What Exactly Is the Good News?

Luke 4:38-44
The nature of God’s reign is inherently good. That’s one message we find in today’s gospel reading: “But [Jesus] said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’ So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea” (Luke 4:43-44). But what constitutes “good news”? The definition we choose will go a long way in determining how we understand God’s work within human history and beyond. Actually, this term is used a number of times in Luke, from the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah announcing the “good news” of the birth of John (1:19), to the angel’s sharing “good news of great joy” with shepherds guarding their flocks near Bethlehem (2:10). Jesus himself quotes the prophet Isaiah in claiming that his ministry includes bringing “good news to the poor” (4:18), a theme he returns to in his conversation with the disciples of John (7:22). This “good news” then is bound up in the work of Jesus Christ and those, like John, who point toward him.

But as joyous and profound as this “good news” is, it can not be isolated from the reality of the world as we know it. After all, much of Jesus’ time was dedicated to healing illnesses and casting out demons, to calming fears and announcing God’s judgment, to feeding the hungry and restoring the lost. These conditions and needs existed within the created order, plaguing many and making life more difficult. But the hunger and illness and fear in no way preclude the goodness of what God is doing in and through Jesus Christ. To all such cases Jesus brings good news in the form of the coming reign of God. Like a beam of light that ejects all darkness before it, the validity of God’s new creation opens a passage forward. Now lives lived in turmoil have a chance at redemption. Now hurt and anger can be set aside and reconciliation claimed. Angry voices can now be tuned to praise and sharp words to the work of building community.

Jesus shared good news wherever he went. That same good news remains a potent, indeed, all-consuming force for goodness and mercy. When we accept what God is doing now and what God has promised in the future, we prepare ourselves to do our part in changing the world.

Prayer: Almighty God, may we live as messengers of good news and as agents of your gospel until your kingdom arrives in it fullness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Turns Out, the Older Brother Was Right

Luke 17:1-10
Remember the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son? Remember how, when his younger brother had come crawling back from a life of dissipation, their father threw the young man a party? The older brother was furious. “Listen!” he told his father. “For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” (Luke 15:29-30). If, like me, you have always felt a sense of solidarity with the older brother, then you will probably be challenged by Jesus’ words from today’s gospel reading. “Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'" (17:9-10). To me this sounds a lot like what was expected of the older brother. And this is where the gospel––good news that it is––becomes very difficult for some people––even Christians––to accept.

When have we done enough? Is doing what we are told the limit of God’s expectations for us? Well, as the people of God we are told to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, give up our coats as well as our shirts (Matthew 5:38-41). The older brother may have worked like a slave, but that was his job description. And it is ours as well. To live lives of faithful obedience as disciples of Jesus Christ is to put all we are into doing the work of the kingdom, is to recognize that everything we have belongs God and to God’s purpose for it, is to accept the challenge of doing for others regardless of the personal cost. In short, it is hard work. But it is what Jesus did, and it is what our Lord challenges us to do as we follow him. Why would anyone accept such conditions? The simple answer is that we have been called to serve and set aside by God to do things that not everyone can or will do. We’d love to have the party, but it waits for another day. Now our joy comes from realizing that what we do serves the greatest purpose imaginable. We are agents of God’s word set to work in a world that desperately needs good news. We might think of it in terms of slavery, but we might also see ourselves as doing God’s work simply because it needs to be done.

The older brother was right in what he said to his father. But the father spoke a greater truth, one to which Jesus returns later in Luke. If we are to serve God faithfully, we must find our joy in that work. For that work itself produces greater joy than we could ever find on our own.

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength we need to serve you all the days of our lives with everything we are and everything that we have. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Crazy Good News

Acts 12:1-17

James, one of the twelve, had been put to death. Peter had been arrested and placed in prison. Things were looking bleak for the early church. But then an angel from the Lord led Peter from the jail and set him on his way in freedom. What follows, according to our reading from the book of Acts, is a rather comical scene. "When (Peter) knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, 'You are out of your mind!' But she insisted that it was so. They said, 'It is his angel.' Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed" (Acts 12:13-16).

