Ministry Musings –
April 2018
Good
News.....
We
all love Good News.
It
is personal to each one of us. The birth of a baby, the birth of a first
grandchild, success in a final exam , success in finding a job. We want to tell
family and friends immediately, it can't wait , it is of immediate importance.
The
women were running to the tomb on Easter Day discussing how they were going to
move the stone . They intended to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. When
they arrived, the stone had already been rolled away. When they looked inside
the tomb , the body of Jesus had gone. This wasn't good news. They were
perplexed and upset. They were terrified, there was a young man sitting on the
right, wearing a white robe. “ Don't be alarmed” he said “ I know you are
looking for Jesus of Nazareth , who was crucified. He is not here, He has been
raised! “
“Go
and give this message to his disciples “, including Peter. “He is going to
Galilee ahead of you ; there you will see Him, just as He told you”
They
left the tomb in a hurry ,afraid yet filled with joy and ran to tell the
disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them , He said “Peace be with you”.
They
took hold of his feet and worshiped Him.
“Do
not be afraid” Jesus said to them,” Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me”.
When
the women got to the place where the disciples were gathered they couldn't wait
to tell them the news of everything that had happened.Jesus had been raised and
they had met with Him. The disciples were sceptical but Peter and John ran back
to the tomb to see for themselves .
Jesus
is Risen, this is Good News. We may say, “Let me see and then I will believe “
. But God says “Believe and you will see “ ( John 11:40) It is only by faith
that we come to know God at all and we must believe the good news for ourselves.
This involves more than just saying the facts are true, it means resting our
lives on them.
’God
loved the world so much that He gave his only son, so that everyone who
believes in Him may not die but have eternal life’. This is good news.
The
early Christians couldn't stop telling others and sharing the good news with
them.
Today
the facts, the promises, the conditions and the blessings are just the same and
we need to share the good news with others .
Jesus
said, “Go then , to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples and I
will be with you always, to the end of the age”.
Let
us all pray that we may experience the blessings of the early church today and
to ’Go tell’ the good news to others.
Judith
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