2022 Advent Devotional/Playlist

Day 20: Good News

The good news of Christmas has not truly hit home for us if we refuse to announce it. Jesus is a light in the darkness for us. He is God’s image revealed. He is the fullness of grace and truth. Yes, he was born a human man and walked among us. He performed the mundane human tasks – ate, slept, gave fishing advice. He felt the vulnerability of human emotions – we know he wept when he was sad. And yet he was also divine and sinless. He walked on water, and called people out of the grave. Just stop and really ponder each word of this statement: Christ was born. Emmanuel came down to us. And what did that accomplish? The great High Priest offered the perfect sacrifice of himself to purchase his people. Like a light, appearing in the darkest of nights, and growing and spreading into the dawn of bright day, the Lord has brought us redemption. All of our shame and guilt has been removed – “nailed to the cross” as Colossians says – and we have been reconciled to God through Christ’s own shed blood. Salvation has come, but we must not hoard this good news. We must publish His peace!

Scriptures to consider:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” The voice of your watchmen – they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has laid bare his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:7-10

And Jesus said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go Therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20

Hymn to enjoy:
While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens
there shone a holy light.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
when lo! above the earth
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed our Savior‘s birth. [Refrain]

Down in a lowly manger
the humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn. [Refrain]

African American spiritual (19th century), adapted by John Wesley Work Jr.

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