The Beginning Of The Good News

Greetings to all, on this Sunday, let us remain alert as we pray to our Heavenly Father and let us stay hopeful about the issues and concerns that we have. May each of us feel His presence as we worship and praise Him. Amen.

This Sunday is the beginning of Advent. During Advent, as Christians, we observe and acknowledge the 1st coming of the promised Messiah to the nation of Israel. They waited for the 1st coming of the promised Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to the earth, and today, we must also wait for His 2nd coming.

Advent includes the four Sundays before Christmas, ending on Christmas. Throughout time God has used messengers, and He wants us to be His messengers of the gospel today, which is the Good News.

Malachi 3:1 (TLB)

1 "Listen: I will send my messenger before me to prepare the way. And then the One you are looking for will come suddenly to his Temple—the Messenger of God's promises, to bring you great joy. Yes, he is surely coming," says the Lord Almighty.

We often reject or miss our blessings because we judge or underestimate the messenger or, as they say, "shoot the messenger."

On the flip side of it, if we are supposed to be the messenger for those same reasons, fear and shame, we won't deliver the message.

Two great messengers that we can learn a lesson from about delivering the message of God's word are John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul. In the word, Paul lets us know that:

Romans 1:16 (HCSB)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

Mark 1:1 (NCV)

1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

Mark 1:2-4 (TLB)

2 In the book written by the prophet Isaiah, God announced that he would send his Son to earth, and that a special messenger would arrive first to prepare the world for his coming.

3 "This messenger will live out in the barren wilderness," Isaiah said, "and will proclaim that everyone must straighten out his life to be ready for the Lord's arrival."

4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He lived in the wilderness and taught that all should be baptized as a public announcement of their decision to turn their backs on sin, so that God could forgive them.

Lesson: Extra, Extra, Read all about it! May this season of Advent stir up in us the memories of God's Goodness and gives us the expectancy of hope that comes with knowing that Christ is with us.