Earlier today I spoke to well over two hundred people at our Quarterly Business Luncheon, which is one of my favorite ministries that we offer. Afterward I was able to talk with several people, including Susie Hinton, Rock Hill City Council Member for Ward 1. It was her first luncheon and I was able to answer some questions she had about the luncheon and our upcoming It’s Christmas program, “Humbug!”

When I started the luncheons 24 years ago, the purpose was to provide a venue for our members to invite business people from community to come and hear me speak, as well as experience something positive at FBC. God has used it over the years and it has given us the opportunity to build a lot of bridges.

This morning as I finalized my message for today’s luncheon, I pulled an old sermon from my files because it contained an illustration I wanted to use. That was when I noticed a note I had written at the end of the sermon…“1st Sermon FBC Rock Hill.” The date was December 13, 1987. That was my first Sunday as Pastor here. I had been scheduled to start the week before, but my father died and plans were pushed back a week.

The sermon was titled “The Good News of Christmas” and the introduction was the following lyrics to Anne Murray’s hit song.

“I rolled out this morning
Kids had the mornin’ news show on
Bryant Gumbel was talkin’ ’bout the fighting in Lebanon
Some senator was squawkin’ ’bout the bad economy
It’s gonna get worse you see, we need a change in policy

There’s a local paper rolled up in a rubber band
One more sad story’s one more than I can stand
Just once how I’d like to see the headline say
“Not much to print today, can’t find nothin’ bad to say”, because

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town
Nobody OD’ed, nobody burned a single buildin’ down
Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain
We sure could use a little good news today

I’ll come home this evenin’
I’ll bet that the news will be the same
Somebody takes a hostage, somebody steals a plane
How I wanna hear the anchor man talk about a county fair
And how we cleaned up the air, how everybody learned to care
Whoa, tell me

Nobody was assassinated in the whole Third World today
And in the streets of Ireland, all the children had to do was play
And everybody loves everybody in the good old USA
We sure could use a little good news today

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town
Nobody OD’ed, nobody burned a single buildin’ down

Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain
We sure could use a little good news today”

I then preached on the truth that Jesus coming to earth that first Christmas was and still is good news. I ended the sermon by saying that the world will always have problems and this life will never be perfect. But there is Good News – Jesus. What are you going to do with Him?

In 2012 the world, and our nation, faces many challenges, just like it did in 1987. The truth is the world has been messed up ever since Adam and Eve first sinned. Nations rise and fall, political leaders come and go, and movements begin and end. Ultimately the Good News the world needs most is JESUS CHRIST.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, may we commit ourselves to being bold in 2013 at telling the Good News of Jesus to our world, one neighbor…one coworker…one relative…one class mate…one friend…at a time.

Pastor Steve Hogg