This isn't the first time in the New Testament that a woman has tried to share good news only to be doubted. The women who carried the joyous news of the resurrection were scoffed at, too, until Jesus appeared and authenticated their story. Here a maid named Rhoda announces the presence of Peter, but the others think she is crazy. I understand. Sometimes the news is so good that we can hardly believe it so instead we take a cynical approach. When will we ever learn? This is the gospel we are dealing with, the good news of Jesus Christ. Are not all things possible in and through him? Is God not capable of raising the dead and of freeing the prisoner? What else might God be doing in our world that cries out for our trust? What messages of grace do we miss simply because we don't believe?

Rhoda the maid is one of my favorite minor characters in scripture partly because she adds levity at a very serious moment by being so real and authentic. But she is also a favorite of mine because she believes, and in believing she allows herself to experience great joy. Today I want to believe! Today I want to experience the joy that comes from faith in what God is doing! Today I want to go beyond the cynicism and doubt of the world, it's institutions and it's agents, and to embrace the goodness of what God's work in Jesus Christ as best I can. Who's with me?

Prayer: Lord, open my heart to your good news and help me to receive it with joy, for it is in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen.

Friend or Foe?

Galatians 4:12-20

Now there’s a loaded question for you one that almost guarantees a confrontation. “Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16). By asking such a question of the church in Galatia Paul is actually making two claims: first that he is telling them something they need to hear; second that the Galatians may not want to hear it from him. We can actually push it a further than that. The truth of Paul’s message, of course, is Jesus Christ. To find fault with Paul’s message is also to find fault with the gospel and thus to become enemies of God. How’s that for a challenge?

In his commentary on Galatians Hans Dieter Betz reminds us that “among true friends it is possible to speak the truth with frankness without becoming enemies; telling the truth in this way distinguishes the ‘true friend’ from the ‘flatterer’” (p. 228). So here is a question that all of us need to consider. When it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ are we true friends, willing to hear the message even when it challenges our comfort and our sense of balance, or are we attempting to flatter Jesus with half-hearted participation in the life of the church while not making any effort to live a Christ-centered life?

Paul would have us receive the gospel as “true friends,” those who are willing to hear a word of challenge without being threatened by it, instead accepting it as a source of grace. How we respond, then, says everything about our faith.

Prayer: Lord, help us to hear your word with openness that we may live as your people and be guided by your Son Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Simply Summing It Up

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

The good news according to Paul is not terribly complicated nor is it difficult to understand. He shares it with his readers in Corinth: “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). One thing to note here is that Paul is passing along what has been given to him. Faith is a gift he has received and one he is eager to share. Another thing to note is the role that scripture plays in Paul’s message. What Paul says about Jesus is a confirmation of the promise that God has made to past generations. None of this should come as a surprise to those who are familiar with Judaism. And finally, that which Paul says is of “first importance” to people of faith centers on the sacrificial (and very real) death of Jesus followed by his resurrection.

For Paul the spread of the gospel is based on the truth of what happened in and through Jesus and its foundation in the faith tradition of Israel. We should not allow centuries of theological wrangling to cloud this simple message: Jesus died; he was buried; he was raised again just like scripture said it would be. This is the “important stuff.”

We have celebrated the resurrection. Now we return to the work of sharing the gospel, and if we follow Paul’s lead we will do so with a reliance on the simple truth.

Prayer: Lord guide us as we seek to live the faith that we have been given. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lover Of God

Luke 1:1-25

“Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed” (Luke 1:1-4).

This is how Luke begins his account of the gospel of Jesus Christ, addressing “Theophilus,” a name that means “Lover of God.” There are days when I almost wish I could forget everything I know about Jesus. Then perhaps I could read the gospel of Luke in the spirit in which it was written, as an “orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us…,” as late-breaking news about God’s activity, something fresh and surprising, something the likes of which I had never heard but about which I would certainly want to know more.

While I can’t really forget the gospel, I can treat it with the same excitement that Theophilus must have, with the same hunger to know more. I can be drawn deeper into the story, listening for the voices of “eyewitnesses and servants of the word…investigating everything carefully from the very first…” Indeed, the gospel is too vital to be taken lightly or set aside for long periods. It deserves our attention on a regular and on-going basis. When we open ourselves to its power I believe we can more readily feel the excitement of what God is doing in our world still.

