I will send survivors to the nations that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. Isaiah 66:19  

And Jesus said to them: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” Mark 16:15  

How far and fast can news travel? Sometimes it seems as if lots of bad news can spread very quickly in our modern technological world. Not so much in Bible times. In the last chapter of Isaiah the Lord is sending survivors to the nations – lots of nations. Did they reach the entire world? Not the whole globe, but they could reach the world that they knew of as they traveled back to their countries. When Jesus sends out His followers to “all the world” they had to walk. Maybe ride a donkey. Their world was the land around them, the countries around and the islands in the Mediterranean Sea. If they were to tell the good news, it had to be in person. Maybe one on one, maybe speaking to a small crowd.  Or through personal, handwritten letters. 

We now have lots of ways to get news out. First of all, in the Western world,  came a printing press in the 1400s. (wooden block printing had existed before that.) Instead of one message at a time, or scribes to carefully copy documents, there now could be many copies made of printed material. Along the way came the telegraph, and more rapid means of transport like trains. We can pick up a telephone and make a call to almost anywhere in the world. No need to walk from here to Duluth or Egypt or any other place. Radio and television allow us to get news out to many people, all at once. Plus that invention called the Internet has made a difference.  

This might make it easier to get the message out, but it can be lost in the cacophony of all the other messages, bad news, gossip and more. The approach of talking with one individual, or a small group of people, is still a good way to proclaim the Good News. We can go to the whole world, no need to walk now until we get there. Planes and trains and cars make the transport easier. However, the message remains the same, and we are the ones with that message and a command to “proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”  

Almighty Father, thank you for your amazing message of love, forgiveness, and grace for the whole creation. Help us to be witnesses of your amazing grace and mercy. Forgive our hesitancy to speak your word. Help us to scream your greatness from the mountaintops! Give us the courage to walk boldly and speak your Good News wherever we go.  Amen.  

Chris Gabel 

Ministries
Teaching Mission Party