Good News of Great Joy

Introduction

Every year in my house, on the Friday following Thanksgiving, the soundtrack of my home changes. It’s my rule. If I didn’t have it, the melodies would be ringing out in the dead heat of summer. The playlist usually begins with the Vince Guaraldi Trio, and gives way to the Chipmunks, and finally, to the classics of Bing Crosby, Paul McCartney, The Trans Siberian Orchestra, and yes, Ms. Christmas herself, Mariah Carey.

Yes, the stores are filled with Christmas decor and lawn ornaments since October, but everyone knows the season does not start until the stereos sync up with holiday cheer. Christmas music has a way of pulling our emotional heartstrings. There is a deep connection between the songs we sing and the most nostalgic moments of our lives. And I find it fascinating that, between the Santa Claus is Coming to Towns and the Feliz Navidads, the Santa Babies and the Frosty Snowmen, people everywhere sing culturally strange tunes like What Child is This? and Silent Night and Joy to the World. The songs of the church, carols that tell the story of a miraculous, mysterious, world-changing birth, of God taking on flesh and joining humanity through the most humble of circumstances, these are native, familiar songs that those who know nothing of Jesus will instantly sing.

So rather than quietly hum along with sheer sentimentality, here at Creekside, we are going deep. We are slowing down and taking a few well worn carols and giving them back their power. They are much more than feel good tunes. They are Echoes of Emmanuel, God with Us.

History of the Song

The hymn, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, is one of the oldest carols we have. It was written over 500 years ago, author unknown. Legend says it was sung by night watchmen as a reminder to stay vigilant.

This is the only song mentioned in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Because of its singularity, it is -- for all intents and purposes -- the Christmas carol of the title.

Rest may have meant "to keep" and merry meant "strong" or "mighty" (such as in Robin Hood's "merry" men). Keeping that in mind, the title is not about happy fellows being urged to rest, which is what we might think today. The title may, in fact, be seen as a reassurance that God will keep these men safe and strong through Christ because Christ has been born on Christmas Day.

The hymn God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen invites us to find comfort and joy in the birth of Christ, reminding us of God’s work to save and redeem. And like many of our well-worn carols, it starts with a story.

PRAY

God Rest Ye (vs. 2:8-9)

The Fear of the Marginalized

Luke 2:8–9 CSB

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

Our story begins on an ordinary night out in the herding fields of of a small town about 6 miles south of the big city of Jerusalem. The town is somewhat famous for being the burial site of the matriarch Rachel and for being the being the birthplace of David, easily the most important king Israel ever had. But that was a long time ago. It’s an otherwise unimportant place, and an insignificant night, at least to the hired hands tending the sheep. They are an ordinary bunch, a people of low education, low value, low regard. If you were a shepherd, most put you at the same level as the common thief.

Suddenly a light dawns around them. A messenger of YHWH stands before them.

If you were an ordinary shepherd on an ordinary night in an ordinary town, what would you do? Would you have any reason to believe that the appearance of an otherworldly being would not lead to your doom? Terror is the appropriate response here.

I was speaking to a friend of mine this week about the influx of easy Christianity in churches and society today. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it “cheap grace.” He once wrote that

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

In thinking about this, as more and more people take up the name of Christ without counting the cost of Christ, as more and more people use Jesus as a talisman, as a figurehead for their armada, a banner for their personal conquests, I wonder if we have lost a healthy dose of fear. See, anytime the glory of the Lord shines around someone in the Bible, they fall down as if dead. And that is not because this God is so scary, not because he is so mean or hurtful, but because he is so good, so gracious, so compassionate, so just.

And us humans, well, we’re not. To come face to face with God, and everything that he is, is to be confronted with the nature of our sin, of our selfish desires, of our failures and regrets, and know that we simply do not belong in his presence, at least not proudly, at least not standing upright. Fear, of not measuring up, of falling short of his glorious goodness, should be unsettling.

Have you ever felt this? Do you ever fear that you are not measuring up? Do you fear that you are not enough? That you are not worthy, not lovable, not welcomed? I get that most of us struggle with these thoughts on a daily basis. Then, to even suggest the greatness of the creator God standing before you, how much do we, like the lowly marginalized shepherds in that field, feel terror and even dismay at the thought that we are not anything like God, and we have no right to be in his presence. But the story does not end with these hired help obliterated from existence. Instead, strangely, the angel of YHWH has a different message.

Tidings of Comfort andJoy (v. 13-14)

Luke 2:10–14 CSB

But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!

Do not be afraid. I proclaim to you good news (euangelizo) of great joy that will be for all people…

Tidings: the gospel message is the cornerstone of our belief, the driving force behind everything we do. We are not called to fulfill the gospel, to measure up to it, to reach an ideal or fulfill a moral obligation in order to make our message good. The message of God does not require your work to be good. Instead, it is this message that penetrates your life and turns it radically upside down.

This message is comfort and joy. It calms the terrified heart. Here it is. There is one who has come to deliver you from the endless cycle of your frustration and hurt. He has come to set you free from pain and abuse and misuse. He has come to give you rest from your perpetual striving and toiling. He has come to restore right order and justice, to rule over every square inch of this earth with wisdom, with compassion, with unyielding goodness, faithfulness, and lovingkindness.

And just as this message has come first to the marginalized shepherds, unknown, unrecognized hired hands, so he also brings this message straight to you. No, you are not a king or president or leader. You are not a celebrity, you are not a mega church pastor, you are not famous. You are not the most educated, the most physically gifted, the most important. In the grand scope of human history, your life will likely pass by with little more than a blip, a footnote. And yet the angels shine on you. God’s glory is for you to behold. His angelic army choir stands before you with the same message, the same unending refrain, because God’s mission is the same today as it was 2000 years ago. Glory to God in the highest heaven. And on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests.

