Have you ever watched someone say something important to you and been completely unable to hear it? The preacher begins with the week he lost his hearing and moves to the culture of noise in which God’s voice is drowned out by thousands of others. The reflection walks through the first fifteen verses of Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1), where the evangelist, a prophet, John the Baptist and the Father himself speak with one surprisingly unified voice about who Jesus is. Listen and consider whether, among the many voices of this world, you can still recognise that one.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Mark opens with one sentence: "The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." What do the individual words of this verse, gospel, Jesus, Christ and Son of God, tell us about Jesus?
- John the Baptist prepares the way for the king in the wilderness, wearing camel's hair and calling people to repentance. What does this unusual messenger tell us about the kind of kingdom he announces?
- According to the sermon, the heart of preparing for the king is not outward enthusiasm but inner change and admitting our sin. Why is it so hard for us to start from the inside rather than the outside?
- Before Jesus did anything, he heard the Father say: "You are my beloved Son, the source of my joy." What does it mean to you that God's acceptance comes before any achievements?
- The speaker told how a single sentence from a friend, or Frank Jenner's single question, changed someone's life. What sentence or word from the Bible or from another person has especially shaped your journey with God?
- Which voices and what kind of noise most drown out the voice of Jesus in your life today, and what concrete step can you take this week to hear him more clearly?
