— — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Day and Hour Unknown

“But about that day or hour no one knows,
not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
 Be on guard! Be alert!
You do not know when that time will come.
It’s like a man going away:
He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge,
each with their assigned task,
and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—
whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
(Mark 13:32-37).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Widow’s Offering

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put
and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.
Many rich people threw in large amounts.
But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,
worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said,
“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
 They all gave out of their wealth;
but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—
all she had to live on.”
(Mark 12:41-44).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

As he taught, Jesus said,
“Watch out for the teachers of the law.
They like to walk around in flowing robes
and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,
 and have the most important seats in the synagogues
and the places of honor at banquets.
They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.
These men will be punished most severely.”
(Mark 12:38-40).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Whose Son Is the Messiah?

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked,
“Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?
David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’

 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd listened to him with delight.
(Mark 12:35-37).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Greatest Commandment

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.
Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer,
he asked him,
“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus,
“is this: ‘Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no commandment greater than these.”

“Well said, teacher,” the man replied.
“You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.
 To love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding and with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him,
“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
(Mark 12:28-34).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Marriage at the Resurrection

Then the Sadducees,
who say there is no resurrection,
came to him with a question.
 “Teacher,” they said,
“Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children,
the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first one married and died without leaving any children.
 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child.
It was the same with the third.
In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.
 At the resurrection whose wife will she be,
since the seven were married to her?”

Jesus replied,
“Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage;
they will be like the angels in heaven.
 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him,
‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
(Mark 12:18-27).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)