In the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke, the angel says to the shepherds, "I am bringing you good news of a great joy that is for all the people: for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord."
The angel came to the shepherds to bring them good news. Yet we live in a world where so often we seem to be bombarded with bad news. The paper each day tells about fires, robberies, and corruption. The TV broadcasts tell about wars, murders, and floods. And even in our conversations with other people, so often we hear negative comments and criticisms.
But in the midst of all that bad news, as Christians we are called to hear and proclaim the good news of what God is doing in our world. As I look back over just the past month or so here in our church, these are just a few examples of the good news that I have witnessed:
1. Incredibly generous donations have been pouring in to the food pantry. As people in the community have become more aware of the increasing needs in our area, many families, businesses, and groups have been stepping forward with generous donations of money and food.
2. We have been seeing a steady increase in our worship attendance. Every week people are visiting with us in worship, and in many cases they are returning week after week. Quite a few recent visitors have commented how they feel God's presence alive in our congregation.
3. The Adventure Group (our young people in grades 4-6) put on a nice Christmas play, and the subsequent dinner and party was a great gathering of all different ages. About 20 young people and adults even braved the extremely cold weather that night to carol around the neighborhood.
4. Our tutoring program for students in grades 7-8 is growing in numbers. But it is also growing in another important way - many of the students are developing relationships with the adult mentors, who are providing listening ears and caring concern.
5. Our deacons organized a drive to collect toys for children in the area whose families were not able to buy presents this year. The response to the deacons' project was overwhelming.
There is a lot of bad news in the world. But there is also a lot of good news that often gets overlooked. As we look forward to the new year, take time to consider the good news that is there in our church and in your life.
Ed Bowen
