Good News!

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

B Advent 2 – 10 December 2017

Texts: Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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Think for a moment about a time when you got some good news…

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Well, just like we get good news in our own lives, we also get good news from Scripture, and we have good news in our lesson from Isaiah 40 today. This part of Isaiah was written for people who were living in exile after being forcibly removed from their homeland. That’s a pretty difficult circumstance. And what does this prophet offer to them but these words of hope: “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

To those who are living in exile, the prophet says that while they are in need of comfort, God is aware of their need, and that comfort from God is on the way. God will lift up the low places and lower the high places, God will smooth the rough roadways, and we will see the glory of the LORD. These are the promises of God.

Our lesson from the gospel of Mark gives us good news, too – and it tells us, plainly, that this is “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” and that’s how Mark starts off his gospel. In Mark, there is no Christmas story – there are no angels singing in the hills or shepherds coming to worship a newborn king. Mark’s entry point into the good news of Jesus Christ is with John the Baptist – the one who is to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus.

The good news of John’s message is that God is dwelling with us in an astonishing way – in the person of Jesus, but also with the gift of the Holy Spirit. “I have baptized you with water,” says John, “but [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” The good news of Jesus Christ isn’t only contained to the stories of Scripture – it’s good news for us now, through the work of the Holy Spirit in and among us. So it is that the presence of God continues with us to this day, giving us strength, giving us faith, and giving us hope.

Someone we hear a lot about at this time of year is St. Nicholas. The historical person named St. Nicholas lived in the Third and Fourth Centuries after Christ. He was a bishop from Asia Minor – in modern day Turkey. Nicholas was one of the bishops who was present at the First Council of Nicaea and he signed off on the Nicene Creed (the same creed we use from time to time in our worship).

Like many of the ancient saints, there are many stories and traditions that have developed about St. Nicholas over the centuries. One version of one the most famous of these stories is a story of good news:

There was a poor man who had three daughters. Being poor, the father couldn’t afford proper dowries for his daughters, so they would likely remain unmarried. As young, poor, unmarried women, they would most likely become prostitutes, for lack of other employment.

St. Nicholas heard about this family and decided to help them, but didn’t want them to feel shame publicly by taking his charity. One night, he went to their house and threw three bags of gold coins down the chimney. One of the daughters had hung her stockings up by the chimney to dry, and the bag of coins fell into her stocking.

The good news for this family was, of course, that the man finally had dowries for his daughters, and so the family was saved from a life of poverty, and the girls were saved from a life of prostitution.

During Advent, the good news of God’s love for us is shown to us, slowly, again and again. This week, we hear in Isaiah that our hope is placed in a God who promises to care for us as a shepherd cares for his flock: feeding us, gathering us, carrying us, leading us. Each week of Advent, we hear more and more of this good news until, finally, on Christmas Eve, we fully hear and celebrate that Jesus Christ has come to us as God’s love, in the flesh.

There is plenty of bad news in the world, and there always has been. But the good news of God’s love remains with us, always, and in this love is our hope. And we are not called simply to sit back in our faith and put our feet up. We are called to proclaim like a herald the good news of God’s love for all.

Who in your life could use some good news? Maybe you can’t dump gold coins down their chimney – but consider instead offering them the good news of God’s love for them. Consider inviting them to worship with us here on Christmas Eve, or another time when you will be here.

Lift up your voice with strength, and herald the good tidings: God is with us today, and always.

Amen.

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