The word gospel is an old English word that means good news. "To proclaim the gospel" is to speak of the power of God who works in the lives of people to bring about the good purposes that emerge out of the heart of God.

The biblical narrative tells a story of creation and recreation. The first chapter of the book of Genesis is a beautiful poem. It portrays the creator God calling reality into existence by the power of the Word. God's Word is God's power. God speaks reality into existence. And God also judges this creative work. "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good."

This theme of the creative Word runs throughout the Bible. In another poem, Psalm 19, king David glorifies God in his experience of creation. Like many people today who say they experience God in nature, David experienced the creation as it were speaking to him. Of course it was not an audible word. But the creation impacted the poet/king with the power of direct address.

The heavens are telling the glory of God
And the firmament proclaims his handiwork;
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard;
Yet their voice goes out throughout all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world

To the Hebrew poets, the Word is a powerful force. It established kingdoms and gave weight to prophets. A prophet in ancient Israel was one to whom "the Word of the Lord had come." This coming of the Word was all the authority a prophet needed.

For example, Moses became a prophet when the Word addressed him from out the burning bush. (Exodus 3) The Word came to the boy Samuel while he lay sleeping in house of Eli the old priest, (1 Samuel 2) and to the prophet Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah (Jeremiah 1). Prophets spoke the Word of the Lord with great confidence, knowing, as the prophet Isaiah said, "The Word of our God will stand for ever." (Isaiah 40)

In Jesus Christ humanity experiences the Word still. John's Gospel equates the man Jesus of Nazareth with the eternal Word. It is an audacious claim.

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God;
all things were made through him,
and without him was not anything made that was made.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth;
we have beheld his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father.

The gospel (or good news) of Jesus Christ is the report that now the creative Word of God has come near to us. Furthermore, this Word does not come among us as a threat, or as an oppressive authority. When the Word became flesh in Jesus, God came down to be among us as one who serves. God who created us, now dwells among us to recreate us and to empower us to live in a world as God intended it to be.

Followers of Jesus Christ practice living their lives in relationship with God who has drawn near to them in him. They pray. They read God's Word. They explore with one another how God is moving in their lives. And slowly their perspective begins to change.

God's priorities become their priorities. They begin to see the world with new eyes. A sense of divine purpose replaces that sense of aimless wandering. They begin to see money, talent, even time as gifts from God to be used in God's service in the blessing of others. Serenity pushes out anxiety. Joy overflows.

And slowly the world begins to change. And a day will come when God looks over the creation, all of the creation and says, "Behold, it is very good."

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