Week: 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 Eli
Psalm 103:8
The Lord shows mercy and is kind.
He does not become angry quickly, and he has great love.
Psalm 103:8 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on a parable that Jesus told about a man who hired some farmers to look after his vineyard. The man sent servants to visit the farmers, but the farmers killed them.
Read by Eli
Mark 12:6-8
The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
Mark 12:6-8 (NCV)
A parable is a simple story with a deeper meaning, and the religious leaders in the crowd who were listening as Jesus told this parable knew exactly what He meant.
In the parable, the man was God, and the farmers that He had recruited to run the farm were the religious leaders. However, the farmers decided that they wanted the farm all to themselves, and they were willing to kill the man’s son to keep it. As Jesus told this parable, He was, of course, also describing His own future – very soon, the religious leaders would plot to have Jesus killed.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Can we think of any other simple stories with a deeper meaning? For example, here’s one that we might have heard of… ‘the tortoise and the hare’.
The Bible says because God so loved the world that He sent His son, Jesus (John 3:16) knowing that some would reject Him.
Father God, thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, into the world – thank you for Your great love for the whole world and everything in it. And thank You, Jesus, for being willing to die for us – for showing us what God’s great love is really like.
Although most of the religious leaders in Mark’s Gospel (and the other Gospels) seem to be selfish and afraid of losing their power and influence, others seem to want to follow Jesus. Let’s quietly pray our own prayer for the leaders that we know – especially church leaders – to follow Jesus with all the hearts and all their lives.
If we’ve got time, let’s write them a note to encourage them – even if it’s just to tell them that we’ve been praying for them.
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 12:6-8
The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
Mark 12:6-8 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we want to know You, not just know about You. And so we simply say YES, we will follow You.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Psalm 103:8
The Lord shows mercy and is kind.
He does not become angry quickly, and he has great love.
Psalm 103:8 (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.
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog. She works for Bridgetown Church where she leads kids as they grow, learn, and have lots of fun. Joy loves gardening, summer camp, eating ice cream, and reading her favourite books, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Eli is 11 and lives in Melbourne, Victoria with his mum, dad and two younger sisters. He enjoys music, reading, riding his skateboard and playing soccer.
