In 1983 Anne Murray lamented the barrage of bad news in our society. She highlighted fighting in the Middle East, the bad economy, a local murder, a hostage situation and a robbery. She called for something more than bad news, she wanted reports of good news. She dreamed of reports of Ireland children playing in the streets, people working together, or how the environment was cleaned up. The song resonated with the public, not only going number one, but earning her a Grammy.
Thirty plus years later, her lament is still heard loud and clear. In some ways it’s worse than when the song was released. The 24 hour news cycle, filled with talking heads, have added to the despondency. Mass shootings have citizens walking in fear, or at least created a more fearful awareness of our surroundings. Washington Politics have further divided the American public, creating more suspicion and less trust. We’re desperate for some real good news.
When Jesus stepped onto the stage to begin his ministry, he called people to the good news of God’s kingdom (Mk. 1:14). Did you hear that? Jesus is about good news! The decisive moment God acts on behalf of mankind had come. Salvation was living among them. It was time to turn tone deaf on all the bad news.
Jesus brought good news when the demons met their match. At the time the land was a playground for the demonic world, and they played havoc with people’s lives. But Jesus was a force of good to be reckoned with, and they were unable to stand before him.
Jesus brought good news when the curtain was torn from top to bottom. Everything that separated mankind from God was removed by Jesus. The sin, the guilt and the shame were all erased. When Jesus hung out with the “sinners,” he was not endorsing a lifestyle, he was endorsing life. When Jesus forgave sin, he was showing his salvation purpose: he came to save not to condemn.
Jesus brought good news when he created unity among a dis-unified world. The barriers we tend to erect like status, race, education level, school loyalty, ideology, national loyalty, etc. are irrelevant to Jesus. Instead of looking for a reason to divide, we’re given permission to seek a reason to unite.
Jesus brought good news to the marginalized, the abandoned and the lonely. The woman at the well. Zacchaeus. The woman caught in adultery. Blind Bartimaeus. The children. The woman anointing Jesus. Levi. All were living on the fringes of society, but welcomed and loved by the Savior. They found a place to belong in Jesus.
Jesus brought good news, but we tend to gravitate to the bad news. We take gospel and turn it into anything but gospel. Jesus instill confidence while we pervert it into fear, fear of failure and fear of hell. Jesus offers a light yoke, but we’ve managed to make it into a heavy burden. We nick-pic the church, its ministries and its members without any self-reflection. At the end of the day we wonder why the church struggles to grow or even maintain a consistent attendance. Maybe what we need to do is return to focusing on the hope of good news.
By focusing on the good news in our churches, we might not write a Grammy award song, but the song we sing will be a song worth singing.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorifi