Week: Mark's Gospel
As usual, each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Jesus, we hear You inviting us, and so we choose to follow You, with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls and with all our strength.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson J
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures for ever.
Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Towards the end of Mark’s Gospel most of the stories build towards Jesus’ death and resurrection. Today, we’re REFLECTING on one of these stories.
Read by Jackson J
Mark 14:3-6
Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. While Jesus was eating there, a woman approached him with an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.
Some who were there became upset and said to each other, ‘Why waste that perfume? It was worth a full year’s work. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor.’ And they got very angry with the woman.
Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She did an excellent thing for me.’
Mark 14:3-6 (NCV)
In Jesus’ time, and in that part of the world, when someone died, perfume would be poured onto the dead body to prepare it for burial. Even though the woman probably didn’t realise at the time, she was preparing Jesus’ body for His death to come.
In the room, however, the only thing that everyone cared about was how much the perfume cost – a whole year’s wages! The disciples thought that woman was being wasteful, but this was an incredibly special moment, and Jesus was grateful because she had given Him the most precious thing that she had.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: We may not have something that’s worth a year’s wages, but what’s the most precious thing that we’ve got – the thing we value the most?
The woman clearly knew Jesus was the most important person she had ever met.
Jesus, we are amazed and challenged by the love that the woman expressed towards You as she poured the perfume on Your head. We ASK You to help us to love You and honour You with what we have too.
How about we try something practical this week. Having listened to, and prayed about, today’s Bible passage, what have we got that we could give away or give to someone else as an act of love and kindness?
Let’s pause for a moment and quietly ASK God what He wants us to do.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Mark 14:3-6
Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. While Jesus was eating there, a woman approached him with an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.
Some who were there became upset and said to each other, ‘Why waste that perfume? It was worth a full year’s work. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor.’ And they got very angry with the woman.
Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She did an excellent thing for me.’
Mark 14:3-6 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we say YES to loving and honouring You in the best ways possible – even if other people don’t understand.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures for ever.
Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Jackson is 11 and he lives in Chichester, on the south coast of England, with his parents and his sister. He loves Pokemon (who doesn’t?), music and having fun with his friends.
