
There’s something about bad news that grabs our attention.
Consider this headline that appeared around the world six weeks ago: “Supervolcano Shows Signs of Waking Up, Which Would Plunge the World Into Chaos.”
Those 13 words are what online marketers call “clickbait.” The goal is to sufficiently stir your curiosity, hope or fear that you will decide to read the accompanying article. Advertising rates are directly tied to the number of mouse clicks generated by particular news releases.
And what did we learn from that article?
Carbon dioxide emissions are apparently rising near the Solfatara Crater not far from Naples, Italy. This massive area of volcanic activity includes Mt. Vesuvius, which famously buried Pompeii and adjoining communities in A.D. 79. Volcanologists aren’t pressing the panic button, however. There is no reason to think that an eruption is imminent.
Nevertheless, if it happens, you’ll probably want to take that dream trip to Florence and Rome off your bucket list.
Then there’s this anxiety-stoking headline from last week: “We’re Probably Doomed.” The accompanying story reveals the findings of a handful of astronomers who have concluded that “superflares” from our sun – extraordinary bursts of energy capable of reaching Earth – happen more often than we previously thought. Such flares would fry all of our electronic technology and send us back to the Stone Age.
Bad news certainly gets our attention. As the old news media adage puts it, “If it bleeds, it leads.”
As 2024 draws to a close, however, people everywhere are hungry for something else.
We yearn for good news.
There’s something about good news that makes our hearts soar.
People who lived in the first century were hungry for such news, too. Here’s what they heard:
A son of God has arrived amongst us in human form. This new deity will usher in a Golden Age – peace on earth and goodwill to all who receive him. The word for this history-transforming announcement is euangelion – Good News or “Gospel.” Those who spread this news are therefore “evangelists.”
We’re speaking, of course, about the official message that Augustus – who ruled Rome from 27 BC to 14 AD – was not just the adopted son of Julius Caesar, but the son of the Greek god Apollo. He promised peace – but only at the point of a sword. Those who resisted his rule were burned alive, thrown to animals, or crucified.
Such was the Gospel according to the Roman Empire – a message which for all too many people turned out to be very bad news, indeed.
According to Luke 2:1, a rival message of Good News was proclaimed in the backwater province of Judea. “During the reign of Caesar Augustus,” a baby was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.
The claims of Augustus have long been forgotten. As one Bible commentator points out, Caesar is a name chiefly associated these days with pizza parlors and pet dogs.
Good Christian Men, Rejoice is a traditional carol that spotlights that rival Good News from the ancient world – a story that just keeps getting better.
The most interesting part of the song actually resulted from an accident. In 1853 a Swedish copyist misread the manuscript of this upbeat carol that had already been around for centuries. He accidentally added two long notes in the middle of each verse.
In the pre-photocopier era, that flub actually became part of the tune – even though it obviously disrupts the flow. To compensate, the copyist added two new words to the text: “News! News!” Carolers have been singing that memorable mistake ever since.
Good Christian Men, Rejoice is one of the oldest carols still cherished in the 21st century. According to legend, the German mystic Heinrich Seuse penned these 600-year-old verses after dreaming that he was invited by angels to join in a dance. The tune is known to have existed since 1305:
Good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say: News! News! Jesus Christ is born today!
Ox and ass before Him bow, and He is in the manger now.
Christ is born today! Christ is born today!
Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye hear of endless bliss: Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this.
He hath ope'd the heav'nly door and man is blessed evermore.
Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!
Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save.
Calls you one and calls you all to gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!
The medieval spirit of the song is captured in this performance by Reawaken Hymns, a music ministry launched a decade ago by Nathan Drake in an effort to make classic hymns more accessible to modern audiences: Good Christian Men Rejoice | Christmas Lyric Video | Reawaken Hymns
What’s the best message any of us will hear in the days ahead?
News! News!
The good news is that the bad news is not God’s news. Jesus is alive and well and ushering in a new world order. He is Immanuel – God With Us.
Which is why we all can rejoice on this Christmas Eve.
With heart and soul and voice.
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