When discussions about end times and Jesus’ return devolve into speculation and forced interpretations, people tend to avoid the topic of end times prophecy altogether. But, are we neglecting something Jesus specifically told his followers to understand?

The reality is, there are general signs all around us that don’t tell us anything specific, and then there are two specific, can’t-be-missed signs that will tell exactly when the end of the age is here and Jesus is coming. We’ll talk about these on Sunday.

But more importantly, we’ll talk about why Jesus said we need to understand this. We’ll talk about what difference God’s future makes in your today

Think about a time when you were selfish as a kid. It shouldn't be too hard to do. Kids are naturally selfish, but we hope that they grow out of it as they get older. It doesn't always happen though, does it? In fact, I can think of many times recently where I thought or acted selfishly. We know that God has called us to live differently than this. But it is hard to live for God, it is hard to put others first—in order to do that we need a different perspective. Jesus helps us do that as he answers three questions posed to him by the selfish religious leaders in Mark Chapter 12. Join us this Sunday as we learn how to live not for ourselves, but yet for God.

Have you noticed the trees lately? Of course you have, we live in the PNW, there are trees everywhere! But have you noticed some withering going on? About a month ago, Jill and I started to notice that some of the leaves and needles on trees were turning brown (or even black). It was curious though, because it was only happening on the west side of the trees. That's when we realized that it was connected to the heat wave. You see, the hottest part of the day is in the afternoon/evening and that is when the sun is shining from the west. That's why there is only brown on one side. Hopefully, these trees will recover just fine, but there is one withering tree in Mark Chapter 11 that will never recover. However, it's not so much about the tree, it's actually about worship.

As Jesus travels with his disciples through the barren landscape from Galilee to Jericho and then on to Jerusalem, Mark records some of his final lessons for his disciples. He is preparing them to walk in his ways after he has departed. These practical lessons concerning marriage, children, wealth and ambition are as relevant today as they were then. Keys to surviving when you’re walking through a wasteland include: go back to the beginning, think smaller, stop trying, and aim lower.

When we get serious about following Jesus, the cost to follow is high. How do we know it will be worth it? Will his kingdom actually come or have we misunderstood? It’s so hard to lay aside things in life that have always seemed so normal and important…

These are tensions Jesus’ disciples experience—both then and now. To strengthen them (and us) Mark 9 gives a glimpse of Christ’s kingdom both in the future, and now: the sacrifice and the glory.

Several years ago bpChurch helped with an evangelistic booth at the Clark County Fair. We used optical illusions to show people that sometimes how they are seeing something might not be how it really is. For example, a line looks curved when it’s actually straight, or something seems bigger when it is actually smaller.

Mark Chapter 8 challenges how we see things. Could it be that we don’t see the truth about Jesus as clearly as we thought we did? Could it be that even if we see Jesus as Lord and Savior, we still might be missing the main thing in following him?

We’ve heard a lot about washing hands in the last 15 months: “wash your hands frequently so that you are not infected by others around you.” Ironically, this was also commonly heard in the time of Jesus: “Wash your hands so that you are not defiled by unclean people around you.” But what does Jesus say about hand-washing? You might be surprised… And what does he say about those unclean people around you?

Jesus is not like other human rulers; he often does not do what we expect. Is that a problem with Jesus or with our expectations? We “know” that the best thing for us is always to “follow Jesus and do as he says,” but we don’t always do that. We have a tendency to trust and follow others instead; we easily follow lesser leaders who are closer to us—following the familiar instead of the better. Mark 6 uses contrasting events to show that Jesus is the one we should follow, even when our instincts or desires urge us to do otherwise. In a day when multiple nearby voices demand we follow them, we need this reminder of why we follow Jesus.

Mark 5 actually begins in Mark 4:35-41 with the disciples caught in a storm. From there a series of episodes put us in the midst of several different circumstances that most people would find fearful. Do you fear the possibility of a natural disaster like an earthquake or fire? Would you have a knot in your gut if you came face-to-face with someone who is obviously demon-possessed? Have you ever feared a cancer diagnosis or coming down with Covid?

This past year has certainly showed us how much people are willing to give up to try and stay safe when we believe we have something to fear. Some things should be feared, but what should we do with fear? How does faith change what we fear or how we fear? And how can we have peace in the midst of genuinely fearful circumstances?

This week we will see how Mark prepares God’s church, in a secular and unbelieving environment, to maintain a fruitful witness of faith. It won’t be easy, there will be rejection, discouragement and distraction. But there will also be wonderful results, where the only explanation can be that “God is in this, look what God is doing in people’s lives!”

That’s what we want to see more of, even if it means risking rejection, troubles or failure, because God’s fruitfulness is worth our faithfulness.