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By J. Adam Tyler
Guest Columnist

Back in 2020, as COVID threatened our physical health and isolation to combat COVID affected our mental and emotional health, folks around the world tried to help one another cope in a variety of ways, many of them virtual. One of the online content options that I ran across then was Some Good News, a web show hosted by John Krasinski of The Office fame. It highlighted feel-good stories to raise people’s spirits and foster hope in a difficult time; I found that it helped make me smile and see some of the good in the world.

As human beings, we long for good news. We know that not everything in life is going to go our way, what with natural and human-caused disasters, personal crises, and communal or national disruption. We know that not all news is good. Yet we long for good news.

I think God knows this, that we need good news, something hopeful and encouraging that will help us have faith in our world and, ultimately, in God’s goodness and peace. We see this in how Jesus framed his work on earth: he said, in multiple places, that he came to proclaim good news. His shorthand for that good news was “the kingdom of God,” but the Gospels (which, incidentally, mean ‘good news’) record more detailed teaching of what Jesus meant when he said he had good news.

One of the most succinct summaries of this is found in a text that many churches read or referenced in last Sunday’s service, Luke 4:14-21. When he came to his hometown synagogue and chose a scripture to read, Jesus turned to the prophet Isaiah and read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he turned to the congregation and said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

In one of his first public teachings, Jesus could have chosen any Bible passage to use to help him describe what he was all about – and he chose this one. This, he says, is what God’s good news looks like: good news for the poor; release for the captives; sight for the blind; freedom for the oppressed; the arrival of God’s favor, or blessing. Mercy, grace, and freedom. Hope for the future for those who aren’t allowed much hope. Something more than just the drudgery of life. That’s the good news at the core of Jesus’ work looks like, in everyday terms: goodness and hope that God will make life better as he brings us into his future. That’s good news for us – and we can help make it good news for everyone. Will you share some good news?

REV. DR. J. ADAM TYLER is the senior pastor for Farmville Baptist Church, and he can be reached by email at pastor@farmvillebaptist.org.