By Linda Tancs
The word “gospel” is derived from two Anglo-Saxon words: God (meaning “good”) and Spell (meaning “tidings”). If God Spell sounds familiar, then you may be recalling Godspell—a musical based on the gospel of Matthew that’s been produced by many touring companies and seen many revivals, including on Broadway. So the gospel is, literally and figuratively, good news. Although we associate biblical “good news” with the four gospels, the concept exists throughout the Bible. For instance, the prophets Nahum (Nahum 1:15) and Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1) were bearers of good news. Proverbs, too, reminds us that good news is like cold water to a weary soul (Proverbs 25:25). And, of course, there’s the proclamation of the angel Gabriel to the shepherds of good tidings of great joy on the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:10), the ultimate Good News, both the bearer of the message and the message Himself!
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