The Good News of Christmas

Luke 2:10-11 - 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Merry Christmas! In spite of all the cultural upheaval of the last several decades, Christmas is still the most celebrated holiday of the year in the Western World. There is a good reason for that. Like the angel said to the shepherds: this is “good news of great joy… for all the people.” It is just as true today as it was over 2,000 years ago at the first Christmas.

That good news is that a savior – the Savior – has come. You may feel like you do not need a savior. Your life is going fine. Your bills are paid. You are healthy. You have everything you need. You do not think you need to be “saved” by anyone else. Yet, imagine a bad car accident when you are pinned under crushed metal or a near drowning or a car breakdown on a lonely road. Suddenly you are helpless. Suddenly you need someone with skills, tools, and abilities you do not have. You need a savior.

Something that may be hard for us to grasp in our technologically advanced society is that we - each and all - still desperately need a Savior. Sin may not be a popular word, but its damaging effects are seen everywhere: violence, abuse, and even divorce, broken families, and estranged friendships. If you have ever been hurt by someone, you know the pain of sin. Just as others have failed and hurt you, though, you have hurt others. Each of us has failed to be relationally, ethically, and morally perfect. That does not only mean that we deal with the temporary pain of those actions attitudes. They ultimately cut us off from God – forever. The only way the consequences and the ultimate cause of sin could be completely cured was by the offering of a perfect sacrifice – one completely like us in his humanity, yet one completely unlike us in his divine perfection. So, we celebrate with good reason: the Incarnation of the Christ who became one of us and offered himself on our place on the cross so that “whoever believes in him may have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) The greatest Christmas gift of all time is yours for the asking: believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior today.