Sunday's Message - Another Christmas Greeting

Here's the message I offered during the celebration services in the Presbyterian Church of Hopedale, Ohio on Sunday, December 6, 2020.

Mark 1:1-8 [Contemporary English Version]

This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It began just as God had said in the book written by Isaiah the prophet,

“I am sending my messenger

to get the way ready for you.

In the desert

  someone is shouting,

‘Get the road ready for the Lord!

Make a straight path

for him.’”

So John the Baptist showed up in the desert and told everyone, “Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.”

From all Judea and Jerusalem crowds of people went to John. They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

John wore clothes made of camel’s hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.

John also told the people, “Someone more powerful is going to come. And I am not good enough even to stoop down and untie his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

Another Christmas Greeting

Well, we’re another week closer to the big day. And last Sunday, do you remember how I said that we’re still far enough away that we’re not feeling stress? Well, even though it isn’t about to cross the finish line, the holiday horse has certainly passed the first turn, and let’s get real, although it’s not boiling, right now, there’s a little bit of steam coming from the kettle. The times, they are a-changing.

And you know, as we get closer to the twenty-fifth, I think most folks will be more intentional in working a little wish into what they say when they greet people. And you know, it’s interesting most of these seasonal greetings involve two words. For example, if we were in Spain, we’d say Feliz Navidad, right? And if we were in France, it would be Joyeux Noël and in Germany, Frohe Weihnachten (not quite as warm and fuzzy as the Spanish and the French, but let’s face it, neither are the Germans.) And in the good old U.S. of A., it’s “Happy Holidays” if we’re PC, “Merry Christmas” if we’re not, and Mele Kalikimaka if we’re Hawaiian. But regardless of how we say it, it really means about the same thing: If I don’t get my dad’s present ordered in the next few days, he’ll never get it on time.

And even though I’m not sure we need any additions, this morning I’m going to offer two more words that can be used to describe the coming of Jesus. And they’re found in the first verse of the passage we just read from Mark: “This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” [Mark 1:1, CEV] And I’ll tell you, that’s really what Christmas is all about, the coming or the beginning of the good news. And that’s going to be our focus this morning. You see, for the next fifteen minutes or so, we’re going to talk about the Greek word, εὐαγγέλιον which is translated “gospel” or “good news.” And as we dig into what this idea is all about, we’re going to answer three questions: first, what is the good news; second, how is the good news associated with Jesus; and third, why is the good news important to us. Now that’s our game plan.

And I’ll tell you, it all starts with that first question: What is the good news? In other words, what does the word actually mean and what does it have to do with God? And you know, I think it’s really interesting, the word εὐαγγέλιον had a very specific meaning to the Greeks. You see, for them, it was a term that referred to what a person would say after a military victory had been won. For example, suppose you live in an ancient Greek city, and your army has gone out to fight the enemy. Now, if your side wins, someone would literally run from the battle field back to town and announce εὐαγγέλιον. In other words, he’d let everyone know that the victory had been won. And I’ll tell you, that was exactly what you wanted to hear, because not only were sieges really nasty in the ancient world, military defeat often involved death or, at best, slavery. But now you didn’t need to worry about that, because you had just heard εὐαγγέλιον, the gospel, the good news. And that’s the word Mark used.

But this idea of victory, man, it wasn’t something just the Greeks talked about. As a matter of fact, it was also part of the promises made by God. For example, while God’s people were struggling with being captives in a country far from home, the prophet Isaiah wrote this:

What a beautiful sight!

On the mountains a messenger announces to Jerusalem,

“Good news! You’re saved.

There will be peace.

Your God is now King.”

Everyone on guard duty,

sing and celebrate!

Look! You can see the Lord returning to Zion.

Jerusalem, rise from the ruins!

Join in the singing.

The Lord has given comfort to his people;

he comes to your rescue.

The Lord has shown all nations

his mighty strength;

now everyone will see

the saving power of our God. [Isaiah 52:7-10, CEV]

You see, according to Isaiah, the Lord hadn’t forgotten his people; salvation was on the way. 

And it was going to be announced by a messenger. In other words, this person was going to do what the runner did in ancient Greece; he was going to bring good news. And I think that’s what we see in the two quotes that Mark offered from the Old Testament: 

“I am sending my messenger

to get the way ready for you.

In the desert

someone is shouting,

‘Get the road ready for the Lord!

Make a straight path for him.’” [Mark 1:2b-3, CEV]

You see, that was what the good news was all about. It was the announcement that the victory had been won and that the people could look forward with hope. And that’s the answer to our first question: What is the good news? 

