Mark 1:1-8 page 1

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When Debbie was expecting our second child, we knew medically at the twenty-week scan that the baby was a boy. (I say 'medically', because we already knew. I had had a dream that it was a boy, just as I had had a dream that our first child would be a girl; and one of my church members had received a very clear impression in prayer to the same effect.)

We had settled on a name: Daniel. But at thirty-nine weeks we had misgivings and brainstormed four other names. We wrote them on pieces of paper, folded them up, put them in a hat and let big sister-to-be Rebekah pick out one. I had rather hoped she would pick out 'Jonathan', because I rather liked the symbolism of Jonathan being the friend of David in the Scriptures. But I was also pleased that the piece of paper she did pick out was the one that said 'Mark'. It was another name I had suggested, and I had made the suggestion because Mark is my favourite Gospel.

So this morning we turn to my favourite Gospel, one that does not get read very much at Advent or Christmas, because it does not have any stories about Jesus' birth as Matthew and Luke do, nor does it have a mysterious opening like John does. It's the one Gospel we won't read from at carol services.

Mark, rather, dives straight into the action in preparing us for the coming of Jesus. And so we get this glorious opening statement of Mark's:

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
[verse 1]

And so my theme for this morning is this: the beginning of the good news. In these eight verses Mark gives us a microcosm of the Gospel, which is exactly what the whole seasons of Advent and Christmas should do for us. What is the Gospel about for Mark?

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Copyright © David D Faulkner, 2006 except where other sources are attributed or noted as inspiration.