Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Gospel lesson (Mark 1: 1-8).

The painter Lundwig Richter, tells in his memoirs of how he and three friends set out to paint the same landscape. They each were committed to produce as accurately as possible what they saw. Nevertheless, the result was four different pictures, as different as the four personalities of the artists. The same thing happened when four well-known artists painted the portrait of the United Nations hostess, Maria Lani. Each of them knew her personally and saw her from a different perspective, and the result was four remarkably different pictures. All four of the landscapes and all four of the portraits were very accurate, very recognizable, but yet quite different. This helps us understand why there are four Gospels in the New Testament. One Gospel would give us the life of Jesus as seen from only one perspective, and that would mean a less than full portrait. God inspired four men to write the life of Jesus, for each of them gives us unique insight into Jesus that you do not get in the others. Mark gives us the perspective that is most widely-known in our modern world. Bible translators have made Mark the most translated book in the world. There is no other book in the world in so many different languages. It is the shortest of the Gospels, and, therefore, the fastest to translate and to read. (modified from Glenn Pease, Sermon: The Beginning of the Gospel). It's only just over 20 pages long. You can and should read it for yourself in less than an hour or listen to it on an audiotape in about 80 minutes, less than the length of a movie. Mark is the Gospel we will be hearing primarily from for the next 12 months. More than half of all the Gospel lessons we will hear until next December will come from Mark. So put on your spiritual seatbelts. "Mark's Gospel is a simple, succinct, unadorned, yet vivid account of Jesus' ministry, emphasizing more what Jesus did than what he said. Mark moves quickly from one episode in Jesus' life and ministry to another, often using the adverb 'immediately'." (Concordia Self-Study Bible, p. 1499). We hear the urgency of Mark's writing here in the first verses. "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Nothing about Jesus' birth or the Wise men or Mary or Joseph as in Matthew and Luke. No poetic language about how the Son of God came down from heaven as we hear from John. No, Mark just blurts out "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The people at this time were use to this kind of blurted out message from heralds. The kings and governors at that time would often send out messengers, heralds to trumpet across the land the most recent "good news" or "glad tidings" from the king. They would trumpet his success and how wonderful he was for his people. Mark is being that kind of herald here, and portraying how John the Baptist was that kind of herald as well. John the Baptist's message was urgent. "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him." "John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." John's message was urgent. He was preaching that the people turn their minds and their actions away from sin, and turn toward the one who was to come, who would cancel their guilt, pardon their huge debt. John was a herald, a messenger sent from God with an urgent message. "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize(/wash) you with the Holy Spirit." Immediately after John's urgent message, Jesus is baptized and then goes out to be tempted in the wilderness. In just a few verses, we hear the first words of Jesus recorded by Mark, urgent words like those of John the Baptist. Jesus heralded (v. 15) "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" 'Change your mind and keep turning it toward me; trust and keep on trusting in the wondrous news that I am proclaiming.' Mark's message is an urgent, urgent one.

What is urgent in your spiritual life right now? I'll say again 'What is urgent in your spiritual life right now?' Is there any urgency in your spiritual life or is everything feeling pretty comfortable right now? What spiritual struggles are you having right now? If you're not having a spiritual struggle, ask yourself why not?

If you are having an urgent struggle currently, what is it for you? You children, are you struggling to keep the 4th commandment, honoring your parents, even respecting them when they make mistakes? You parents, are you struggling with raising your children in the faith, expressing to them the importance of Jesus in their lives? Is it a struggle to have family devotions and Bible study time together? Or are you struggling with some sexual sin, pornography, even the 'soft porn' we see on our TV screens so frequently? Are you struggling to forgive your neighbor, or some dear relative? Are you struggling to be reconciled with some Christian brother or sister? Do you struggle with gossiping, not putting the best construction on whatever your neighbor has said or done? What is your urgent struggle right now?

Is your urgent struggle with God's Word and gladly hearing and learning it regularly? When was the last time you opened God's Word to you personally and read the challenges and promises it proclaims? Is your urgent struggle with sharing this message with friends and loved ones who do not know of the true message of Jesus and Christmas and Easter? Or is your urgent struggle with God's first commandment, urgently fearing, loving and trusting in Him above all earthly distractions and idols?

As I ask these questions, I can sense the tension between them and the hymn we just sang, a hymn based in our Old Testament lesson. "Comfort, comfort these my people, Speak of peace so says our God." 'Your questions are not very comforting Pastor!' The life of the Christian is truly unique, truly a paradox. Our lives as Christians are never to be comfortable, but always to be comforted. That is a critical distinction! It is urgent that our lives not be complacent, but relieved. Never cozy, but always sheltered. Never contented, but always restored. Mark begins urgently with "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." In the next short 20+ pages, he portrays how Jesus vanquished all the powers that were hostile to God, the powers of demons and disease and even death itself. Those powers tried to conquer him on the cross, through treachery and deceit, but He instead turned those powers on their ears. He paid for our sin, our urgent need, overwhelming even death through his resurrection. This was done not to make us comfortable, complacent, or lukewarm in our commitment to him. He suffered and died on the cross so that we could be washed free of our sin, baptized with the Holy Spirit himself! Through all of our urgent struggles with sin, Jesus comes with an even more urgent message of forgiveness and pardon.

Yes our sins the Lord will pardon, Blotting out each dark misdeed
All that well deserve his anger, He no more will see nor heed.
John came with a baptism of repentance for the pardoning of our huge debt. But John's baptism was just the beginning. Jesus' baptism brings us much more. Communication tools have advanced so much in the past centuries. From clay tablets with just a few words to paper and books and now computers and compact disks. One compact disk can hold an entire encyclopedia full of information, millions of time more data than a clay tablet. In the same way, Jesus' baptism is like that compact disk, carrying infinitely more forgiveness through it than John's baptism. Through being baptized into our Lord Jesus' death and resurrection (Romans 6), we are assured of the Holy Spirit's urgent presence in our lives.

Now the herald's voice is crying,
In the desert far and near (#28, v.3)
Calling us to true repentance,
For the Kingdom now is here
Oh that warning cry obey,
Oh prepare for God a way,
Let the valleys rise to meet him,
Let the hills bow down to greet him!

John the Baptist arrived to urgently roll out the red carpet for Jesus (a red carpet for Jesus was rolled out during the children's message), to prepare for God the Son a way through the wilderness of evil hearts in this world. John's message, Mark's urgent message still rings in our ears today, calling our hearts to roll out the red carpets of our hearts, both for the little child in Bethlehem and for the mature Jesus who calls to us: "The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" May this the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, continue to work Gospel faith, hope and love in our hearts to the last Gospel when Jesus comes again. Let us pray�

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)