The announcement of Christ's birth is a declaration of the missionary purpose of God. Luke 2:10 states, "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people [my emphasis]." This is good news for ALL PEOPLE!

What does the good news look like when it is embraced by all peoples? It means they have a Bible in their mother tongue (the language they learned at the knees of their mothers), not a trade language but something they can read and comprehend. It means they do church in ways that include their cultural identities (decision- making, building styles, music styles, etc.).

"Good news for all people" means that the world's culturally diverse peoples can worship God in spirit and in truth in their own unique way. The multi-national throng around the throne in Revelation 7:9 and 10 represents a distinguishably diverse crowd in spite of the fact that they are singing the same song and wearing the same clothes.

Difference is not always a bad thing. God "does different"; it's evidenced in His creation. And it was God who forced the cultural mandate at Babel when mankind had other plans. Good news for all people means people can embrace God without discarding all of their culture (it's not all bad). Next time you're reminded of the Christmas announcement (good news for all people), consider how it might look when a people different from your own come to embrace that same Good News.