Remember When Faith Was New?
A reading for Monday, March 10, 2014: Mark 1:1-13.
Some of the best storytellers I have heard use the fewest words. Somehow they are able to carefully choose words that relate the power and emotion of a story. The story always feels abundant and full, even though it moves quickly and with purpose.
Mark is one of those storytellers. Most scholars agree that this is the first of the four gospels. Matthew and Luke use Mark as a template to tell their story, and John develops much later. In Mark, perhaps because it's first, there is a sense of urgency to get the story out in written form. We read it and we are almost out of breath as the details of the baptism of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, come splashing onto our face along with Jesus.
Remember the day when faith was new for you? Whether you were young or older, in a church or at a camp, or maybe even just with a friend or family member. When you came to faith for the first time, and first heard the story of Jesus, I bet the details came quickly and with purpose. I wonder if you can remember the feeling of being breathless in wanting to know what happened next? Do you remember your baptism? You might have even heard the story of Jesus first through the words of Mark, one of history's greatest story tellers.
"The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God..."
I urge you to spend some time today remembering when faith was new. Thanks be to God.
Some of the best storytellers I have heard use the fewest words. Somehow they are able to carefully choose words that relate the power and emotion of a story. The story always feels abundant and full, even though it moves quickly and with purpose.
Mark is one of those storytellers. Most scholars agree that this is the first of the four gospels. Matthew and Luke use Mark as a template to tell their story, and John develops much later. In Mark, perhaps because it's first, there is a sense of urgency to get the story out in written form. We read it and we are almost out of breath as the details of the baptism of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, come splashing onto our face along with Jesus.
Remember the day when faith was new for you? Whether you were young or older, in a church or at a camp, or maybe even just with a friend or family member. When you came to faith for the first time, and first heard the story of Jesus, I bet the details came quickly and with purpose. I wonder if you can remember the feeling of being breathless in wanting to know what happened next? Do you remember your baptism? You might have even heard the story of Jesus first through the words of Mark, one of history's greatest story tellers.
"The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God..."
I urge you to spend some time today remembering when faith was new. Thanks be to God.
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