Good morning friends.  As I was thinking and praying about what to do with Rooting for the coming days and weeks, I found myself drawn to reading through a book of the Bible together.  The reason being is there is a sense of continuity with it, each is tied together and builds together.  

So then, the thought was this, what book?  What book are we to read together?  I was listening to a podcast interview with one of my favorite Christian writers, Phillip Yancey.  He wrote the great book The Jesus I Never Knew.  In this book, he wants to really see who Jesus is, not who he has been told He is, but who is He really?  So, what does he do?  He reads the Bible, particularly one of the Gospels.  He wanted to see what the Bible really says about Jesus.  

I think that’s a great idea; let’s read a Gospel together.  So, which one?  To me, when someone asks where they should start reading the Bible, I only have one answer.  The Gospel of Mark.  

Why Mark?  A couple of reasons. First, Mark was the first Gospel (Gospel means “Good News”) written.  It’s also the shortest.  And for me, the main reason, it gets right to the point.  I’m not going to say that Mark is the Cliff Notes version of Jesus, because it is just as deep at the others, but it really does get straight to the point.  There’s no birth story, it just jumps right to John the Baptist.  

Mark wants you to see who Jesus really is.  So, today, for you, who is Jesus?  

One of the key verses I want you to hear about who Mark tells us Jesus is found in Mark 10: 45:

45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus came with a purpose.  He came for a reason.  This is the reason and we will see throughout this Gospel that reason defines all of His ministry; all that He did.  

He came to serve, to give His life for the sake of the world.  To redeem us.  Starting tomorrow, we’ll start with Mark 1.  But today,  think about why Jesus came, how much He loves you (and the world), and how each of us can live out His Gospel today. 

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