Good News

What good news have you heard or experienced in the last week? My heart is often heavy with the hard news of the world and the church. My prayers are filled with cries to God for healing of places of violence in the world, hurt in the church, and pain and sorrow in the lives of people.

In the Bible, the Gospel of Mark starts with “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.”  The word “gospel” means “good news.” For the month of May we’re talking in worship about The Main Things…In Jesus’ Words. On Sunday, May 5, passages from the Gospel of Mark help us focus this talk of good news.

Back to my original question:  what good news have you heard?  I posed this question at Soul Station on Wednesday, May 1. People talked about healings, the ongoing work of our church, the beauty and power of our worship, the joy of the accomplishments of grandchildren, and the ways they saw God working even in the midst of difficulties. They knew of good news in many places.

For me, good news often comes in the midst or out of a difficult situation—glimmer of hope after sorrow, an extravagant sunrise after a difficult night, or good news after someone’s surgery. I find good news in laughter and the words of children like little Ben’s words after his baptism when I said, “Now you’re baptized. No one can ever take that away,” he nodded and said, “I know that.”

The best good news of all is found in the life of Jesus, who showed us God’s love and forgiveness, who challenged and pushed us to look beyond sorrow and death to the presence and hope of new life.

I love the words that start the Gospel, “the beginning of the good news….”  It’s as if the writer knows that the good news of Jesus will go on and on and be carried out by his faithful followers. I offer you these words of good news—God is always with us. We are not alone.  The power of Jesus’ life lives on in and around us, bringing us hope and healing. Praise God!

Blessings, Sharon