Go on up to a high mountain,
    O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
    O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
    lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
    “Behold your God!”              
                                      – Isaiah 40:9

People are putting up their Christmas decorations earlier and earlier every year. It used to be that Christmas trees, lights, and the like would go up after Thanksgiving. But these days, I’m seeing Christmas decor go up after Halloween. It seems like we just want skip ahead to Christmas halfway through the year. I suppose if you never take down your Christmas display, you can have it up for the whole year!

What is going on with this trend? Perhaps we need the Christmas message to come sooner and last longer because life is becoming harder and harder.

God’s people were in exile at the time of this Isaiah 40 prophecy. They were enslaved and uprooted from the comfort of their homeland. Isaiah the prophet tells them that their exile, their enslavement, will not be forever. What does Isaiah’s message mean for us today? We are not in a literal exile, but we all struggle with things that have power over us, things that control us, maybe even enslave us. Anxiety, fear, anger, broken relationships, shame, regret.  

We are not in a literal exile, but we all struggle with things that have power over us, things that control us, maybe even enslave us. Anxiety, fear, anger, broken relationships, shame, regret.  

This passage, while spoken long ago, is for us today. It is a Christmas message. It is a message of good news of the coming of our Savior. It announces good news for the people of God, good news in the city of God, and good news from the people of God.

Good news for God’s people

The first point is good news for the people of God. Yes, the prophet is telling the people to proclaim the good news, but the news they are to proclaim is also for them, for those in exile. Now, good news is especially good news if you are experiencing bad news. Right? We long for good news not when everything is going well, but when things are going badly.

Do you remember during the pandemic there were popular YouTube videos called, “Some Good News.” The actor from “The Office,” John Krasinski, started making videos from his home during the lockdown. The whole idea was broadcasting only good news. He had some of his celebrity friends on, but would also interview cancer survivors, announce free cell service to medical workers, show virtual proms, virtual graduation ceremonies, even wedding proposals. Within the first eight weeks the show had over 72 million views. Why was it so popular? Because during the pandemic, we all longed for good news.  

What is the bad news we are experiencing? There is certainly plenty of bad news to go around today, but I think we should take a step back and reflect on the really bad news. The really bad news is that we all have this disease called sin. It is in our very nature. And not only does it cause trouble among us, but it also keeps us from being in a right relationship with our creator, God. This really bad news is the source of all the other bad news we experience in the world, in our country, in our community, in our families, and in our lives.

The good news of this passage is for us who are experiencing the bad news of sin, suffering, and shame. Are you currently experiencing the really bad news of the Fall? What is the good news? This leads to the second point.

Good news in the city of God

The second point is the good news in the city of God, Jerusalem on Mount Zion. There on that mountain, we hear the message, “Behold your God.” These three simple words communicated that God was coming to make all things wrong right.

Each word has significance. “Behold!” This is what you say when you come into contact with something or someone so glorious, so awesome, so powerful that it demands all of your attention. Behold your God. The one who is coming is our God. He belongs to us and we to Him. Behold your God! God is coming into the world. All of His power, all of His wisdom, all of His glory will enter our world to rescue us from all that holds us captive. This was good news then and it is good news now. It is in fact a Christmas message.

This was good news then and it is good news now. It is in fact a Christmas message.

Do you remember when Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus into the temple in Jerusalem? There was a man named Simeon there. When he saw Jesus, he scooped him up in his arms and said, “… my eyes have seen your salvation, that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32). In essence he declared to all around, “Behold your God!” Jesus has come into the world to make all things that are wrong, right.

Thirty-three years later, as He hung on the cross, the earth shook, and darkness filled the sky. The centurion soldier exclaimed on Mount Zion, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54). Three days later He emerged from the grave victorious over sin and death. When Thomas saw him, he proclaimed, “My Lord, and my God” (John 20:28). The good news from Mount Zion is that the Son of God came into this world to redeem us from our sins and all that enslaves us.

And so when we experience the oppressive power of anxiety, fear, shame, anger, regret, and sin, we only need to draw near to our Savior as He draws near to us. “Behold your God!” Jesus’ work of redemption frees us from all that holds us captive. Do we believe this?

Our missionary from Ukraine recently shared that over 5 million dollars’ worth of supplies have been given through Crates for Ukraine. These crates are filled with bandages, tourniquets, and other supplies needed by soldiers on the front lines. They estimate that over 240 lives have been saved. But what they also include in the crates are Bible verses and links to MTW gospel resources. Soldiers from all over the country are hearing the good news, freeing them from the very things that enslave us as well—fear, anxiety, anger, shame, regret, and sin.

And so when we experience the oppressive power of anxiety, fear, shame, anger, regret, and sin, we only need to draw near to our Savior as He draws near to us. 

We know what the gospel frees us from, but what does it free us for? This leads to the last point. Good news from God’s people.

Good news from God’s people

The prophet was telling God’s people to proclaim this good news of God’s coming. God could have used other ways to communicate his message. He could have spoken directly to all people. But he chooses to use us to proclaim this good news. “Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not ….”

Did you catch that small phrase in this passage, “fear not”? Why would they be afraid? Why are we often reluctant to share the good news? Maybe we don’t want to look foolish? Maybe we are afraid of what people might think of us? Maybe we just assume that people are not interested?

One of our interns serving in Bulgaria wondered how he could reach college students. He was going to be there for a relatively short time and did not speak Bulgarian. One day he was wearing a “Jesus saves” T-shirt when a young Bulgarian college student named Yanko came up to him and said, “Cool shirt!” in Bulgarian. Of course, the intern didn’t understand, but then Yanko switched to English. After talking with the intern, he said, “I have someone to train me physically, I have someone to train me intellectually, but I don’t have anyone to train me spiritually. Would you be my spiritual mentor?” Eventually Yanko came to faith and even become an intern himself, serving with MTW Bulgaria’s two-month summer internship, The Well. Pretty amazing. The point of the story is that we don’t have to be afraid to share the good news, because God is already preparing those He wants to hear His gospel message.

As the good news of the gospel frees us from those things that have power over us—anxiety, fear, anger, shame, regret, and sin—we have something to say.

As the good news of the gospel frees us from those things that have power over us—anxiety, fear, anger, shame, regret, and sin—we have something to say. We have something to shout from the mountaintops. We have something to declare to all the cities of the world. What are we saved for? We are saved to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God.

Glimpsing the majesty of God

After a recent Asia-Pacific meeting in Nepal, a group of leaders did the Annapurna Base Camp trek. It took several days walking five to six hours a day. The base camp is at 13,500 feet. When they arrived, they were told a storm was approaching. They went to bed, but at 5 in the morning the guide said, “We need to leave right now!” When they got out of their cabins there was a foot and a half of snow already on the ground. They found out later that the groups that waited too long had to be evacuated by helicopter. But right before they headed down the hill sloshing through the snow for hours, they gathered together, looked out at the incredible view, and took a picture by the base camp sign. There they all were, up on that mountain, snow all around, the ominous storm approaching, with smiles on their faces.

Isn’t this what our Christian life is like? Yes, there will be snowstorms and early morning evacuations, and yet, when we catch a glimpse of the majesty of our God, we can stop and smile and know that all will be well. “Behold our God!” Amen.