Good News of Great joy
Title: Good News of Great joy
Text: "The angel said to them, ’Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people" (Luke 2:10 RSV).
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-14
Offertory Prayer: Loving Father; we thank you for the rich fellowship we enjoy as a part of your family. We thank you for work to do in and through your church. Bless our efforts to the end that we might be your people in this community, and that we might be the means of bringing light to those who live in darkness. Accept our monetary gifts today that we might share in the work of the church and in the missionary enterprise to the ends of the earth. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Introduction
On this Lord’s Day morning immediately before Christmas, many of us are experiencing the joy, peace, and happiness that come during this festive season. On the other hand, many others are experiencing the agony of what is known as "the Christmas blues."
One psychiatrist has said, "While Christmas brings joy to many, it stirs feelings of sadness in others-especially single people living alone." A psychiatrist who served as the director of the psychiatric crisis clinic at Hartford’s St. Francis Hospital declared, "There is an increase in what we call neurotic depression as distinct from another kind of depression which is called psychotic depression. Neurotic depression, unlike the psychotic kind, tends to last a short time. Very often it will resolve shortly after the holiday season without any particular treatment."
Why is it that some people feel blue at Christmas? Why is it that during the week immediately following Christmas and the first week in the new year there are more admissions to psychiatric hospital wards than at any other two week period? Why is it that more attempts are made to commit suicide immediately following the Christmas season than at any other period of the year?
Christmas is a time of joy for some but a time of real depression for others. A number of factors contribute to this.
1. Some experience depression at Christmas time because they have
exaggerated expectations of themselves and others. They hope that
Christmas will solve their problems, and when it doesn’t, they go into
despondency.
2. Christmas brings out our need for dependence on others. At times they fail us, and this can be very depressing.
3. In the United States, Christmas is a family-oriented experience that often causes memories to come to the front. Some of these blight rather than bless, hurt rather than help.
It is highly possible that each of us will come into contact with someone during these next couple of weeks who is experiencing depression. Depression can be detected in one who experiences a serious loss of sleep or appetite. Only those who are alert will recognize this as depression.
It has been suggested that each of us can give psychological first-aid to depressed people if we can engage them in meaningful activity, such as volunteering to help someone else. In some instances we will need to help them
alter their goals and their expectations for life. They may need to cut their tasks down into little pieces so that they can get a firm grip on them. We can help them to feel more hopeful and optimistic.
The Christmas season is the time when more alcohol is purchased and consumed than in any other period of the year. People use alcohol as a method of coping with stress and depression. The use of alcohol as a beverage does relieve tension temporarily, but it brings on a depression that is even worse.
Does the message of Christmas, which is supposed to produce great joy, have anything relevant to say to people who are depressed? Christianity, which begins with the promise of good news that will bring great joy, should be more than just a strategy that enables us to cope with the pressures of life. Through the Christ who came at the first Christmas, God provides us with the ability to cope with life in a manner that will bring joy to us and will reflect his glory. The gospel, which is not good advice but good news, can produce great joy in living every day.
The angels who announced the birth of the Christ to the shepherds were bringing good news that continues to be good news for all who will listen and respond.
l. There is good news about God in the gospel.
A. The message of Christmas is that the God behind and above it all is a living God. The Bible does not seek to tell us when and how our universe came into being. Its major concern is with the who and the why. The writer of the book of Hebrews declares, "By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God" (Heb. 11:3 RSV). The message of Christmas speaks to us of a living God who is above and behind the world. He is the God who comes into this world. He wants to dissipate our fears and encourage us to live a life of faith.
B. The message of Christmas proclaims the good news about the living God who loves. In Jesus Christ the living God declares to us that he cares and that he wants to help us. In Jesus Christ, God came into this world bringing great and precious gifts to humankind.
II. The good news of Christmas is for all people.
The good news of Christmas is universal in its application, for it meets the deepest needs of people of all colors, cultures, and countries.
A. God in Jesus Christ comes with good news regarding the forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness does not appear in the glossary of a psychiatric dictionary. The psychiatrist does not have a basis for offering the gift of forgiveness to those who are experiencing depression because they have broken God’s law or violated their own conscience. Jesus Christ came that he might bear the penalty of our sin and offer to us the priceless gift of forgiveness.
B. Jesus Christ brings good news regarding life. Around the world in every age people have stood in terror before the grim specter of death. Christ came to bring life to those who were in spiritual death because of sin (cf. John 1:4; 10:10; Rom. 6:23). The assurance of a life that endures beyond the curtain that people call death can do much to dispel the gloom that threatens the souls of humans.
C. Jesus Christ brings good news about belonging to God and to the family of God. The church is spoken of as the family of God and the household of faith. A warm, wonderful Sunday school class can provide tremendous support for one who is experiencing stress. A genuine Christian friend can be of tremendous value in a time of crisis. In this Christmas season let us extend hands of Christian love and fellowship to those who are experiencing loneliness and discouragement.
D. Jesus Christ brings good news regarding help. Every one of us will stand in need of the help of God and others as time goes by. Paul bears testimony, saying, "I can do all things in him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13 RSV). The psalmist bears testimony, saying, "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Ps. 121:2 RSV), and "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1 RSV).
E. The Christ brings to us the good news concerning a precious home at the end of the road (John 14:1-3). Many homeowners consider their home to be their best investment. But there are others who never have the joy of owning a house they can call their own. Through the grace of God and the provisions of his Son, Jesus Christ, all believers can look forward to having a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, when this life is over.
Conclusion
In a world in which there is much bad news brought to us each day by newspapers, radio, and television, let us listen to the good news that comes from God in and through Jesus Christ. Let us individually respond to the full implications of the good news the angels sang about on that first Christmas. Let us accept Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah who came to meet the deepest needs of our lives. Let us trust in his death for the forgiveness of our sin and in his resurrected and living presence for the gift of eternal life. Let us face life with the resources he promises.
