Bible study
2011-12
To Follow and To Serve: The Gospel of Mark
by Patricia LullPeople who know the Bible know there are lots of choices when it comes time to choose something new to study. For instance, 2 John is 13 verses long. The Book of Psalms includes 150 distinct entries. Length is only one of the criteria to consider.
I chose the Gospel of Mark for the 2011-2012 study in part because it has been useful to me in my pastoral work with those who desire to learn more about living as Christians today. The choice of the Gospel of Mark for his year’s study is also important to me in a personal way. This Bible study was written during an in-between season in my own life. Mark became an intimate conversation partner as I took stock of my own life and began to discern fresh purpose to my own vocation as a baptized child of God.
Take heart; get up, Jesus is calling you.
-Mark 10:49b
“What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?” was far more than a theoretical question during the months I spent studying and then writing to produce these study sessions. It was the central question that gave shape and form to my daily life.
Whether or not you have experienced a sharp transition in your own life in recent months, you know that our church, our culture, and our world are undergoing profound changes. Powerful leaders are being toppled from power. New nations and grassroots movements are being born. How we think of work, the economy, and having enough are changing for many households. Even what it means to be a community of faith is undergoing transformation in so many congregations and synods.
Studying the Gospel of Mark together during the coming months offers encouragement to stand in the midst of change knowing that our lives are supported by a Word that is more lasting and more powerful than the impermanence of our economy or the upheavals we may experience in our family life or congregation. As the evangelist announces in Mark 1:1 this text brings us God’s good news for every time and place.
View the
monthly themes and Bible study topics. Download and print
What's Coming Up and tack it to your bulletin board at church. Take a look at the
first session of the Bible study.
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Order this resource from the ELCA Resource Catalog: Phone 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2580 or online at
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Bible study companion pieces
Leader Guide $6.95
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Companion Bible $3.95
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Bookmark (12 pack) $3.75
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About the author
Patricia Lull is an ELCA pastor who has served as a parish pastor, director of campus ministry in the ELCA, and as dean of students at Luther Seminary, St. Paul. Her interest in the Gospel of Mark began in childhood when she first heard these stories at St. John Lutheran Church in Fremont, Ohio, and started to imagine life in that biblical world.
She has designed the 2011-2012 Bible study for both experienced and novice readers of Scripture, challenging all to read this gospel narrative as an invitation to discipleship in the 21st century. Download the Bible study brochure here.
Lull is leading a workshop on the 2011-12 Bible study at the 2011 Women of the ELCA triennial gathering.