HAPPY TIMES VS GOOD NEWS
Just the other day, I was reading a few lines from an article
online that had a title of “good news.” I talked to my husband about it, and
then didn’t think much more about it until the next day, he mentioned about the
article about happy times. I looked at him questioningly for a few moments
before I figured out that “good news” had become “happy times.”
Jesus never promised us happy times,
but the Gospels do bring us good news. Those are not the same thing, although
we do sometimes get caught up in wondering why something is happening
to us if we’ve done what we’re supposed to. Why are we suffering? Why are we
hurting? Why?
The term happy times reminded me of the song “happy days are here again” which I heard not that long ago in my car on Sirius XM – The Broadway Channel, sung by Barbra Streisand:
Happy Days Are Here
Again
So long sad times
Go long bad times
We are rid of you at last
Howdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clearer again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again
Altogether shout it now
There's no one
Who can doubt it now
So let's tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again
Your cares and troubles are gone
There'll be no more from now on
From now on
The skies above are so clear again
So, let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again
Songwriters: Jack Yellen, Milton Ager
Well, something certainly happened: our Messiah was born, an
event we recently just celebrated, and, more importantly, that same Messiah:
the Prince of Peace, came to save our souls and was raised from the dead and
ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God—an event we will celebrate
in a few months on Easter.
That is Good News. We have four Gospels: Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John. “Gospel” comes “from the Latin evangelium, meaning good tale or
good news. Gospel has a number of distinct meanings. It refers to the Good News
concerning Christ, the Kingdom of God, and salvation. It also refers to the
teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The word is used in connection with the
first four books of the New Testament. For example, the Gospel of Mark or the
Gospel according to Mark refers to the New Testament book ascribed to Mark in
which the life and teachings of Jesus are described. In services of worship,
the Reading from the Gospel or the Gospel Reading refers to the Scripture
reading from one of the four Gospels.”[1]
So, the Gospels bring us the good news, of course, but
there are no promises that everything will be sunshine and roses, or no clouds
or sad times. Of the twelve men that followed Jesus and were called his
disciples, one betrayed him and killed himself; ten were killed because of
their beliefs and their teaching of the good news, and only one lived into old
age (John), although he lived in seclusion on an island. None of that sounds
like happy and care-free, but they believed in and taught the good news. The
stories of those disciples and how they spent their time after Jesus is interesting
in and of itself, of course.
Let’s not, even in these times of racism, violence, pain
and fear, complain that “this isn’t what I signed up for.” What I signed up for
was to follow Jesus and to show his love to my neighbors in all places. What
did you sign up for?
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