GOSPEL READING:
Mark 16:15-2015 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.
Meditation: In many churches in the East and West,
Mark the Evangelist is honored today. Each of the four Gospel
accounts gives us a portrait of Jesus, his life, teaching,
mission, and his death and resurrection. Each is different in
style, length, and emphasis. But they all have a common thread and
purpose - the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ, the
Savior of the world. Among the four Gospels, Mark's account is
unique in many ways. It is the shortest account and seems to be
the earliest. Mark the Evangelist was an associate of the apostle
Peter and likely wrote his Gospel in Rome where Peter was based.
Mark wrote it in Greek. It was likely written for Gentile
(non-Jewish) readers in general, and for the Christians at Rome in
particular.
It is significant that Mark, as well as Luke, was chosen by the
Holy Spirit to write the Gospel account even though he wasn't one
of the twelve apostles. Augustine of Hippo, explains: "The Holy
Spirit willed to choose for the writing of the Gospel two [Mark
and Luke] who were not even from those who made up the Twelve
[Apostles], so that it might not be thought that the grace of
evangelization had come only to the apostles and that in them the
fountain of grace had dried up" (Sermon 239.1).
All must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ until he comes
again
Mark ends his Gospel account with Jesus' last appearance to the
apostles before his ascension into heaven. Jesus' departure and
ascension was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While
it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved
disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in
a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the
end of time. Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior,
ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised
to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power on
the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his
ministry at the River Jordan. When the Lord Jesus departed
physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or
grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great
anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' last words to his apostles point to his saving mission and
to their mission to be witnesses of his atoning death for sin and
his glorious resurrection to new life for all who will believe in
Jesus, God's beloved Son. Their task is to proclaim the good news
of salvation, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the
nations. God's love and gift of salvation is not just for a few,
or for a nation, but it is for the whole world - for all who will
accept it. The Gospel is the power of God, the power to forgive
sins, to heal, to deliver from evil and oppression, and to restore
life. Do you believe in the power of the Gospel?
Christ calls every believer to be his ambassador of Good
News (the Gospel message)
This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the
whole church - the people of God. All believers have been given a
share in this task - to be heralds of the good news (the
Gospel message) and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior
of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the
risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy
Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his
Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of
Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission
world-wide. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the
hope of the resurrection?
Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the Gospel and the reality of your victory over the grave and gift of everlasting life.
Psalm 115:1-6
1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The Gospel proclaimed to all creation, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The command to the apostles to be witnesses to him in Jerusalem,
Judea, Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts
1:8) was not addressed exclusively to those to whom it was
immediately spoken. They alone would not be the only ones who
would carry such an enormous task to completion. Similarly he
seems to be speaking to the apostles very personally when he says:
'Behold I am with you even to the end of the world' (Matthew
28:20), yet who does not know that he made this promise to the
universal church which will last from now even to the consummation
of the world by successive births and deaths?" (excerpt
from
LETTER 199,TO HESYCHIUS 49)
