Daily Dip into Mark (Week 4)

At Vineyard Church, we're reading and studying through the Gospel of Mark together. A resource we're sharing is this "Daily Dip into Mark", a guide to experiencing the text.

You can download a pdf copy of Week 4 by clicking here (it's also copied below).

Please let us know how this week's reading hits you by adding your comments below!

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Introduction
Begin each day with a simple prayer asking God to speak to you today through the story of Mark’s Gospel.

If you have a couple minutes at the end of your time each day, come back here and consider using these prayers as a guide this week:

Prayers Appointed for the Week
(from the Divine Hours, edited by Phyllis Tickle)

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Monday
This week we are looking at Mark 3:7 - 4:41. If you have time, start back at the beginning of Mark and read from the beginning through the end of chapter 4. If not, just read this section.

Your job today (if you have access) is to go to http://vineyard2cents.blogspot.com, and comment on this week’s blog post, answering this question:

What is something about Jesus that stands out to you so far in Mark?

Tuesday
Re-read Mark 3:7 - 4:41.

Come back and focus on 3:7-12.
How does the response of the crowds to Jesus contrast with the response of the religious leaders highlighted in the previous section?

Why do you think Mark brings this out?

How does Jesus respond to the crowds and evil spirits?

Wednesday
Re-read Mark 3:7 - 4:41.

Come back and focus on 3:13-35.
This is kind of a long section, but seeing it as a section helps us understand the whole “unforgivable sin” thing in the middle. Notice the helpful (but easy to miss) structure of this section... It’s a sandwich:

Jesus appoints the 12 disciples/apostles
  Family says he’s crazy
    Teachers of the law say he’s possessed
      Jesus clarifies which Spirit empowers him,
      and warns against unpardonable sin
    Teachers were saying he’s possessed
  Family arrives to remove him
Disciples around him are his true family

For extra credit (just kidding), look up “Xiasm” in a Bible Dictionary. That’s the technical term for this “sandwich” literary device... My paraphrase: the meat in the middle helps explain the bread on the outside. So what do you think? How does Jesus’ parable about the kingdom, house, and strong man, and his warning about insulting the Holy Spirit, say something about the accusations of the teachers, the worries of his family, and the nature of his disciples?

If there is an “eternal sin”, what is it? And why would it be unforgivable?

Thursday
Re-read Mark 3:7 - 4:41.

Come back and focus on 4:1-34.
Look back and write down real life examples of the 4 soils from characters so far in Mark.
I find I’m different soils at different times in my life. Which kind of soil are you right now?

Friday
Re-read Mark 3:7 - 4:41.

Come back and focus on 4:35-41.
This story is driven by questions, but answers are not explicitly stated. Jot down all the questions in this story. What are the answers?

Daily Dip into Mark (Week 3)

At Vineyard Church, we're reading and studying through the Gospel of Mark together. A resource we're sharing is this "Daily Dip into Mark", a guide to experiencing the text.

You can download a pdf copy of Week 3 by clicking here (it's also copied below).

Please let us know how this week's reading hits you by adding your comments below!

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Introduction
Begin each day with a simple prayer asking God to speak to you today through the story of Mark’s Gospel.

If you have a couple minutes at the end of your time each day, come back here and consider using these prayers as a guide this week:

Prayers Appointed for the Week
(from the Divine Hours, edited by Phyllis Tickle)

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that I, who have been born again and made your child by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through my Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Monday
This week we are looking at Mark 2:13 - 3:6. If you have time, start back at the beginning of Mark and read from the beginning through chapter 3, verse 6. If not, just read this section.

Which parts catch your attention? Why?
What comes up a lot in this section?

We are only a few chapters into Mark and Jesus’ murder is already being plotted. Why did people react so strongly to Jesus?

Tuesday
Re-read Mark 2:13 - 3:6.

Come back and focus on 2:13-17.
Who does Jesus consider good company and why?

If Jesus came to your town, who are you in the story? One of the sinners he hangs out with? Or one of those outside puzzled by the way he seems to condone such immorality?

Wednesday
Re-read Mark 2:13 - 3:6.

Come back and focus on 2:18-22.
Again Jesus faces criticism about the “appropriate behavior” of a religious movement. What strikes you about the way Jesus responds to his critics?

What do you think Jesus is saying with the illustration of a “groom and groomsmen”, “clothes and patches”, and “wine and wineskins”? This may be a great time to consult a commentary or Bible dictionary if you have a few minutes for research...

Has Jesus done anything yet in Mark that kind of offends your sensibilities? How would he answer your offenses?

Thursday
Re-read Mark 2:13 - 3:6.

Come back and focus on 2:23-3:6.
Jesus crosses a huge line here: the Sabbath (one of the 10 commandments, remember!) How does Jesus’ understanding of “lawful vs. unlawful” differ from that of his critics?

Without answering them yet, list as many questions as you can related to this section.

Friday
Re-read Mark 2:13 - 3:6.

Taken as a whole section, what in this passage hits you personally? What has God been showing you this week?

Merry Christmas!

Hi friends,

Week 3 of our "Daily Dip into Mark" will arrive on Sunday 12/27. We're taking a week off from the blog to celebrate Christmas.

Be blessed in the remembrance of his coming!

-Tim

Daily Dip into Mark (Week 2)

At Vineyard Church, we're reading and studying through the Gospel of Mark together. A resource we're sharing is this "Daily Dip into Mark", a guide to experiencing the text.

You can download a pdf copy of Week 2 by clicking here (it's also copied below).

Please let us know how this week's reading hits you by adding your comments below!

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Introduction

Begin each day with a simple prayer asking God to speak to you today through the story of Mark’s Gospel.

