Holding On: To the Good News
Holding On: To The Good News
When we watch the news, it’s usually about people driven by a story. Unfortunately, if they’re making headlines, they are typically driven by a warped story about what hope looks like and who or what will save us.
When a story is taken up by a person and then collectively, for better or worse, that story changes the world.
During the Christmas season, we are particularly surrounded by stories. We embrace secular stories, children’s stories, and stories about what we need. Stories move us. If you are a Christian, you are blessed to know the story. God gave us the story of a new day, a story of transformation, a story of redemption, a story of hope in a baby boy – good news of great joy.
And if we choose to believe (even when we doubt), we make a choice to believe in this story of hope.
Jesus can change us, and with his power through us, change the world.
Luke 2
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The story of the shepherds is another one of those pieces of the Christmas story that we have just gotten used to, but it is bizarre. We’ve romanticized the shepherds of the Christmas story. In that time period, they were sketchy, dirty, disreputable, and unreliable. They weren’t credible witnesses in a court of law. And yet, God entrusts them with the greatest news of all.
God trusted them, knowing how they were viewed, and still believed they could carry that news. The shepherds knew how they were viewed and thought no one would listen to them, but they went anyway.
When it comes to hearing the good news, the angel reminds them not to be afraid because it is good news for everyone. However, as humans, we think it’s only for some people (the right people, the good people, the worthy people), not all people. And taking that one step further, sometimes, there’s a part of us that secretly wants Jesus not to be good news for someone or some group of people.
If the Gospel is not good news for everyone, it’s not good news.
We need to be clear that the good news is Jesus – the one who has come to save. They (and we) want someone who will come and set everything right. But how that happens is where it gets complicated.
Look at verses 11 and 12.
Luke 2
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
So not only are the carriers of the story questionable, but how the saving is going to happen is equally questionable. A baby? So, some shepherds are carrying a Messiah story about a baby.
Carrying this good news story requires incredible faith in the story itself and in the people carrying it. This kind of faith is what begins to change us. We share the things that have changed our lives, whether it’s a restaurant we like, a shortcut we’ve learned, or a health or fitness tip we heard about, we share them.
And as we carry the good news, there are 2 pieces of good news for us.
So, our call is to rediscover that simple but audacious faith in the good news.
When a story is taken up by a person and then taken up collectively, for better or worse, that story changes the world.
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Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
When we watch the news, it’s usually about people driven by a story. Unfortunately, if they’re making headlines, they are typically driven by a warped story about what hope looks like and who or what will save us.
When a story is taken up by a person and then collectively, for better or worse, that story changes the world.
During the Christmas season, we are particularly surrounded by stories. We embrace secular stories, children’s stories, and stories about what we need. Stories move us. If you are a Christian, you are blessed to know the story. God gave us the story of a new day, a story of transformation, a story of redemption, a story of hope in a baby boy – good news of great joy.
And if we choose to believe (even when we doubt), we make a choice to believe in this story of hope.
Jesus can change us, and with his power through us, change the world.
Luke 2
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The story of the shepherds is another one of those pieces of the Christmas story that we have just gotten used to, but it is bizarre. We’ve romanticized the shepherds of the Christmas story. In that time period, they were sketchy, dirty, disreputable, and unreliable. They weren’t credible witnesses in a court of law. And yet, God entrusts them with the greatest news of all.
God trusted them, knowing how they were viewed, and still believed they could carry that news. The shepherds knew how they were viewed and thought no one would listen to them, but they went anyway.
When it comes to hearing the good news, the angel reminds them not to be afraid because it is good news for everyone. However, as humans, we think it’s only for some people (the right people, the good people, the worthy people), not all people. And taking that one step further, sometimes, there’s a part of us that secretly wants Jesus not to be good news for someone or some group of people.
If the Gospel is not good news for everyone, it’s not good news.
We need to be clear that the good news is Jesus – the one who has come to save. They (and we) want someone who will come and set everything right. But how that happens is where it gets complicated.
Look at verses 11 and 12.
Luke 2
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
So not only are the carriers of the story questionable, but how the saving is going to happen is equally questionable. A baby? So, some shepherds are carrying a Messiah story about a baby.
Carrying this good news story requires incredible faith in the story itself and in the people carrying it. This kind of faith is what begins to change us. We share the things that have changed our lives, whether it’s a restaurant we like, a shortcut we’ve learned, or a health or fitness tip we heard about, we share them.
And as we carry the good news, there are 2 pieces of good news for us.
- God has entrusted you – your life, voice, experience, story – with his life-changing message. The most powerful story of all time.
- God believes in you – even if you think you might not be worthy to carry the good news, He knows you and gave you the good news for a reason.
So, our call is to rediscover that simple but audacious faith in the good news.
When a story is taken up by a person and then taken up collectively, for better or worse, that story changes the world.
For more LHC content, subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on Instagram.
Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
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