Mark 2 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves,Jesus honored their faith and hope. He seemed impressed by the lengths they were willing to go to ensure their friend's healing. But a weird thing happened; rather than healing the man, Jesus said his “sins are for...  Read More

Mark 2:3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.Yep, you know this story. Four men arrived carrying their friend. The fact that they are carrying their friend shows you how much they love him. They are willing t...  Read More

Mark 2:1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,Jesus was clearly getting famous at this point. This is a particular situation is especially interesting when it comes to going bac...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe 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.OPEN QUESTIONSWhat is one of your favorite things about the Christmas season?  What’s one of your least favorite things?HEADRead Mark 5:24...  Read More

Mark:5:34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”I bet the relief that she felt was palpable. She was frightened and worried, and in a small short sentence, her fears were laid to rest, and she was healed. Her suffering was alleviated, and she could go back and belong to her family, to her friends, and to her community. She had this issue ...  Read More

Mark 5:32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done.I wonder what Jesus's gaze was like. I wonder what it is like? We don’t know what color his eyes were, but judging by his ethnicity, they were probably brown or some dark col...  Read More