Jesus is on the move this week and the action is non-stop through the gospel of Mark. It's amazing that for a gospel that moves so fast we, lectionary preachers, have spent so much time getting through chapter one! Mark seems the prime background for the missional church discussion. I'm flipping through chapters of Metavista; Bible, Church and Mission in an Age of Imagination by Colin Greene and Martin Robinson thanks to the Ooze Blog network. I plan to do some more reading. It looks like flipping through the first half of the book will do if you are at all familiar with the missional church discussion but that doesn't mean they don't have something good to say. I want to know more about the rules of engagement with the Biblical narrative and such. I've also got two more books coming from Amazon, now for the time to read.
Back to Mark because the hectic text for tomorrow sets the missional agenda. Jesus has a great ministry in Capernaum and he's packing them in. (all hyperbole aside) But off he goes to the deserted place to pray and discerns that his call is to proclaim. In other words, let's not stay within the confines of the church or Capernaum, we're off to share the good news by word and deed with the world. It's not that Jesus stops healing, his touch continues to release people from illness and demons and everything that binds or keeps them down. Jesus is all about that stuff, but he's maximizing the surface area for ministry by moving around. And we should do the same. Let's use Sunday and other day church program as our place of renewal and recharging instead of wearing ourselves out at church. Then we'll have the energy to Go and Do.
What a concept, continuing the work of Jesus.
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