April 1, 2008

April 1, 2008

Presbyweb asked the four candidates for Moderator of the 218th General Assembly to answer one question: What is the Gospel.

What is the Gospel?
By Bruce Reyes-Chow

Luke 8:24-25
The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.

When I think about the meaning of the Gospel, this is one of the passages that always comes to mind, because we are reminded that:

The gospel is the Christ-centered reality of being a presence of peace in a time of anxiety.

I believe the world – and the church – is drawn to living in a culture of fear and anxiety. We know exactly what to do and how to interact when we are scared or anxious. We survive. While self-preservation is understandable, when the focus on survival holds us back from experiencing the transformative power of Christ, we have turned away from our call to be a presence of peace and calm in a world of storms.

This is a shame. As a people of New Life, too often we have given up hope for fear.

This is not the way it has to be. Though we might not always know how to act in times of hope and new life, I know that we can open ourselves up to the possibilities. We have all experienced the transformative power of Jesus Christ. These moments of grace are what we should be open to even in a world that wants us to stay scared and stagnant.

Like the disciples who felt the calm in the midst of the storm, this is what the Gospel compels us to be in the world today: calm in the storm, peace in the uncertainty and hope in the fear.

This is our challenge and our calling.

This is the Gospel.