tidings

Tidings of comfort and joy

The heavy winter days have descended and there is sickness, sorrow, pain, death. In contrast to the lights and the happiness that seem to be out around and everywhere during the holidays, grief is outlined all the more against the backdrop of joy.  It may be my own grief or it may be my neighbor's this time around, but the darkness of sin and its consequences stand darkly silhouetted. 

Remember those words the angel said: For behold. Behold. Stop and look. See here! he says. 

I bring you The Good News. 

I bring this Best news for all of you

yeah you

the one shivering in the cold with nowhere to go

the woman about to stick a needle in her vein in her vain search for comfort and joy

the tired mom who starts to suspect that she really never will be enough

the outlaw hiding from everyone he knows 

the child huddled under a blanket on the floor with his siblings

the ex-con who can't find work or purpose

the garbage collector

the prison guard

the Walmart bagger

the trucker on the lonely road, 

the executive trying to depend on himself alone, 

the soldier far from home in a lonely land 

you

All people. 

This is the only, {I'll say it again, THE ONLY} comfort and only joy we can find in the face of the great suffering included in human existence. "Look at this. The virgin will conceive and bear a son and they will call his name Immanuel which is 'God is with us.'" (Matthew 1:23)
God is with us.  Now bust open that sky with light and celebrate with love and hope and joy, not just last month around the tree but every day because every day brings the same good news that the angel brought when you have Jesus.