1. The Lord knew how it felt to be a rejected stone.
  2. What greater legacy could you claim than that of Mark? Listen to the Word. Learn from Jesus.
  3. The drama of Scripture is about God renaming us by bringing us into his image-bearing family once again. And it would take “a name above all names” to accomplish it.
  4. The sign of the cross, according to the earliest centuries of Christians, is “the sign of the Lord,” and every baptized Christian was “marked” with it.
  5. Fullness, truth, reality – all this God gives us as his gift in Christ.
  6. Rejoice with Mary as she would rejoice with you. Be blessed, like her, with humility from God, so that you may serve joyfully and willingly wherever and in whatever role God has placed you.
  7. All our sin and shame is answered for in the death and resurrection of our Lord.
  8. It all starts with God; and it all ends with God. He is the alpha and omega of giving and generosity.
  9. You are a child of God. You’re blameless, holy, perfect, and righteous. Don’t feel that way? Too bad. God is greater than your heart.
  10. You’re not new because of what you do. You’re new and so you do new things, even in spite of yourself, because of your sinful nature.
  11. From the beginning to the end of his letter, John really wants one thing: for us to be in Jesus.
  12. The good news is that with our God there is always more: more than we deserve, dare, ask, or expect, more than we can see, hear, feel, or think.