Running to the cross - Mark 9

Notes listening to talk on Mar 1st looking at Mark 9

v1-13
It is great to be part of crowd,  but so important to have close companions,  running mates.
The three closest friends get to see behind the veil, and get a glimpse of what is not ordinary.
Good prayer: help me Lord to see what is really going on here. Each experience has many layers and sometimes layers that are hidden are revealed.
Jesus is not same or just next one on from Moses and Elijah...he is the end, the final prophet.
Easy to laugh at Peter but so easy to speak out when we need to just watch and pray...wait.
This is my Son, listen to him. Do we hear his voice?

14-29
Midway point in the gospel of Mark. All of a sudden it is a bit harder especially if we are not FROG (fully reliant on God)
It is so often true that it gets more difficult to follow God as we progress in our faith.
Are we praying for greater trust and courage as the road gets tough and rough.
what people see in us ls how people see Jesus. Lord, I do believe help me overcome my unbelief. What Jesus did was a foreshadow of his own resurrection.
If we are ministering in our own strength then are are missing out on God's power?

v 30-50
So hard to understand why the disciples didn't get it, but so often Jesus spoke in riddles so they often looked for deeper meaning - it has to be something else as the messiah can't suffer.
Reminder for the disciples that they didn't own the gospel. Jesus is the one who seeks and saves the lost, it is his mission. He has sheep we know nothing about.
You welcome a child and you welcome me. They so often argued about who is the greatest. Jesus turns the world's values upside down and it is the least who is the greatest.
Love the Lord like a child!
what experiences are just around the corner? Unrestrained joy. Don't let the layers grow around your heart and just become a spectator. No, taste and see the Lord is good. childlike, open to the wonder and awe that surrounds us every day.