"It will take a miraculous overhaul of the church to become once again the bearer of good news." - Vincent Harding
The dramatic announcement made to the shepherds is truly good news! Unfortunately, in much of her history, organized Christianity
has lived and framed the story of Jesus in such a way that it
doesn't end up being such good news. Let's listen once more to the
angelic announcement and ask ourselves what additives we have included in the gospel story that have turned it into not so great news after all.
Luke 2 - "And in the same area there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And then an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid. But the angel said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, and good will toward men.”
Notice the following good news in the highlighted phrases:
First, "Do not fear."
This suggests that God knows we are fearful people and wants us
to understand that, unlike the intimidating gods of the nations, He is
coming to us in a gentle loving way that dispels fear.
Second, "good news of great joy."
Our God is a joyful God with good news for us. This announcement isn't
that of a vengeful, vindictive God but One, who like loving parents, is
eager to surprise their children with gifts of pure love and affection.
Third, "to all people." This
God is not tribal. He isn't coming for only one particular group of
people but for all people, all nations. This is staggering news for
humans whose bent is toward thinking that God favors people like
ourselves over others.
Fourth, "the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." A human baby is the most vulnerable and helpless of all babies. God comes in the most vulnerable form possible and is born
into the poor of society, underscoring His desire to identify with the
lowest and the disenfranchised of society and to come in the most non-threatening way possible.
Fifth, "peace on earth."
This tells us that His nature is peace-loving and non-violent. He
comes, unlike all other gods and kings, with no rivalrous nor
competitive agenda, no need to prove Himself. The rule of His kingdom is
a rule of peace.
Sixth, "good will toward men."
This God comes with good intentions towards all people. All
other gods and rulers view people as a means to accomplish their agenda
and glory. Our God is about well-being for all in his creation.
This
is an astonishing announcement! Everything about it shouts that this
God has no animosity towards humanity but rather is in love with
humans and will do anything to come to our aid. Because he is how he is, he won't assert and force himself and his ways on anyone but quietly persists in untiring love to the point of letting us collapse under the weight of our religious enterprises that have insisted on systems and statements of faith that: fill people with fear for non-compliance, rob them of joy, exclude groups of people we deem 'sinners' or outsiders, threaten and intimidate people with our hierarchical systems, resort to violence in the form of coercion, and wish bad for those we consider undeserving.
...all the while justifying this with Bible verses. Maybe the good news in our time is that, just as God disrupted the systems and statements of faith of the first century religious and political worlds with the coming of a baby, so he is doing it again with the lifting up of the poor and rejected, overlooked and despised ones of society. The Spirit of God cares enough about the good news to disrupt the Christian industry with its unhealthy gospel additives so that the Story that remains will be truly good news for all people everywhere!
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