Expecting the Cross (Mark 8:31-38) - a podcast by Don Shoemaker, Steve Williams, and Bob Wriedt
from 2023-04-09T16:30
It's Easter Sunday!
This week at Grace, we'll be celebrating Jesus' resurrection by jumping a little forward in the Gospel of Mark series to Jesus' prediction of his death and resurrection in Mark 8:31-38. In this passage, Jesus not only shows the disciples what is going to happen, but he also links his death and resurrection with their own personal decision to pick up their cross daily and follow him.
As we prepare to come to worship this Easter Sunday, a few gentle pastoral reminders:
There may be people in your life who will come to church with you this Sunday if you ask them to. You've built a bridge of relationship with these people all year; now is the time to cross that bridge and respectfully invite them to come with you.
There will be people visiting Grace this Sunday for the first time. If you're a member of Grace, you're on the greeting and welcoming team this Sunday! Help people find where to go and seek to make them feel at home.
Pray for people to respond to the gospel in a life-changing way. The message this Sunday is a direct challenge from Jesus to us; will we choose the path of selfishness or the cross? This choice has eternal consequences for everyone, and we want to ask God to bring people to Jesus' saving grace this Sunday.
Delight in Jesus this Sunday. My eight-year-old son told me last night, "I don't like when people forget what the point of Easter is. It's about Jesus!" I agree, bud. Me too.
Let's worship the risen Jesus together this Sunday.
- Pastor Bob
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
- Mark 8:31-38
Further episodes of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach
Further podcasts by Don Shoemaker, Steve Williams, and Bob Wriedt