⛪️ To learn more about who we are and what we do, visit https://gracepointe.net/about-us 🗣 For weekly event and ways to get plugged in, visit https://gracepointe.net/calendar 🙌 To become a sustaining member of the GracePointe community, visit https://gracepointe.net/give Like us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Instagram at https://instagram.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gracepointetn

⛪️ To learn more about who we are and what we do, visit https://gracepointe.net/about-us 🗣 For weekly event and ways to get plugged in, visit https://gracepointe.net/calendar 🙌 To become a sustaining member of the GracePointe community, visit https://gracepointe.net/give Like us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Instagram at https://instagram.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gracepointetn

⛪️ To learn more about who we are and what we do, visit https://gracepointe.net/about-us 🗣 For weekly event and ways to get plugged in, visit https://gracepointe.net/calendar 🙌 To become a sustaining member of the GracePointe community, visit https://gracepointe.net/give Like us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Instagram at https://instagram.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gracepointetn

The version of Easter we find at the end of Mark’s Gospel is very different from the other Gospels. It’s short, includes no appearance of the risen Jesus, and end abruptly. Yet, this is also the first Easter narrative, the one that Matthew, Luke, and John use as a springboard to tell their stories. What does Mark think Easter means? How does this strange story offer hope or speak to us today?

⛪️ To learn more about who we are and what we do, visit https://gracepointe.net/about-us 🗣 For weekly event and ways to get plugged in, visit https://gracepointe.net/calendar 🙌 To become a sustaining member of the GracePointe community, visit https://gracepointe.net/give Like us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Instagram at https://instagram.com/gracepointetn Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gracepointetn

This week we find ourselves in Mark chapter 10, where we meet a rich person who asks Jesus a big question. “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” he asked. Jesus’s answer might surprise us!

This week we are back into our series through the Gospel of Mark. In chapter 9 Jesus takes his closest disciples up a mountain and they have an experience that is both strange and transformative. What did the story of Jesus’s transfiguration mean for Mark? What does it mean for us, today?

What do we do when the portrayal of Jesus in Scripture shows us something we don’t like or agree with? Today, lead pastor Josh Scott shares one of his favorite stories in Mark, a time when Jesus refused to help someone and then changed his mind. Josh explains what this story has taught him about the importance of staying open to new perspectives, and he encourages us to follow Jesus’ lead in not holding so tightly to our theology that it ends up harming others. 

Episode Recap:

• Mark’s gospel reminds us there’s still good news at the end of the world (1:06)

• Jesus reminds people that justice is what matters most (3:03) 

• The Roman Empire was not just a problem for Jewish people (8:13)

• What do we do with Jesus’ response to the woman asking for help? (16:57)

• In this moment, we see Jesus’ perspective change (24:05)

• When our theology bumps up against our experience of people, something has to give (30:54)

• Jesus didn’t come to lead a conquest, he came to liberate (32:49)

Resources:

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Jesus’ vision of the kingdom was less about converting people and more about coming together to make sure everyone has what they need. Today, lead pastor Josh Scott examines three stories in Mark 6 that demonstrate the power of collaboration and cooperation. He reminds us that hospitality is a core tenet of the kingdom of God and shares some actions we can take this week to help create the world we want to live in. 

Episode Recap:

• When it feels like the world is falling apart, we need good news (0:10)

• Jesus gave people an alternative vision of what the world could be (4:40)

• Mark 6 invites us into collaboration and cooperation (7:03)

• Jesus’ own hometown wasn’t open to the work he was doing (9:14)

• The kingdom requires hospitality (17:19)

• Jesus’ movement has always been about caring for and feeding each other (26:14)

• The world won’t change unless we make change happen (30:58)

• 2 opportunities for learning and action (33:22)

Resources:

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Following Jesus is and always was a political act. So what did Jesus have to say about empire, and how can those teachings shape how we live? Today, lead pastor Josh Scott discusses two stories from Mark 5 that show us something important about who Jesus chose to embrace and how we can resist empire. Josh also opens up the floor for a conversation with our online and in-person community so we can all learn from each other.

Episode Recap:

• Jesus came to remind people a different kind of world was possible (3:40)

• What jumps out to you when you read Mark 5? (6:41)

• When someone was unclean, people were taught to keep their distance (13:00)

• Mark is making an overt political statement with this story (26:09)

• The way to resist empire is by caring for each other (33:44)

• Jesus embraced the woman who was unclean (37:30)

• Taking Jesus seriously requires us to change how we live (42:48)

• It’s easy to judge how people responded to Jesus, but are we any better? (49:08)

Resources:

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Why did Jesus choose to compare the kingdom of God to one of the smallest seeds? Today, lead pastor Josh Scott discusses the parable of the mustard seed and what it means for the way we view God’s kingdom. He reminds us that Jesus never wanted to create another empire, but to establish a new way of being in the world. He also talks about the concept of parables and takes time to hear from our community about what this story means to them. 

Episode Recap:

• If you want to see the kingdom of God, you need to allow for transformation (0:10)

• In Mark 4, we see Jesus teach through parables (3:29)

• Parables are metaphorical, subversive, and political stories (9:45)

• Jesus chose to compare the kingdom to one of the smallest seeds (14:28)

• Jesus doesn’t ask us to have certainty, but to have trust (24:05)

• The kingdom of God movement is about creating a different kind of world (25:18)

• We cannot divorce Jesus from his Jewish identity (30:23)

• The kingdom of God is not another empire, it’s something new (36:03)

• Planting mustard seeds is about building something that promotes flourishing (41:47) 

Resources:

• Learn more about GracePointe

• Check out our schedule of upcoming events

• Become a sustaining member of the GracePointe community

• Follow GracePointe on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook