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Only the Beginning

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Mark 1:1 April 19, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC His name means “hammer,” and it’s a good Roman name (Card, Mark: The Gospel of Passion , pg. 17). He shows up eight times in the New Testament, as a cousin to Barnabas and a fellow worker with Paul. Some think he might be the young man who ran away naked from the Garden of Gethsemane (14:51-52; Card 171-172). Eventually, he ended up as a companion of Peter and was the first one to write down the story of Jesus right about the time Emperor Nero decided to burn down the city of Rome and blame the Christians (cf. Card 22-24). And while the Gospel he wrote is short and quick and lacks what we think of as a suitable ending, it does not lack for detail. He’s writing down what the original disciples, particularly Peter, had preached, and it’s important that he get it right because they are being arrested and killed and someone has to tell the story. Today, as we continue our journey through the New Testament, we come to the first Gospel tha...
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Only the Beginning (Study Guide)

  “Only the Beginning” Sermon Study Guide for April 19, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: Mark 1:1 1. Good News Isaiah 40:9 Isaiah 52:7 - “beautiful feet” Roman world Jesus Messiah (8:29) Son of God (15:39) 2. The Beginning a. The way we ______________________ b. Be _________________________ 1 Peter 3:15 c. With ______________________________ 1 Peter 3:16 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What is the best news you have received? How did you feel when you heard it? Why is the story of Jesus called “gospel” or good news? How has it been good news in your life? In what way(s) does the Jesus that Mark tells us about fulfill the hopes of the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah? Why is Jesus better “good news” than the Roman emperor? What two or three words would you use to describe our world? In what way do you experience it as a world longing for good news and hope? What do you need to do to “be ready” to share the good news in your own life? Why is “gentl...
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Rights and Wrongs

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Matthew 3:13-17 April 12, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC I cannot think of the Jordan River without getting a chill up and down my spine. I had never been to Israel during January, and while it is warmer there than it is here, it’s not exactly shorts weather. Still, we had promised that our group would have the chance to renew their baptism near the place where Jesus was baptized, in the Jordan River. So we all changed into our swimsuits, wrapped towels around us, and made our way to the edge of the river. You know how sometimes, when you get into a pool or a body of water that is a little chilly, it will seem warm to you after you’ve been in there a while? That did not happen this time. The water was cold—something like 47 degrees when I looked it up later. And I was in there a long time, but, you know, after about 10 minutes you no longer feel your extremities, so it’s all good. I left that day convinced that Jesus would have been baptized in this river in the summer. This morning...
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Rights and Wrongs (Study Guide)

“Rights and Wrongs” Sermon Study Guide for April 12, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 “Load-bearing concepts…” 1. Righteousness in the Old Testament tzadik 2. “To Fulfill All Righteousness” Jesus’ baptism by John John 1:29; Luke 1:44 Matthew 5:6 - hunger and thirst Matthew 6:10 - your will be done Matthew 6:33 - seek first 3. To Be Righteous west vs. east What does ____________ require? Questions to Discuss or Ponder: If someone is described as being “righteous,” what do you think is meant? What is the difference between that and being “self-righteous”? Why did both John and Jesus preach about the kingdom of heaven being “near”? What did they mean? In what way does Jesus’ baptism “fulfill” all righteousness? Who is someone you know of who you would say “hungers and thirsts” for true righteousness? How do they demonstrate that? What does it mean to you to pray, “Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? How do we, practically...
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