Christ’s coming speaks directly into our fears. His arrival is not terrifying, but assuring.

The more you read the Bible, the more you begin to realize that, as a whole, we humans are generally an unfaithful bunch. Quick to make promises, just as quick to break them.

And yet, God never once goes back on his promises. What he says he will do, he will do. When he promises peace, he will bring peace. When he promises joy, he will bring joy.

Micah 5:2–5 (CSB)

Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel. He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. He will be their peace.

Comfort comes not from our circumstances but from the certainty of God’s presence and promises.

A multitude of angels celebrates the arrival of peace on earth through Christ. This joy is not based on fleeting happiness but on the eternal reality of God’s favor toward humanity.

This joy is “for all people,” breaking barriers of class, culture, and nation. It’s a joy rooted in reconciliation with God, available to all.

Q: How does this joy shape how you see yourself, others, and the world? Do you reflect this joy in our lives?

Our Response (v. 15-20)

The Shepherds Go and see

Luke 2:15–16 CSB

When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.

The angels proclaim a message of good news. They share the gospel. And feelings of terror and shame now turn into a bold curiosity.

Let’s go straight into to town and see what has happened, which YHWH showed us.

The gospel of Jesus is not some sad tale that invites shame and guilt. It is also not a formula to promote self-righteousness pride and personal vendettas. I wish this were not true, but given how often is becomes the perception of the church, it is too commonly the message we preach through our words and our works. This clearly is not the same message.

The Gospel of Jesus is not “HOW DARE YOU!”. It is also not “Go Forth and Do things”. It is always “Come and See.” It is an invitation of grace. It is a welcome to the sinner, the poor, the lowly, the degenerate, the unforgivable, the outcast. Come and see what I am doing, God says. Come and experience the fullness of my hesed, my faithful love.

The shepherds immediately go to Bethlehem to see the Savior. The Christ-King, the deliverer from their woes and worries. They do not see a palace, where they would be immediately cast out or barred from entry. They do not find a caravan of pharisees, scribes, and spiritual leaders blocking their view. They find a young couple, a virgin woman, a newborn baby lying in an animal trough. They find the God-Man-King in the one place they could. They see first hand the goodness of God, reaching into their very circumstances to dwell with them and be with them where they are.

The great scandal of the gospel is that when God bids you to come to his throne room and taste of his goodness, he does not care what you look like, who you know, what your family status is, where you’ve come from. He actually brings his throne room to you. Right to the doorstep of your heart. To come and see this Savior does not require you to go very far. He stands at your door, even now, and knocks.

Their Lives are Changed

Luke 2:17–20 CSB

After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

From paralyzing fear, and bold curiosity, to joyous, uncontainable amazement. After seeing the child, the shepherds share the news with others. The shepherds become the first evangelists, spreading the joy they’ve received.

Come and see. Come and see what God has done. What did the shepherds see that was so amazing? It’s not that Jesus was that awe inspiring. There’s no mention of a glorious halo surrounding the child. His glory was not some supernatural aura. It was the faithfulness of God’s good news. A savior has been born, one who will deliver you from sin and death. This is the sign of God’s faithful promise. You will find a newborn baby in a barn, lying in a feeding trough. They go and they find exactly what was promised. A child born into the most humble circumstances. The faithful love of God toward the lowest of humankind—that is the sign. It absolutely changes their lives.

Mary treasures (protects, defends) these moments in her heart, and the shepherds return to their fields glorifying and praising God.

The arrival of Jesus brings comfort, assurance, hope. The angels declare that as the kingdom of Jesus expands, peace will reign in the hearts of those who follow him. But joy—oh a real contentment, a true satisfaction, a happiness that sits deep in the hearts of those who have it. That is a rare thing indeed.

Look at where the shepherds go: back to the fields. Back to obscurity. You don’t see them again. They return to the margins, outcasts in their society, derided and disdained for their status and profession. Their circumstances do not suggest a joyous life. But they have seen with their eyes the Christ Child, and he is for them. He is one of them. He cares for them. Nothing can take that away. Their joy is complete. It is overflowing. It has to be shared.

Q: How does good news the birth of Christ shape your worship and perspective in daily life?

Conclusion

The message of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and the story of the shepherds converge on the same truth: the birth of Christ brings comfort to the fearful, joy to the weary, and transformation to those who encounter Him.

The shepherds began their night in fear and obscurity, but by the end, they are filled with boldness and joy, glorifying and praising God. What changed? They came and saw. They saw the faithfulness of God—a Savior born not in grandeur but in humility, a King who meets us where we are.

This is the invitation for us today. Christ has come into the world to bring peace to the restless and hope to the hopeless. His coming is not just a historical event; it’s a present reality. The same God who broke through the darkness of that Bethlehem night still brings light to our lives.

So, where do we stand? Will we, like the shepherds, respond to the invitation to come and see? Will we let the comfort of Christ’s promises quiet our fears? Will we let the joy of His presence transform our lives, overflowing into worship and witness?

Let us not keep this good news to ourselves. Like the shepherds, let us go into the world with hearts full of wonder and mouths full of praise. Let us share the tidings of comfort and joy that Christ brings, knowing that His peace and His promises are for all people, even the most unlikely.

This Advent season, as the carols play and the lights shine, may we not merely hum along but truly treasure the truth they proclaim:

“O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.”

PRAY: Father, thank You for the good news of Christ’s birth. May His comfort calm our fears, His joy fill our hearts, and His light shine through us as we share this good news with the world. Amen.