• Sports Plus applications go live on Monday Morning! Make sure you check out the website to download a form and don’t hesitate to get it back into the office asap! Roll on Sports Plus!!!
• Calling all yr 11-13 Students – The New Year Conference is fast approaching! If you still haven’t signed up do it now. A time of encouragement and equipping to represent Jesus in your sport!
              

BIBLE BIT

In this 8 week series we're searching for the truth behind the real meaning of Christmas so that in the build up to Christmas we may know with certainty and be thrilled!

Week 1- Luke 1 v3-4: Know with Certainty
Week 2 -Luke 1 v31-37: Nothing is impossible for God
Week 3 - Luke 2 v1-7: In God's time, In God's plan
Week 4 - Luke 2v8-10: "For All people"
Week 5 - Luke 2v10-12: "Good News - No, this is fantastic news!"
 

The other night I watched the 10 o’clock news on TV. I tried counting the amount of news items that were good news. There were 9 different reports and only the last one had any kind of good news linked to it!

We live in dark days – all around us there are terrible things happening and we don’t often hear good news!

 

Back to the story – the angel has good news for the shepherds.  In fact the angel goes on to say that this good news will bring great joy. 

I wonder what great joy means for you? Watching your team win the FA cup?  Scoring the deciding basket in a big game? Hitting the winning shot in a tie Break? When an angel announces that this news will bring great joy – you can bet your bottom dollar that’s what it’s gonna be. When the news really hits home it will have outstanding effect – the hearers will be ecstatic, overflowing with excitement. That’s the news that these angels bring. So what is this news?

 

They tell the shepherds that a baby has been born and they mention 3 special features about him – in fact they call him 3 names and we need to understand what each one meant for the people of that time to really grasp the good news!

 

Saviour – Someone who will rescue from harm or danger.  Every person at the time of this story understood that term in a military/political/powerful sense. The promise from the Old Testament that every Jew held to was one of rescue from their enemies. This little baby was the promise of that rescue – Wow! Was that good news? This was fantastic news!

 

Christ – The special anointed one from God.  It was thought this person would be the king of deliverance. The one sent from God to deliver His people. This country Israel had a history of war. They were targeted many times by bigger surrounding countries – they were looking for deliverance. Was this good news? This was fantastic news for every Jew!

 

Lord – God himself!  The word Lord was never used of a human being. It was always associated with God – ‘Yahweh’ God who was the living God of the Old Testament. To call a baby ‘Lord’ was to say that the baby was God himself.  This was unbelievable – the Lord God of Israel present in a human being!

Was this good news? This was unbelievably fantastic news!

 

So we head in to December with CHRISTmas just round the corner. How many people leave the ‘Christ’ in ‘Christmas’?  It really is all about this little baby who grows into a man. He is good news for all people – the Rescuer, the Deliverer and the Lord God himself. Next week we’ll have a look at what those words mean for us!

 

A little test for you this week – Dare you take it on?

When an opportunity comes along, mention this to a friend and see what sort of response you get – “Funny how we call Christmas, Christmas when so many people don’t understand why.”

See where that conversation takes you – see if you get round to telling your friend the fantastic news of the Christ child: God’s anointed one sent to save!

Then let us know how you get on – email to youthsport@christiansinsport.org.uk

 

Go for it this week!!

Full name - Benjamin Luke Pearson.

Nick name - Ben / Benny P / Gag in a bag

Sport - Main sport is hockey -currently playing for Havant Hockey club - men's 3rd team. Also playing regularly for the church footy team.

Story - I'm really trying to represent Christ while I play sport. The main guy I'm praying for is a lad from football called John Aldridge (not the John Aldridge!) who isn't yet a Christian but comes to church occasionally - top guy, would love to see him know Jesus.