Ambassador Presbyterian

Joy to the World!

"Joy, joy, joy" - we hear the word repeated so often throughout this season, and are told that we should be joyful. Do you ever think of Jesus as being "joyful"? Well, he is. In fact, it's for joy - his joy, our joy - that he was born, ministered, suffered, died, and rose again, after all we heard through Mark's gospel: He now reigns in joy! Join us in Hebrews 12:1-2 to ponder how it is Jesus' own joy that makes us joy-full.

Easter at Christmas - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 15:40-16:8)

There is an unexpectedness about Christmas. Even though the Scriptures had spoken in detail about the coming Messiah, the people did not expect him to arrive as a baby born in a stable. Likewise, even though Jesus had told his disciples he would die and rise again, the women were dismayed and afraid when they found the empty tomb. God does not always do what we expect, but he always does what he says, and Jesus' birth and resurrection mark the fulfillment of God's promise to save his people from their sins. In this episode, we celebrate the good news of Easter at Christmas.  

The Light Enters the Darkness - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 15:33-47)

John speaks of the incarnation of God's Son, coming into the world as the light shining in the darkness (John 1:5).  Centuries before, Isaiah prophesied that the light of God's glory would penetrate the dark effects of sin that overshadows the world and man's heart (Isaiah 1-20).  Jesus came as the light of God's glory to dispel the darkness of sin, but in order to do so he would have to enter that darkness himself in his death on the cross.  Today we consider the darkness Jesus endured that the light of life might shine in our hearts for eternity.   

Cancelling Jesus -The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 15:20-32)

When an event or show or subscription is "cancelled," it means it is over, voided, rejected, no longer wanted.  In our current culture to "cancel" a person or group has become a form of public shaming by removing support and encouraging rejection because they have said or done something deemed offensive.  The "cancel culture" is nothing new.  Indeed, the greatest example can be found at the cross where God's own Son, the promised redeemer and ruler of all creation, is utterly despised and rejected by all.  But the "cancelling" and rejection of Jesus does not nullify or void his influence, but actually expands it as the means by which sinners can be accepted and welcomed by God himself.  

Delivered - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Mark 15:1-20)

The familiar Advent hymn Come Thou Long Expected Jesus reminds us that Jesus was "born his people to deliver, born a child and yet a King."  What we can sometimes overlook in our celebration of Jesus' birth, is that the deliverance of his people out of the bondage of sin and death comes through Jesus himself being delivered into the hands of sinners to suffer and die on behalf of those he came to save.  We continue in Mark's gospel to see the delivering up of King Jesus to death, in order that we might be delivered from death to eternal life in his kingdom.  

Two Men on Trial - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 14:53-72)

The stark contrast between Jesus' trial before the council of religious leaders and Peter's trial before a group of servants around a courtyard firepit serves to remind us again of the great news of the gospel: that Jesus stands faithful and true to God and to us, even when we are faithless and fail him repeatedly. Here we look at the trial of two men and how a travesty of justice endured by Jesus, leads to the triumph of justice for sinners like Peter and you and me. 

Jesus Goes to the Cross With, For, and Before Us - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 14:26-50)

It's not good news merely that Jesus goes to the cross - but how he goes there. Fulfilling the Scriptures, Jesus goes to the cross as one betrayed, and yet devoted to his Father, as one abandoned, and yet devoted to his people. Jesus goes with those who suffer, for those who fail, and before them to bring them into glory. This is good news for us and for our neighbors!

Jesus Prepares the Table and Provides the Meal - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 14:12-25)

On the night before he would suffer and go to the cross, Jesus goes to great lengths to prepare and celebrate the Passover meal with his disciples. Amidst the knowledge that even those closest to him would betray and deny him, Jesus faithfully prepares the table and provides the meal, signifying the sacrifice he makes to reconcile sinners to God and welcome us into kingdom fellowship with him. Today we look at what that last Passover meal of Jesus teaches us about the significance of the Lord's Supper, which Jesus continues to celebrate with his people today.  

 

A Costly Devotion - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 14:1-11)

The more we love someone, the more likely we are to go to great lengths and to incur great costs to express the depths of our love and devotion. What about our love for Jesus? What does devotion to Jesus look like in terms of the expense and extravagance of expressing our love for him?  Here we continue in Mark's gospel and see a beautiful expression of costly devotion to Jesus.  

Pay Attention to the Signs - The Gospel According to Mark: Following Jesus (Ch 13)

When you're driving down the road and you're not sure where you're going, it's important to be alert and pay attention to the signs that come toward you so don't miss your exit.  When Jesus shockingly predicts the destruction of God's temple in Jerusalem, his disciples ask him how they will know when that's coming. In order to prepare them, Jesus graciously points to indicators not only of God's coming judgment on Jerusalem, but of Jesus' own return in glory for his people. Jesus exhorts his followers to stay awake and pay attention to the signs.