Sharing the good news
by Maria Rudolph
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‘The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ)’ (John 1:41).
Pretend for a second that you lived 2000 years ago. What would be the first thing you’d do if you realised Jesus was here?
Andrew, one of Jesus’ first disciples, ran to tell his brother Simon (soon to be Peter) about it. He wanted to share the good news with someone, and not just anyone but someone close to him. The good news is hardly news if we keep it to ourselves, and it is indeed good, so we will want others to hear it too.
You and I know a lot more about Jesus than Andrew did at that point. Andrew, who had been a disciple of John the Baptist, heard his teacher say, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ (John 1:36) as he saw Jesus passing by. Do you think he could have comprehended what that title meant? Can you comprehend it any more now? How capable are our human minds of comprehending the good news of Jesus’ redemption of us? It probably sounds as much like nonsense now as it did 2000 years ago. But as Andrew did, we look at the good news with the eyes of faith, worked in us by the Holy Spirit, the very Holy Spirit that John the Baptist said Jesus would baptise his followers with.
You have received that Holy Spirit at your baptism, and you can claim the status of being adopted into the family of God forever. So, back to our starting question: What would you do if you realised Jesus was here?
Well, there is good news: Jesus is in fact here! He is in you, as the Holy Spirit dwells within you always. God promised to never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6), and, therefore, he stands alongside you right now. We are indeed longingly waiting for the time the Lamb of God returns in all his glory, and the prophecies of John in the Book of Revelation come to pass, yet every day we are part of God being present and creatively active in the world today. Who could you share that good news with today and this week?
Loving God, thank you for coming as a humble servant to take my guilt upon you forever. Help me to express the joy of your salvation in being a witness to you to the people around me. Use me to be your hands, your feet, your mouth and your ears today and as I step into a new week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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