"Come, Dad! Quick! It’s urgent!"
That’s what I heard from the other room. Jumping up and rushing in, what did I expect to find?
Maybe someone in danger. Something precious about to be broken. A fire. An injury. I half-expected blood.
Instead, my son pointed at the TV and said, “The internet’s not working and the rugby’s about to start!”
Now we all have different thresholds for what we call urgent. For some, it’s only life-and-death situations, natural disasters, or looming work deadlines. For others, it’s the first coffee of the day or a low phone battery.
But if we were to ask Jesus, “What’s most urgent?”—what would he say?
Thankfully, we don’t need to guess. The very first words Jesus speaks in Mark’s Gospel make his priorities crystal clear:
Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
— Mark 1:14–15
For Jesus, the most urgent and highest priority was the work of God’s kingdom—specifically, that people would repent, turning from their greatest problem (sin), and believe in God for salvation.
This week, our staff team have been at a conference, and we were powerfully reminded of the urgency of this task. That humanity’s greatest problem isn’t political instability or economic pressure—it’s our sin, which leaves us under God’s righteous judgment. Eternity is a long time. And hell is not just a pizza shop—it’s the destiny we all face unless we turn back to God.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote:
“You have never met a mere mortal. Everyone you meet will live forever—either under God’s mercy or His judgment.”
But there is a way to live forever under mercy. On the cross, God’s mercy is displayed in full: Jesus takes the punishment we deserve, dying in our place as our substitute. All that’s required is to repent and believe the good news—and then live the life of faith following Jesus.
Which means that now, as Jesus' followers, we carry the most urgent task in the world: to share the mercy and grace of God found in Christ. There is no higher priority, no more time-critical task, than this.
So—
As you look at your to-do list today, does this most urgent task make it on the list?
As you spend time in prayer, does this most urgent task shape how and what you pray?
As you consider your resources—your time, energy, and finances—does this most urgent task get a significant share?
And as you cross paths with people God has placed in your life… will you speak? Will you pray? Will you bring them along? Will you point them to Jesus?
Grace & peace,
Andrew