If you have a couple minutes at the end of your time each day, come back here and consider using these prayers as a guide this week:

Prayers Appointed for the Week
(from the Divine Hours, edited by Phyllis Tickle)

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Monday

Start back at the beginning of Mark and read from the beginning through chapter 2, verse 12.

Which parts catch your attention? Why?

At the end, the people exclaim “We have never seen anything like this!” Which parts of this story so far contain things you’ve never seen anything like?

Tuesday

Re-read Mark 1:16-2:12.

Come back and focus on 1:16-20.
Jesus is beginning to handpick his students, in training to “fish for people”. What reasons (pragmatic or deep) could Jesus have had for choosing these fishermen to be his full-time students?

What is surprising about the fishermen’s responses?
What do we see here about Jesus himself as a fisher of people?

In this little section is a calling for disciples/apprentices: to fish for people, that is, to draw people into the Kingdom of God. But there is also an invitation: to learn this skill by following Jesus, who is the master fisherman. Jesus doesn’t even expect professional fishermen to already know how to fish for people. But once they have been trained by Jesus, they will be sent out to successfully do it. How does all this impact the way you think about your own calling to fish for people?

Wednesday

Re-read Mark 1:16-2:12.

Come back and focus on 1:21-39.
This is the snapshot of a day in the life of Jesus, during his early Kingdom campaigning. What is revealed about Jesus during this day? (Pay attention to repeated words and ideas in the section.)

“Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus is getting popular. How is fame impacting Jesus?

If you were Simon or one of the other students of Jesus, what would you think of him so far?
If you were you (you are you, just in case you didn’t know that already), what do you think of Jesus thus far in Mark’s story?

Thursday

Re-read Mark 1:16-2:12.

Come back and focus on 1:40-2:12.
Without answering them yet, list as many questions as you can about this section.

Friday

Re-read Mark 1:40-2:12.

Where does this passage hit you personally? What has God been showing you this week?

Daily Dip into Mark (Week 1)

At Vineyard Church, we're reading and studying through the Gospel of Mark together. A resource we're sharing is this "Daily Dip into Mark", a guide to experiencing the text.

You can download a pdf copy of Week 1 by clicking here (it's also copied below).

Please let us know how this week's reading hits you by adding your comments below!

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Daily Dip (Week 1)

Introduction

Begin each day with a simple prayer asking God to speak to you today through the story of Mark’s Gospel.

If you have a couple minutes at the end of your time each day, come back here and consider using these prayers as a guide this week:

Prayers Appointed for the Week(from the Divine Hours, edited by Phyllis Tickle)

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and for ever. Amen.

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Monday

If you can set aside 1 to 1.5 hours, try to read all of Mark in one sitting. (If you prefer to listen to an audio version, I'd highly recommend "Mark: The Bible Experience" available from iTunes or Audible.com for a few bucks. It runs about 1.5 hours.)

As you are reading through Mark, don't stop to analyze. Just go for the overall story. It would be a good idea, though, to put a dot or a check next to the parts that jump out to you. You can come back to these later.

Tuesday

Finish reading Mark if you weren't able to get through it all yesterday.

What do you notice about the book as a whole? What themes come up over and over?

Pick a character and note how they change over the course of the story (their arc, so to speak). Jot down your thoughts.

- Jesus

- Disciples

- Religious leaders

- Crowds

Wednesday

Come back to the beginning of Mark and re-read 1:1-15.

What catches your attention in this section?

This story is all about Jesus, but he shows up out of nowhere, an adult, in the middle of this section. How has Mark prepared us for the arrival of Jesus? How does he connect the story of Jesus with the bigger story of Israel's history?

Thursday

Re-read Mark 1:1-15.

Without answering them yet, list as many questions as you can about this section.

For example:

- Why start with an Old Testament quote?

- What is up with John's clothes and food? And why does Mark describe them?

- Why did the Spirit send (drive) Jesus out into the wilderness?

Take it from there and write down as many questions as you can think of…

Friday

Re-read Mark 1:1-15.

Where does this passage hit you personally? What has God been showing you this week?

Questions from Luke 4 application

Hi everyone, here are the reflection questions from the end of the sermon yesterday...

I also uploaded photos of the art, poetry, and questions that came up as we studied Acts 2 last week. You can see those HERE.

Do we have the audacity to claim that Jesus' statement about the fulfillment of God's future is true? The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. And God's future really is breaking into the present. What about you? Is God calling you to trust him for more of this reality in your day to day experience?

Do we put ourselves in the position to need the power of the Spirit to back us up? Or do we only step out as far as we know our human effort can take us? What limb is God calling you out onto today?

As we grow in our conscious cooperation with the Spirit of God, are we willing to endure the hardship that seems to come along with following Jesus' agenda? Are we prepared to lean in upon the Spirit to help us persevere when the most difficult challenges come? When we encounter failure? When we experience doubt? When we find ourselves tempted by Satan to bail from our course? When the people we love the most don't get what we're about? When we find ourselves bumping into evil at every turn? Where are you hedging your bets, staying cautious with God, in order to shield yourself from potential pain? You know, it's a part of the package of being attached to the messiah that we are called to endure suffering for the benefit of others. That's what Jesus did, it's what we do too. But the Holy Spirit is our comforter and our advocate, who can give us the strength beyond ourselves to make it through those things, just like he empowered Jesus to endure what he did.

Haiku?

Snapshots of the haikus, art, questions, and insights collected on the clothesline from our excursion into Luke 4:14-30 are posted on the Vineyard Church facebook page. Follow this link to peruse them:

Click here to go to facebook photos!

Don't forget to read Wole's post below and give your two cents on his questions at the end!