When there is a mixture of news to be shared, we’re sometimes asked whether we want the good news or the bad news. In our culture, the bad news is easy to find. Just turn on the nightly television news, open a newspaper, log in to Facebook or go to whatever source you normally get your news from. You’ll quickly find plenty of bad news – from wars and disasters to political scandals and scuttlebutt, from looming health crises to the climate emergency.

Good news is a little harder to find, but it’s there if we have eyes to see it and ears to listen. There is much love and joy and care in the world – within families, between friends, in the local neighbourhood. Natural disasters like the recent floods often bring out the best in people – helping out their neighbours in need.  It’s also good to remember that the sun will come up tomorrow morning however dismal things may seem right now.

This week we are offered two visions of the world from the ancient past – one from the prophet Isaiah and one from Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. Both are relevant and both are formative for Christian faith. But they are nearly opposites of each other so we have to work hard to hold them together in tension.

First, the bad news from Jesus … the world is in a mess. There are and always will be wars and conflicts between nations, famines, natural disasters and plagues (e.g. covid). Followers of Jesus can expect, at times, to be persecuted and hated, imprisoned and even killed for their faith in Jesus. These things are all to be expected. What are we to do? Stand firm, trust that Jesus will be with us and not be afraid.

By contrast, the good news from Isaiah is that God has a better plan for the world – to recreate earth the way God intends. There will be peace and prosperity for everyone as well as between nations, people will be rewarded for their hard work and enjoy the fruit of their labours, people will grow old with dignity. There will be joy and delight in living. This is a vision of the kingdom of God that Jesus came to inaugurate. We see glimpses of it here and there – which gives us hope and encourages us to continue to work for good in the world.

Both of these visions are true. Each of them says something important. Which one do you most need to hear today?