Congratulations! You made it to the end. With your brothers and sisters in Christ, locked arms and through many seasons you made it to the end of the Gospel of Mark. Long and dusty was the road. Through many parables and paths, miracles and meditation, light and darkness we journeyed to the cross of Christ and now see it near completed. We have one more Sunday left and what a Sunday it will be! Easter comes early for us!
Thinking about all the sermons I have preached and listened to, I don’t know if I have ever gone through a sermon series of a book like Mark’s Gospel. I know that might be the case for many of our members too. But it is an accomplishment for us all—preacher and listener alike. It has set us on a course that will direct us to the God of Mark’s Gospel and the Savior to which it speaks.
The last two years since coming to Trinity has been filled with many defining moments. Most of which come from Mark’s story and how it has impacted me and the ministry of Trinity. From the very beginning we saw the calling of disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We saw Jesus healing many, casting our demons, eating with sinners, restoring sight, calming storms, walking on water, forgiving sins, calling out the wickedness of his day, taking abuse and mocking and beatings and then dying on a cross. All defining moments for Jesus, his disciples, and us. Defining moments that have prepared us for the next journey.
I look at the road we have walked together and see it as the defining moment for us. It might not be a bid deal to some, but it is for me. We take what we have heard and seen and follow the man who hung on the cross and go wherever he goes. We take seriously the word “Go” at the end of the story and make it the driving force behind everything we do. We go to tell people about God’s love for them and how he proved in through his Son. We remember the truth of the journey and victory at the end.
With every journey that ends another follows. Where will we go next?
In our next series we will go to the Old Testament and hear from the Prophet Micah. Micah was a man who preached an unwanted message to a people where extreme wealth was crippling the poor and social injustice was the result. These covenantal violations were destroying the society in which God created for his people. If the message is not heeded, this rebellion would lead to a dissolution of the nation and judgment. That is where we will be for most of the fall.
Then we will head to the greatest chapter in the Bible—Romans 8. There we will spend most of the Winter and Spring traversing the Himalayas of Romans 8, climbing the many summits of God’s grace, mercy, and love. All this centered on the most important verse in the Bible,
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.— Romans 8:1 (ESV)
By going from New to Old to New Testament, we will become able bodied workers of Christ hearing the timeless message he has spoken to us about himself and the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Fall, God will continue to work among us for his glory.
For the Glory of God in the Church!
—Bro. Jesse