Good news

There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night out in the open, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Saviour was born – Christ the Lord!’ (verses 8-11)

Read Luke 2:1-20

Hans Lilje was a pastor in Germany who was imprisoned by the Gestapo during World War II. Early in 1945, with the Allies advancing into Germany, the prisoners wondered if they would be shot by their guards. Then, one morning, the door of Lilje’s cell was thrown open and one of his fellow prisoners rushed in with tears of joy running down his face, crying out, ‘The Americans have come!’ They weren’t going to die after all. They had been rescued. They were free.

Today we hear some electrifying news too: ‘Your Saviour has come!’ For you too this news means that you are not going to die after all, that you have been rescued, that you are free. Your liberator doesn’t come as a soldier with a gun but as a baby born in a stable. His only weapon is his great love for you, but with this weapon, on the cross, he defeated all your enemies.

Listen to the good news that comes to you today, and welcome your liberator.

Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to be my liberator. Help me to welcome him with joy and gratitude. Amen.

By John Pfitzner, in “God’s Assurances for each day” (LCA, Openbook Publishers (2004)

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