Gospels 2 - Why I love the gospels ...

Tuesday, Dec 1, 2009. Why do I love the gospels? I love these books. They are just wonderful. I never had deeper and more interesting literature. But more than just being literature, for me these books are basic daily guidance to get my priorities right, to find what is called “true life”, a life which is not deflected by various goals.

The gospels are a unique type of text. They are their own class of literature. They are God's love letter to us humans. He wants us to find him and to find a life which is filled with his freedom and his love. The gospels can draw us to him. They show us how this life could look like and they help us to live with him and to learn from him every day.

Honestly, as humans we are distracted from true life by many things. We want to have and to be - we are living in the framework of a society which is mad to earn money and to be famous. But there is a much better life than that! Jesus is talking about this when he speaks in the gospels. He talks about the meek, about those with a pure heart, about justice and love, about forgiveness, about priorities which put God first, about freedom from sin, about healthy words …

We humans long for life, for real life, for true life. We can find it in these gospels. It is a life, which starts here on earth, “in the middle of the muddle”. And it is a life which is eternal life, which will last beyond our physical death. For us everything linked to the resurrection is usually difficult to comprehend. It is just too far away from our daily experiences. We are part of a creation which knows death, and there is no way around our own death at some point - which can be any time. So if we hear about life which lasts, it is out of our hands and our mind has problems to grasp it. That is natural, but it is good that God gives to us the perspective of a life which has been freed from the fear of death. We will laugh and cry, when we realize that his promises are real.

The four gospels are four different book, even though three of them share many features (the synoptic gospels). They provide a rich source of inspiration. It can be God's voice speaking to us every morning, before we go to my work. It can be God's voice comforting me in the evenings. Reading them together with a group is even more inspiring - learning from the life experiences and questions of friends.

I love the gospels, because they speak right into my heart. They shape my mind and my emotions. Here God becomes present, when he speaks to me right now, today. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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