What is good news?

What is the attraction of Jesus for people who don’t “need” anything? What is the gospel — good news — in this culture? This has been the question on my mind over the past years as I have served in the Czech Republic, a context with challenges, as all contexts hold, but unique in its own way. For one, people are largely self-sufficient, able to provide for their physical needs, even with some excess, and on the surface, don’t necessarily lack. In that way, not so far off from the U.S., right? Poverty or physical need creates a reliance on something outside of ourselves, an openness — or even desperation — to something outside of ourselves, and this is not the case in the Czech Republic. It’s a context that is very non-spiritual, unlike places like Africa or Asia, where people are much more attuned to the spiritual, where Jesus can reveal himself. Czechs are very logical people, rarely acknowledging a spiritual realm, and if they do, it has nothing whatsoever to do with them.

Furthermore, concepts like Jesus saving us from our sins don’t have meaning. These are religious terms that we throw around in church settings, but put yourself in a place of never growing up with these terms: “Saved from what? I take care of myself. I’m a pretty good person.”

And who is this Jesus? Many people I know might have a context for God as some sort of higher being, but even the context for Jesus is not present outside of a historical backstory for Christmas. Along with this, the impact of years of communism, where the only person you can trust is yourself, means that forming meaningful relationships can take years. All of these factors create an environment where it is challenging to convey Jesus as relevant and attractive.

So what is good news? It has to start with God, a creator who loves his creation, delights in the masterpiece, including us as humans, he has created, and desires wholeness for his world. The brokenness in the world, in relationships, in harm done to others and ourselves, and with the earth — environment — itself is something that undoubtedly everyone can relate to. Things are not as they should be. Very obviously. And that’s where Jesus comes in. Jesus is the means — the person and relationship — by which God intended and intends to redeem the brokenness of the world.

In the past couple of years, I’ve been working with a church plant in the town of Dobříš, outside of Prague, and as I’ve considered what my involvement would be in this town, God impressed on my heart the need to pray. I was inspired by the start of the 24/7 prayer movement out of England and the verses from Isaiah 62:6—7:

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

I started prayer-walking the streets of Dobříš every week, asking God to make Dobříš a place known for his praise. But what does this mean? As I considered this question, my prayers took on a broader form than asking for people to know Jesus as Savior. Instead, they were shaped by what felt like would be good news to the people of those neighborhoods: God’s kingdom to cover those streets with its love, joy, and peace. Interceding for the brokenness that is so pervasive to be replaced with goodness and beauty. For God to work reconciliation in relationships and restoration of kindness and love. For comfort for the lonely and relief for the hurting. For people to recognize their contribution to brokenness and choose another way. For the shalom which Jesus offers to spring up. Unlikely? It often seems so. Impossible? With God, no. But all of this feels like it could be good news to people longing for something more.

Good news for kids who joined the English camp in Dobříš over the past two years is a place to be seen and known. The isolation in an increasingly digital, independent world is evident. After English Camp this past summer, a number of girls came to our Sunday service and stayed for the hot dog party with the Americans who helped at camp. They expressed how they liked the songs, and most surprisingly, they hung around until the very end, even as most people had gone and the rest of us were cleaning up. It met some kind of need in them: a space where they felt welcomed and seen.

Similarly, while working with youth, I’ve often heard comments of “I really like it here — everyone seems to like each other and get along!” I’ve seen the impact that community in the life of believers has on the world around us. Good news for these students is community, harmony in relationships, and a place to belong. These settings are a place where the loving fellowship of Jesus-followers is meeting a desire — maybe one not even consciously recognized — for the type of relationships that the body of Christ expresses as we reflect the presence of Jesus.

Good news for a new friend whom I met at a coffee shop in Dobříš is something  — or Someone — to fill the emptiness in her life. I recognize that she has numerous areas of disappointment and brokenness in her life and how she seeks something, often misguidedly, to fill those empty places. She grew up Catholic, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she believes God is good, although I don’t believe she has a context for a relationship with Jesus. And yet Jesus is the only one who can ultimately meet her in her emptiness and fill her with peace, and I know that he longs to be that good news for her.

For a friend who is suffering from a chronic illness that keeps her relatively bed-bound and isolated, living apart from her family, the good news is that she’s not alone, that there is a God who grieves with her and relates intimately with the pain of suffering. And in the reflection of his image, he has created fellowship for his people to grieve with those who are grieving and come alongside in prayer and support. This good news does not always bring immediate comfort and hope to the one hurting, but is held within the body of Christ for this dear friend and her family.

Discipleship in the Czech Republic is a slow process, but each moment of reflecting the kingdom of God is good news. It is the fullness and goodness of life in relationships restored — relationship with God, with each other, and with creation. And that feels attractive to me. I pray that this expression of the kingdom draws people who may not be longing for so much on the surface and may not even be consciously aware of the extent of brokenness in their own lives, but awakens desire for something much more as they hear it and experience it through God’s people.