In my previous thought I shared my love of mornings and beginnings. Have you ever looked at the first verse of each of the four Gospels in isolation?
Matthew 1:1 – This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham
Mark 1:1 – The good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God
Luke 1:1 – Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things the have been fulfilled among us
John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God and the Word was God.
John takes us back to the beginning of everything which in the context of Genesis 1:1 starts, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’.
Mark, John and Genesis see fit to mention God while Matthew goes into the family tree on Jesus’ human side, leaving Luke to assume that we are aware of things being done that are remarkable. A rich blend of approaches that, in their ways, work differently for us in our rich diversity of approaches. Some of us like to know the background while others launch into what’s going on. Some of us stand in awe of the enormity of God and others treasure the intimacy of the Word made flesh and fitting into a family tree.
We are varied people, with varying needs depending on the times and seasons of our lives. We have an infinitely adaptable faith system by which we come to God through Jesus Christ but all four different writers have given us what we call gospels telling us the Gospel story. It is the good news that stretches across the panoply of time and space to develop the unfolding mystery of the infant God incarnate, as he became the saviour of the world.
After a long period of anxiety this year how good to be able now to prepare ourselves during Advent to meet again the incarnate Gospel as the gospels describe, in diverse ways that speak to our needs.
A prayer:
God our Father, we are all different and all our days are different. Help us to see how we can relate to your unchanging and yet ever flexible Son’s Good News this day. Speak to us we ask, whatever our mood, and help us to be at peace in all our moments for his sake.
Amen.