What Your Neighbours Want To Hear

Is This News not Good News?

Because our church is a young church, we have very little experience in dealing with death. 99% of you have never heard me preach a funeral service--and I hope you never do!

But I have delivered many funeral messages in my ministry and they have ranged from babies born without life to elderly women who¡¦ve lived full and productive lives.

It’s been my observation that everyone left behind wants to know where their loved one is now that they’ve died.

I always use the funeral service to share the love of God. I do my best to communicate to them that God loves them, that He has proven His love in Christ Jesus, and that He has reserved a place for them, too, when they die IF they intentionally allow Him to be their Saviour and Lord.

Do You Have Hope for the Future?

John 14: 1-6 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Your neighbours are dying to hear this from you!

Conclusion

I am a son of a small town in upstate New York. The Village of Corinth has a population of 2,474, and the Town, another 4000. We’re known as the "Snowshoe Capital of the World", which is interesting because I¡¦ve never seen one person on snowshoes the entire time I’ve been associated with the place.

We’re located on the Hudson River, which for many, many years supplied power to the IP Co. Paper Mill, which closed down a few years ago due to union problems and the decreasing demand for its paper.

In our town, like other small towns, there’s a united and loyal group of people who have answered the call to be communicators of the news ¡V we call them gossips!

The saying is true, "If you want to keep a secret in Corinth, don’t tell anyone!"¨

In my town, what’s whispered over the clothes line at 7:00 a.m. is being chewed on in the local restaurant at 7:10 a.m.

And you don’t have to live in the town to be in on the gossip. As a son of a town politician, email allows me to stay up on the latest happenings. When you ask, "What’s going on?", be prepared to hear about it!

Any new news is good new for the gossip set!

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can impact our neighbours for Jesus Christ right here in our community. Everyone likes a good story and everyone likes to know what’s going on.

So:

Why don’t we become the community "Good News" Group? Why don’t we whisper over the clotheslines or in the coffee shop down the street that:

1. Commitment in marriage still matters.

2. That children are still valued.

3. That life is still sacred and should be protected.

4. And, finally, that there is hope for eternity.