Good tidings for a new year

Carl Lubin

The story of Jesus Christ is not fake news — it’s good news: The good news of God the Son coming to Earth to defeat evil and bring hope and deliverance to all. It is good news that Jesus entered our world as a genuine historical person who walked this earth like other men. It is the good news of the Christ (which simply means “Messiah”), the promised, anointed Savior of men. In a year like we’ve had in 2020, we can sure use some good news.

The world that Jesus was born into had been wrecked by poverty, war, and destruction. Today, our world is similarly filled with trouble. We have had a tumultuous election year, a global pandemic and social unrest. There is trouble on every side. However, you don’t have to be troubled, you can choose the joy that Jesus brings. That doesn’t mean the troubles around us disappear, but you can in your soul experience unspeakable joy. As the Christmas carol says, because of Christ’s birth, “The weary world rejoices!”

The Christmas narrative also teaches us to “fear not.” In the middle of so much uncertainty, we don’t have to be afraid. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. When you look at the events of the Christmas story you cannot miss the fact that God actively moved in human history to bring those events to pass. Whether it was predicting the very city he would be born, or even the miraculous manner of his birth, we learn that God is in control. May those thoughts comfort us during this chaotic season. Even when we can’t see it, there is Divine Purpose at work.

The best news of all is that Jesus came to be our Savior. Jesus came to seek and to save.  The reason for the season is the birth of Christ. The reason for His birth, and entrance into our world, is so that He could die on the cross of Calvary and atone for all our sins. He came to bring forgiveness and deliverance for all mankind; this is what Christmas is all about.

As of this writing, our nation is awaiting good tidings of the arrival of a Covid-19 vaccine that will hopefully bring healing and put this pandemic behind us. May we also remember the arrival of Jesus Christ to deal with the problem of evil. May God bring good tidings of great joy to you and your loved ones this Christmas.

Carl Lubin is the pastor of the Bible Baptist Church in Elmont