Good News for every day
Sermon for Christmas Eve, year B
Bible reading: Luke 2:10-11
Tonight is the night God hits the streets. No longer is he hidden from sight. No longer can people say he’s hiding in heaven … that he doesn’t know about or care about the pain and suffering of earth. Tonight, in this baby Jesus in the manger of Bethlehem, God hits the streets of this world – of Bethlehem and Baghdad, of Zimbabwe and Sudan, of Australia and Afghanistan, of Germany and Canada. Tonight God hits the suffering streets of the world and brings Good News to every person, in every place, for every day.
Paulo Coelho tells it so well in his Christmas story for 2008 about the King and the Prime Minister's walk through the city streets on Christmas Eve:
And so, in Jesus, God hits the streets with good news, good enough to bring a broad smile to the poorest person, and singing and dancing to all who believe it. From his birth notice which the angels said was good news of great joy for all people
, to his first sermon where Jesus said he was anointed by God to bring good news to the poor
, Jesus is always nothing but good news for all people. The Gospel of Mark begins with the words: Here begins the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The same Gospel ends with the words: Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
But why is the birth of Jesus such Good News? A man living near this church ridiculed the whole idea of there being any value in Jesus, when I invited him to Christmas worship. Many will celebrate Christmas, but few will rejoice at the birth of Jesus Christ. Like the King he is, he comes in disguise, recognized by all too few, turned away by all too many. He comes looking plain in comparison with Santa. He comes with gifts less desired than those offered by Santa. He comes in poverty, in humility, as a refugee, as one who suffers, who even dies on a cross. If his crib attracts some, his cross repels most.
Yet Jesus has far more to offer than Santa. The angel says: I bring you Good News – a Saviour is born to you.
Jesus comes to this world of bombing and brokenness, of pain and poverty, of addiction and homelessness, of rebellion and outright Godlessness, and he loves all these sufferers from his crib to his cross, and reaches out to heal us, and die for all this sin to be forgiven, and us to be rescued and resurrected from it to live a new life like him, on earth and in heaven.
Have you noticed how Christmas changes everything? Even without faith in Jesus our city and its people are changed. Yet it’s often just for a night, or a week. Christmas is soon over and life returns to normal. But not so. When the Christmas tree is taken down, the cross will still be here. And from it will flow God’s love and forgiveness, every day.
Unwrapping gifts at Christmas can bring such joy. A child enjoyed it so much he was so sad the next day when there were no more gifts to unwrap. So each day for the whole year he wrapped some item in his home, and then opened it as a gift to bring joy to the new day. The Good News of Christmas is for every day. God’s love and forgiveness is yours to rejoice in every day, not just Christmas and Easter, and Sundays – but every day. In Jesus God has hit the streets to love all people, and rescue all people for eternal life.
He comes to your house tonight – where you sorrow over the death of your loved one … over the loss of your financial security … over your many failures this past year … over your fading hopes for the future. God is not just for one night, for one person, for this life – but for every day, for all people, for eternity. So welcome Jesus tonight, and tomorrow, and forever. Trust in him, and live with him. Know he loves you. Know he forgives you. Know he saves you. And let others know. Go out tonight as a good news person, who brings the smile of faith and hope to others. Amen.