New Sermon Series

Mark - A Great Story

We love stories. Literature is story, film is story, maybe even a ‘song’ is story. We all love stories. Stories are memorable. If you wanted to remember something – and you couldn’t write it down – then a story is the best way to do it. Stories vicariously draw you into them. They allow us to vicariously live a life that might otherwise be out of reach. We get to love the characters or dislike them. We get to ‘try them on’ and to put ourselves in their skin.

If God were to decide to speak to people, he could do it in any number of ways. He could present us with propositions or laws. It’s true that he has and does speak to us in many and various ways, but most often he comes to us via story. By story, we do not mean ‘fiction’. Stories can be true.

We could relate the recent ‘ashes’ campaign by numbering the runs that the Australians scored or their strike-rate or who took the most wickets – but usually we will tell the story of their innings or that delivery. At least that’s what the highlight reels show!

If most people are ‘concrete’ and ‘relational’ learners, then they will rather prefer learning from stories than abstract concepts. One of the things that we do with stories is suspend disbelief. In Mark’s Gospel, we are invited into the orbit of Jesus of Nazareth as he walked the earth some two millenia ago. We see him from the perspective of a close circle of friends and followers.

Sometimes (Peter, James and John) it is a very close circle. We see the miracles, we hear the teaching but there is also drama and opposition. You may already well know how the story ends but you are still drawn in by the way it all unfolds.

Mark is a great story. A great story is memorable. A great story doesn’t leave you where you began. A great story teaches you something but it also changes you. Maybe this is God’s story for you - and where does this story meet your story.

1. A beginning that grabs you (1 February)

       Mark 1:1-15

2. A Quest (8 February)

        Mark 1:14-28 (also perhaps 2:13-17)

3. A Hero: But who is he really? (15 February)

        Mark 1:29-45

4. Action/ Adventure/Drama (22 February)

        Mark 2:1-12.

5. Villains (1 March)

        Mark 2:18-3:6

6. Heart (8 March)

        Mark 5:1-43

7. A Twist (15 March)

        Mark 8:22-30

8. Escalating tension (22 March)

        Mark 12:1-27

9. A dramatic pinnacle (29 March)

       Mark 14:32-51

10. A Rescue (Good Friday, 3 April)

        Mark 15:21-41

11. A Weird Ending (Easter Sunday, 5 April)

        Mark 16:1-8

12. What’s your Story? (12 April)

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