According to dictionary.com, the definition of connotation is the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning. Words are not one-dimensional. They have rational, emotional and experienced based layers giving them depth. As the definition states, there is an explicit 1st layer meaning and then there are secondary or associated meanings. On one hand, the connotation of a word is completely subjective as related to feelings and experiences. Yet, there are often associated or secondary words which are not simply subjective, but are actually the fabric of the primary word. In this sense, more objective connotations help to “fill out” a word or give more depth or color to its’ primary and literal meaning.
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Paul gives us the primary definition of the gospel. As he goes on to say later in the chapter, if this isn’t true than we are wasting our time, have pity on us, and let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. So be it. Yet this gospel is not just a static event in the past with a one layer definition. “Believe it now, you’ll be glad later” theology misses the bigger picture.
So, what are the connotations of the word “gospel”? On the subjective side, the connotations of this word can range from the endearing all the way to memories of pulpits, scratchy suits, boredom and the sound of some guy with a southern drawl saying “gospel” over and over in your head. On the more objective side, let's look at some associated words. Here is a start: redemption, reconciliation, healing, forgiveness, peace, remedy, compassion…and there is ample room to add to that. This message/gospel brings with it more than a claim about an event that happened in the past. The gospel is dynamic. It is not a one layered fact that we keep asserting because, well, that is all there is to it. Brain McLaren says it well in this quote from The Secret Message of Jesus :
“What if Jesus’ message was not just about avoiding hell and going to heaven, but it was one with political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual implications that could give birth to a new world – a new Kingdom - the Kingdom of Heaven now?"
Do you see what he is saying? What if this gospel doesn’t jump over life from the cross to you and from you to heaven like a person hopping on stones to avoid the mess of the creek? What if this gospel, working through various forms, is seeking to channel into every inch of our very existence and break up our hardened, un-plowed ground not just as individuals, but as groups, communities, and countries? What if the gospel is secretly at work in ways we have not plotted, planned or approved by committee?
Imagine, as you go about life, you encounter these associated words of redemption, reconciliation, healing, forgiveness, peace, remedy, and compassion in things like a child forgiving her temperamental father, a husband returning to his family, someone abused letting go of anger, or a mom finding work to feed her family. Imagine as you hear of these stories or see them unfold before you and you find yourself truly moved by them, a gust of wind blows and you catch a glimpse of a shadow moving quickly from your sight. Then, you say to yourself with squinted eyes and uncertainty in your voice “The gospel? Was that what I just experienced?” This gospel is looking to do more than save you later. It is planning on redeeming life as we know it and therefore, moving us into life as we have never known it starting even now. It is more than just an event pointed to in scripture and referenced in sermons. It is alive and dynamic, showing up where you didn’t plant it.
Remember a moment when you experienced peace, compassion, or reconciliation? Maybe it was over the holidays with all of your family together full of joy. Maybe it was at the hands of a friend who provided for you when you could not do so yourself. Maybe it was one small moment in a rocking chair holding your sleeping child. Now imagine that moment and that feeling never ending. Imagine that it is never interrupted by any of the things that chase it away now. Imagine the beauty of things like healing, compassion, and reconciliation becoming your unending experience. That is much better than the some street of gold. The gospel with its’ layers and dynamicity is working toward some point in the future when injustice, greed, oppression, and the like will be brought to an end, leaving the connotations of the gospel free to live on without interruption. Even now, like a dolphin at full speed, it weaves through our waters, leaping to catch its’ breath and displacing the ways of man with each crashing return in an effort to someday clean the whole place up. The message is more than an historical event. It is more than a ticket to heaven. It is more than a truth to be propagated. It is the force of recovery at work each day all around us with numerous faces and unpredictable disguises.
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