Thought for Today
Psalm 40:9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
Proverbs 25:25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Where do you get your news and information about what is going on in our world? Not surprisingly, the primary source of news and information varies by age group. A Copilot Search reveals that for Gen Z (born 1997-2012) and Millennials (or Gen Y, born 1981-1996), the primary source comes from social media, e.g., TikTok, Facebook, etc. Some older millennials do rely on traditional sources like newspapers and television news. Those under 18 generaly don’t follow the news, but do tend toward trusting social media when they do so. Older Adults (50+ years) are more likely to use digital devices with a significant number relying on television.
This morning, as I shoveled enough snow off our porch to get our newspaper, I once again noticed that on our block of 8 homes, we are the only home receiving a newspaper. Neither of our children subscribe to a newspaper.
When I was a youth, my parents subscribed to both Houston newspapers and to several periodicals and news magazines. When we finally did get a television, our whole family would gather around the set to watch John Cameron Swayze on NBC’s Camel News Caravan. Today, Greta and I do watch the local and network newscasts each evening.
Where do you get your news and information about what is going on in our world? And, why am I asking? During the decades of the 2000s, we have seen incredible advances in digital technology. We have reached the point in CGI where it is sometimes difficult to tell whether what we see on a screen is real or computer generated. These decades have given rise to “fake news.” During his reign as the dean of broadcast news, Walter Cronkite was sometimes referred to as “the most trusted man in America.” (en.wikipedia.org) Can you even imagine anyone in media news who could be so described today?
Have you ever thought about the challenge Jesus faced 2020+ years ago in spreading the good news of the gospel? There was no print media. There was no social media. The only ‘media’ in existence were oral communication and scrolls of parchment or papyrus. Scholars today debate whether or not Jesus could even read or write; and, if he could, which languages?
Jesus was an itinerant rabbi, traveling by foot around a remote outpost of the Roman Empire. His potential audience was limited to the population of that remote outpost. The population of the Galilee at that time was estimated to be 200,000 – 3,000,000. The main population of those who could read and write would have been what the Bible refers to as scribes. They are almost always grouped with the Sadducees and Pharisees in the stories in the Bible; and, they almost always appear in opposition to Jesus’ message.
Yet, as we look at Christendom today, estimated to include 2.6 billion people, one cannot help but wonder which is greater, the message or the media? Jesus’ simple message of God and God’s love for Creation, spread person-to-person for centuries, has traveled around the entire globe. Today, the gospel is available in almost every form, printed, digitally recorded, and in apps for computers and smartphones. I have apps on the computer I use to share these Thoughts; I have apps on my tablet and on my smartphone. Tonight, members of our congregation will gather digitally via Zoom for our bi-weekly Bible Study.
While I do treasure all the books I have dealing with our faith, I treasure most the opportunities we have and create to share our faith with each other. I have many Bibles in various translations and paraphrased editions. I have history books, books about preaching, books about the languages in which the Bible was first written. I am a bibliophile.
But, I still believe the best way to share the good news, the gospel, is person-to-person. I believe we will never exhaust the value of sharing the message; we will never be able to completely finish all there is to say about our Creator God. And, I believe we will never cease to feel the joy of sharing the gospel.
Stay safe, share the good news, trust God,
Pastor Ray