Winter months provide time to study Gospels
Delaware Gazette - Feb 1, 2025
As a child growing up in a Baptist church in Missouri, I was admonished continually to make reading the Bible a part of life’s everyday routine. There was a suggestion that having the Bible translated and widely published offered an opportunity to which generations previous to the printing press and publishing and higher literacy rates was not available. It was right to have been so encouraged. Even for those who are not Christian, the Bible is worthy reading, both for its religious and historical significance.
It is winter, and especially last week when the Polar Vortex came, there is more time spent inside, offering the opportunity for extra reading, for those not already inclined. For the last 20 years or so, it has become a habit to concentrate on the Gospels during the winter months. The explanation could simply be that the two most significant days in the Christian year are Christmas and Easter, and in-between the two, the Gospel narratives seem appropriate because they focus upon what happened in the life of Jesus after the birth and before the end.
Many of the Gospel stories have become a part of the fabric of life. There is a great amount of material to sift through; there are parables like The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son, or shorter ones like the Mustard Seed or the Treasure Buried in the Field. One might also mention some of the lesser known parables; the Talents, The Wedding Banquet, the Unjust Steward, the Sheep and the Goats.
There are many stories about encounters between Jesus and his family and disciples, or with Pharisees and Sadducees, lepers and demoniacs, and crowds that followed him around to hillsides where he preached to them and fed multitudes. There were Sabbath worshippers at various synagogues, a funeral procession, and even a Roman Centurion.
The stories often include powerful deeds, sometimes called signs, often involving the healing of some malady or another; blindness, deafness, paralysis, or a fever. There are also miracles of nature like the Calming of the Storm or the time when Jesus walked across the lake on the water.
In the Sermon of the Mount we find the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Golden Rule. Some of the teaching includes going the extra mile and turning the other cheek. After Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus offered the challenging idea that if they wanted to be disciples, they must deny themselves, and take up their cross; that if they want to save their lives, they will lose them; but if they lose their lives for his sake, and for the sake of the gospel, they will save them.
This coming Sunday the Epistle reading is 1 Corinthians 13, which is the famous chapter about love. The Gospels also have something to say. In the Gospel of John when Jesus instructs the disciples about life after his departure, he tells them, “This is my command: love each other.”
In the Gospel of Mark when Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, he answers by quoting from Deuteronomy and Leviticus; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Also in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemies. But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’”
That seems to cover all the bases and leave no loopholes. There is much more. So if you are looking for something to read on these cold winter days, and are either looking for something new or haven’t read them in a while, or just filling in the time until Lent, one could do worse than to consider one of the Gospels. Happy reading.
Your Pastor Speaks
Dr. Mark Allison