I don’t know about you, but the headlines this year have really gotten to me. War. Scandals. Injustice. The weight on my heart grows even heavier when, in conversation, I suggest turning to the Gospel and people take offense or cling tighter to their political plan for salvation. Now, I’m a hopeful person, but 2026 has tested my faith.
So one night lying in bed, I found myself praying, “Hey Jesus. How do I share the Gospel to a world that doesn’t seem to want it? I feel powerless. Amen.”
I didn’t hear an answer in the dark or see any writing on the ceiling, but the question stayed with me. I resolved to stay out of controversial conversations for a while and avoid the news.
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But, some headlines are too big to escape. I live in Houston. NASA is a big deal here. This April, the city was flooded with news about the Artemis II 10-day lunar flyby. Humans were going back to the moon. This mission would carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen around the moon – farther from Earth than anyone had ever traveled. I heard strangers talking about it in the grocery store. Billboards with the mission motto “For All Humanity!” popped up. The closer the mission came, I began to notice positivity growing. During the 10-day mission, real time updates, interviews, and messages from the crew were going viral on social media. It’s estimated 70 – 80% of Americans knew about the mission. Worldwide, 18 million people watched the launch and 27 million watched the splashdown. Humanity had something shared that made us feel proud and full of awe.
The day after they returned to Earth, the crew members gave speeches about their takeaways. I tuned in, eager to hear from these pioneers of space — I never expected to hear my answer from God.
Now, these astronauts had just achieved one of the greatest feats of all time. I waited in excitement to hear them describe the beauty of space or their scientific discoveries or the harrowing effort involved in such a mission. But they barely mentioned those. Instead, through emotional smiles and frequent group hugs, they spoke about how seeing “tiny Earth” from so far gave them a new perspective on humanity. As Wiseman put it, “It’s a special thing to be a human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”
For the first time in a long while, I felt like it was. Especially when Koch took the mic and reminded everyone that we are all in this together. “Planet Earth, you are a crew.” Just like Artemis II, we on Earth have the opportunity to go farther into goodness than before. The hopefulness, and joy, and love for humanity — for me — radiated off every one of them. It stood in stark contrast to the discouragement I’d been fighting and praying about months before. I laughed a little, seeing how they each got teary by the end of their short speeches, but soon I was wiping my eyes as well.
At the end, Hansen called the crew over. Grinning, they put their arms around each other while he offered this invitation to unity. “What you saw [during Artemis II] was a group of people who loved contributing, […] and what we’ve been hearing is that was something special for you to witness. And the reason I had them form up here with me is because I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you’re not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you, and if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.”
In that moment, God gave me his answer. How do you give the Gospel to a world that doesn’t seem to want it?
Show it to them.
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After all, everyone longs for joy and belonging. When you see those astronauts, arms around each other, beaming, it’s clear they have it. The goodness of their message speaks for itself. Likewise, the word of the Gospel is good news. Despite the very real darkness of sin, it’s not the end of the story. Like Wiseman, Jesus also thinks “it’s a special thing to be human.” He sees the brokenness in our headlines and he gave his life to give us a way back to unity and joy. The sad headlines are only temporary. That is good news indeed.
In the weeks since the Artemis II mission, I’ve been on “the joy train” as the crew calls it. I’m keeping my focus on the goodness of the Gospel despite the darkness. With this joy in mind, I’m able to enter hard conversations with grace and love rather than defensiveness. I am careful to respect my neighbor, no matter their opinion, because we are on the same crew. We don’t always agree in the end, but I’ve been startled by how often they promise to think about my words.
It’s like Jesus says in Matthew 5:16 “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” It’s what Jesus himself did by repeatedly inviting disciples to “come and see.” And it’s what the Artemis II crew did to win the hearts and attention of the world.
Because Jesus was right; goodness is attractive on its own. The Artemis II crew just proved him right again.
