What’s Christmas really all about? Last week, we saw how Christmas begins with hope against hope - but its end, the goal to which it points, is peace. The Gospel of Mark's opening lines function as Mark's "Christmas story," a story not of Jesus' birth, but rather his adoption, at his baptism. Mark casts this good news as a peaceful alternative to the "gospel" of military triumph, or the birth of Caesar Augustus - and so frames Jesus' ministry as a matter of war and peace. The famous "Christmas Truce" during World War I serves as an icon for this view of Christmas as armistice. And along the way, we see how the Bible works: not as a "book," but as a library, as Mark artfully echoes ancient patterns from Genesis, Exodus, and Ezekiel. Finally, we also reveal the story behind the name for this podcast, “Strange New World,” from a famous essay written about a hundred years ago by Swiss theologian, Karl Barth, which can be read here.If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to contact us at [email protected].

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