December 24, 2025: Christmas Eve: Good News Is Louder Than Fear
Luke 2: 1-20

Rev. Dr. Leslie Taylor, preaching

The Christmas season can be filled with sentimental images of Mary, gentle and mild, holding a calm, sleepy Jesus. But the host of angels proclaims to the skies,"Glory to God in the highest!" What would it look like for us to proclaim the good news loudly, with overflowing joy? In a world that weaponizes fear, where algorithms decide what gets importance, what gets circulated, and what takes up space, let us be disruptive with our joy. Let us be loud and unruly, amplifying the good news like the shepherds running into the streets of Bethlehem. In a world where good news never feels loud enough to drown out fear, let us shout with the angels, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!"

Good news is louder than fear! In the story of Jesus' birth, good news breaks through fear and appears boldly in a chorus of angelic voices: "Glory to God! Peace on earth!" In the nativity story, good news doesn't come in a quiet whisper, a constellation of stars, the smoke of incense, or even a foggy dream. The good news is loud, clear, and unstoppable. For this is a holy night, but not a silent one; the good news of great joy for all people will not be silenced.