UPRISING!

What is the Gospel? It is essentially the Good News of Jesus. It is not about us. It is all about Him. When you and I truly come to understand the reality of Jesus and the Gospel He is and proclaims, our lives will never be the same. We will be changed. We will be revolutionized. There will be an UPRISING in us and through us. This is the theme and thrust of the Gospel of Mark which we will walk through this winter and spring in our Sunday morning teaching times.

The opening verse of the gospel of Mark sets the stage for what is to come – “The beginning of the Gospel about Jesus Christ the Son of God”, (Mark 1:1 NIV). Mark is about to introduce a new beginning, the start of something new and it is good news or great news. It is about the human and divine Jesus - the anointed one, the Messiah, and God in the flesh. There is no better news than that. This one verse summarizes who Jesus is and the revolution and transformation Jesus came to bring.

William O’Brien expressed it well in the Jan/Feb issue of Sojourners: “Mark’s gospel offers an antidote to domesticated, superficial Christianity: It is a radical manifesto of discipleship. … According to Mark, (it) requires breaking from the corrupt social order and accompanying Jesus on the way of the cross. … Mark is calling on a group of believers to stake a claim of ultimate loyalty and radical faithfulness amidst a world of violence, injustice, and oppression.”

There is an urgency about Mark’s gospel all the way through. His language is terse, and unpolished. The narrative is action-oriented. He is writing to challenge people to faith and a life-altering response to the good news of Jesus. How will you respond?

Join us on Sunday mornings as we journey together through the radical Gospel of Mark, but be warned, Jesus calls us to be a part of an UPRISING!