The angel appeared to the shepherds and encouraged them not to be afraid—which is a theme surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus (Lk. 1:13, 30, 74; Mt. 1:20). The angel goes on to say, “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” This could read, “I announce good news.” The word translated “good tidings” or “gospel” literally means “good news,” and it occurs about 100 times in the New Testament. This is one of Luke’s favorite phrases; he uses it more than any other writer in the New Testament. It is the word from which we get our English words evangelist, evangelize, and evangelical. The gospel is, broadly speaking, the whole of Scripture. More narrowly, the gospel is the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation. The apostle Paul puts it this way: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1–4).

There is no one who would deny that we are living in troubling times. One reporter said, “What this world needs is some good news.” I could not agree more! This is exactly what the coming of the Lord Jesus into this world brought! This good news is centered on the Savior who is born, who is Christ the Lord! The good news is that Christ died in our place on the cross; Christ died for sinful men; He was buried and rose again!

This time of year, let us focus less on our circumstances and more on Christ. Be reminded of the good news of the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you!