Luke’s words, written hundreds of years ago, are no longer current, and yet by the Holy Spirit they remain as relevant as ever, telling a story that remains fresh and profound. If we let them, Luke’s words will pick us up and carry us along until we feel a closer bond to Theophilus, until our love for God becomes more and more integral to our identity.

Prayer: Lord, help us to hear your word as though it were new to us so that we may feel again their power to change lives, including our own. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Of Lasting Importance

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

As Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth draws near its close Paul underscores the source of his faith and the heart of the gospel: “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1Corinthians 15:3-8).

There is, of course, more than a few sermon’s worth of material contained in these verses. But I find it helpful to note that Paul marks this statement as “of first importance.” Paul is saying, in effect, “it begins here; this is what it is all about.” It is not enough to know the Christ died; we must also be aware that Christ died for our sins. It is not enough to know that Christ died for our sins; we must also know that he was raised from the dead. It is not enough to know that he was raised from the dead; we must also know that he appeared to his followers at various times. It is not enough to know any of this unless we also know that it happened “in accordance with the scriptures.”

For Paul the gospel is not an isolated event or a single statement of fact. It is a tapestry of threads drawn together in God’s grace and creating a new reality. Yes, Christ died, but that death which is the source of our redemption was also a prelude to the resurrection and the creation of the church. To single out any one aspect of God’s work in Christ is to overlook the fact that it all fits together. This is the message that Paul is sharing, the words “of first importance” for his readers-including you and me-to recall and claim as their own.

Prayer: Lord may we live each day mindful of the grace we have been given through Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Going to the Dogs

Matthew 7:1-12

Sometimes one verse of scripture can shed light on a completely different verse or section of scripture. In the midst of our reading from Matthew today we hear Jesus say, “Do not give what is holy to dogs…” (Matthew 7:6a). I think one way to understand these words is as a warning not to take the faith lightly but to safeguard it from misunderstanding or misuse. Being judgmental toward others within the community of believers, for example, opens the gospel to contempt by those outside the faith and wastes the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love in Jesus Christ.

What, then, does this tell us about Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman later in the book of Matthew? There Jesus says, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” (15:26). Assuming that the term “dogs” has the same meaning in each instance, Jesus is making a serious claim. He believes that what he has to offer as the Messiah is not intended for those from outside the boundaries of Judaism, that his focus must be on the house of Israel. That changes, of course, with the heartfelt affirmation of the woman, whose faith in Jesus’ ability to heal far exceeds that of many of Jesus’ own people.

So here is the point. The Christian faith should never be misused or taken lightly. But it IS to be shared freely with all who will hear it, regardless of who they may be. The gospel is potent stuff, with the power to change lives and alter perspectives, allowing us to see others the way God intends them to be seen.

Prayer: Lord, help us to hold our faith in reverence and to live the gospel everyday. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What Does It Matter?

(I was unable to post this on September 6, 2011 the day to which it applies.)

Philippians 1:12-30

Paul has an interesting perspective to share in our epistle reading today. As long as the good news of the gospel is being shared does it really matter what the motive is? "Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, and some from goodwill...," he says. "What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way" (Philippians 1:15, 18). We might be reminded of the expression, “there's no such thing as bad publicity.” But is that really what Paul means?

Learning the good news of Jesus Christ is an invitation into a new relationship, one that centers on the new thing that God is doing in the world. The gospel has the power to transcend our lives and to point us toward a greater reality. As the Holy Spirit works though the word of God it gives new understanding to those who listen. Publicity is a means of communicating human perspectives based on cultural factors. While there is undeniable power to be found in secular media it is not the power to transcend life but merely to become more enmeshed in it, like struggling in quicksand. The gospel has an energy of it’s own so that whether it is spread through envy or through grace it is always good news, and as we who are believers seek to communicate our faith we should rely more on God’s grace and less on our own eloquence.

