Happy New Year! Welcome to a new year of Foundations Podcasts from STC Sheffield. My name is Mick and alongside my wife Tricia we have the great privilege of leading STC. Each day Monday to Friday members of our STC team offer a reflection on a Bible passage, a prayer and a song of worship – a great way to build Godly Foundations in our lives as we follow Jesus.

We began last September with reflection through letters written by a man called Paul on how the early church grew and attracted so many people with its message of love and new life found in Jesus Christ. We took a short break from this teaching in December to hear again the Christmas story of Jesus coming into our world. Next week we return to Paul’s letters when my colleague Liam brings his reflection on the letter to the church in Ephesus, but we begin this new year with a focus on our personal walk with Jesus as we consider His words to us in Mark’s gospel. Today’s passage is Mark 1:1-20; you can hear the whole passage read if you keep listening after the worship song, but our focus today will be on verses 14 -15.

REFLECTION

This gospel was written by a young man called John Mark. In Acts 12:12 we read that the early church met at his mother’s house and in later life Mark travelled with Paul and two other friends called Barnabas and Peter. Some believe much of this gospel is taken from Peter’s first hand stories of Jesus that Mark heard from Peter.

Mark was written between AD 58 and AD 70, about 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus and it’s written for ordinary everyday people like you and me. This gospel is a real action packed ‘ripping yarn’ – fast moving, exciting, relevant and real with amazing stories of Jesus as he begins his ministry. Jesus has spent the first 30 years of his life in the small town of Nazareth but he will spend the next three years travelling the land speaking about the Kingdom of God – the Good News, a new loving way to live life!

As we begin Mark we read that Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist (v9) then blessed by God (v10-11) before being tested in the desert by the devil (v12-13). An exciting beginning! There is so much in this passage but today’s reflection is from one verse, v15 “The time has come,” Jesus said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

The time has come The New Testament was written in Greek, the world language of its day and there are two Greek words which denote the word ‘time’. The first is ‘chronos’ which describes the passage of time and the second is ‘kairos’ denoting an appointed time. A simple example; you might say that the actual time is now 7.30am (chronos) but that it is also the appointed time for breakfast (kairos). Jesus is saying here that God’s appointed time has come.

You may remember a few week ago reflections on Isaiah 9 in our Advent Podcast, words describing the coming of Jesus ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given’. Seven hundred and forty years before his birth, the prophet speaks of the coming of Christ who will bring a new way of living, a new Kingdom of love that will change lives and nations. Then, at the end of the Old Testament nothing! Four hundred silent years before the story begins again with the coming of Jesus whose birth we celebrated just a few days ago at Christmas. This child has now grown into a man and says that the waiting is over, the time has now come, God’s appointed time for a new way to live.

As we begin this new year I wonder what you are waiting for? A new job, a new house, a new relationship or perhaps a new beginning. The Lord is speaking to you and me as we begin 2018 – the time has come, repent (turn back to God) and believe the Good News. All things are possible with God.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,