the gospel

Occasionally I share thoughts on here but it's not a normal thing because I'm more comfortable with this being a forum for our day to day cuteness and craziness to share with those we miss so much and for my thoughts and spirituality to be sorted through during prayer, my journal and conversations.  

There's also one more reason that my mind struggles with every time something pops in my head to share (even if it's not on our blog) and it's the fear of what someone might think after that idea is out.  I'm always afraid I'll get one of four responses... 

1) "the seminarian" - Oh Sarah, your thoughts are very off base with sound doctrine and theology.  If you'd just think or say it this way it would be right.

2)  "the seventh level christian" - Wow seriously you're just getting that?  How long have you been a christian again?

3)  "the sympathetic head tilt" -  Awww isn't that cute she's trying to share something spiritual.

4)  "ignorer"- ok yeah that was great now if you could just go back to showing a picture of Logi Bear I'll read it.

Just like my mother preempting every present on Christmas morning ;), I say this to say that I wanted to share something in our women's group book last week.  While the story and knowledge of Christ's life, death and resurrection are the reason I can breathe on a daily basis, the words "the gospel" have never held much weight with me.  In my experience they either come with such a boring definition that it's hard to understand the beauty of it all or they are very often just words people seem to throw into conversation to make them sound more intelligent or christiany.  Kind of like sitting in a faculty meeting with teachers or administrators throwing in every acronym in the education world or paradigm shift into every sentence.  

I know when I hear those two words my worldly world should crumble and my heart should sing at the depth of what they mean but it just doesn't or didn't.  There was a paragraph I read last week that explained it in a beautiful way, to me, and I wanted to share it with you.

The gospel is good news for us, yes, but the goodness of this good news is not primarily us or even our new identity.  It is good news about him:  his mercy, his faithfulness, his holiness and atoning sacrifice.  It's a report about his great condescension as he traded his glorious identity for our shameful one.  It's about his flawless character and infinite compassion.  Even though he has become our life, the emphasis belongs on him, not on our identity, our sin, our standing, our successes, or even our joys.  As wonderful as the gift of an entirely new, clean identity is, we won't spend eternity rejoicing in it.  We'll spend eternity rejoicing in him.  We'll sing, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"  This resounding chorus will fill our mouths as it fills all heaven:  To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" (Rev. 5:12-13)

                                                                   ~  Because He Loves Me  pg. 61
                                                         Elyse M. Fitzpatrtick