And the second one, how is this good news associated with Jesus, well, I think it’s grounded in both who he was and what he did and said. I mean, as he was writing his gospel, Mark was crystal clear about the focus of the good news. Remember, in the first verse, he wrote, “This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” [Mark 1:1, CEV] Now I think this is really important, because in that one sentence he identified Jesus with two titles: Christ and Son of God. And I’ll tell you, Mark used this identify to shape the rest of his gospel, you know, his presentation of the good news. You see, in the first half, I think Mark explained how Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. And in those eight chapters he wrote about authority and power, you know, how Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons, how he walked on water and miraculously fed the crowds. And in that way, Jesus, the Christ brought good news. But in the second half, Mark shifted to how Jesus was the Son of God, the other title offered in our passage. And what happened here was very different than what happened before, because instead of performing these great miracles, Jesus talked about betrayal and suffering and death. And I’ll tell you, it all culminated at the crucifixion. And to make sure we didn’t miss his point, this was what Mark wrote: “A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, ‘This man really was the Son of God!’” [Mark 15:39, CEV] You see, for Mark, Jesus demonstrated the good news not just by doing the spectacular, but also by dying on a cross. And that just makes sense, because not only did his death free us from our sin, without a wooden cross there’d be no empty tomb. And let’s get real, there was no victory as great as the resurrection. It was a victory over death itself. And so, in what he did, well, Jesus embodied the good news.

But I’ll tell you, that was also the case when you listen to what he said. As a matter of fact, this was how Mark described Jesus preaching for the first time: “After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and told the good news that comes from God. He said, ‘The time has come! God’s kingdom will soon be here. Turn back to God and believe the good news!’” [Mark 1:14-15, CEV] Now that was his message. And I’ll tell you, if you think about it, isn’t that exactly what we’d expect God’s messenger to say? And you know, after challenging the people to get themselves ready, that’s the one whom John the Baptist was talking about when he said, “Someone more powerful is going to come. And I am not good enough even to stoop down and untie his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” [Mark 1:7b-8, CEV] You see, as we look at Jesus, at who he was and what he did and said, he is the good news, because in him there’s victory. And I think that answers the second question: How is the good news associated with Jesus?

But I’ll tell you, by itself, all of this is just what I used to call “nice to know information” when I was teaching, you know, stuff that’s interesting but it won’t be on the test, and I’ll tell you why. When you get right down to it, the “what” and the “how” really aren’t a big deal until we can answer question number three: Why is the good news important to us? I mean, why should we care what εὐαγγέλιον actually means and why should it matter that it’s all tied up with the one who entered our time and space over two thousand years ago? Why is it important? And I’ve got to tell you, how we answer that question is really where the rubber hits the road.

And even though I’m sure different folks have come to different conclusions, well for me, my answer is two-fold. You see, on one hand, I believe the good news is important because it’s something we can claim, and I’m talking about claim right now. I’m telling you, when you consider what it means, man, it’s better than winning the lottery. My gosh, just think about what has happened. The game is now over, the enemy has now been defeated and the victory is now ours. And this we can see in Jesus Christ, in his life and in his death and in his resurrection. And because of that, well, just listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! [Romans 8:37-39, CEV]

You see, on one hand, when we claim the victory, when we claim the good news, we can feel all kinds of peace and hope.

But in my opinion, this is only half the story, because right along with claiming it, we can also proclaim it. And that’s what we have on the other hand. And this just makes sense. It’s like knowing the secret to clearer skin or maybe experiencing a stress-free Christmas; man, if we know about news that’s really good, why would we not want to share it? And although we can certainly share it through the words we use, we can also do it through the work we do and the attitudes we show, put another way, through the lives we live. In other words, we can let folks know and see what we believe, that in Jesus Christ, there is victory. And I’ll tell you, if we choose to do that, and I’m talking about sharing it with others, we’re actually participating in something Jesus said would happen. You see, a little later in his gospel, Mark will write this about a woman in Bethany who anointed his head and feet with perfume: 

But Jesus said:

Leave her alone! 

Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. You will always have the poor with you. And whenever you want to, you can give to them. But you won’t always have me here with you. She has done all she could by pouring perfume on my body to prepare it for burial. You may be sure that wherever the good news is told all over the world, people will remember what she has done. And they will tell others. [Mark 14:6-9, CEV]

And so, Why is the good news important to us? I think the answer is clear and simple; it offers us something to claim and to proclaim.

Now do y’all remember how I started this message by talking about different things people say when they want to offer an appropriate greeting for the season. Well personally, I think the “go to” phrase will always be “Merry Christmas,” at least it will be for most of us. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s very appropriate. I mean, Jesus really is the reason for the season. Still, given what it is, a sign of the victory that God has already won for us, and given how it relates to Jesus, a definition of who he is and what he did and said, and given why it’s important for us, a truth to claim and to proclaim, I think there’s another two-word greeting that may also be appropriate this time of year. And of course, I’m talking about “Good News.”