Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
Sunday Morning 12/7

      • Isaiah 11:6NIV2011

  • Good Morning. It is always good to be here and I am so glad that we can gather together this advent season.
    Now I know what that title says but before we can talk about the good news let address the opposite for a minute.
    In today’s world it feels like we can’t start our day without seeing or hearing about bad news.
    Turn on the news, get online, or just engage with the world for a few minutes and it feels like we are just bombarded with Bad news.
    For example. Here were some of the major news headlines when I was writing out this sermon.
    “Family Reveals shooter’s concerning final messages before deadly DC ambush”
    “A first look at November Hiring shows the private sector lost 32,000 Jobs”
    “Professor Steps in to defend Viral Christian Student graded 0 on Biblical Essay”
    “No compromise reached in Moscow on U.S. peace plan for Ukraine”
    I could keep going but I really don’t want to.
    Now some people would say. Just turn off the news and you won’t have bad news.
    Is that true though. Family getting sick. Friends going through divorce, cancer, or any other number of tragedies.
    The truth is that it is really easy to find bad news in our world today. It is easy to get absorbed into the negative because lets be honest in the world.
    Bad news sells.
    We for whatever reason gravitate toward bad news. We hold on to it.
    I could think of no better example then the Movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”

    It’s A Wonderful Life

    Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen this classic. I mean I encourage you to go watch it. It is a Christmas time favorite for many people. Yet, it does capture the heart of holding on to the bad in life.
    George Bailey can’t see the good things he has in his life and all the good he has done because the bad news, or at least the bad news he thinks he is receiving throughout his life. Everything doesn’t seem to go his way even though there are a lot of good things that happen in his life and that he is blinded to the good.
    Everything is bad nothing is good. Over and over. Despite all of the good he just couldn’t see the positives, a Healthy family, a town that cared about him, the positive impact he had on the world. So much yet completely missed.
    How many of us are that way? When the bad stuff starts coming we miss all the good that we have. When the good is happening we focus in on the bad.
    I hope that we don’t find ourselves just looking to the bad. The truth is that when it comes to the good news we have to remember that this time of year is all about the good news coming into the world. Let’s look at one of the moments together that the good news was shared with the world.
    Luke 2:8–12 NIV
    8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

    I Bring you Good News!

    Here is the thing about Good news. one of the first things that has to happen to being able to accept it is to receive it.
    I know that sounds kind of simple and not that complex but the truth is that a lot of times we can be like George Bailey from it’s a wonderful life and we refuse to receive the Good news that is being shared with us.
    Imagine for a moment the shepherds were out in the field and they decided that they didn’t want to hear the good news that the angels were sharing.
    “Oh, you are hear to tell us about something”. That is nice but I don’t think it sounds that great. Who wants to go see a baby. They cry they smell. I mean I know we smell like sheep but baby smell is something completely different.
    Or Maybe they thought. Yeah, right we have heard this before that there would be a Messiah. I mean I know you are an Angel and all but this sounds like your pulling our chain.
    I know, it would be a lot easier to receive this good news from an Angel. I mean they are an Angel after all. However, there are times that even we can see good things right in front of us and refuse to acknowledge them.
    That is why when it comes to Good news we first have to receive it. We have to be open to it. We have to accept it.
    We can’t receive the gift of salvation if we aren’t willing to accept it.
    I mean a gift can be given to us but if we aren’t willing to engage with the gift have we really received it.
    The gift of Jesus is exactly like that for us.
    God has given the gift of Jesus to us all. He is there waiting for us. He calling to us in his grace to help us see that we need him more and more. Yet, it requires us to step forward in our free will to choose him. It isn’t forced upon us it is given but until we receive it the gift isn’t fully realized.
    The gift has to be received.
    Like the Shepherds we have to be willing to hear the good news and respond.
    What though happens when we follow their example and we hear the good news and we respond. Now what is our next course?
    We can follow after the Shepherds example. On how they responded to the gift that they recieved that day.
    Luke 2:17 NIV
    17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

    Share the Good News

    The Shepherds knew that they had found something amazing. Not only because they had been told the good news by a host of Angels but because when they found the Baby there was no doubt what they were bearing witness to.
    That excitement, the joy, the overwhelming nature of what they had come and seen was so much that they couldn’t walk away without sharing it with everyone that they encountered.
    Let me ask you a Question.
    Is this how we feel when we find out the Good news of Jesus?
    Are we so excited that we can’t contain ourselves in what God has done for each of us?
    I know that is hard to think about sometimes. I mean why would we be excited for Jesus?
    I Mean do we really believe what we are taught or think about Jesus?
    I know its hard sometimes for us to capture that Joy. To see that we have receive the good news of Jesus and what he came to do for us but I hope that we aren’t going to wait for a George Bailey moment for us to not recognize how great it is that we have Him in our lives.
    Part of the wonder of this time of year is we can recapture that joy and wonder that is a part of receiving the gift of Jesus. We can be excited again for the heart of God and what he has for us.
    The Holidays are powerful that way because they remind us that we can share the good news of Jesus.
    Are you willing then to get excited to share the good news
    to invite someone to know Jesus.
    To spread a little joy and compassion in the world.
    to show people what it means to be a follower.
    Or are you hearing the good news for the first time and you realize man I want this good news too.
    Jesus died on the cross for our sins and this time of year is the beginning of the reminder of that hope and joy.
    The Messiah is coming and we get to celebrate that again. So hear the good news and lets rejoice.
    Let’s pray together.

      • Luke 2:8–12NIV2011

      • Luke 2:17NIV2011

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