December 4th

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7

Isaiah 52 finds the city of Jerusalem after its destruction. The Jewish people are left wondering what has happened… Has God abandoned them? This city was meant to be a place of hope, but now it is burning. Yet, Isaiah envisions a messenger bringing good news. He is on his way to the city to announce that the reign of God is not lost—that He will find another way to love and rescue His people.
The Bible is filled with stories of all the new, imaginative, and beautiful ways God loves His people. It culminates with the arrival of Jesus, who embodies this "good news" like never before. We witness the greatest rescue of all, ushering in a love for us that has changed the world. But even knowing this, it’s easy to wade through our holiday calendars and approach Christmas as "the same old nice story."
In our church staff meetings, we often ask each other, "How have you seen God’s goodness this week?" The repetition of this question has been so helpful in noticing the new ways God is loving me. It takes a little practice to regularly spot the gifts He is leaving us, but I don’t want to miss any of His "good news." Maybe by sharing this, we become "messengers" to one another, bringing the news that "Your God reigns." Let’s challenge ourselves to start asking questions like this regularly, so that we don’t miss out on His stories.

-maddy phan