Gift: Wisdom– With the gift of wisdom, we see God at work in our lives and in the world. For the wise person, the wonders of nature, historical events, and the ups and downs of our lives take on deeper meaning. The matters of judgment about the truth, and being able to see the image of God.
Reading: He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. (Mark 16:15-17)
Observation: This morning, as I read this gospel reading I was not thinking about the fact that this is one of three different endings to the gospel of Mark. I was thinking of how much of this revelation applies to me. It is my understanding that although there are three different ways that we could choose to end the gospel of Mark, one of which includes the ending with the disciples being bewildered with the fact that Jesus was not in the tomb, the revelation of the gospel story includes the reality that Jesus would have said these words to his disciples, which includes us.
Personification: Gentleness It will be my intention today and hopefully for the rest of my time on earth to display the fruit of gentleness when sharing the gospel story with people that I come in contact with. No matter how important or dire I perceive the need for someone to hear the good news. The reality is that no one is going to be able to hear it unless it is deliver with the spirit of gentleness that comes from the holy Spirit.
Prayer: Lord, if it is your will for me to continue to share the good news, please endow me with the gentleness that comes from the assurance of the faith that you have in me to deliver it properly. I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit. Amen.
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The Divine Life 
first!
Greetings. The manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark present us with essentially three ways to end the text: Codex Vaticanus and the replacement-page of Codex Sinaiticus end the text of Mark at the end of v. 8. Six other Greek manuscripts end with the “Shorter Ending” between v. 8 and v. 9, followed by the rest of verses 9-20, except in cases where the MSS are damaged. And one Old Latin manuscript (from c. 430), with a rather quirky text in Mk. 16, has only the Shorter Ending after an edited form of v. 8 (with a textual adjustment in v. 1 and an interpolation between v. 3 and v. 4). The rest of the Greek MSS, though, as well as the rest of the extant Latin MSS (including the Vulgate), include verses 9-20 as part of the text. In addition, this passage is used by patristic writers who wrote long before Codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus were produced in the 300’s; Justin, Tatian, and Irenaeus used the passage as Scripture in the 100’s. It was also used in the 300’s, and early 400’s, by writers such as Ambrose, Augustine, Patrick, and many others. So I encourage you to exercise the same gentleness to which we are summoned in evangelism when explaining the church’s acceptance of Mk. 16:9-20 as Scripture, understanding that many have been misled by exaggerated and distorted claims about the pertinent manuscript-evidence. Yours in Christ, James Snapp, Jr.
Thanks for the clarification James. Of course, it was not my intention to mislead anyone, but I can certainly see how exaggerated and distorted claims can lead believers astray. God bless you brother. Jason