s2s - Thought for the month - December
Have you heard the news?
Picture a scene - It’s an early evening in December, darkness has fallen and two strangers pause in the street to enjoy the sight of a row of houses, each decorated with bright coloured lights and a Christmas tree; one has a nativity scene outside the front door.
And what are those flashing lights over there? Ah, that’s only the Amazon delivery van - they get everywhere!!
One stranger breaks the silence, “The folks living here have made an effort this year, it’s great isn’t it?”
“It is; I think everyone wants a bit of cheer, it's been a miserable time - bad news everywhere; it’s all you hear.”
“It certainly has been a difficult time, very difficult for some, but you know even in the midst of it all there is good news.”
“Really?”, (scanning the front page of his newspaper), “I haven’t seen it.”
“Nor will you find it looking there. The good news is that of Jesus Christ, the very reason that we celebrate Christmas; the very reason that these good people have decorated their homes like this.”
“You mean that the good news is in the bible? I didn’t know that there’s good news in there”
“O yes, that’s where you’ll find THE good news; the best news you’ll ever read.”
“We’ve got a bible at home…..somewhere, I’ll look it out; I wanted something to read at Christmas; thanks.”
“My friend, I hope that you can find your bible and that you read the good news. One thing to remember, and you’ll see this for yourself, the good news of Jesus Christ is for life, not just for Christmas. God bless you.”
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“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns.” Isaiah 52: 7 NKJV
Like the strangers in the fictitious scene above, we all like good news; the Good News of our Lord and Saviour, that we read in God’s word. is the best news we will ever hear. I wonder, when Isaiah wrote those words, if he realised just how well known they would become.
I also wonder just what we make of those words:
Surely it wasn’t a reference to the beauty of the feet of the messenger; the one who brings the good news.
Is it that, not only is there beauty in the good news itself, but also in the very bringing of that news to us? The beauty of both the message and its delivery - the messenger.
But may I ask you to look again from a different angle;
Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Luke 4: 18,19 NKJV
Is Jesus Christ, in these verses, not both the messenger and the message (the good news)? He brings the message of just what He is come to do - but he was rejected by the people there,
“Is that not Joseph’s son?” v22
“Then He said, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.” v24, Nazareth being His own country.
One final thought on the beauty of the feet;
Maybe we can reflect for a moment on the beauty of His feet, and of His hands, which would be nailed to the cross at Calvary. The beauty of the body of Christ, laid down as the all sufficient sacrifice for each one of us who believe, “to set at liberty those who are oppressed”
The beautiful good news of The only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Amen.
May God bless us all.