The Gospel as Rebirth

Word of Life Church St Joseph

The Gospel as Rebirth

July 21, 2024 • Brian Zahnd

When by the grace of God we realize that who we've become is not who we are supposed to be, the good news is this: We can put our trust in Jesus, be reborn, and begin the salvation journey of becoming the person we were always meant to be.

The Gospel as Tragedy

July 14, 2024 • Brian Zahnd

Can the gospel be told as a tragedy? Obviously. And it certainly was by the Apostles. Before we jump to the triumph of the resurrection we must first face the tragedy of the cross.

The Gospel as Comedy

July 7, 2024 • Brian Zahnd

The gospel is the divine comedy that begins with a ninety-year-old woman having a baby and concludes with a slain lamb overcoming all the monsters of the abyss. This is the divine comedy we’re invited join by simply believing that Jesus is Lord, and the joke is on the devil.

The Gospel as Voyage and Return

June 30, 2024 • Brian Zahnd

In a Voyage and Return story the central character travels out of their familiar, “everyday” surroundings into another world completely cut off from home. This other world is strange, different, exotic, and perhaps at first, exhilarating. But eventually a shadow intrudes. Things begin to change…for the worse. The traveler increasingly feels threatened or trapped. At some point they will need to return home—but enriched and transformed. Unlike the Quest plot, the journey away from home is usually by accident or a mistake—they pass through the looking glass, fall down the rabbit hole, or stumble through a wardrobe into another world. There will be adventures and dangers, but the story ends with the hero returning home, now with greater wisdom and a newfound appreciation.