Waiting for Gospel, by Douglas John Hall

Chapter One - The Mystery of Gospel

1.  The gospel as mystery…now there’s something to think about.  And you know that Hall is a deep thinker.  He begins by contrasting this mystery with the fundamentalist presentation of gospel as plain truth.  For the Apostle Paul, a pretty bright guy, after all, the gospel remains a mystery…always new each day.

Let’s step back from our usual assumptions/traditions and ponder what both Paul and Hall (nice ring to it!) imply by the gospel as mystery.  Why must the gospel come to us as mystery (think Holy Spirit and grace here)?  How does gospel differ in nature and function from law (think conviction of sin here)? 

2.  Hall continues with a long list of misuses of the gospel over the centuries…especially in teaching and preaching.  At its worst, it’s given preaching (and preachers) a bad name in some parts. But it’s not just the preachers…it’s also the doctrinal positions and attitudes embodied in the specific denominations through which they’re nurtured and expressed.

Throughout your life, what types of preaching have you encountered?  Please give specific details.  In each case, how was the gospel communicated?  Did it come off as mystery, grace, and truly good news?  Or as moral certitude, oughts and musts, and less than good news?

3.  Hall clarifies the gospel by saying it is not something that we do, but something that has been done for us by our loving God.  This is also what separates gospel from law.  As such, gospel is always news...very good news!  Thus, the context/setting of the gospel is each new day…each new moment, experience, and encounter. 

If the gospel message is that “Christ is making all things new,” what is our daily posture/attitude toward hearing, receiving, and responding to this personal invitation to “be made new?”

4.  Hall emphasizes that the mystery of the gospel leads to its discovery…new each day.  Let’s look at his summary statement:  “The church is not an institution of those who feel that they already have ultimate truth.  To the contrary, when it is most real, the disciple community is a gathering of human beings who are united in their common longing: they are waiting for gospel, remembering that they heard it once, hoping against hope to hear it again.” 

What does this mean to you?  Why does the cross symbolize this good news as we seek to address the suffering of the world, past and present?

5.  Our common vocation, Hall says, is “to acquire the wisdom we need to discern what time it is, and to articulate, as best we can, a message that is worthy of this holy and precious word of our tradition, gospel.”  But we must speak up and not remain silent!  Yes, we are called to be doers of the Word, as well…but not doers only, as we’re often content to be.  The gospel is meant to be heard…to change hearts and minds.

I recall as a child being asked the question (usually after being caught in the act of something bad), “So, what do you have to say for yourself?”  It was meant to lead to a confession.  Let’s apply that statement to our own witness to the gospel:  “What do we have to say for ourselves?” 

What public and personal confessions have we made on behalf of the gospel?  Where might the Holy Spirit be prompting and leading you right now to “speak up” in witness to the mystery and grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ?