Grow Guide | March 17, 2024
Series Theme: All Good Gifts
Reading: Mark 13:28-37
Connecting Questions
What is your wake-up routine?
What is a plant or flower you appreciate? What does it teach you?
Prayer for Illumination
Lord God, You have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Context
Our worship theme turns to give greater focus to our Lenten journey with All Good Gifts, looking at what we receive from God which we then share with others. We continue focusing on Jesus’ teachings from the gospel of Mark. We encourage you to use the Lenten season to truly focus in on what we receive as people of faith and how we are called to share this with others. How we will use those attributes to carry on the work of Jesus Christ. Come explore the many opportunities to grow in faith and carry on the work of Jesus Christ at Easter. So glad you are here!
From Pastor Paul Berge at EntertheBible.org:
Jesus speaks about coming persecution, signs of the temple’s destruction and the desolating sacrilege, cosmic signs of the end, and the coming of the Son of Man. He says that the Son of Man is near and insists that the day or hour of his return is known only by the Father.
Look at the Book
Open to Mark 1:14-15. As Jesus begins his ministry, what is his key theme?
Jump to Mark 13:1. Where is Jesus leaving and with whom?
What do you know about the Temple in Jesus’s day?
Mark 13:1-8 is sometimes called the “small apocalypse.” What do you think about when you hear the word apocalypse?
Jesus predicts the Temple will be torn down—which it eventually was—how do you think that people who heard that “revelation” received it?
Jump to Mark 13:28. What is the image used?
Who is the “he” in verse 29? Much of chapter 13 is a collection of images that are trying to talk to us about what?
Verse 31 is powerful! Underline it. Google it and find where else in the Bible these words are used—this is not the only time!
What are we encouraged to do in verse 33? Jump to Mark 14:37-38. What’s going on and why is the command in Mark 13:33 so hard?
What is the image of staying awake being used in Mark 13:34?
How does the man “count” his days? In Jewish tradition, days are counted starting at sunset, not sunrise. What might that detail tell us about Mark?
In what ways does Easter—as a congregation--”stay awake?”
Who models paying attention in your life? How?
Our theme words for this week are attention, focus, clarity. Which spoke to you today? Why?
What would you like to talk about that we have not yet?
Taking it Home
Set an alarm to share an encouraging word with someone in your life.
When you wake up, find one thing to thank God for that day.
God of the promise, you call your people together into your one mission in Christ’s name. Make us brave, grant us peace, challenge our expectations, and empower us to truly follow your Spirit’s lead. You are our one God who calls us together as one people, and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.