Advent Invitation

I invite you to take an hour or so to read the Gospel according to Mark

Mark is my kind of guy. He’s brief and to the point, descriptive without being elaborate and exciting without being dramatic. Most of all his words are immediate, as in everything flows from one event to the next and the next.

Often what we overlook about the Gospel according to Mark is that it is the oldest and the shortest of all the canonical Gospel accounts. Before going too much further into this week’s sermon prep I feel the urge to accept the invitation of Forward Movement’s Advent Calendar for Monday, December 04, 2017. As seen in the picture above, the instruction for today is to sit and read Mark’s version of the life of Christ… in one sitting! Don’t worry there are only 11,304 words, which is over 4,000 words less than the next shortest Gospel account (John). Average readers can comprehend about 200 words per minute. That means you can read it all in less than an hour!

Some may not like this invitation. Most will go about their lives busied by everything else going on during this season of anticipation and preparation. I do appreciate the call to slow down, be quiet, and read one entire account of the ministry of Christ Jesus. If you do take the 56 minutes or so to dwell in the Word of God I imagine you will be changed.

Before getting confused by the Angel Gabrielle who will hop onto the scene mysteriously from Luke’s Gospel in two Sundays on Advent IV. Before hearing of the account of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Eve. Before you see the babe wrapped in swaddling cloth, the shepherds stunned, or the wise men bearing gifts I urge you to take the time to read Mark’s version of the story. The stripped-down, quick-paced, and action-packed tale will probably not put you in the Christmas mood like Luke’s story does, but instead you will be amazed at the powerful healings, the hardheaded disciples, the overturning of the powerful, the uplifting of the lowly, and the immediacy of the Son of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.