Good News!

BIBLE READING OLD TESTAMENT

Proverbs 15:30

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, 

and good news gives health to the bones.

BIBLE READING NEW TESTAMENT

Mark 1:15

The time has come, he said.

 The kingdom of God is near. 

Repent and believe the good news!

The bible has such good news for everyone; especially after Eesa was born and lived among us.The Age before Eesa M'sheeka (Jesus Christ in Greek) was a warrior age; a time of grabbing for oneself and/or one's tribe. Humanity was, collectively, about the emotional age of a present day two year old crying, mine; mine.

Many of us have grown emotionally, mentally, and spiritually (as a whole) into an adolescent maturity. However, many of us are still lagging behind in the three to five year old mentality; barely civilized and, underneath a seemingly placid exterior; antisocial, manipulative, and warlike. Think about it!  I'm speaking about the whole world of religious peoples; those of us who should know better. Besides ownership of land, what are all the wars about? If you said religion, you'd be right. What was the good news Eesa brought to the world?

The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.

So, what is wrong with the world? Why is this simple statement so overlooked and wasted? It looks like the word repent is what sticks in everyone's craw. Why should we repent when we're RIGHT???

Ah Hah, there's the rub! What is this thing called right that has everyone so uptight and self-righteous? Note that righteous and self-righteous are opposite ends of a pole. There's a wonderful saying that I always told myself when I was trying to change my need to be right; I'd rather be happy than right!  It did help me a bit after the 3,750th time I said it. Still workin' on it!

As more and more people loosen their up-tight, self-righteous prune mouths and wagging fingers, we will learn to love our neighbors as ourselves even though they may be wrong. Maybe there is a plan behind all of our moral laxity in this country. We have to see it from the other side in order to clean up our act, straighten up and fly right without being self-righteous.

No matter how much corruption is going on, the kingdom of God is among us and it's not going anywhere. That's the good news. When we get over being right, we may get the urge to repent and believe the good news Eesa M'sheeka brought us. When we love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves we will unveil the Kingdom as Eesa saw it. No body will go hungry or be alone with their pain, or have to fight a war. It is up to us.That's the good news.

Father in heaven (as near to us as the air),Thank you for all your blessings and for the love that you have for us. We are so grateful that you allowed Eesa to come to us with love and sacrifice. He is our brother in faith and love. Let us bless each other with acceptance, compassion, and love as he did. May we all accept the good news that Eesa brought to us that you are as near as the air we breathe, that your kingdom is within and among us and all we have to do is repent, believe, and love through our brother, Eesa M'sheeka.

Respectfully submitted,

J. Sue Gagliardi

This year on October 1st we begin a new Torah reading; Simchat Torah