Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 12 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

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Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 11 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

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Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 10 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

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Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 9 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

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Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 8 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

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Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 7 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

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Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 6 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

How can something good like healing make people so uncomfortable? What was it about Jesus or what he was doing that made religious leaders not just disagree or ignore him, but plot to kill him?

Before dismissing these leaders as rubbish or ignorable, look at how these people made Jesus feel, and why. Mark points to their “stubborn hearts” which produced “anger” in Jesus. Did that mean Jesus wanted to dismiss them? Or that he loved them deeply, and wanted them to see and join in what God was doing which was going to bring about change – in the world, but first in them?

Lots of people wanted to be changed because they knew they were ill. What would encourage me to change when I don’t think I need or want to? Maybe Jesus wants to show us how we can live differently, perhaps more healthily, today so we don’t need to get sick. Why not ask him?

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What happens when we feel we can’t approach God? Can we learn from someone who persisted? Liz Nixon looks at the story of a woman who found that Jesus seemed less approachable than we might have hoped. But she had good reasons to try and keep trying, not just needing what Jesus offered, but believing that he was good. It’s possible to have false images of God which hold us back from believing and approaching him in practice. By recognising and removing them, can we expect and experience more in relationship with God?

Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 5 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

How do you feel about new things and change? It might be a mixture.

Perhaps change is exciting, freshening, invigorating. I know how my life was last week, but something is changing this week – couldn’t that be amazing, full of fresh possibilities? If you won a “life-changing” sum of money, wouldn’t you be overjoyed?

That depends. Maybe there are things I don’t want to change. Come to think of it, I rely quite a lot on experience, predictability, routines, knowing what’s what. Change is a challenge to that, difficult and stressful. If your doctor sat you down and said you needed to change, wouldn’t you worry?

In these passages, I wonder what made Jesus’ challenges of old orders and promises of newness and change sound more welcome to some than others. Does it depend on how much they needed change, or how much they had to lose?

Bring yourself and your thoughts about this to Jesus. Where do you know you need change? What will he encourage you to expect?

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Claire Lynch reads from Mark's gospel, day 4 of 47 in our Lent series. Music by Bern Leckie.

Yesterday, Jesus might have seemed hard to find. Today, here he is – can you imagine how exciting it would have been in this house, in his presence?

Jesus saw faith in the men cutting a hole in the roof to help a paralyzed man. What does that say to you about faith – what is it? Where do you not only believe something could or should happen, but get your tools out and start to change things? Where is your sense so strong about how life should be different that you aren’t just waiting and hoping, but knocking through walls and cutting through roofs to get where you need to be? Does any hope draw you in that strongly? Would you like it to?

Imagine approaching Jesus like this today. He’s been hard to find. Now, you know where he is but there are walls in the way. Name them – what comes between you and time with Jesus? Being busy? Feeling tired, uninspired, guilty or ashamed? Have the faith to cut through those walls now and bring yourself, healthy or not, into Jesus’ presence. Let him see how you are and give you whatever you need.

More Lent resources at severnvineyard.org/lent