What is the gospel?
Dear First Pres SLO Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whose heart we know because of the life and ministry of Jesus the Messiah.
A few weeks ago I mentioned the Great Ends of the Church, a Presbyterian expression of who we are as the Body of Christ. If you missed it, here they are:
The Great Ends of the Church
The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind.
The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God.
The maintenance of divine worship.
The preservation of the truth.
The promotion of social righteousness.
The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
I want to look at that first one today. What does it mean to proclaim the gospel “for the salvation of humankind”? At one level we are a part of a faith that believes that all salvation comes from Jesus Christ—that only through Christ’s saving work are we folded into God’s Kingdom. But…there’s a lot of healthy questioning about how that works, and doesn’t. It’s enough for us to believe that however we are invited into eternal life, from whatever faith, it is God’s work in Christ that makes it happen.
But what about all of this proclaiming of the gospel in the meantime? I think this is the key for us as we grow into our lives as true Jesus-followers—as Christians. What is that gospel?
Robert Guelich was my New Testament professor in seminary. He was an expert in the Gospel of Mark, and in a lecture he defined the Christian gospel this way:
“The ‘gospel’ then is the message that God acted in and through Jesus Messiah, God’s anointed one, to effect God’s promise of shalom, salvation, God’s reign.”
The good news we’re called to proclaim is that God has acted—that God has done something to restore the world to the way it was meant to be. Notice that the gospel isn’t about who receives it. The good news isn’t about who benefits. The gospel of Jesus is about the one who offers it—it’s about what God has done to show love and mercy and grace to all of creation.
We can get behind that, right?
Too much of the way Christianity is communicated talks about who’s in and who’s out. To be blunt, that kind of talk is way above our paygrade. Our job is to talk about the offer, not about who does or doesn’t accept it.
What a relief. And what a challenge.
Over these next months we’re going to talk a lot (a lot) about what it means to be the church. I’ll be preaching in the Book of Acts, we’ll be growing into our shared work as a Matthew 25 congregation (more on that soon), and we’ll be preparing for Advent by reflecting on who we’re called to be as the First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo.
Through all of that we’ll remember that it is an essential part of our identity and purpose to proclaim “the gospel for the salvation of humankind”. It’s a holy task and calling. It’s why God offers the Holy Spirit to help us get it done. It is not just a part of what we do, it’s an essential piece of who we are, both individually and together.
Blessings to you in your own journey of faith. Stay safe and healthy.
Pastor John
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An Update About Public Worship at First Pres SLO
· We will continue with in-person worship, with a renewed emphasis on our guidelines for safe gatherings (see below).
· We will monitor the COVID situation on a weekly basis, seeking guidance from healthcare professionals and reviewing statistics and other scientific indicators. We may choose at any time to suspend in-person worship and return to Zoom gatherings.
· We advise anyone at medium or high risk to stay home and worship with us via the livestream (to be clear, this includes the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and those who have traveled outside the area).
· We are requiring the staff to be tested monthly for COVID exposure.
· We will communicate clearly and often about our deliberations and decisions.
A word about our guidelines for in-person worship. We are trusting that everyone who attends our Sunday service is fully vaccinated—please do not come if you are not vaccinated. And while we are glad to see full compliance with the proper wearing of masks, we are concerned about the lack of social distancing in the Sanctuary. Remember, please keep at least 3 feet between each household. This is an essential part of our layered strategy for prevention in our public gatherings. I will be instructing the ushers to remind you about distancing as you enter the building.
Here are the guidelines for public worship:
· Only vaccinated people will attend church in person.
· The sanctuary is open at about 50% capacity (about 100 people).
· Reservations will not be taken at first, but may be needed eventually.
· All people will enter through the Courtyard.
· All people will wear masks properly when indoors.
· We will require distances between households of at least 3 feet.
· We will not be singing or saying unison prayers or creeds.
· We cannot allow hugging or other physical contact on church grounds.
· We will not be serving food or drinks until advised differently.
A few comments here. First, if you’re not feeling well, please stay home. Second, if these guidelines feel too restrictive to you, please address your personal liberty concerns to me or to a member of session, and NOT one of the ushers on Sunday morning. Finally, remember that this is good news! We’ve waited a long time to be together again, and we’re going to do it with caution and care and joy.