Icebreaker
Obtain one or more pairs of newspapers such as, The Times and The Mirror; The Guardian and The Mail; The Telegraph and The Sun. Cut out different accounts of the same story and ask people to identify similarities and differences in what is related, the perspective and the style. Which newspaper is more like which gospel do you think?
Explore
(See also questions at end of Synoptic Gospels sermon)
1) If people have already listened to Matthew’s Gospel, invite them to share what has struck them most about this Gospel – either the plot, the characters, the orderliness, a particular story or incident? How is Jesus presented – and who might this be important for then and today?
2) Read Mark 1.12–13 and Luke 4.1–13. Encourage people to comment on which they found most interesting and why? Can they spot Mark’s urgent abrupt style and Luke’s elegant story telling? What would they lose if we had only one of these accounts?
3) Explore what each writer says about their Gospel: Mark 1.1–3 and Luke 1.1–4.
4) Consider the different ways in which Matthew, Mark and Luke deal with the resurrection of Jesus and what follows.
Closing activities
Discuss the kind of people you think today would find Mark or Luke better. Consider buying some copies of each Gospels and asking a few people (who don’t go to church) to let you know which they think is better.
Read Matthew 28.16–20 and then pray for a) your church’s mission, b) missionaries and agencies your church support and know about, c) areas where it is difficult to be a Christian today (in some work situations here as well as some countries abroad).
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