Discipline of the Month

Mark 16:1-8

And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices with which to anoint him, and very early on the morning of the first day of the week, they went to the tomb after the sun had risen.  They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb?”  But then they arrived they saw that the stone—which was very big—had been rolled-back already.  On entering the tomb they found a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were awe-struck.  But he said to them, there is no need to be afraid.  You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified:  he is not here.  He has risen.  See, this is the place where they laid him.  But you must go and tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee, and that is where you will see him, as he told you.”  And the women came out of the tomb and ran away, because they were frightened out of their wits, and would say nothing to anyone.

John 12:12-16

The next day the great crowd of people heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took branches of palm and went out to receive him, shouting:

“Hosanna! Blessed is he that is coming in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel.”

Jesus found a young donkey and mounted it—as scripture says: Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion; Look, your king is approaching, riding on the foal of a donkey.

At first his disciples did not understand this, but later, after Jesus had been glorified, they remembered that this had been written about him, and that this is what had happened to him.

John 12:20-33

Among those who went up to the festival were some Greeks [not Jews by birth], who approached Philip, having come from Bethsaida in Galilee.  They said to him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”  Philip went to tell Andrew and they went together to tell Jesus.

Jesus replied to them: “Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Truly I tell you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and my servant will be with me in the glory of my Father, wherever I am. Whoever serves me, my Father will honor.

But now my heart is troubled, so what shall I say, “Father, save me from this hour?” But it is for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name! Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!” The crowd standing by said that it was a clap of thunder, while others said, “No, it was an angel speaking to him.”

Jesus answered, “It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours, ‘Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be driven out. And when I am lifted-up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself.’ By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die.

John 3:16-21

For this is how God loved the world:
He gave his only Son,
So that everyone who believes in him may not perish
But may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
Not to judge the world,
But so that through him the world might be saved.
No one who believes in him will be judged;
But whoever does not believe is judged already,
Because that person does not believe
In the Name of God’s only Son.
And the judgment is this:
Though the light has come into the world
People have preferred
Darkness to the light,
Because their deeds were evil.
And indeed, everybody who does wrong
Hates the light and avoids it,
To prevent his actions from being shown up;
But whoever does the truth
Comes out into the light,
So that what he is doing may plainly appear as done in God.

John 2:13-22:

When the time of the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found people in the Temple selling cattle and sheep and doves, and the money-changers doing business.  Making a whip of cords, he drove them all out—sheep and cattle as well—and knocked-over the money-changers’ coins, and turned the tables on them.  And he said to the dove-sellers, “Clear all of this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a den of thieves.  Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: “I am eaten-up with zeal for your house.”  The Jews intervened and protested, “What sign can you show us that you should act like this?  Jesus answered, “Destroy this Temple, and after three days I will raise it up.”  The Jews replied that it had taken forty-six years to build this Temple.  Did he plan to raise it up again in three days?  But he was speaking of the Temple that was his body.  And after he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and what he had told them.

Scripture—Mark 9:2-9:

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured; his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleach could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, “Rabbi,” he said, “it is wonderful to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.” Then suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore but Jesus.

Mark 1:9-15:

It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And at once, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him, and a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you. And at once the Sprit drove him into the desert, and he remained there for forty days, and was put to test by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels looked after him.

After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Gospel from God saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21:

Be careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention;  otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human admiration.  In truth I tell you, they have had their reward.  But when you give alms, your left hand must not know that your right hand is doing; your almsgiving must be in secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites:  they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them.  In truth I tell you, they have had their reward.  But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do; they go around looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting.  In truth I tell you, they have had their reward.  But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and woodworm destroy them and thieves can break in and steal.  But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth or woodworm destroys them, and thieves cannot break in and steal.  For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be too.