Tell it
Tell it again
Tell of the night our redemption began
Sing it
Sing it again
There’s joy now and hope for all men
Tell it again
Those are the words to the chorus of a song we recently sang in my church’s annual Christmas cantata.
It seems this time of year is one that lends itself to keeping secrets as we try to surprise our loved ones with just the right gift. I will never forget answering the phone one December to hear these words, “This is Sears. Your ping pong table is in.” Well, there went that surprise! At age 10, I was both excited and devastated by this phone call. I gave the message to my mom, minus some detail, and put on a pretty good act when the ping pong table was unveiled on Christmas morning. That very same ping pong table now resides in my basement. I find that it makes for a wonderful place to wrap gifts!
Unlike the ping pong table, there is a gift that isn’t meant to be kept secret. This is not just any gift, it’s the Ultimate Gift—Jesus.
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21 NLT
The angel’s words to Joseph were fulfilled in a stable of all places. God gifted us with His Son when Mary gave birth to the long-awaited Messiah. That night changed everything for it WAS the night our redemption began.
I found myself getting choked up every time I sang the words…
Tell it
Tell it again
Tell of the night our redemption began
Because of that night there IS joy and hope for all men (and women and children too)! There are a whole lot of people in our midst who are struggling right now. As Pastor Chris often says, “Everybody is dealing with something.” Does someone you know need to hear (or be reminded of) this Good News? Go ahead—tell it. Tell it again and again. Keep telling it. Sing it if you wish, but PLEASE don’t keep this a secret! There is a hurting world that needs to know that Jesus is our joy and our hope, the Savior of the world.
Have you heard?
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17 NLT
Have a Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!