Good News of Great Joy

Luke 2:1-14

Rev. Stephen H. Wilkins

Georgetown Presbyterian Church

Saturday, December 24, 2005

These days, people put a lot of effort and money into creating the right birth announcements. You can’t simply pass out cigars anymore--that’s politically incorrect. You have to go out and select the right kind of card, you have to decide the style of font and the ink color, you have to do something to make your birth announcement stand out—maybe a cute poem, or a picture of your newborn baby. Usually there’s some kind of ribbon attached to the card. People go all out to create just the right birth announcement; they want to share their good news and joy in a creative way that people will remember.

But nobody has ever equaled the birth announcement that God gave for Jesus. Nobody has ever sent an angel to shepherds in the field to shine the glory of the Lord and to announce the birth of Jesus: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people…" It really was quite the birth announcement that God put together. And he even did it without the help of computers.

We announce the birth of a child, because it is a universal truth that the birth of a child is a very significant thing. At Christmas time, we celebrate the announcement of the birth of the Christ child, for his birth is indeed a very significant thing--not just for Mary and Joseph, but for all the world.

The angel said to the shepherds that night, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." I want to lift out three things from the words of the angel, three things that help us recognize the significance of the birth of the baby we call Jesus.

The first thing out of the angel’s mouth are the words, "Do not be afraid." Such words of assurance given to the terrified shepherds! The fact of the matter is, an encounter with the divine can be a terrifying thing. There is such an other-ness about God’s glory that we can’t help but feel taken aback. Maybe it’s because the glory of the Lord exposes our own sinfulness. Maybe it’s because in our own sinfulness, we simply can’t bear the holiness of God. Maybe we’ve bought into the notion that God is out to get us. Whatever it may be, it is not uncommon to want to flee from an encounter with the divine.

But God calms our fears by offering us assurance. "Do not be afraid." My friends, the angel’s words assure us that God’s purpose is not to condemn us, but to save us. It’s a comforting assurance that God does not desire to smite us; instead, God’s desire is to draw us toward him when we would otherwise run away. It’s no coincidence that at the birth of Jesus, and later on at his resurrection, the first words to the people are, "Do not be afraid." They are words that tell us that God’s plan for this world is blessing, not destruction; the purpose of God’s activity in this world is redemption, not condemnation.

Do not be afraid.

The second thing from the words of the angel is that the good news of great joy concerns a birth. A birth marks a new beginning. It is not the end in itself; rather, it is the beginning of a new life. The announcement of the birth of the Christ child is the announcement that a new era is dawning, that it is the beginning of something wonderful that God has planned for the world.

This December, the C.S. Lewis classic, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" has taken center stage. The movie that has just been released is a marvelous and accurate re-telling of the story in the book.

When little Lucy first discovers the kingdom of Narnia, she runs into a faun named Mr. Tumnus. Lucy and Mr. Tumnus have a long visit as they walk through the forest in Narnia, and later over tea in Mr. Tumnus’ home. Somewhere in their conversation, they begin to talk about the White Witch, and the spell that she has cast over the land. Mr. Tumnus remarks, "Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!"

Later on in the story, the children notice a change beginning to take place in the landscape. The frozen-over rivers and streams begin to flow once again. The ice begins to drip from the trees, and flowers and leaves begin to bud. They are the first signs of spring, and they are the announcement that Aslan is returning to Narnia. The thaw has begun; the advent of Aslan means the beginning of something new and wonderful.

My friends, the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas is the joyful reminder of the beginning. The birth is not the end; it’s the beginning of the most wonderful story of God’s love and grace. It’s the reminder that God has entered this world of ours, and his coming has forever changed the spiritual landscape. The announcement of the birth of Christ is the announcement that the human race is no longer hopelessly and forever frozen in the wintry cold of sin and evil, that there is Someone greater. The announcement of the birth of Christ is the announcement that God has entered this world to redeem this world and to free us from the grips of sin and death and to offer us eternal life. Spring has come upon the land that was once always winter and never Christmas.

Christmas is about the birth, about the beginning of a new life ushered in by God.

The third thing that I want to lift out from the words of the angel is that Christmas is about the birth of the One who would become the Savior of the world. And that means that while Christmas is a time of great joy for all the people, it’s also the reminder that Christmas is serious business. The birth is but the beginning of the story; it’s not good news until salvation has been fulfilled.

Some people might think that it’s a little odd that we celebrate communion on the very night when we remember the birth of the Christ child. Some people might think that it’s incongruous that on the night when we announce the birth of Christ, we also remember his death. Some people might think that the somber remembrance of the Lord’s Supper will put a damper on the joy of the celebration of the Lord’s birth.

It might seem odd, it might seem incongruent, but the truth is the birth of Christ is meaningless without his death and resurrection. As the angel declares that the birth being celebrated is the birth of the Savior, the angel is pointing ahead to the death and resurrection of Jesus. When the communion table serves as a backdrop to the image of the manger, it is a stark reminder that Christmas is indeed serious business, that the Son of God born on Christmas day had to die in order to become the Savior of the world.

The angel said, "Do not be afraid." And thus we are reminded that God’s purpose is for blessing, not for curse; for life, and not for death. The angel tells us that on this day there is a birth, the birth of our Savior, and thus we are reminded that God has come into this world and has begun a new and wonderful thing.

It is good news of great joy. Quite an impressive announcement, indeed!

Glory to God in the highest! Amen.