Tribulation

I hope the series in the Gospel of Mark has been a blessing to you so far. I become aware of new things every time I go through the Gospels, no matter how many times I’ve studied them. For instance, in yesterday’s sermon I had never noticed that Jesus called the woman who was healed daughter. The Gospels are worthy of our study, because the more we look at them, the more we see.

Next week’s sermon on Mark 6 is going to be especially important, I think. We all experience difficulties as we follow Jesus. Our difficulties might take different forms, but we all have hard times. This shouldn’t surprise us because Jesus himself experienced difficulties, too. He became tired. He experienced the loss of family and loved ones. He had to put up with his disciples misunderstanding what he was saying. Seeing how Jesus dealt with difficulty and yet continued to accomplish his mission will help us think about approaching our difficulties, too.

Continue to be in prayer for Wally Yoder’s family. Our prayers are with Betty Ann, and their children, Lori, Lisa, Alan, and Eric, as well as the rest of his family and friends. We’ll send out service information as soon as it is available to us.

God bless, Brian

Scripture readings for next Sunday

Mark 6:1-16—Why do you think that Jesus’ told his disciples to travel in the way that they did?

Mark 6:17-31—Why do you think the story of John the Baptist’s beheading is told here?

2 Chronicles 24:17-22—What does this teach us about the way that prophets were treated?

2 Corinthians 12:1-10—What does this passage tell us about the cost of sharing the gospel?