Hi, friends. I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament, the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the miracles.

So each month we get to read all four books. Today is an interesting one because we're straddling two books.

We finish up the book of Mark and move into the book of Matthew. So make sure you're subscribed today.

Join us as we read the Gospels together. And this is a great day to invite your friends to join us so they can jump in with us as we start the book of Matthew.

Here's how this works. I'm going to read three chapters to you today. You can listen or read along in your own Bible, and then I'll pray, and that's it.

So today is October 6th, and I will be reading Mark chapter 16 and Matthew chapters 1 and 2. And this month I am reading from the NRSV Catholic Edition.

Mark 16. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so that they might go and anoint him.

And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?

When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

But he said to them, do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He is not here.

Look, there is the place they laid him. And all that had been commanded them, they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

Now, after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him while they were mourning and weeping.

But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

After this, he appeared in another form to two of them as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Later, he appeared to the eleventh themselves as they were sitting at the table and he upgraded them for their lack of faith and stubbornness because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

And he said to them, go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

The one who believes in his baptize will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned.

And these signs will accompany those who believe by using my name. They will cast out demons. They will speak in new tongues.

They will pick up snakes in their hands. And if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them.

They will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

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