Grasped by the Gospel of God

During this past summer I joined twenty-five members of my congregation as we traveled to an International Partnership Conference in Purley, England, just south of London. Representatives of six congregations–from England, the United States, Germany, Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic—joined together to think and pray about what it means to live faithfully in a multi-faith world. Our keynote speaker was Nick Baines, Bishop of the Diocese of Croydon, and among his many thought provoking comments, I was particularly struck by his insistence that “Christian people must be grasped by the gospel of God.” He was certainly encouraging us to be open to, and in constant dialogue with, the members of other religious traditions and their insights. But he was emphatic in his understanding that Christian people need to be formed and inspired by the good news of what God makes possible in Jesus Christ. With the confidence and vision that comes from that encounter, we can be humble enough to received the wisdom of other faith traditions, and bold enough to express the vitality of God through our worship and service.

Ever since the Partnership Conference I have been thinking about what it means to ‘be grasped by the gospel of God.’ Beginning in September I have been preaching a sermon series entitled, The Good News of the Gospel (audio files and podcasts of the messages are available on our website, www.iccucc.org). As I journey with the congregation from week to week in our quest to explore the content of the gospel, I am realizing that this word contains a tremendous richness of meaning. One day I tried very quickly to identify the themes and hopes that come most immediately to mind when I ponder the word ‘gospel.’ Here is part of what I came up with:

The Good News of the Gospel is that…

 
We are loved and needed by God

We are forgiven and called to new life in Jesus Christ

We can embrace the gloriously impossible challenges of life with humility and confidence

We can experience a ‘peace that passes all understanding’ and bear witness to the non-violent power of God

We can love as God loves

We can live a sacred balance, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves

We can invest tremendous faith in small beginnings, and apparently tiny actions

We can experience the thrill of discovering the wisdom of God through the parables of Jesus

We can receive the healing energy of God and witness to that energy through our words and works

I don’t believe this is a complete list of everything that is meant by ‘the good news of Jesus Christ.’ In fact, it is deliberately incomplete. It only represents my ongoing attempt to discover the incredible breadth and depth of what Jesus made possible through his life, death and resurrection. To live a Jesus way of life, is to remain open to fresh meanings and insights as we seek to be grasped by the gospel of God.

~ by Rev. Dr. Edward Horstmann on October 15, 2007.