Mark skips Christmas!!! I’m wondering if Mark isn’t a little like Peter . . . uninterested in all the personal stories surrounding Jesus’ birth . . . just wanting to get to the meat of why God came to earth.
He jumps straight to prophecy. He quotes Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1 and even mixes in an allusion to Moses in Exodus. He is making it abundantly clear that Jesus is the Savior of the World expected by the Jewish people for centuries.
Although I don’t think this is Mark’s intent, it nevertheless strikes me that God sends to each of us people, circumstances, problems, challenges, joys and suffering, all of which function to prepare our hearts to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
Whom has God sent to you to prepare the way for you to receive Christ as the leader of your life? What has God allowed which has led to your becoming a Christ follower? A good spiritual exercise would be to name those people and circumstances, thank God for them and recognize that is at all times intersecting your life with his love and presence so that you are constantly being redirected to the life that he offers.
It is so amazing that you have said this, Jeff! Just the other day, I thought of the woman who made a strong impact into my spiritual life. I called her Grandma Hunt, though she was not my biological grandmother, she was the only grandmother I knew. Strange, because the only living grandmother I had rejected me (from the time of birth) b/c I had been conceived not only out of wedlock, but from a 'divorcee'. Interesting that God used this hurt to bring me to Him! Grandma Hunt was the one who carted me of to VBS with her each summer where she volunteered without fail or complaint. She had a picture of JEsus on her wall and this intrigued me. We spent many times discussing Jesus, the Bible and all that entailed. She loved me unconditionally and if it hadn't have been for her, I would not have had the grasp of Christ that I did at such a young age. She passed away many years ago, but I have begun writing a tribute to her and I thank God for her willingness to share the Lord with a "little kid". Thank you, Father!
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