THE WOMEN WHO STAYEDMark 15:42-47 (NLT) "This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body... Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where his body was laid."Here's something you might have missed in the chaos of the crucifixion: ...  Read More

THE BREATH THAT CHANGES HISTORYMark 15:37-39 (NLT) "Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, 'This man truly was the Son of God!'"Death is usually quiet. The movies get this wrong, people don't die with dramatic speeche...  Read More

THE DARKNESS THAT COVERS EVERYTHINGMark 15:33-34 (NLT) "At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. Then at three o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?'" Darkness at noon is wrong in a way that makes your skin crawl. The sun should be at its brightest, shadows should be short and sha...  Read More

The Weight We Cannot CarryINTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTIONHave you ever been in a place that you strongly felt the presence of God or a deep sense of holi...  Read More

THE LOVE THAT OUTLIVES OUR FAILUREMark 14:47–50 (NLT) “Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.”There’s a moment in the Gospels that can feel almost too human to sit with: the disciples, every last one, run. Not just Judas with his kiss, not just Peter with his sword, but all of them. The whole community Jesus poured Himself into slinks away into the dark. If you’ve ever loved people who ...  Read More

THE KISS THAT BREAKS THE HEARTMark 14:43–46 (NLT) “As Jesus was speaking, Judas appeared… Judas had given them a prearranged signal: ‘You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.’”A kiss is never just a kiss, not in Scripture, not in the ancient world, and honestly not in ours. In the first century, a kiss could communicate deep loyalty. Disciples kissed rabbis as a sign of resp...  Read More