GOOD NEWS WORTH RETWEETING

Read

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

-Mark 1:1 (ESV)

Reflect

Good news travels fast.

Social psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed social media habits and found people were more likely to share good news than bad. X (formerly known as Twitter) has become a place where news breaks. Since its launch, the highest compliment for users of this social media platform is to have one of their messages “retweeted”—shared by other users.

At one point, Pope Francis had one of the most frequently retweeted accounts in the world. His posts, shared from @pontifex, often centered on messages of hope, peace, and faith—resonating deeply with a global audience. (Note: The @pontifex handle is always used by the current pope—in this case, Pope Leo—while tweets from the previous pope, Francis, have been archived at @pontifex266arch.) This ongoing engagement showed that people remained hungry for good news and truth—and perhaps even for God.

These thoughts about X were prompted by the first verse in the Gospel according to Mark, which reads like a modern-day tweet:

@GospelMark: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” #hehasgoodnews #heisgoodnews

In his first sentence, Mark alerts his readers to what is to come in his account of Jesus. He provides a short summary of the acts of Christ and the identity of Christ. It is as if he cannot wait to begin to share the good news he has come to know and love. The word "gospel" is from an Old English word meaning "good news," the translation of the Greek term for these accounts of Jesus. The Greeks used the word for gospel to declare a military victory, announce a royal birth, or broadcast a political triumph. Mark uses the word with the intention of passing on the good news about Jesus. More importantly, he intends to proclaim that Jesus is the good news.

As we continued our journey with Jesus and His disciples to see what it means to be on mission for God—which means, in effect, to retweet Jesus. No, I do not mean sending comments about Jesus into cyberspace, although that could be an effective method of sharing Christ. I am talking about the good news of Jesus making such a difference in your life that he can be seen in your thoughts, words, and actions. Sisters, Jesus is good news worth retweeting!

Respond

What does it mean to you to be on mission for God? When you consider your life as a follower of Christ, how are you sharing the good news of Jesus?

Prayer

Lord, today let me be a conduit of you and your good news. Amen.