Good News of Great Joy

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Luke 2:10

Some years back, after graduating from the University and completing the compulsory National Youth Service programme, I started looking for a job along with a few other friends. One day, one of my friends called, he just got a job with the nation’s biggest private television. It was quite good news. I was so happy for him, we went out to celebrate the win but when I got home that night, I was very sad and discouraged. I was happy for my friend but my sadness hinged on the question “Why not me?” Although this was good news, it wasn’t “for all men”.

The good news about my friend’s job is similar to every other good news that there is in the world, if the rain falls, it’s good news for the farmer trusting God for rain to get his crops multiplying but for the innocent widow whose cloth is in desperate need of the sun, every drop is a bad news. Remember when COVID-19 struck the world in 2020? It wasn’t altogether bad news for everyone, it was some people’s best year ever, business turnover tripled in some places but there were those whose experiences were exactly the opposite; some lost their jobs, and some businesses struggled to stay afloat. You see? Because we live in a fallen world, every good news is only good within a context, you only need to look deeper and you’ll be surprised at someone whose source of sorrow is the very thing that has brought joy to the next person. 

However, at Jesus’ birth, the angel described this arrival as ‘good news of great joy for all men’. That’s quite an audacious claim to make, don’t you think? That there is one good news without any side effects, it is good news for every man irrespective of their colour, gender or race. Why? Because the arrival of Jesus is indicative of the coming of God’s kingdom to man. Before the fall, when God looked at everything, he said ‘it was very good’, not good to one and bad to another, ‘it was very good’ And now, God is restoring us to that era through his son. No gift can be greater than the gift of Jesus, a gift that can never be taken away from you. 

Now that you are reminded of this, you would do well to comfort yourself in all things that you have received as an incorruptible gift, it can never spoil or decay and most importantly can never be taken away from you. If you let your joy rest on this great news you will never know any moment of sorrow or sadness because this joy is eternal. Rest in Christ alone.

PRAYER