Free Methodist Church Of Santa Barbara

Mark 8:11-21. Sunday, we will be talking about interactions Jesus has with two very different sets of people during His day. Neither go very well. . . so we are going to talk about why that is. What do we learn about Jesus here? What do we learn about ourselves? As you read it, what do you think is happening? What do you do when you have a conversation with someone that goes much differently than you think it will? What if that someone is God?

Mark 8:1-10. In the text we will study this week, we again see the generosity of Jesus. One of the best characteristics of the Lord is His consistency. We should not be surprised to see a similar event to one we have already seen in Mark, although we might wonder why the gospel writer records both events. If we were writing this, we might think telling about feeding 5,000 men in one sitting was sufficient, so we would skip the story about the 4,000. Do people need the repetition? Do we? What is Peter (for whom Mark is writing) trying to communicate by putting both in his book? Can we get past our familiarity with this passage and hear what the Spirit of God is trying to say to us? I think we can.

Mark 7:31-37. Healing is a topic we are all intensely interested in. Be it for ourselves or others, we spend much time in prayer for health and wholeness. We talk about our infirmities and we lament, with great reason, our diseases. Here, in Mark 7, Jesus touches a man with a devastating condition, one that has possibly plagued him his whole life. As we read it, we are struck by a few things. One is how Jesus heals Him. Another is the nature of the trouble. And another is what Jesus tells the man afterwards. I encourage you to take some moments in meditation this week on this passage, asking the Lord for insight and wisdom.

Mark 7:24-30. We are coming back to Mark, after a brief sojourn into Acts for Pentecost Sunday. The story we will discuss is very interesting, as it has parts that are hard to believe; how the woman comes and barges in on Jesus' privacy; the way Jesus talks to her; how she talks back to Him as if it is normal. We don't want to sail past this interaction without a bit of thoughtfulness on our part. In this interaction, there is much to learn about God and the courage we have to approach Him.

Acts 1:7-8; 2:42-47. In this week's passage, Jesus has ascended into heaven and leaves the stewardship of the Kingdom to his people as we await his return. On this Pentecost Sunday, we are able to get a peek into the genesis of the church. The Holy Spirit comes and fills the followers of Christ, enabling them to continue the work of God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. As you spend some time in the passage this week, consider the ways in which the disciples waited patiently and actively for Christ's return and how we might do the same. Video clips available at fmcsb.org.

Mark 7:1-23. The passage we will study is one where Jesus is forcefully speaking to people who have taken God's commandments and made them more than they were meant to be. His goal is not just to protect the integrity of the Law, but to help them see the burden they have placed on themselves and others in following unnecessary traditions and rules made up to seem more holy. As Jesus talks to those who are trying to shame He and His disciples, we see how problematic it can be when human-made rituals take the place of what the Lord has given us. What a gift we have been given to know God's truth and to be given the freedom to follow Him.

Mark 6:45-52 The passage we study this week is a familiar one: Jesus walking on the water. This story is found in three of the gospels. . . Matthew, Mark and John. The Lord and the disciples have had an active time in the last few days before they come to this evening. Jesus goes to pray and sends the twelve across the lake. We are unsure when they thought they would see Him again, but it is clear they didn't think it would be when He was walking by them. Imagine being in a boat and Jesus is standing on the lake next to you, as if it was solid ground! As you take some time with this passage this week, think about how the disciples react to Him. We are going to talk about being afraid and how Jesus meets us in those times we are not expecting Him. This Sunday is communion, a moment the Lord meets with us in transforming ways. My prayer is for each of us to know His presence among us.

Mark 6:30-44 As we journey through the book of Mark together we continue to deepen our understanding of who Jesus is as the Son of God. The feeding of the five thousand is a miracle which reveals Jesus as our God who cares that His people eat and are satisfied. This is not news to people of faith who are familiar with YHWH providing manna in the wildnerness and with passages predicting the heavenly banquet at the end of the age. God loves to feed His people. What do you hunger for? Do you know who can satisfy that hunger? Do we trust God to feed us?

Mark 6:14-29

Mark 6:7-13

Mark 6:1-6

Mark 16:1-8

Mark 11:1-11

Mark 5:35-43

Mark 5:21-34

Mark 5:1-20

Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:26-34

Ash Wednesday - Rev. Danielle Garcia (2-14-18) by Sermons

Mark 4:1-20