Trail 3
The Garden of God
Mark 4:1-20
Fun fact: God is a gardener. But he doesn’t just plant trees and plants. He’s tending a garden of his kingdom, of people who will hear the good news and (like any good plant) grow and bear fruit. As disciples, we bear fruit and bear witness to the good news of God’s kingdom, but growth is not always easy or straight forward. Hop on this week’s trail to dive into Jesus’ Parable of the Sower and discover what it means to join God in his great gardening project.
Parables are confusing, and that’s okay. Jesus’ disciples didn’t totally understand them right away either. Check out these resources to get a better sense of what the parables mean and how to interpret them.
Article: Greg Lanier, “Jesus’ Parables Are Not Heartwarming Sermon Illustrations”
*Nerd Alert* Book: Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
“The good news [of the parable] is that whoever ‘has ears to hear’ can respond, by God’s grace; it is ‘good news’ for all who will ‘listen’! A valid hearing produces ‘a crop,’ the fruit of obedience —‘thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown’ … The parable ends not with a threat of judgment, but with a promise of fruitfulness.”
Sunday:
Read Mark 1-2
Watch this Bible Project video about Mark
Monday:
Read Mark 3-4
Watch this other Bible Project video about Mark
Watch this Bible Project video about “YHWH”
Tuesday:
Read Mark 5-6
Watch this Bible Project video about the Son of Man
Wednesday:
Read Mark 7-8
Sowing seeds & bearing witness. When you've heard good, good news, get a megaphone! https://bibleproject.com/explore/witness/#!
Thursday:
Read Mark 9-10
Friday:
Read Mark 11-12
Saturday:
Read Mark 13-16
Sunrise Challenge: Memorize Mark 1:1-3.
It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!