This Sunday's Worship Materials can be found in the "Featured Sermon" below. We meet in person at Harper Park Middle School, and the service is also livestreamed on our YouTube channel.

Heart Prep for Sunday, June 28th

After two weeks and two sermons on worship and gathering together again, we are back in The Gospel of Mark this week and our series on “The King and His Cross.”  This week we’ve come to Mark 11:27-12:12 and two confusing scenes.  One (Mark 11:27-33) appears to be an unresolved debate between Jesus and the religious leaders on the subject of authority.  And the other (Mark 12:1-12) is the very pointed Parable of the Wicked Tenants.  The confusing part is trying to understand how these two scenes relate to one another.

Like the earlier scenes of the Cleansing of the Temple and the Cursing of the Fig Tree, the debate and the parable are very much connected.  And it’s important we understand the context.  It’s the last week of Jesus’ life.  He’s finished with His healing miracles.  He’s concluded most of His teaching.  And He’s demonstrating through these words, including this pointed parable, that He has the authority to do what He’s about to do — go to the cross.  Remember, this Gospel began with the subject of authority, Mark 1:22, “And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.”

So, we’re going to be looking at the issues of who thinks they have authority … who acts like they have authority … and who actually has the authority.  And what does that look like in our own lives?  Should be fun, see you Sunday, Dr. Dave