Preaching Mark     by Robert S. Reid Robert S. Reid is the Chair of the Communication Department at University of Dubuque, Dubuque Iowa.  The University of Dubuque is a Presbyterian related four year liberal arts university.  Robert Reid is an ordained Baptist minister.  In addition to being the author of Preaching Mark, he co-authors a textbook on homiletics entitled, Connecting with the Congregation: Rhetoric and the Art of Preaching (Abingdon, 1999). Paperback, 204 pgs. Chalice Press, 1999 Order from Amazon.com

Preaching Mark is a concentrated reader-response commentary on the Gospel of Mark that examines the Gospel's strategy of composition in light of first century rhetorical conventions.  It offers a comprehensive chiastic analysis of the Gospel text directed to the purpose of recovering Mark's voice amidst the one-thing-after-another of his Jesus story.  The purpose is to discover how Mark is using that story to preach the gospel to his intended audience.  The book includes model sermons based on the commentary by noted authors such as Ronald Allen, Stephen Farris, Lucy Lind Hogan, Judith McDaniel, James Mead, Paul Scott Wilson, and the author.  The book is intended for preachers who would find it valuable in devising their own sermon strategy to have specific recourse to a way of discovering how a gospel writer was using his literary skills to preach to his own community concerning Jesus Christ.

Endorsements

"Both preachers and biblical scholars will find Preaching Mark helpful and fascinating.  Reid is an unusually skilled scholar of Greco-Roman rhetoric, which enables him to propose a new vision of the overarching narrative structure of the gospel, one that may better interpret the text than the outlines proposed by scholars in the past"

         David L. Balch
         Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University

"This is the kind of resource that preachers need today.  Robert Reid integrates careful inductive and rhetorical exegesis of the biblical text with a collection of thoughtful sermons by outstanding preachers."

         John S. McClure
         Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

List of Contributors, vii
Preface, ix
Introduction, 1

Mark 1:1-15: The First Narrative Complex, 18
Mark 1:16--2:14: The Second Narrative Complex, 23
"He Came to Proclaim a Message" A sermon by Judith M. McDaniel, 30
Mark 2:15--3:6: The Third Narrative Complex, 34
Mark 3:7--4:1: The Fourth Narrative Complex, 39
"Room in the Family" A sermon by Stephen Farris, 45
Mark 4:2-34: The Fifth Narrative Complex, 50
Mark 4:35--5:43: The Sixth Narrative Complex, 56
"Hope at the Center" A sermon by Robert S. Reid, 63
Mark 6:1-52: The Seventh Narrative Complex, 68
Mark 6:53--7:31: The Eighth Narrative Complex, 75
Mark 7:32--8:27: The Ninth Narrative Complex, 81
Mark 8:27--9:29: The Tenth Narrative Complex, 87
"Who Is He--And So What If He Is?" A sermon by James E. Mead, 94
Mark 9:30--10:45: The Eleventh Narrative Complex, 100
"The State of Our Spiritual Pantry" A sermon by Paul Scott Wilson, 108
Mark 10:46--11:25: The Twelfth Narrative Complex, 115
Mark 11:27--12:12: The Thirteenth Narrative Complex, 121
Mark 12:13-44: The Fourteenth Narrative Complex, 126
Mark 13:1-37: The Fifteenth Narrative Complex, 133
Mark 14:1-53: The Sixteenth Narrative Complex, 140
"While the Church Is Sleeping" A sermon by Ronald J. Allen, 148
Mark 14:54--15:20: The Seventeenth Narrative Complex, 154
Mark 15:21-39: The Eighteenth Narrative Complex, 160
Mark 15:40--16:8: The Nineteenth Narrative Complex, 165
"Tell All to Everyone" A sermon by Lucy Lind Hogan, 171

Conclusion, 176
Bibliography, 183                                
Notes, 188