Very Good News

Short Talk (SHT199) Very Good News! © Jane Hulme 2020 Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: SHORT TALK: “Very Good News!” To encourage people that Jesus being raised from the dead is very good news indeed. This is a short All Age talk picking out one issue from the Lectionary Gospel reading of the Sunday main service. The talk stands alone and assumes that the Gospel Bible reading may not yet have been read to the congregation. It could be used for example, for the whole congregation before the children go out to their age specific groups, leaving the adults with a full sermon later. Jesus, Easter Sunday, Resurrection, Love, Power John 20:1-18, Matthew 28:1-10 Year A – Easter Sunday .................................................................................................................. I want you to imagine for a moment that you are living in Jerusalem around the time of Jesus. • You are a reporter on the Jerusalem Chronicle, a newspaper that goes to everyone living in Jerusalem. • Every day you write up stories that are either good or bad news. I am going to tell you some stories from the life of Jesus and I want you to work out if the story is good news or bad news and shout that out. OK? 1) JesuswasborninBethleheminaplacewhereanimalswerekept. • Is that good news or bad news? (Receive responses) The Bible tells us that it is good news. • Do you remember the angel saying to the shepherds: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-12) 2) Jesus was with 5000 hungry people, but there were only 5 small loaves of bread and 2 fish available to feed them with. • Is that good news or bad news? (Receive responses) The Bible tells us that it is good news, because “they all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” (Matthew 14:20) 3) Jesus healed a man born blind, but He did it on the Jewish Sabbath, which really angered the religious people. • Is that good news or bad news? (Receive responses) © Jane Hulme 2020 2 The Bible tells us that it is good news, because Jesus said Himself that giving sight to the blind was one of the reasons that He came. (Luke 4:18) 4) Now for a harder story. Jesus hung and died on a cross on Good Friday. • Is that good news or bad news? (Receive responses) It seemed like terribly bad news at the time didn’t it? • Jesus, the Son of God, who came as our Saviour, crucified on a cross, then laid in a tomb. • Bad news doesn’t get much worse than that does it? But 3 days later, the news changed. • A friend of Jesus called Mary Magdalene had a breaking news story. • She had personally met Jesus and went and told the other disciples, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18) Jesus had been raised from the dead and was walking around Galilee for people to see. • That is very good news indeed! So, what does this very good news mean? • It means that Jesus is who He claimed He was – the Son of God. • It means that His death on the cross dealt with our sin so that we can be forgiven and be free from guilt. • It means that we can come into God’s family and enjoy a relationship with Him forever. • It means that love is more powerful than evil. Jesus is alive today. He is risen. • That is very good news indeed! © Jane Hulme 2020 3