Mark 11:11-13 – October 20, 2024

Text: Mark 11:11-13We continue our study of the Gospel of Mark after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which we typically read on Palm Sunday). In this passage, Jesus curses a fig tree that looks healthy but does not produce, despite being out of season. This fig tree represents the brokenness of what happens when who…

Mark 10:46-52 – October 13, 2024

Text: Mark 10:46-52Throughout our study of the book of Mark, Jesus often shows that the grace of God moves in powerful ways in and among the people who have been dealt a bad hand in life. In today’s passage, Jesus heals a blind beggar named Bartimaeus and is called the “Son of David” for the…

Mark 10:32-45 – October 6, 2024

Text: Mark 10:32-45As Jesus foretells His death and resurrection while approaching Jerusalem, He also explains to His disciples that one must become a servant of all to become great. In learning what it is to be obedient and embrace holy living, we find that our lives are inextricably linked to the people we come into…

Mark 10:17-31 – September 29, 2024

Text: Mark 10:17-31How is it that we are saved? In today’s scripture reading, a rich man asks Jesus the way to have eternal life. Jesus responds by issuing a call to live with a sacrificial faith. We must also accept God’s grace, because the kingdom of God is not based on what we’ve accomplished or…

Mark 10:1-16 – September 22, 2024

Text: Mark 10:1-16As we continue through the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is asked about divorce by the Pharisees. In the context of John the Baptist’s death which resulted from his disapproval of Herod’s divorce and remarriage, this question can be seen as an attempt to get Jesus in trouble as well. Marriage is one of…

Mark 9:38‐50 – September 15, 2024

Text: Mark 9:38‐50Today’s passage from Mark begins with someone who is not a disciple of Jesus casting out demons in His name. This follows the story of the disciples not being able to perform a similar act, and later arguing who among them was the greatest. This story shows that the power of God at…

Mark 9:14-37 – September 8, 2024

Text: Mark 9:14-37In the story of Jesus healing a boy with convulsions, the boy’s father serves as a model of faith. He is someone with questions and concerns but despite this, Jesus accepts his faith with the words “I believe; help my unbelief.” We don’t have to have all of the answers before we come…

Mark 8:27-38 – September 1, 2024

Text: Mark 8:27-38Who is Jesus for us? What do we see when hear or think about Jesus? Jesus asks His disciples this in today’s reading. Jesus reminds His disciples that who we are and how we live has everything to do with the God who has created us and the people He has put in…

Mark 8:1-26 – August 25, 2024

Text: Mark 8:1-26Mark 8 begins with Jesus feeding another large crowd with only seven loaves of bread. Coming after the previous feeding of the 5,000 and the healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter, this story is a continuation of showing that the power of God moves out in and among those in our world we…

Mark 7:24-37 – August 18, 2024

Text: Mark 7:24-37Pastor Amanda Lawton continues our study of the gospel of Mark with two stories where Jesus heals those outside the Jewish faith. These stories challenge us as followers of Jesus to be boundary breakers and engage in the transformation of the marginalized so that those around us who are “outsiders” are welcomed to…