all too easy to forget this fact.  

This puts a seriousness and somberness to Christmas and our celebrations that we would be wise to be mindful of.    

Christmas IS good news.

But this good news is because of the foul nature and result of sin.

It ought to humble us that Your coming, Jesus, was even necessary.  

It ought to humble us that our bad news cost You Your place in Heaven next to the Father.

It ought to humble us that our sin cost You Your earthly life.

It ought to humble us that our sin forced you to bear the guilt of the world’s sin AND the wrath of Your Father for those sins.

Christmas is about MORE than the birth of a baby.

Christmas is about the birth of THE SON OF GOD into humanity so that He might bear Your wrath, Father, for MY sins and thus satisfy Your holy justice so that You can then extend forgiveness for my sins without my having to pay the cost.

Yes, indeed…THIS puts Christmas and our gift giving traditions into a much more serious and somber tone.

We celebrate good news….

But I fear in our celebrations, we neglect the good news, hiding it under a cacophony of meaningless glamor.

Bring our hearts back, Abba, to the peace Your angels announced.

Bring our hearts back to the gospel that is at the heart of the Son’s coming.