Rev. David Boyd

My fallback question, when I'm running short on inspiration for a sermon is a simple one: What is the gospel, the good news, that needs to be proclaimed today. As I was driving back from a meeting in Creston yesterday, I asked myself this question, and, if it doesn't sound too crazy, even prayed about it while I was driving. (Not with my eyes closed, I assure you!)

The backdrop for my question, as filtered through my lenses and experiences of the past couple of weeks, is the World Cup in South Africa, the ongoing British Petroleum disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the continuing embargo on the Gaza with the recent attack on the flotilla attempting to break the embargo, and the fake lake fiasco here in Canada.

Listening to CBC's The Current at the end of last week, there were some interviews with people in South Africa about the economic benefit to the country from hosting the World Cup. Now, I'm a fan of soccer or "the beautiful game" as it's called around the world, but I've come to realize that the World Cup, just like the Olympics, is about much more than just sport. It is really about money. A few of the world conglomerates stand to gain millions of dollars whereas the people of South Africa aren't allowed to sell traditional South African foods or crafts within a certain area of the stadiums in which the games are played. People, just like at the Olympics, aren't allowed to bring things into the games like water or food. Housing, poverty, AIDS, racism, and other issues are still crucial in South Africa and yet little money will trickle down to address these concerns claim many South African commentators.

With all of these issues swirling around on blogs and on the news, what is the good news as we struggle with hearing bad news?

The first thing that occurred to me driving home from Creston, prompted by the story of Ahab, Jezebel, Naboth and Elijah that we just heard is that we all fall short of the glory of God, as the Presbyterians like to say. We don't like to speak about sin much in the United Church, but we all make mistakes and sometimes there are those in the world who wilfully act in self-interest or in a very narrowly focused interest. Ahab and Jezebel acted in self-interest and had someone murdered — Naboth — for the gain of a piece of property. But thank God for Elijah! Elijah held Ahab and Jezebel accountable for their actions.

That's the prophet's task, to hold to account those who commit acts of egregious harm and to point the way to reconciliation and a different way of being. The challenge to us from the gospel is both to recognize the prophets in our midst but also to recognize the prophet within. We need to listen to those who point to the way of non-violence or who point to the way of ethical living or who point the way toward leaving a smaller carbon footprint or who are able to speak truth to power... like Nelson Mandela so many years ago. But more than just recognizing the prophets in our midst, we must also recognize the prophet within. We all have the power to speak out, to speak with our actions, to exercise our considerable power as consumers, to write blogs, tweet, and letters to the editor. The good news calls forth from us the voice of our inner prophet about truth, about love and about grace and forgiveness. The inner prophet does not let the bad news be the last news, but lets love speak louder.

The second thing that occurred to me driving home from Creston is that the gospel, the good news, changes us and enables us to change others. The story of Jesus eating at table with Simon, who did not offer the required hospitality, an insulting breach of etiquette, is a teaching story. The woman who anointed Jesus' feet and head had learned the good news of love. She taught Simon what it was to offer hospitality and to give of oneself from deep in one's heart. She demonstrated what it is to live a changed life.

Having touched the blessing of God, it is hard to contain our desire that others also touch the blessing of God and be touched. We live with a renewed energy and vigour when we are changed by love, just like the woman who anointed Jesus' feet.

As I was driving back from Creston, I listened to DNTO on CBC — Definitely Not the Opera. Mio Adilman was the host sitting in for Sook-Yin Lee. Just as I was pulling into Nelson, there was a segment about social networks and friendships and the kind of influence they have on us — not web social media. James Fowler, who was being interviewed, claimed that our influence extends to the 3^rd degree. In other words, "our friends' friends' friends are influenced by us even if we don't know them." They were talking about happiness, obesity, and smoking primarily. But I got to thinking about exercising our inner prophets and living differently and influencing others. As we hear the good news and live changed lives — more ethically, more aware of our impact on others, holding people with power to account, using less energy and so on — as we live, our behaviour rubs off on those who are closest to us, which create a domino effect as Fowler put it. The change gains momentum travelling from friend to friend to friend.

Sometimes I hear the question, "What difference can I make in the world?" Well, Fowler's given us a clue. As we listen to the good news as proclaimed by Jesus and as enacted by Jesus, we are changed from the inside out. As our hearts are changed, our behaviour in the world is different, and this influences our friends, whose friends are in turn influenced, who in turn influence others, and so it goes. It's really quite powerful when you think about it. And I think Jesus must have intuitively known this, the power of person-to-person peacemaking, influence and justice-making.

And that's become the most effective way of making a difference in the world regarding peace and justice... one person influencing one person influencing another. Politicians can't control this peacemaking process and so are afraid of it! So, the second thing is that the good news leads us not to be caught up in despair and cynicism, but to be changed and to live changed lives and to spread this good news in the new ways in which we live our lives.

The third thing that occurred to me is that I believe that the gospel, the good news, has a power in and of its own in the world— a sacred power. The good news acted through the bad news of Jesus' death to create the resurrection. I remember my New Testament professor, Lloyd Gaston, who was not given to being overly passionate, spoke one day very passionately about the death of martyrs like Oscar Romero or Martin Luther King Jr. or Julia Ramos or Cecilia Ramos. We all sat up and took notice. Professor Gaston spoke very passionately about how something happens when we remember those who have been murdered because they stood for something. There is something of Jesus' death in these experiences, but more importantly, something of Jesus' resurrection. God is ultimately the God of life and is passionately involved in life. We remember those who have been martyred and we participate in the innate, independent power of the gospel to create life.

Many church teachers over the years have said that one the biggest political acts we can do is prayer. When we pray for others or peace in the world, those prayers say what is in our hearts. But more than this, these prayers go into the heart of God and are delivered anew into the world in some way in and through the Spirit. The word for compassion pertaining to God, as in steadfast love or compassionate love, is related to the word womb. Thus, in prayer, the thing or person for which we pray is taken into God's heart, God's womb, and birthed anew into the world.

Jesus' resurrection unleashed the power of the gospel to create life, to not be contained by death or fear. Somehow, the Spirit acts through us and beyond us to sew the seeds of peace, justice, love and good news. Our calling and our task is to get on board as the African-American spiritual says — get on board, little children, get on board. The gospel train's a'comin. Get on board!

So, let us not be seduced by fear and cynicism that the bad news is the only news. Let us let loose the voice of the inner prophet in all of us, let us live with vigour and verve the good news that will rub off on others, and let us get with the Spirit of integrity and peace on the gospel train of love and justice.

That's the good news today as I see it today!

Amen.