St Mark the Evangelist

St Mark's symbol is a lion, and he preached and wrote the Gospel of the Lion of Judah, our Lord Jesus Christ. He reportedly wrote down the witness of Peter at the behest of the apostles at Jerusalem, and Peter himself approved. And he also went forth to Alexandria and preached Christ there and became the first bishop  there, at length giving his life for it, into martyrdom. Mark's self-characterization is as a young unnamed man who, when the authorities apprehended him as the disciples all fled, himself left the linen cloth in which he was clothed and fled away naked. For he learned, as we must know, that to flee away from Christ is truly to become naked and without salvation. Further, his depictions of the weaknesses of the disciples amplifies the fact that the Church lives and grows not because of us but by the grace of God alone. And this is a good thing to know as your pastor approaches retirement and a new man must step in. The Church is always dependent on the grace of God. Audio for the sermon.