Today's Reading

Luke 1:1-23

Dedication to Theophilus

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,

2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,

3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,

9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,

17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."

19 And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time."

21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.

22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.

23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

From Joe White and Men at the Cross and Today's Reading

Today I was broken
and I was made new
in your image
and by your power
I am redeemed

Yesterday is but a memory
and seems as though a dream
for I lived not until this day
for I am born again
and but lost are all moments before

As the east is to the west
so are all my sins
They're gone and out of my life
it is not a fad or a change of style
but a change of heart and my soul

As many times as I fall
you will always be there
and each tear that is shed of mine
is as if it was one of your own
for you loved me even if I was lost

You searched for me and found me
and did not loose faith
I have fallen short of your mark
and for this I plead
and my slate is wiped clean

Each time I go astray
I pray that you will lead me home
for it is with you that my soul belongs
and in your presence is where I strive to be
in your favor is where I desire to live

Love me today Lord
that is my prayer
for I am so empty without you
and in your presence
my joy overflows

QUESTIONS:

1. How do you give God thanks?
2. How does this make you feel when you give Him the glory?
3. How do you think God reacts to this thanks?

Mark 16

The Resurrection

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.

2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

3 And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"

4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back--it was very large.

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.

6 And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."

8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

9 [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.

13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

The Great Commission

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]

Why didn't they believe? Was it that they had seen the brutal beating He had suffered? Maybe it was the shock of seeing his limp body taken from the cross? Maybe even knowing that the stone had been rolled into place had sealed His death fro them and they could not grasp beyond that experience any hope that what they were being told was true.

Its not much different today where the gospel of Christ is shared and people just can't seemed to get their hands around who Jesus is and what He has done. Grace is such a hard concept to embrace when all you know is performance based acceptance and affirmation (look at him walk, wow she is talking so well for a 2 year-old, I am so proud of the way you read/memorized those verses/sung that song/did your homework/chores/etc.). How can we not compromise who Christ is while communicating His acceptance of everyone - not on the basis of what they do, but on the basis of who He is. And then, after presenting the best that Christ has given to us, leave them to the decision-making....

Today's Reading

Mark 15:27-46

27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.

29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!"

31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself.

32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe."Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

The Death of Jesus

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah."

36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down."

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.

45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.

46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

A Note from Meredyth...

Hi, everybody: This morning as I was starting to work on the lesson for this coming Sunday, "O, the joy of the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy", Matt. 5;7, I was looking at some verses that show us God's mercy to get started on the subject. I found two "stories" in the O.T. which are wonderful examples of God's mercy. I am sending them on to you to please read before next Sunday morning and come prepared to tell us what you learned from these stories and how it fits in with us today. How do they help us to learn what it means to be merciful? The two passages to read are Deuteronomy 4 and Nehemiah 9. The Deut. passage is at the end of the Israelites 40 years of wandering in the wilderness just before crossing into the Promised Land. Moses is basically reciting the history, to those ready to cross over, of what happened to their parents and grandparents as they left Egypt and why they were in the wilderness for 40 years when it really only needed to take them perhaps two weeks!!

The events in the book of Nehemiah take place hundreds of years later and after the Israelites had been captives in Babylon for 70 years but are now back in Israel, their homeland again. The walls are rebuilt and in chap 8, Ezra is reading the Law to the people, (read that chapter as background for chap 9, if you have time - let this be part of your hungering and thirsting for righteousness this week!!). Chap. 9 gives the response of the people as they heard the law. How does this chapter fit in with the idea of being merciful, especially showing God's mercy?

I just love these 2 chapters and hope you get as thrilled as I did when I read them again this morning!!

In case, you are wondering, I never promised NOT to give assignments for S.S.!

God bless you as you hunger and thirst for Him this week! Come prepared to talk about being merciful, maybe with an example of how you were merciful this week!

With love because of Jesus

Meredyth

Today's Reading

Take note of the unanswered questions. Why is Jesus lack of response significant? How do the charges of Pilate and the religious leaders compare to the charges people bring today against Jesus?

Mark 15:1-26

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

2 And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so."

3 And the chief priests accused him of many things.

4 And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you."

5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.

7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.

8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.

9 And he answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?"

10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.

11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.

12 And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?"

13 And they cried out again, "Crucify him."

14 And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him."

15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.

17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.

18 And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.

20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).

23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.

25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.

26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews."

sorry so late...

Mark 14:51-72

A Young Man Flees

51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him,

52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Jesus Before the Council

53 And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.

54 And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire.

55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.

56 For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.

57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,

58 "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.'"

59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?"

61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

62 And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need?

64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death.

65 And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him with blows.

Peter Denies Jesus

66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came,

67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus."

68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you mean." And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed.

69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them."

70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean."

71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak."

72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept.