Mark the Evangelist begins his Gospel account with a bang, "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, the voice of the of the one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.'"

Christians today can encounter Mark's message face-to-face through presentations of Concordia Seminary's The Gospel of Mark.

Since 2013, Concordia Seminary faculty members have shared Mark's vivid depictions of Jesus' life, death and resurrection with groups across the nation. Modern scholars believe this oratory experience was precisely how Mark originally intended his words to be shared.

"Stories are meant to be told aloud and shared in community," said Dr. Kent Burreson, dean of the Chapel and the Louis A. Fincke and Anna B. Shine Professor of Systematic Theology. "Without a doubt, that is true of the story that is at the center of creation and human life: the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Gospel of Mark tells that story, through the voice of the evangelist Mark, in a new and powerful way."

Upcoming presentations include:

• 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, Zion Lutheran Church in Bethalto, Ill.
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bronx, N.Y.
• 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27, St. John's Lutheran Church in Westfield, Mass.
• 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, Our Savior Lutheran Church in Sedalia, Mo.
• 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Pekin, Il.

The presenters include four Seminary faculty: Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary; Dr. David R. Schmitt, the Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Professor of Homiletics and Literature; Dr. James W. Voelz, graduate professor of Exegetical Theology and the Dr. Jack Dean Kingsbury Professor of New Testament Theology; and Burreson. Other presenters include Dr. Ron Rall, part-time missionary to Papua New Guineau and pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, St. Louis, and Speaker of The Lutheran Hour radio program Dr. Michael Zeigler.

Come be enthralled by Mark's words, his images and his message of the rule and reign of God!

The Gospel of Mark runs 2 hours, 30 minutes, including intermission. Presentations are free and open to the public. Free will offerings may be made to support future presentations. To learn more, visit csl.edu/thegospelofmark.

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit www.csl.edu.