Recent preparation to teach a class had me looking at the Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke, specifically). Each one recounts Jesus' time on earth. But they are so different. Matthew begins with a genealogy, tells a short version of Jesus' birth and is the only one to tell of the wisemen's visit a few years later. Mark has no birth story at all, is the shortest, and ends on Easter day with witnesses running away in fear. Luke gives us the familiar Christmas story, begins and ends in the temple and shows us that God has a preferential concern for "the least of these." It's great! Because we have more than one account, we learn different things about the same story. It's a bit like watching more than one channel for the news. Thanks be to God for the individuals and communities that wrote down our scriptures!
