February 27, 2019 | Resources | Reading Guides | Teaching | Adult by Josh Graves
The King Has One Week to Live
In March and April I’m teaching a new series, The King Has One Week to Live, to focus our hearts and minds on the final week of King Jesus as recorded in the gospel of Mark. Over 8 weeks we are going to carefully traverse Mark’s “final week” story so that we can grow closer to Christ and each other in our mission to bring heaven to earth (what we pray each week).
A reading list is below as well as in the Otter Creek App (Mark 14-16):
March 3 - Mark 8; 11; 14:1-20
March 6 - OC's annual Ash Wednesday Service 7pm
March 10 - Mark 14:12-25
March 17 - Mark 14:26-42
March 24 - Mark 14:43-52
March 31 - Mark 14:26-31; 53-72
April 7 - Mark 15:1-20
April 14 - (Palm Sunday) Mark 15:21-47
April 21 - (Easter) Mark 16:1-8
April 28 - Mark 16:9-20
You will note that this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday (7PM OC Sanctuary), a time when Christians around the world gather together to name our sins, and to recall that from dust we came and to dust we shall return. I hope many of you will attend and bring someone with you. A lot of people love Christmas, baby Jesus, the lights and by the time we get to Jesus’ final week, those people are nowhere to be found in the story. Ash Wednesday is for all of us; the broken and vulnerable.
If you ever conversed with someone who has survived a near death experience, or one aware of their coming death their perspective is always notable. They get it. They aren’t planning for their long term investments. They aren’t fretting over their popularity. They are focused.
What was Jesus like in that moment; when he was looking death in the face in the garden? Jesus; who could reorient himself to say, “Not my will…”
When life is bleak and pressing in on all sides, what will our response be?
Will we orient ourselves to what actually matters? The death and resurrection of Jesus define my life. And I know those events define your life too.