Go with God

Today’s morbid Gospel text is dark. Why did Mark the Gospel writer, put this where he did in his writing? John the Baptist pays the ultimate price for speaking the truth. It’s gruesome.
It would be almost too discouraging if that is where the story ends. Thankfully, this story of John the Baptist is immediately followed up by a story of abundant hope. God’s got things to do. That’s good.
We have two meals put side by side. The first one is with Herod and his followers. Human power and ego running wild. That meal ends in death.
The very next story (Mark 6:30+) encompasses Jesus taking a bit of bread and some fish and feeding all who are hungry (5000). In fact, there are leftovers in this meal. (In my house we’d be taking that home.) This abundant meal gives life. This is a gift from God.
We have a banquet of death and a banquet of life side by side.
These two stories remind us, that this world cannot compare to God’s desires for us, and we have a choice to make. We can live right now trusting God and knowing our future is in His hands, or we can lose sight of God and live in despair looking at this world.
Heaven is always present when God is our choice. It’s the path we are on. So, keep going with God and we’ll get there one day. John the Baptist never stopped that journey.
Thankfully, we are not alone in our faith. Our community of faith is here to remind us of the reality that our story does not end in death. There is so much more yet ahead for those who love Jesus.