"DON'T take that as gospel," is a familiar way of saying that we are not sure if what we are reporting or repeating is actually true. The inference here is that when we say "that is the gospel truth", it's really true.
There is a lot of angst these days around, misinformation, disinformation, or fake news.
While the immediacy and availability of news is new, the concept of misinformation isn't.
Pontius Pilate had provided extra security for the grave, putting a seal on the stone and posting a guard there. On the first day of the week however, despite their best efforts, the tomb was empty, the seal broken and the stone rolled away.
Some of the guards went to the chief priests and reported what had happened, coming up with a fake story that the body was stolen.
But that didn't stick because today in 2022 we are still celebrating the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
The word 'gospel' means 'good news' and the good news is that because of the resurrection of Christ from the dead we too have resurrection hope.
Hazel Loney
Lay Leader
Methodist Conference in Ireland
