Thursday, July 24, 2008

Conversational Sermon Text for July 26, 2008

Mark 1:35-45

And rising early, while it was still very dark, he went outside and stole away to an isolated place, where he started praying. Then Simon and those with him hunted him down. When they had found him they say to him, "They're all looking for you."

But he replies: "Let's go somewhere else, to the neighboring villages, so I can speak there too, since that's what I came for."

So he went all around Galilee speaking in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Then a leper comes up to him, pleads with him, falls down on his knees, and says to him, "If you want to, you can make me clean."

Although Jesus was indignant, he stretched our his hand, touched him, and says to him, "Okay - you're clean!"

And right away the leprosy disappeared, and he was made clean. And Jesus snapped at him, and dismissed him curtly with this warning: "See that you don't tell anyone anything, but go, have a priest examine . Then offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as evidence ."

But after he went out, he started telling everyone and spreading the story, so that could no longer enter a town openly, but had to stay out in the countryside. Yet they continued to come to him from everywhere.

~~~~~~~~~~

Where do you personally connect to the story in this text?
What questions does this text raise for you - either about the gospel so far, or personally?