The Good News Procession
As a pastor, I rode in many funeral processions. On one such occasion, we had to travel the interstate.
We were proceeding along when all of a sudden a car came speeding onto the interstate. It ended up in front of my car and behind the hearse, which was leading the procession. We traveled a few miles when the passenger in the car sat straight up. She looked back at my car and the cars following with our headlights blaring and little purple flags waving. She then looked forward at the hearse and put her hands to her face and said to the driver of the car, “Oh no, we are in a funeral procession!” They quickly changed lanes and went on.
Consider how life is a journey. We could also say it is a procession that is traveling with a group of people to some destination. From time to time we might find ourselves in a procession best described as a funeral procession, one that is sad and somber, destination, pardon the pun, a “dead end.” I would also suppose that we have all found ourselves in such a procession, some perhaps staying there all life long.
The New Testament, however, speaks of traveling in another kind of procession, the Good News procession – one which doesn’t lead to a “dead end,” but to abundant life. It is a procession in which people laugh, sing, and rejoice. It is one which follows Jesus and it is for people who have heard His words and find great joy in them.
