The Gospel of Mark Part Two

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Written By Jeremy Duncan

PART TWO

locus imperium.

Any text is produced in a particular time, place, and context. In the case of the Bible, that context is always very different from ours as readers. “White North American Christians, especially those of us from the privileged strata of society, must come to terms with the fact that our reading site for the Gospel of Mark is empire, locus imperium” (Ched Meyers, Binding The Strong Man).

This location means that we have to do the work, as best we can, to separate ourselves from our assumptions to hear what the text is saying to its intended audience.

Lent provides an opportune moment to do just that. To let go of our privileged assumptions and to read from the place of surrender. This Lent, we will pick up where we left off in the fall to work through the second half of Mark’s Gospel.

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This week, we celebrate Easter and wrap up our series on the Gospel of Mark. We look at the forces at play in Jesus's trial and crucifixion, the women who needed to find their voice to proclaim the good news, and the invitational, circular way the gospel of Mark is structured to help us discover Jesus and meet him in the places we already know.

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Ash Wednesday
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Jeremy Duncan
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