Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Mark 8:11-15

Mark 8:11-15 
The Message 

  The Cincinnati Bengals started off the year with lots of promise, but a massive injury to their star QB ended any hopes of the season.  There have been other injuries, and any number of other obstacles, and the season hasn't gone according to plan.  They haven't proven to be very adaptable, so the obstacles have been too much.  
  I'm willing to bet this past year has presented a number of obstacles for your life.  Could be illness, or perhaps unemployment, or isolation.  You likely had an idea of what the year would look like, and you've had to adapt as the year went on.  Sometimes we adapt well.  Sometimes, I feel like the world changes faster than my ability to adapt.  
  Jesus faced opposition throughout his ministry.  The Pharisees were constantly pushing him, opposing him, probing for weaknesses, hoping to catch him in his words.  They despised him, and sought to discredit and destroy him.  In the end, they likely thought they had been victorious... until the resurrection happened, and Jesus demonstrated to the entire world that no opposition would overcome the power of God.
  In your baptism, you are claimed by God and marked as Christ's own forever.  Whatever forces oppose you in the world, they will not overcome you.  They will not destroy you.  Jesus' victory over sin and death covers you as well, and through his victory, we are victorious as well.

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