“Parted Way” by Cortney L. Haley

Begin at the Beginning

Begin the month of December at the beginning, with the opening lines of Mark’s Gospel: The beginning of the good news of Jesus, anointed one, the Son of God. Then follows the story of John, baptizing in the wilderness, helping the people of God prepare for the coming of the Lord. It’s an appropriate story for Advent when we wait, often impatiently, for someone to come and set things right.

This opening to Mark’s gospel has high energy. It is a proclamation of a new possibility for the world that has never been imagined before. John introduces Jesus as a prophet. The books of the prophets provide the most important background for the stories the gospel of Mark. Jesus stands in the tradition of Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

Telling the story? There is a lot to it, so when you tell it, tell it with gravitas. Convey with your voice and attitude that this is a big deal. Jesus is the one who will save the world from belief in violence as the way to establish peace in the world. It’s a salvation for which we still wait in hope during Advent 2014.

Read or listen to the commentary by Tom Boomershine on Mark 1:1-8

“How to be Together” by Cortney L. Haley

Voted Most Popular 

According to Google Analytics, the GoTell story page that had the most number of visits from July through September was…roll the drums please…”Dealing with Conflict” (a.k.a. “How to Be Together”; a.k.a. “Reproving Another Who Sins”; a.k.a. Matthew 18:15-20).

Now we wonder why that was the most visited story page? Maybe a tough passage to understand, or maybe that last line is a favorite quote from Jesus: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

Coming Soon: Messiah of Peace

The season of Advent is a challenging mix of expectation, preparation and waiting. The long-awaited Prince of Peace announced by the prophet Isaiah was a child born for us two millennia ago. We recall and celebrate his birth this month. Those who tell the stories bear witness to what happened in a very present way, offering a true gift of Christmas.

Tom Boomershine’s performance criticism commentary on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus according to Mark is not exactly as long-awaited as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, but it has been over 40 years in the making. The Messiah of Peace is the very first detailed commentary using the emerging interpretive paradigm of performance criticism. It will be accompanied by video recordings of live tellings in both English and Greek.

What kind of Prince is this child? What kind of Messiah is Jesus? What kind of peace, really, is possible? How do we tell the story? These are questions addressed in Tom’s commentary, available in 2015.