Mark's Radical New Gospel - Fr. Gregory - January 2, 2022

Today, on the Sunday before Epiphany the Gospel comes to us from Mark 1:1-8. Scholars consider Mark to be the oldest Gospel writer and the inventor of the genre of the Gospel, the idea of a story about Jesus. Father Gregory shares a history of the meaning of the word Gospel so that we might appreciate Mark's intent to the people with his radical announcement. Saint Mark is announcing a new Gospel proclaiming that Jesus is the Savior and challenging the rule of Caesar. Jesus is the new victor, the Son of God who has defeated evil, sin, and death. Annually, we receive this message a few days before we celebrate Our Lord's Baptism and renew our Baptismal vows. The question for us as Orthodox Christians is whether or not we will be obedient to Saint Mark's proclamation and respond with faithfulness.