Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I love the beginning of a new thing. I also love the end of an old thing – as long as it is followed by the beginning of a new thing. I don’t like the end of the beginning, generally speaking, because the beginning is usually the best part. From an exciting beginning, we grow into dull routine.
A new car? Wonderful! The smell, the cleanness, the certainty if its reliability and the beauty of the paint. The glossy blackness of the tires…
You drive off the lot - and you’re driving a used car with a note to pay off. A used car that gets dirty and breaks down more and more over time. Oh, how you wish for that new car again! (I wish someone could figure out how long a new car is new. Is it even a week?)
Life is just like that, and there are countless other examples you could cite…including love relationships. We go through phases, and in the flesh, it always seems like the new part is the best part.
And now we arrive at the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its new! Jesus, at age 30, is stepping out onto the world stage. Everything in eternity past has prepared Him for this moment – when the gospel would be NEW - when the gospel would be heard and understood for the first time.
The gospel is good news.(That’s what the word ‘gospel’ means.) Please focus on the second word in that phrase: News. As in new news. This is huge - gigantic on the scale of world events. This is not just another story to be told – this is the offering of life. New life. An opportunity to start over again – completely new!
Mark 1:3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.' " 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Just as life takes preparation…(the assembling of infant clothing, nursery prep, etc.,) new life requires exactly the same thing: preparation. The heart must be prepared to receive what is new to replace what is tired and worn out and old. The “ground” is prepared to receive the “seed” of the good news which is new news – and the best part of this news is that it will always be new!
The gospel of new life which comes by faith in Christ is eternally new good news…and that is the best news possible for life!
- Pastor Bill
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