Good news/bad news…
James Cathcart
November 15, 2024
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1 Thessalonians 3: 6-13 (NRSVA)
6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us—just as we long to see you. 7 For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. 8 For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.
11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. 13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
In today’s reading Timothy is the bearer of good news! Sometimes good news comes knocking, but often, like Timothy, we need to go out and retrieve it! What good news could we find and bring back today?
I remember a while back hearing a statistic, that people were something like ten times more likely to share a bad customer experience than a good one. And that’s because Good News has a sleeker, edgier competitor. It was the American columnist Doug Larson apparently who once said: “Bad news travels fast. Good news takes the scenic route.”
Bad news, bad experiences, often travel at lightning speed. There are some valid reasons for this. We are wired to be sensitive to danger and to respond quickly to alarm. It makes sense that news about disasters and calamities spread quickly. It can also be cathartic to share our struggles, especially with a sense of humour. But it’s important to remind ourselves just how speedy and sleekit bad news can be.
Back to Larson’s quote, isn’t it kind of lovely to think about good news taking the scenic route? Taking in new sights, new encounters along the way! Bad news is on a desperate dash for the exit, but good news is on an adventure. Good news can become even better news as it travels and picks up extra details on the way.
There is a drama game called ‘Fortunately/Unfortunately’ where a group of actors tell a story around a circle, each person taking turns to narrate it. Each person alternates saying either Fortunately… or Unfortunately… So, ‘Unfortunately Tim was late for work… Fortunately he remembered he’d left a high powered space craft in his garden last night… Unfortunately some goats have chewed through the fuel pipes…’
These farfetched and humorous scenarios that somehow ultimately resolve themselves have a lot in common with Larson’s quote about good news going 'the scenic route’. The circuitous and often increasingly ridiculous stories (Fortunately the goats were trained astronauts…) points to something true about the ups and downs of life. And true good news, like reality, takes this scenic route, taking it all in. True good news acknowledges that the good news of life is all tied up with the complex reality of living. Bad news often won’t acknowledge the good, that would just slow it down. Whereas good news acknowledges that there is bad but also that bad is not all there is.
Unfortunately life is hard, but fortunately it’s also beautiful.
Prayer:
Dear God,
Help us to be like Timothy
and bear good news
as it takes its scenic route
through your world.
Amen.
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