It’s been a heady few days over half term.
Sarah and the children have been at SPLAT and things are going incredibly well with over 80 children coming from the local community. Sarah has built this event with Jo and a great team and it seems to have real respect from the community.

While the house has been empty I am using up holiday time (a case of use it or lose it!) to read for and write essays. The last few days I have been mulling, reading and writing on the Kingdom of God.

Some things have struck me in a different way, particularly regarding the good news. Mark chapter 1 got me thinking. Mark 1 verse 14 says:

Jesus proclaims the good news saying the kingdom of God is near.

Further reflection has caused me to ask – what actually is the Good News? Is the good news, as I have usually felt, that Jesus came to die for me? Or is the good news that the kingdom of God, that time when God will return to earth as king to live and reign with us with the absence of pain, hunger etc., is breaking into our world and that we can join in with God at brining it about.

I asked a friend who felt that actually it did not matter. But, you see, I think it does. If the good news is that Jesus died for us then we continue with the same story and keep repackaging it like we see here. If the good news is that the Kingdom is coming then that means we need to change our message and not just repackage the crucifixion and resurrection story.

There again maybe this is a both / and situation rather than an either / or. Whatever … I have a few more days to keep thinking before the deadline.