Amen and amen and good morning and welcome me. You could be seated. So glad you're here.

Those of you online, you're probably already seated. So like I mentioned first service, you should

probably stand. No, I'm just kidding. You're not to stand. I know you're comfortable.

I'm going to get right to it. Is that okay? Yeah, we're in Mark's gospel. We're making progress

verse by verse and we're going to pick up where we left off in verse 13 and we're going to make it

through to verse 17. I should say, Lord, willing. Now I know

you just sat down. And I want to, if you came out of a Catholic background, I want you

to have flashbacks, but can you, if you're able, if not, no worries. Stand for the reading

of God's word. He can follow along as I do.

By the way, just so you know, that comes out of the Old Testament when they found the scrolls

of God's word and they were read and everybody stood for the reading of God's word.

So don't think this is something we just made up.

Not that we don't make stuff up, but okay.

Verse 13, now Mark is continuing.

Please understand this is a contiguous narrative.

If I can say it like that, he's describing according to his account what happened.

And it's pretty fast moving.

Did you notice that?

So verse 13, once again, Jesus went out beside the lake, speaking of the sea of Galilee,

a large crowd came to him and he began

to teach them. As he walked along, verse 14, he saw Levi, aka Matthew, son of Alpheus,

sitting at the tax collector's booth. Follow me, Jesus told him, and Levi got up

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