Friday, April 20, 2012

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!


I was recently challenged with a question. This question seemed innocent enough at first. I had a pretty good understanding of the words being used, so vocabulary wasn't an issue, but when it came to finding an answer, I felt like a stock boy at a grocery store being asked, "Do you have anything to eat?" My brain was overwhelmed with possible answers and like my family's old farm truck that would get flooded if you pushed the gas too much... I stalled.

The question in question went something like this, "What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and why is it good news today?" It was really two questions in one, so maybe that is why I was stumped... tricky tricky.

But here is the truth. It wasn't that I didn't have any idea of how to answer this double-decker Christian foundation question. It was that I had too many ideas that were all vying to be the best answer. It was in that moment I cursed the Bachelors in Religion and Masters in Theology of which I'll be paying off for the next several years. Despite all my training and education, I did not have an answer that I could in good conscience give.

I would love to blame my school or church for this, but I am the only one to blame. This is why I was so frustrated. As much as I may read Christian books, sing Christian songs, and lead Christian ministries, I do not spend time everyday thinking, "What is the Gospel and why is it GOOD NEWS today?"

So for those of you who be caught up in doing a lot of stuff, labeled as Christian, I invite you to answer this question (2 questions really), "What is the Gospel and why is it good news today?" Finding the answer to this question right now may completely change your attitude about today.

... Oh! And by the way, here is my answer.

The brilliant Creator of everything saw the way our selfishness and sin separates us from Him and from each other. Compelled by love for His creation, God, the Father, consistently intervened ultimately leading to His coming to earth through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus taught of love, repentance, and forgiveness and modeled it as well. He lived life better than any before or after and showed Himself worthy of being followed. This love culminated in his death and resurrection. Through His death, we can see the all-powerful God laying down His life so that He could reconcile us to Himself and each other with love and forgiveness. Through His resurrection, we can now hold to hope that our God gives life to dead things and that he is more powerful than death. And it is with this life-giving, death destroying, loving, creative and forgiving God that we will spend eternity.

This is good news today because I know I am loved and have no reason to fear.  Not even death is worthy of anxiety. In God I can place all of my trust. And that, my pub-going friends, is a good good thing!
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9 comments:

  1. WhereApril 20, 2012 at 4:56 PM

    To be concise, it means that "nothing must be as it is".

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    Replies
    1. Greg Wallace DolmageApril 20, 2012 at 5:07 PM

      I like it, but why is that good news?

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    2. WhereApril 20, 2012 at 10:10 PM

      To be less concise, the statement assumes that this world is not ideal; that while there is much that is good, beautiful, and true, there is also much that is riven, acrimonious, and harmful. The good news is that there is always the possibility for change, which can usher in restoration, reconciliation, and a life where things can be better than they are.

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    3. Greg Wallace DolmageApril 20, 2012 at 11:33 PM

      That is good news... and a good vocabulary I might add.

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    4. WhereApril 21, 2012 at 10:23 AM

      Thanks barkeep, but a question for you. I mentioned neither "sin" (as transgression) nor "eternity" in describing good news. Do you find that problematic?

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    5. Greg Wallace DolmageApril 21, 2012 at 1:50 PM

      Not really. "Sin" can and usually is thrown into a debate of semantics. Ultimately, I think we would be talking about the same thing. This world is certainly not ideal on many levels (i.e. personal, communal, systemic, etc.) I would label this non-ideal as sin.

      As far as "eternity," I hold to the hope that one day the Kingdom of God will fully come to this earth and that Jesus will reign completely. I also believe that whether this happens after we are long dead or pre-physical death, we will experience the resurrection power like never before and with our physical resurrected bodies, no longer weighed and hindered by the power of sin/the non-ideal, we will praise our resurrected Lord with our lives and our actions.

      That being said, I believe his Kingdom has in many ways come and continues to build even now. Thus, I do not passively wait for some future event, but embrace the reign of Christ right now and join him in his mission of "restoration, reconciliation, and life."

      So I feel like we're on the same page, but may have different points of focus or uses of vocabulary. What do you think?

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  2. AnonymousApril 20, 2012 at 6:33 PM

    I am a filthy, broken sinner and there is nothing I can do of and by myself about it. But, by the grace of God, He gave Jesus Christn to die for my si. And give me eternal life with the Father. This is Good News.

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  3. Kyle NelsonApril 21, 2012 at 8:20 AM

    There couldn't be a better question! This one can be answered by an illustration on the back of a napkin, and also take a lifetime to unpack. I'm going to try in one sentence. maybe 2

    In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, our just God justifies sinners. Without it I'm eternally cursed it, but with it I am blessed beyond my wildest imagination. -Kyle

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