• Note: This is a re-framing and reimagining of the post I took down earlier this morning. It’s the same idea (the importance of communicating good news) but the focus the first time around was too negative and – in consequence – at odds with my central thesis. My apologies if you stumbled across the earlier version and found it whiny…

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. – Ephesians 5:8

Today I can’t stop thinking about how important it is to communicate effectively. We have good news to share and it’s a story the world absolutely needs to know. I feel it is increasingly important that we are more intentional when it comes to communicating the good news of God’s love.

Sunday morning Rebekah preached from Philippians 2, where Paul urges his listeners: ”Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world because you hold on to the word of life.”

The message is the first of several designed to address our responsibility as children of the light to interact with this world in a way that promotes healing, and reconciliation, and that demonstrates the power of the gospel to effect positive and transformational change.

This is far too important not to share beyond our doors. The best response – of course – is to live such in a way that our lives tell the good news story. Another way we can do this is to make our worship services – and especially the messages – more accessible.

I often write about bad religion, and the false narrative about God that is so widely propagated. Given the negative impact of such messaging, we should surely redouble our efforts when it comes to communicating the truth about God’s amazing invitational love.

So yesterday morning – and for the first time ever – I pressed the “Live” button on my Facebook App and pointed my phone at the pulpit. The result is the very rudimentary video I have linked here (click to view Rebekah’s message). I may be a decent writer, and a good photographer, but videography is certainly not my spiritual gift!

I am, however, going to continue to do this every week. The message is too important to do otherwise – DEREK