Dear friends in Christ,
This coming Sunday, we will hear a lesson from the First Letter to Timothy, in which St. Paul writes that God “desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” St. Paul here is echoing his Lord Jesus, who commanded us to preach the Gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16) and to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28).
It’s clear that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. It is God’s will that everyone be reconciled with God and with each other.
Two things leap out at me as I reflect on all this. It’s pretty easy to point at some marginalized or particular group that we favor and say, “these people especially deserve God’s love.” And of course, they do! But it’s also true that whoever we loathe or fear is also beloved of God. If we can work for the salvation of anyone – ourselves, friends, neighbors, or even enemies – we should do that! And this begins with the proclamation of the Good News of God in Jesus Christ.
The second thing is that it’s tempting to get overwhelmed by bad news, whether in social media or traditional media. We might like to put our head in the sand and wish problems would go away, that good news would somehow magically prevail. You and I can’t change the whole world at once, but we CAN change the world one life at a time, starting with ourselves. And we can spread the transforming mercy and grace of God to others, one person at a time.
I’d like to live in a world where good news reigns, and I bet you would, too. Let’s make it happen! Proclaim the Good News to someone.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
More from our ministry:
Download bulletin inserts for AdventWord 2025
Back in print: Our bestselling Gift Edition of the BCP
Focus your parish on growing in love of God and neighbor: RenewalWorks
Advent is 6 weeks away – order your Advent devotional today