I Bring You Tidings of Great Joy
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people (Lk. 2:10 KJV)
The angelic announcement of the birth of Jesus to a group of Shepherds in the fields was filled with excitement, joy, and celebration. Angelic appearances always trigger fear in humans, and the angels began by cautioning the shepherds to “fear not” because joy, not fear, is the emotion that ties with the news they were about to announce.
The birth of Jesus is good news. It is the beginning of the good tidings of great joy for humanity. Please note that the joy was for “all people”. God had already declared the inclusion of the Gentiles from the very beginning. The joy was for the whole world. There is a reason why the Christmas season is the most joyous season of the year. It started from this angelic announcement on the first Christmas day.
Jesus’s birth is a witness of the faithfulness of the LORD to rescue humanity from the effects of the Fall. The promise of Gen. 3:15 was being fulfilled—“ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15 KJV).
The joy of Christmas is not natural. It is a supernatural phenomenon. It is humanity ’s response to the goodness of Almighty God in sending His Son. It is the joy of the Saviour. Our God is a God of celebration and loves to see His people celebrating in joy and gladness. Some people might have a twisted view of God as One who longs to see His people in anguish, suffering or difficulties always for “some mysterious purpose or to try to teach them some spiritual lesson.” If you want to see the Lord Himself filled with joy, have His children together in joy, praise, gladness, feasting, dancing, and singing! Do you want to give Him a gift on Christmas day? Then celebrate His birth with joy, and thanksgiving!
MEDITATE
Why is the Gospel good news? Why should the birth of Jesus make people happy?
APPLY THE WORD
Rejoice and be glad in this season. Look beyond the tasty meals of Christmas. Maybe you have a wonderful gift from a family member or friend, but the joy of Christmas goes beyond all of these. The angels did not ask the shepherds to rejoice because someone was going to give them a nice present. The joy is the joy of the birth of the Saviour, One that will redeem humanity from every form of bondage and bring us into the glory of God. Celebrate His birth with understanding!
PRAY
Thank the LORD for accepting to come to us as a Man so that we can be brought into the very glory of God.
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