The Half-Way Point

June 2, 2025 | Impressions from the first half of Season 1

Having reached the half-way point for our look at Bible passages during this first season of Observing the Good News (!), it is a good opportunity to reflect on some themes that come to mind. When I do so, I think about mission, tapestry, and being transformed.

Mission: Jesus had a mission. John the Baptist had a mission. The sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet had a powerful, short mission in that particular passage, and so did the woman at the well in the post titled "The Thirsty Messiah." Mary and Joseph had an incredible mission and responsibility. Jesus' siblings had a mission, and so did His apostles. Some of these missions came with both great hardship and great joy. They knew what they needed to do. They were guided by a power beyond themselves. All of the missions undertaken by these ordinary people were significant, all of them meaningful not just to themselves, but to others.

What mission does each of us have? How is it defined? Of what lasting quality is it? As we go deeper into the Good News, I believe each one of us can explore these questions. The answers are there.

Tapestry: A post from 2 weeks ago, "Background and Foreground," compared observing the Good News to looking at a painting. It's also good to think about the work of God through the centuries as a "tapestry." This tapestry just keeps unwinding, day by day. God was creating long before the 1st century A.D. He has continued it long after the Bible was written. He is making his tapestry today, and it's an incredible masterpiece.

As some pretty wise authors in the Bible have observed: eye has not seen, ear has not heard, the full depth and breadth of God's work and wonders. This is part of His tapestry.

Being transformed: The first 3 modules have not observed the apostles very closely, even though they play huge parts in the tapestry of the 1st century and beyond. The Gospels show us how ordinary the apostles were before and while they were with Jesus. It is only after the Holy Spirit was poured out on them and upon the believing church that we see the apostles transformed. More on this later on this site, but I mention this because contrast is one of the most powerful tools for the artist, be it painting or tapestry. The change in the apostles' lives from the early years of the New Testament to the later ones is a powerful statement, indeed.

When we observe the Good News, it is not about facts, places, and names. These are real people, with real stories. They lived in a different time, but incredibly, we are all part of God's tapestry.