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The Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith, Jr., is pastor of Covenant United Church of Christ, South Holland, IL. He is also a trustee of the Alliance for Christian Media.

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United Church of Christ

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Covenant United Church of Christ, South Holland, IL

Dr. Ozzie Smith on "Good News?"

October 14, 2009

Dr. Ozzie Smith reflects on this week's Day1 sermon by Bishop Will Willimon, "Good News?"

Amen, Bishop Willimon! The good news we want is not always the good news we get from Mark's cut-to-the-chase gospel. I am familiar with East St. Louis--it is synonymous with being a tough place to do anything related to life. Yet, the good news of the cross-bearing minister there is profound. It suggests that someone "gets it" in a place that makes "getting it" difficult.

The lectionary has truly been "on it" for the past few weeks in revealing the tension between desire and deserve. It seems "those people" and "us people" do tend to believe that we deserve something simply because we desire it--choice seats and frequent faith miles. I too was quick to sign the dotted line without reading the fine and faithful print of what it meant to follow Christ. In some ways posing for photographs in this journey shows only a moment void of motion.

Kirk Byron Jones, in his book Addicted to Hurry, mused about looking at an artist's rendering of a bird on a branch. After pondering the painting, Jones then wondered if the bird had just landed there or perched to fly away. One does not have to be an ornithologist to know that birds don't pose for paintings. Perhaps so it is with the good news--not a time to pose for a shot, but an opportunity to take a shot and shout with good news that it is well with my soul. Thanks for a great Word, Bishop Willimon! Thanks for the lift, Day1!

--Ozzie Smith