Free Methodist Church Of Santa Barbara

Mark 9:38-41 This week we will be listening in on an important teaching moment Jesus had with John and the disciples. Jesus' words to "not stop" the work that is going on in His name, even by those who are not following him, convict and challenge us today. What are ways we have tried to stop God's work out of fear, jealousy, or short-sightedness? We will be confronting our temptation to limit God and to define who can use His name. As we engage with the inclusiveness of God's power and Spirit unleashed in our world I hope and pray we would humbly ask for God's power to be manifest in our own lives too.

Mark 9:30-37. This week, we will look at an argument the disciples have about who is the greatest. This comes right after Jesus, again, tells them about his death and resurrection. While it is tempting to dismiss the disciples as being ignorant, comparing ourselves to others is something we see every day. Jesus turns their argument on its head and tells us that greatness is found in serving others and not serving yourself. This is an important lesson for us to learn and one that has huge implications for how we live our lives. Let us pray about how God will speak to us this Sunday about what it means to be great.

Mark 9:14-29. There is rarely a dull moment in Jesus' days in the section of Mark in which we find ourselves. While coming down the mountain where God showed Peter, James, and John a glimpse of heaven, Jesus walks into a chaotic scene involving the rest of the disciples and a crowd who is eager to see Him. They know He will sort out what is happening and make sense of everything. At the center is a boy who needs attention, brought by his father who longs for his son to be made whole. This story causes us to wonder about how healing works, what part prayer plays in it, as well as the nature of belief. Jesus here has a response to the father and to those who would seek to understand how faith works on a deeper level.

Mark 9:1-13. In recent weeks we have been traveling the road with Jesus and along this road, He has revealed more and more of himself to the disciples and the crowds that followed. Peter has declared Jesus to be the Messiah but Jesus has plainly described the role of the divine Messiah while laying out the profile of a true disciple. As Jesus has moved the people into the uncharted territory of denying themselves, taking up their cross and following Him, He has noted their troubled responses and confusion. This Sunday we study a passage where Jesus purposefully keeps his promise to show those who follow the glorious kingdom that is to come. He specifically chooses Peter, James, and John to see His transfiguration. These three see the glory of Jesus and also experience the presence of Moses and Elijah. Join us as Mark 9:1-13 comes alive through the voices of our four pastors. Enter the sanctuary, worship the Lord and together we will experience the hope we can have in Him as we get a glimpse of His kingdom

Mark 8:31-38.

Mark 8:27-30. How does one decide who Jesus is? What needs to happen before a person can say with certainty that Jesus is the Savior God sent to save the world? Peter has shown us in the book of Mark his progression of being a fisherman called by the Lord to the passage we come to this week in which he shows clear understanding of Jesus' identity. What a gracious God! Have you stopped to think about that recently? We have a God who wants to be known by us. No longer do we have just the the word of the prophets or the early experiences of God's people, now we have record of the One sent from heaven Himself. And, not just a record, but we have received our own knowledge of Jesus as He has made Himself real to us. This week we celebrate the sacrament of communion. As we draw near to the altar, this passage will remind us of our own confession of Christ and we know once again He will meet us.

Mark 8:22-26. We continue in the book of Mark. Jesus is in Bethsaida, which means 'house of hunting' and was home to a few of the disciples. It was a place we see a few times in the Gospel and is located close to the Sea of Galilee. While here, some people bring a man who is blind in order for to Jesus to touch him. Jesus does so and there is a miracle performed as the Lord restores sight to the man's eyes. This Sunday, we are going to be a house of prayer. I will give you some lessons to think about from this scripture. Then, Pastor Helen Rhee is going to come talk about why we pray for one another in the historical framework of the church and what it means. She will then invite us to pray. We encourage you to come and be prayed over with oil by leaders for physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds. Or you may stay in your pew and pray with others around you. You may simply want to seek the Lord privately. All of us can use prayer and all of us know someone who could use prayer. Sunday, we are going to

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