The meaning of the word gospel is simply, good news. A good message, a tiding of great joy. But in the Bible’s terms it is a message from God. It is a message from God for his people in this world of darkness and sin and of death. In this darkness comes a message, a divinely authoritative one, a message that is glad tidings. The message? The incarnation! It concerns God’s Son Jesus Christ, “made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3). How do we know he was the Son of God? As a baby lying in Bethlehem’s manger this is not obvious, he looks just like any other baby. It is later after his atoning death on Mt. Calvary, three days after to be precise, he is raised from the dead, thus divinely “declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). He became a man, walked amongst men, weak and sinful men. Then he died, just like all other men do (Hebrews 9:27). If it, even he, had finished there, then there would be no glad tidings, none. But as he entered into that tomb, freely, voluntarily the world watches with bated breath, what will happen? We all know no one has ever returned from the grave right? What will become of Jesus Christ? He was raised! He bore our sins, and under the weight of them sunk into death, but was by God himself declared to be the Son of God “by the resurrection from the dead.” The message of Christmas, the incarnation as with the resurrection, the beginning and the end are vitally important. For on them hangs the gospel, the glad tidings. Because if the child of Bethlehem is not the Son of God, his cross is meaningless, it was a failure, our sin remains. But, glad tidings, good news of great joy, he is alive from the dead! “Declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4).