Hope Church (Dubuque)

Mark places two moments side by side to show us the clear mission of Jesus. As He predicts His death again, we see that He is unwavering—He came to deal with sin once and for all. Meanwhile, the disciples miss it, arguing about greatness and position. So Jesus refocuses them—and us—on what His kingdom truly looks like: welcoming the overlooked and serving others as a way of life. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. The question for us is simple: is our focus aligned with His mission?

In Mark 8:27–9:13, Ross walks us through a turning point in the Gospel of Gospel of Mark as Jesus asks the question that reframes everything: “Who do you say I am?” We see Peter’s bold confession that Jesus is the Messiah, followed by a sharp correction as Jesus reveals He must suffer, die, and rise again. Then comes the call—to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him—and finally the confirmation in the transfiguration, where Jesus’ glory is revealed and the Father declares, “This is my Son… listen to Him.” What we discover about who Jesus is and what He came to do brings us right back to that personal, life-altering question—because how we answer it shapes everything.

In Mark 6:30–56, we see Jesus reveal Himself as our Shepherd — One who cares for us in our exhaustion and hunger and who leads us even into storms. He has compassion on the crowds, teaching them and miraculously providing bread in the wilderness, showing that He is more than enough for both our spiritual and physical needs. Then, after sending the disciples into rough waters, He walks toward them in the dark, reminding us that following Him doesn’t remove hardship but does guarantee His presence. This passage calls us to trust the Shepherd we already have — the One who sees us, provides for us, and steps into the boat with us.

Marty walks us through four tightly woven stories in Mark 4–5 to show how Mark uses storytelling to reveal one powerful truth about Jesus. As we move from a raging storm, to a demon-possessed man, to a dying child, to a suffering woman, we see a shared human experience of helplessness that leads people to respond with humility, faith, and reverent fear. Each encounter answers the same question—Who is this?—and points to the same conclusion: Jesus is Lord over creation, the spiritual realm, sickness, and even death itself. Mark invites us to come honestly to Jesus at the end of our rope, to trust Him with what we cannot fix, and to follow Him with awe, knowing He alone has the authority to heal, restore, and give life.

Jesus draws massive crowds who come expecting a powerful Messiah and an obvious Kingdom, but instead of clear explanations, He teaches in parables—stories that both reveal and conceal. In Mark 4, these “Kingdom parables” show us that God’s Kingdom doesn’t work the way we expect: fruit matters more than appearances, nothing stays hidden in the light, faithfulness matters more than effectiveness, and what starts small can transform everything. The parables thin the crowds—some walk away confused or disappointed—while drawing disciples closer, inviting them to lean in and seek understanding. We’re left with the same choice they faced: be entertained, walk away, or follow Jesus and allow His upside-down Kingdom to change us.

In Mark 3:7–35, Jesus confronts our assumptions about what it means to belong. Crowds surround Him, religious leaders analyze Him, and even His own family misunderstands Him—but Jesus makes it clear that proximity, knowledge, or family ties aren’t enough. Belonging begins with Jesus’ call, not our effort, and it shows itself in a life shaped by obedience and trust. This passage challenges us to move from simply admiring Jesus to surrendering to Him, reminding us that true belonging isn’t earned—it’s received. Jesus was rejected so we could be welcomed, and the invitation to belong to Him is still open to us today.

In “All Systems… Disrupted,” from Mark 2:1–3:6, we see Jesus step directly into the religious systems of His day—not to preserve them, but to upend them for the sake of grace, healing, and restored relationship. As Jesus forgives sins, heals on the Sabbath, and calls people like Levi the tax collector, He exposes how easily faith becomes about rules, performance, and control rather than mercy and transformation. The religious leaders cling to systems meant to protect holiness, while Jesus reveals a Kingdom that welcomes the unqualified and meets people where they are. This message challenges us to examine the systems we create—spiritual, cultural, or personal—and invites us to let Jesus disrupt anything that keeps us from genuine relationship with Him and from extending hope to others.

Ross preaches through Mark 1:16–45 to show that Jesus reveals His true identity through His authority, an authority that calls, commands, and cares. He explains that Jesus’ authority is not forceful but compelling, seen first as He calls ordinary fishermen to reorder their entire lives around Him, then as He teaches and commands with unmatched power—even over demons—and finally as He compassionately heals the sick and touches the unclean, restoring them fully. Ross emphasizes that admiration of Jesus is not enough; the passage confronts listeners with the question of whether they will truly live under Christ’s authority, surrendering control and trusting the One who is both powerful to command and willing to make them clean.

In this message, we wrestle with the defining question of faith: Is Jesus the One? Mark’s Gospel opens with a bold declaration—Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God—and then unfolds five clear spotlights that affirm it: Old Testament prophecy, the ministry of John the Baptist, the testimony of the Father at Jesus’ baptism, Jesus’ victory in temptation, and His proclamation that the kingdom of God has arrived. As we move through these moments, we see that belief in Jesus is not passive or abstract—it calls for repentance, trust, and allegiance. The same question Jesus asked His disciples confronts us today: “Who do you say I am?” How we answer shapes our eternity and transforms the way we live faithfully here and now.

Caleb walks us through Psalm 77 as a year-end reflection on faith in hard seasons, showing us four movements of a heart in distress: reaching our limits, asking honest questions, choosing what we will remember, and trusting that God is still at work even when we can’t see it. Through Asaph’s raw honesty, Caleb reminds us that lament doesn’t weaken faith—it reveals our need for God—and that questions often surface when God feels silent. As the psalm turns, we see how intentionally remembering God’s past faithfulness reshapes our trust in the present. Ultimately, Caleb points us to Jesus as the greater Exodus, whose unseen work brings hope and deliverance, inviting us to step into the new year with a faith that remembers, trusts, and rests even when the path forward isn’t clear.