Even at 28 years old, I think it is so much fun to try and throw and catch food in your mouth. We did this last night for the first 10 minutes in the YouthRoom. It was awesome. Its interesting how some people can be so good at it and others be so bad. I had a big bag of skittles and I was just tossing them to all the youth. Perhaps the most hilarious moment in all of it was Val trying to catch a skittle. I think I cracked her tooth! It was a pretty good toss and she made a good attempt, but it was maybe an inch off and hit her tooth. Everyone could hear the clanging cracking sound. We all busted out laughing.
We began a new series last night in Youth. We are continuing with the K2G theme. As has been our approach for years, we are teaching through the Bible. We have been waiting for summer to end and school to begin back so that we could begin this new series. In support of the K2G, I have found that the Youth most benefit from us teaching through the Bible expositionally. Each and every week from now until we are finished, I will be walking us through the gospel of Mark.
So last night, I did a little intro. to the book. Mark is the first and shortest gospel written of the four. Mark’s goal clearly was not to give the most thorough account but to simply produce an account of Jesus. It is brief, to the point, and often fast paced. And while it is shorter than the other gospels, it gives the most attention to Jesus’ last days and the cross.
Last night, Wednesday, August 20th, we looked at Mark 1:1-8 concerning John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning one who would come and prepare the way for Jesus. John came preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins. But we focused on another challenging statement from John the Baptist.
In verse 7, he says “after me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” What a perspective! Nowadays, we wouldn’t dare be so foolish or weak to tie someone else’s shoes. Yet, John says he’s not worthy to. That is the proper attitude, approach, perspective that we should have toward Jesus.
I asked the youth ‘what position do you have toward Christ?’ I challenged them to have the same attitude and approach to Christ as we see in John the Baptist. As he says elsewhere “He must increase, but I must decrease.” -John 3:30