GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
MARK 1:1
The Importance of Beginning Beginnings are important. The foundation for a building, the planting of the first spring seed, the wedding vows—all these are important beginnings. Plato said, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Similarly, Aristotle said, “Well begun is half done.”
Someplace way back in an English grammar class, a teacher talked about the “thesis statement,” and how important it was as a beginning to guide writing. In a homiletics class, the professor talked about how important it was to begin sermon preparation with a “purpose statement,” an idea that I fear I violated more than obeyed.
It’s important to begin a day well. In his short epistle, Jude talked about the trouble “grumblers and faultfinders” bring (v. 16). Starting a day grumbling and faultfinding usually inclines the rest of the day. There’s a great difference between “Oh God, another day” and “Oh, God, another day.” Same words, but note the comma.
Historians think St. Mark was in Rome, where Christians needed a training manual for their faith, so Mark began to write one. Rather than put his thesis statement at the end of an introductory paragraph, as the grammar teachers urged, Mark made it the very first sentence: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” (1:1) According to his thesis statement, his story goes back before John the Baptist, before the Old Testament era, back to the Father himself, back to “the beginning of the gospel … .”
A day started with the Gospel of Mark is a day well begun. A day started with the Father is a day well begun. A day started with faith, hope, and trust in the Father is a day well begun. May it be so.
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