The Word “Gospel”
Dear Church Family,
On Sunday, we continue our annual sermon series, Words You Hear In Church. I love this series as it give us the chance to explore the deeper meaning behind words we often use in church. And this Sunday's word is gospel.
Now, I don't want to give away the sermon, but I will say that, at its core, the word gospel simply means good news. (We'll dig deeper into that on Sunday; don't miss out.) But good news can be hard to come by these days. The year has started off with many challenges, not the least of which are fires in the Los Angeles area that continue to have devastating effects on so many people. Additionally, given the way politics works in our country today, we know that during any presidential inauguration, around 50% of the population does not experience the transition as good news. And I know several people who have experienced some tough personal things in these first few weeks of the year. So, as I contemplated the words "gospel" and "good news" this week, I was keenly aware that it isn't always easy to see good news in the world.
Recently, I heard a senator say something that resonated with me which was that we should "[B]uild community, build connection. Find ways to source and nurture and nourish spirit because you can do that. Today you can do that to somebody." (I'm sharing the quote without attribution to avoid political distraction but feel free to ask me about the source in email or on Sunday.)
I thought to myself, isn't that really what Jesus calls us to do: to build community and connection. Because when we exist in community and we are connected with one another, we can't help but share kindness and love. Jesus knew that. It's what he did with every individual he met.
While I may not have solutions for the world's major problems, I do know how to connect with the person before me, how to nurture and nourish their spirit. This is how Jesus made a difference, and it's how we can continue to impact lives today.
Jesus called this kind of living building the kingdom of God. It's what he asked his disciples to do when he said, "Follow me." And, if we are disciples of Jesus, then it's what we are supposed to do as well. Christian philosopher and writer on spiritual formation Dallas Willard said this:
"The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who... are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”
We can't change the world immediately, but we can build community and connection with each other, and when we do that, we build the Kingdom of God one moment at a time.
With God's Love,
Pastor Karl
