Reflect

In the Old Testament, after the death of Joshua and the men “who had seen all the great things of God done for Israel” had died, the next generation “knew neither the Lord nor what he had done.” It took only one generation for people to forget their covenant relationship with God and return to their old ways. No one continued to proclaim the good news of Israel’s God.

Because the good news was shared by Luke, John, and Paul, and all those who had been eyewitnesses to the life and work of Jesus, we have become recipients of the story. We have an obligation to make sure the story continues to be told.

It is even more important today to share the good new of Jesus in a world that is so alien to all he taught and practiced. We are bombarded daily with bad news, the havoc that humankind wreaks on fellow humans, on the environment and on self. A hurting world needs to know that God loves us, and that God gave us a new way to live and love.

Good news is participatory. When we hear good news, we rejoice with the teller, share a moment of fellowship, and usually we are eager to share the story with others. Can we rejoice with the gospel writers and be eager to share the story with others? We can have fellowship through the word with those pioneers of the faith and rejoice that they left us their accounts of this man Jesus. May we not be like the people of Joshua’s day and let the story die with us.

—Jean Grimsley

Question

1. Can you remember who first told you the good news about Jesus? Can you remember first telling others about him?
2. How are we to be stewards of the gospel story?
3. Not all people who tell good news today tell the same story. How are we to determine which ones deserve our attention?

Act

1. Organizations such as the American Bible Society distribute the good news throughout the world. Make a Christmas gift to those who have not heard about Jesus by sending a donation to provide Bibles. This might be something your entire church would want to do.
2. Make a note this week of good news you hear about and say a prayer of thanksgiving for the event.
3. Write out a simple statement of what you believe that you could share with someone who might not know Jesus. Do not use Bible references; just use your personal knowledge of God and the plan of salvation.

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