Mark 13 & 14

How is everyone doing? Are we moving too fast? Too slow? Let me know. Tomorrow we will have read through, and struggled with the whole Gospel of Mark. Next week we jump to the Old Testament to Ecclesiastes.

***Mark 13***

I shutter every time I read this chapter. As a pastor, I have to make sure that I do not become a false prophet. I think it would be really easy to preach the gospel according to Nick.

People say nice things to me... I believe them... Pride swells up... Money comes... and all of a sudden... BAM! I am preaching a message to maintain my popularity instead of telling people about Jesus.

We like it when people say what we want to hear, and we don't like it when people say what we don't want to hear... even if it is the truth.

The Jewish people did not like what the prophets had to say, so they persecuted them. They didn't like what Jesus had to say, so they crucified him.

If what Jesus had to say got him killed, and I am called to preach the same message, shouldn't I be offending someone? One of my favorite professors, Dr. Calvin Booth used to say "be weary when all men speak well of you."

I realize that many of you will never preach a sermon, but you will probably hear me preach. I ask you to keep me honest. Keep me focused on the task.

The task is this, according to William Barclay: "Our job is not to change Christianity to suit people, but change people to suit Christianity."

***Mark 14***

My favorite part of this chapter is verses 51-52... Go read them again. If you aren't reading along in bible (Tara*) the next part is going to make no sense to you. The only reasonable explanation for these verses is that the young man was Mark, and he witnessed what he was writing about. I wonder why Mel left this part of the Passion of Christ?

Chapter 14 is full of important stories and theology, but there is one thing that stands out to me this morning. Love is defined in chapter 14.

We are told of Jesus' time of prayer in the garden. In his prayer time he asks for there to be another way. Jesus does not want to be whipped and nailed to a cross. Jesus does not want to die for you and I. Jesus wants to go to plan B.

But love wins. Jesus loved his Father and Jesus loved you and I enough to do that which he did not want to. He gave his life out of love.

That is what love is. We can tell people that we love them, but we do not show them love until we do something that we don't want to do... for them.

I know my parents love my sisters and I because of all the time they dedicated to our interests growing up. They coached baseball, basketball, soccer, dance and softball. Time wasn't all they sacrificed, and they are still sacrificing.

I know my grandmother loved me because whenever we spent time together we did what I wanted to do. Sometimes she would sit at the driving range and watch me hit golf balls... poorly! And then she'd lie and tell me that I was great.

I know my wife loves me because of a thousand things, I know my sisters love me, I know my cousins (I am writing this from my cousin's couch in sunny Orlando), aunts and uncles love me, I know my friends love me, and I know God loves me. They have each done things they haven't wanted to do for me.

I am blessed. I only hope that I can learn to love as God loves.

*Tara is my sister, and yes, I am making fun of her.

******ANNOUNCEMENT******
Mission Developer training begins in a couple hours and goes through Saturday, which may effect tomorrow's blog. I will try to get it posted in the morning, but it may be late afternoon.