Week: Mark's Gospel
Welcome to Lectio for Families. This week we’re returning to our series exploring the life of Jesus as told in Mark’s Gospel.
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 Vera Lynn
John 10:10
[Jesus said] I came to give life – life in all its fullness.
John 10:10b (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Jesus’ disciples were arguing about who was the most important. Today, we are REFLECTING on what Jesus said to them.
Read by Vera Lynn
Mark 10:43-45
[Jesus said] ‘Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. Whoever wants to become the first among you must serve all of you like a slave. In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.’
Mark 10:43b-45 (NCV)
The argument started because two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John, asked Jesus if they could sit either side of Him in Heaven – they wanted the best seats, they wanted to be the greatest.
But Jesus’ response wasn’t what they were expecting at all! He told them that the way to be great, the way to be important, wasn’t to be in charge or to show off, but to serve everyone else instead. Jesus demonstrated this by serving His disciples, over and over again, and He calls us to do the same.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: How could we serve our family or our friends this week?
And now let’s ASK God to help us and others
Lord Jesus, we ASK you to help us love and serve other people – even those who we don’t get on well with – in the same way that You have loved and served us.
Let’s get practical for a moment. Who could we serve over the next few days?
Lord Jesus, who do You want us to serve this weekend? Show us how we can bless them, encourage them or help them, just to make their life a little bit easier?
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 10:43-45
[Jesus said] ‘Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. Whoever wants to become the first among you must serve all of you like a slave. In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.’
Mark 10:43b-45 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we’re so grateful that You came to serve us and save us. We say a big YES to following Your example – to loving and serving those around us. Help us learn how to put other people’s needs before our own.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
John 10:10
[Jesus said] I came to give life – life in all its fullness.
John 10:10b (NCV)
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.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Vera Lynn is 10 years old and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, USA with her parents, sister, and dog Max. Her favourite hobbies include reading, knitting, sewing, and embroidery. She is very creative. Her favourite book is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis.
