:: M squared T ::

:: Sunday, March 09, 2003 ::

I just returned from a very enjoyable youth group session with the St. Barnabas' high school youth. I really like being able to discover God's word with them. I always go prepared - I always have looked over the chapter(s) in Mark that we will be covering in our verse-by-verse study... and then they proceed to blow me away making connections that I never would have expected them to make.

I say that I am discovering Mark with them because oftentimes this is the first time I have really truly done some form of Lectio Divina or some similar discipline with the text. I've "read" it before. I've even studied it before - in a class on the Synoptic Gospels, no less. But it's amazing to be able to get lost in Mark's portrait of Jesus.

Today we were in Mark 9:2 - 41. It's got some really interesting scenes: Transfiguration, exorcism, and the "who's the greatest" discussion. Our discussion today focused on Jesus' perspective on greatness. It's always interesting to have this discussion with our group, where most of the youth are sorta on the outside socially (and self-identify as that openly). They aren't doing a lot of the social manouvering to "be popular." But they have made their own "social ladder" that counters the "popular" social ladder... putting themselves on the top, of course.

So we were able to discuss how Jesus also set up his own standards of greatness. He set the standard of "the cross before the glory" and death to self; but he was the only one whose standards God vindicated in the resurrection. Now that I look at it, it kinda sounds cliché, but it was all very deep when we said it.

I suppose you just had to be there. :)

:: Matt 3/09/2003 09:39:00 PM :: permalink :: ::
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