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.

Context

Luke 13:18-30
There are passages of scripture that I have become so familiar with and so comfortable using that I forget to consider them in their broader context. Today we have encountered one such passage, a verse often used during the sacrament of communion. "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last" (Luke 13:28-30). The description of those who will gather at table in the coming reign of God, the folks coming from every direction, is bracketed by words of judgment and of warning. Can we really speak of the table of the Lord as a place of universal inclusion when just a verse before Jesus has excluded some from that very table?

Even when God’s word contains judgment, it nonetheless remains a source of grace. God is aware of who we are and what we do and there are consequences to our actions. We are called to a higher standard as God’s people and we are made aware of our responsibilities as disciples. And lest we feel like we are the only people God could possibly draw together into the coming reign, here come people from every direction imaginable, all at God’s request, and turning the whole order of things upside down. Why is this a message of grace? Because this is the message that we have been given to share. These are our words given to us by our Lord and Savior. Jesus continues to cast a wide net and to send us out as well to fish for men and women. As such, we have become instruments of God’s inclusivity.

These verses, taken in context, are an invitation to live more fully into our calling, not in order to win God’s affection, but because in Jesus Christ God’s love has already been poured out lavishly upon us. There is a contrast––a stark one––between the wailing and gnashing on the one hand, and the feast on the other. As faithful disciples we are challenged to live so that others may know the way to the feast and away from the darkness. Grace is serious business, but then God’s love is serious as well, and we are to be serious in our efforts to share it.

Prayer: Lord, you have embraced your people with love and mercy. Help us to live into your calling so that others may know this good news. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Model Community

Luke 9:1-17
There is a portion of our gospel reading today that gives me a particular sense of comfort. “When the crowds found out about it,” we read, “they followed (Jesus); and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured” (Luke 9:11). Here Jesus was, in a deserted place dealing with thousands of people. And yet, according to Luke, he offered compassion and hospitality to them, making them feel welcome, sharing good news with them, healing them of their illnesses. At this particular moment in his ministry Jesus was offering the gift of community, and he was handing it out by the bushel.

As I reflect on the struggles that face the church today, the issues that split us apart and that lead others to doubt our intentions and our relevance, I can’t help but reflect on Jesus’ offer of community. Could it be that in our desire to claim doctrinal purity, to hold other accountable while insisting that our version of “the truth” is the only one that matters—and I’m saying this to conservatives and liberals alike, to Roman Catholics, Protestants, the Orthodox—could it be that we’ve forgotten the simple gift of community and the power it has to touch lives and to change hearts? Just to sit together, to share each other’s needs and to lift one another’s spirits; to cry and to laugh and to wonder at all the things that happen in life; sometimes this is what folks need, and it is a gift that the church, in the name of Jesus Christ, has to give.

Jesus welcomed others, gave them good news, met their needs, and sent them on their way. Now why can’t we do that?

Prayer: Lord, help us to build community in our world and through our lives. 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.

Don’t You Get It?

Nehemiah 7:73b-8:3, 5-18

What effect does the word of God have on you? I know that there are passages of scripture that force us to deal with our failings, that remind us that we are not who God created us to be. But taken as a whole the Bible is a story of good news, the very best of news in fact. God’s love and mercy are there for us and God has never given up on God’s people. A small reminder of this comes from our Old Testament reading this morning. “And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them” (Nehemiah 8:12).

When the people understood the word that was read to them their reaction was one of great joy. Yes, there are disturbing images in scripture, and yes there are times for sorrow and remorse, but once we understand what we are reading we will see that God remains closely connected to us and concerned for us. Jesus Christ is the fullest example of God’s love and grace. And though the people of Nehemiah’s time knew nothing of Jesus, they could still see that God was at work in the world and in their lives. They would never walk alone.

When you encounter scripture, when you begin to understand God’s word, what effect does it have on you? If it fills you with joy, with the warmth of God’s abiding grace, then I suspect you are beginning to see what it’s all about.

Prayer: Lord, we praise you this day for the good news of all you have done for us and through us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Winning the 'Sin Olympics'

1 Timothy 1:1-17

Being convinced as I am that we are all sinners in constant need of God’s redeeming grace I find the words of 1 Timothy 1:15 to be interesting. “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,” we read, “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…”. Up to that point the message is good news! The purpose behind Jesus’ earthy ministry, his life, death, and resurrection, was and is to save sinners. But then we read the next phrase: “––of whom I am the foremost.” The writer is claiming to be the greatest of sinners, the one most in need of what Jesus was offering. So here is my question. How did he know? Did the writer of 1 Timothy win the “Sin Olympics?” Was there some form of official proclamation? How did he know he was the foremost of sinners?

Of course he didn’t. This is hyperbole, intended to make a point. If God could work through this individual God was capable to working though anyone. And frankly, if there really was a “Sin Olympics” there would be a 3-billion-way tie for first place, because we are all in that boat together. Yet, God continues to find ways of working through us and in us to accomplish God’s will. We have neither stymied nor defeated God’s plan. We have in no way frustrated God’s ability to do what it is that God has set out to do. God continues to work in our lives, despite the sin, despite the shortcomings, despite the unwillingness on our part. “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance!” In Jesus Christ we are forgiven, and we have not had to earn it or even compete for it.

How can this good news make a difference in your life today? Where will it lead you? Can you find a way to let go of your anger at someone else, knowing that if you are forgiven by God they are as well? Can you show greater generosity of heart to others than you’ve ever shown? Can you trust God in Jesus Christ to lead you where you need to be? All of these are appropriate work for today, and all are made possible because we, despite our sinful nature, have been engulfed by grace and granted release from our sins. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord, continue to forgive us, we pray, and to lead us toward the dawn of your coming reign. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.