Joyful Noise
Behold the Good News
~ Mike Sotski
December 3, 2023

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of heaven - praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven. And peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. —Luke 2:8-14 NLT

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. —2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners…But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. —Romans 5:6,8 NLT

‘Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies; with th’angelic hosts proclaim “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”’

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance- an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. —1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” —2 Corinthians 5:19-20 NLT

For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. —1 Corinthians 11:26 NLT

Benediction:

As we go and be the church in the places where we live, learn, work and play, may we be overwhelmed with the glory of God’s gift for us - a saviour, God with us - and may we join with the angels proclaiming that good news to the world around us.