Prayer: Lord, remind us of the power of your word to change lives, and help us to honestly share our faith with the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

On Spreading Mustard

Mark 4:21-34

To be honest, I wouldn’t know a mustard seed if I saw one. I don’t know how big they are or what size plant typically grows from them, or whether it would be a bush, tree, plant, or vine for that matter. But I still have an appreciation for one of Jesus’ most famous parables about the coming reign of God, Mark’s version of which we read today. “[Jesus] also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade’” (Mark 4:30-32).

Here is the meaning that I find–and which is not original to me–in these words. The coming reign or kingdom of God may begin in the most insignificant of ways. An act of kindness, for example, may seem almost meaningless to the one who performs it but may convey tremendous meaning to its recipient. Not to trivialize Jesus’ image, but think of the number of contacts you make each day, the number of people with whom you interact at the store, at work, at school, on the bus, in person or by e-mail, by text or by Skype. Consider how you as an individual might affect any or all of those people. Think of each contact as setting off ripples through the lives of others. Kindness–godliness if you will–can spread and grow and develop and take new shape all because we choose to reflect God’s love in the world instead of sharing messages of gloom or anger, rumors or innuendo about others and the struggles they may or may not face. Even the slightest gesture or comment may make a great deal of difference in a life, may help to enliven the good news for others while a slightly different word or gesture may impede God’s will from being done.

A mustard seed may be as big as a walnut as far as I know, but as a parable of the coming reign of God it demonstrates the importance of all we do, for at the end God’s will is done and God’s glory shines all around. Do we wish to plant seeds of goodness in God’s field, or are we willing to plant something else?

Prayer: Lord help us to live in such a way that our actions help to spread the good news instead of deterring it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Tracing the Path

Acts 5:12-26

As the story of the early church unfolds in the book of Acts we find many factors at work. Some of these factors, like the power of the Holy Spirit and the faithfulness of the apostles, help to move the good news of Jesus Christ outward, further into the world. Other factors, however, were intended to slow or to stifle the gospel. One of the more powerful human emotions is on display in our reading from Acts for today. “Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him…, being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put then in the public prison” (Acts 5:17-18). Jealously over the popularity of Peter and the other apostles had infected the religious elite. As a result they chose to take action against the followers of Jesus.

It didn’t work of course. The church continued to grow and to develop until it spread throughout the world. The trajectory of the gospel established in Acts can be traced for centuries afterwards and though the flight has not always been smooth and even, the gospel continues to confront women and men to this day, challenging them to live a life centered on the grace of God in Jesus Christ. As it turns out, of course, jealously has also continued to be a factor in human life. Nor is the church immune to such sinful attitudes. Anger, bitterness, pettiness, dissent, division, all continue to bedevil people of faith. But as we learn from the book of Acts the Holy Spirit is not defeated. There is no prison, physical or emotional, that can contain the gospel or extinguish its light. The good news of Jesus Christ is as vibrant today as it was in the weeks after Pentecost. People of faith still find themselves released from the bonds of doubt and given words to speak. Again, the trajectory of the church established in Acts shows us that even when we fall short or are confronted by obstacles the good news will be shared, and no human emotion can quell it.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to trust the power of your Spirit and to follow your word into the world, serving others and sharing the gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Having a Purpose

2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Few passages have influenced my ministry as much as this one has. I can still remember reading these words while in seminary and having a sense of real purpose. “Therefore,” says Paul, “since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God…For we do not proclaim (or preach) ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5).

Yesterday I talked about the competence for ministry that we receive from God. I quoted a professor of mine who said that only God can make us good enough to carry out God’s will. In today’s reading Paul seems to take that notion a step further. Even when things are not going well, when we are challenged or encounter difficult situations we remain faithful and full of hope. Why? Because the ministry in which we are engaged comes to us from God. It is a gracious gift that provides shape and purpose to our living. We have a place to fit in and a job to do. In response to this gift we, in turn, are called to reject all manner of falseness, all manipulation or deceit and to remain truthful about God’s word, that which we proclaim in Jesus Christ.

We have a purpose. There is a reason for us to get up in the morning and to embrace each new day. As God’s people we are blessed with a message of salvation and grace, one that need not be adapted or adjusted. It is simply to be shared. How will you live our your purpose today? How will you go about sharing the good news? It’s worth thinking about.

Prayer: Lord, your word is truth. Help us to share it with the world openly and with conviction. Amen.