Isaiah 52:7-10.                   Christmas joy???                                                                              25/12/17

⁷How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,  “Your God reigns!”
⁸ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹ Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰ The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

What a beautiful and glorious day we have here today. This is truly a day of immense happiness and joy. Christmas is a very special time for us, and a time that is meant to lift our spirits and give us peace and good will; joy and hope. This day lifts us beyond the mundane existence of our everyday world, and focusses us on far more important things in life.

It not just because the sun is shining and the birds are singing. In not because of the gifts that we received from ‘under the tree,’ and the prospects of a lovely Christmas lunch and a family get together.  These things that our world around us see as essential to Christmas, are mere side-shows and distractions.

Here today we are reminded that the real message is so much greater than these things. As good and valuable as these things are, they are nothing by comparison to what Christmas really is all about. We have that which is truly worth celebrating and sharing with the world around us. In fact, it is a message that the world needs to hear. It is good news: real, good news!

In the face of a world that is desperately trying to down-play the significance of the real message of Christmas, we have here that which truly is able to lift our spirits. Christmas is really about the birth of Jesus all those years ago in Israel. But is that really such a big deal? What has that got to do with life today, in the midst of all our other pressures of life? How do we know that it is not just a made up or twisted message? Even if it is true, what difference does it really make to our life today? After all, life is all about how we are to live our life here day in day out? All these questions and many others like it, throw all kinds of doubts as to whether this is really all that an important event. On top of that we have got too much else to think about.

Yet, it really is all that it is cracked up to be and far more. In this reading we have hints of the greatness of it all. This reading began with these words: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

What a beautiful picture we have here of messengers coming down out of the hill to bring news to a people that are in dire circumstances. They bring news of a rescue that is about to take place and to then establish them again as a people and a nation. The Good news that is given and is, that is received as such, is of peace, good tiding, salvation and God’s reign over them once more.

This is the best thing that could ever have happened to them. So, they themselves are over joyed by it all. They are jumping up and down; and the relief and joy on their faces was something to see. They knew have great this news was; so, they ran off and told others, who told others, who all celebrated with an intense relief and joy. This was life changing, even though it was yet to happen. But it was about to, and it did happen. This was huge!

Now for us here this Christmas this is even bigger and better still. Here in the birth of Jesus we have God coming to reign in this troubled, dying world of ours. We have God come to turn life upside down for us and to give us the very best of everything. To rescue us from Hell. In fact, to give us perfection and heaven that will go on and on forever.

This is absolutely, remarkable when we consider the situation that we as humans are in. Because we have, and all too often still do, refuse to listen to and take seriously God’s commands that he has given to, we have not only brought untold troubles, hardship and death on ourselves and one another. But we have also destroyed our relationship with God and deserve to be sent eternally to hell. This is how dire our situation really is, even if we prefer not to think about. Left to ourselves we are in big trouble, with no way out.

Except for the fact that Jesus did come all those Christmas’ ago. He came to take that curse away from us. He came to die in our place; taking the punishment that we deserve on himself. All so that we might be restored back into that original relationship with God and the perfection that we need; and for that to go on for all eternity.

Now if that is not the most needed and magnificent thing that could ever happen to us, then I don’t know what. We are loved by God: we are forgiven; we are assured of eternal life in heaven. This news surely overshadows all that is going on in this everyday life of ours today. This gives us a joy that super-cedes anything else that this Christmas presents.

With this Good News it changes our attitudes and lives here and now. Even though we cannot see the fruits of this salvation and hope, we know it is there for us, and so our life changes. There is meaning and purpose; there is a good reason to get on with life and do the very best we can at everything that we do. We do have a sure hope that in the end everything will work out for good. Eternity in heaven will far outweigh our short time of troubles here in this world.

Here remember again that this message is true and can be relied on. There is ample historical, and not just biblical, proof that this is all for real. Jesus lived at a particular point in history, that is a fact; he did die on the cross, and he did rise from the dead. Of these things we can be absolutely sure. All those Old Testament prophecies that were made hundreds and thousand of years before, all find their fulfilment in Jesus and his death and resurrection. Recent archaeological evidence all points to the fact that the bible is not some fanciful made up story. All this and more points to the fact that we can rely on this Good News being true and reliable.

So, Christmas does make all the difference in the world to our life here and now. No wonder it has been celebrated for all these years since his birth over two thousand years ago. The words of this reading have been evidenced through all that time.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,  “Your God reigns!”
⁸ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹ Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰ The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

As a result of this continued recognition of the great and joyous occasion, surely, we too are moved to once again take to heart the real meaning of Christmas and be overjoyed by it all. Here today we too have been focussed on that message which is truly Good News for us and for our world today. Surely, we too will be so overwhelmed by this news that we too will want to share with others this news that turns our world upside down. We too have heard the proclamation of peace and so be motivated to share that peace with others that we come into contact with.

We have been brought good tidings and the proclamation of salvation, so the depth and greatness of this will be evidenced to those around us. This all being true we now again know that God reigns here and now, in the midst of our sinful, broken world. This has to be the message that truly transcends everything else this Christmas; and that once gives us peace, hope and joy in the midst of our everyday life. This peace, hope and joy will overflow into our days, weeks, and years ahead.

Now once again we are reassured that we will see and be able to be a part of this great and joyous kingdom that Jesus Christ came to make possible all those years ago. So, we too can: Burst into songs of joy together, even though we are in the broken ruins of a society that has lost its way and facing difficult days ahead.

This Christmas we have heard again that: the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed us.  The Lord has laid bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

So, this Christmas has again become truly Christmas for us here. Yes, much of our world around us has lost this true focus and is grasping for some sort of meaning in these other secondary aspects of Christmas. But we now in our own way can be God’s messengers bringing this Good news to our world. May our feet be those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to our community, “Your God reigns!”

May the joy of Jesus Christ be with you, and go with you, as you go forward as his people in the days and years ahead. To him be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish