Today’s passage is Mark 6:1-13. Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth where he preaches in the synagogue to a negative response from his townsfolk, who refuse to see him as anyone other the familiar son of Mary and elder brother of his siblings. He empowers his 12 disciples and sends them out In pairs with no earthly resources to preach the gospel of repentance, drive out demons and heal the sick, which they do. He tells them to testify against any town that does not welcome them.
How has your faith isolated you in your family or workplace?
What do you feel you lack to preach the gospel?
My faith has largely isolated me from my family.
My mother will not listen to any talk about Jesus, the Bible or church.
I can’t even ask the pastor of the church I attend in Canada to visit or invite my mother to worship because it’s against the law for any religion in Canada to evangelize.
My sister believes in Jesus but does not go to worship regularly and is no member of a church because she says they all try to control her life.
She reads the Bible but doesn’t seem to remember it.
Instead, she talks about how God speaks to her, but she has no peace.
My step-daughter and her family believe in Jesus but don’t go to worship.
Their Sundays are taken up with Scouting.
My son doesn’t believe in the Lord and will only talk about the great Spirit we all belong to.
My oldest daughter believes in Jesus and attends worship partly because she’s suffered the most of all my children.
My youngest daughter rejects Jesus so far.
For most of them, my occasional visit is enough and mostly they want me to admire them and hear only trivial things.
No serious conversation of what to believe and how to live is possible.
I am not a model of behavior or belief for them and, except for one daughter, no one wants to hear anything of my testimony.
I teach in an international school that, like my home country, is officially secular and no prayer or talking of my faith is permitted, but the Lord has blessed me with a Wooridle brother there, and we pray together.
We are like the pair sent out to preach, cast out demons and heal.
I am also half of a pair with my assistant leader.
But I fail in my visiting of our group members.
The main pair that I am half of in my life and church community is my wife.
Mostly our work to others is done separately, but we come together at home for mutual comfort but sometimes challenge and chastisement.
Our sins and suffering have been too great for either of us to make an idol of the other or judge the other.
Our brokenness is whole only in the Lord.
We continue to share both our past and present sins and reflections on them.
We support each other in our work with others, suggesting things and sometimes questioning what we do.
I often don’t like my wife’s questions and bridle at them more often than I should.
I struggle with wanting to be right rather than loving and serving.
Application: to visit those who need a visit
Lord, stop the sun and the moon from moving this week. Give me your time to do the work you’ve set before me.
