WEEK 11: MONDAY NOVEMBER 23
SILENCE, STILLNESS, AND CENTERING BEFORE GOD:
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few minutes in silence, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
READ:
Let your mind settle. Silently read the Scripture for this week: Mark 12.35-13.37.
ASK:
Read the Scripture again, this time aloud. Listen for a word, phrase, or section that grabs your attention. Write down any questions about the passage that you have. When you finish, close your eyes. Recall the word or phrase, taking it in and mulling it over. Write down what comes to mind.
REFLECT:
The question of messiaship in general, and Jesus’ messiaship in particular, has swirled around Mark’s gospel for some time. In Mark 12:35-37, Jesus addresses it head on. What do you think is significant about the messiah not only being a descendant of David, but also being David’s Lord? It seems that even close followers of Jesus were slow to realize that Jesus was not only a messenger for God, but that He was God Himself. Do you every struggle to place Jesus in His rightful place as God? What difference does it make in your life when Jesus occupies His legitimate position as Lord?
In Mark 13, Jesus is foretelling the destruction of the Temple and the fall of Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 A.D., as well as the subsequent persecution of Christians by Nero. In his commentary on Mark, N.T. Wright reminds us that Jesus’ followers are “called like [Jesus] to live at the place where the purposes of God and the pain of the world cross paths with each other”. Think of a time when you or someone close to you experienced a struggle at the same time as pursuing God’s purposes in their life. What gives you and other followers of Jesus the strength to endure trials, persecutions, or suffering in life?
In Mark 13:35, Jesus tells His followers to be on guard, to be alert, and to keep watch for the time when the Temple and Jerusalem will be destroyed. This destruction is a foreshadowing of the end times, when Jesus will return to establish the new heavens and new earth. As we await the return of Jesus, we must remember that the command is not to “sit down and work out a prophetic timetable,” but to “keep awake and watch”. What do you think the life of Christ followers should look like as they watch and wait for Jesus? What are some of the things that might keep you from being alert and watchful for Jesus?
PRAY:
Read the Scripture one last time, then stop and listen for who Jesus is inviting you to become or what He is inviting you to do this week. Write down what comes to mind.
Talk with Jesus about it.
PRACTICE: Centering Prayer
Our practice for this week as a community is a prayer discipline known
as Centering Prayer, we did this practice a few weeks back. This type of
prayer is a way of being with Jesus that doesn’t cover prayer concerns,
but focuses on dwelling with Jesus so that the fruit of this dwelling
begins to show up in your life. Centering Prayer trusts that being Jesus
brings transformation. Pete Scazzero says in his podcast “Detachment:
How God Births New Things in and Through You” that to be in loving
communion with God, we must be emptied in order that we are filled by
him, and to be emptied of worldly things is to be full of God. Some
practical ways to implement Centering Prayer (if you’re able and
willing):
Settle into a comfortable position
Set your mind on the presence of God, acknowledge His presence and focus on His love
Choose a word such as Love, Peace, God, Sheperd) and let this word guide your attention
Detachment: Being silent for 60 seconds and still before the lord, and surrendering your passions, desires, and even dreams before him. Leave space for Him to fill
Continue to do this for 3-4 minutes and “just be” with God
Then to end this time of Centering Prayer, take several minutes to come out of prayer. Don’t hurry. Breathe in the presence of Christ. Offer yourself to God for the tasks awaiting you (e.g. “I am yours,” or “Remain with me”)