Mark 1:1-13

Be Still: In this quiet moment, Lord, I look to you. Quiet my mind and calm my heart. Let your presence fill this space and your Spirit shape my thoughts. Amen

Read: Mark 1:1-13

‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God’ (v1)

Encounter: The Kingdom Begins.  

Some mornings, I snap on my helmet and set out from home, pedalling the seven miles into Birmingham as the city rubs the sleep from its eyes. Shutters clatter open, car lights smear across damp tarmac, and the day begins its slow unfolding.

One early ride brought me to a still moment outside my office, waiting as the underground garage door creaked open. I caught sight of a spider’s web, stretched like lace from downpipe to wall, every strand dew-beaded, catching the light. As it shimmered, it whispered a sacred invitation to notice grace hiding in plain sight.

A memory stirred from my embedded-system engineering days, those initial moments when a single line of code sparked an entire network of circuits into life. Whether silk lit by dew or pixels flaring to purpose, both hold the quiet promise of beginnings born not in noise, but in stillness.

Mark’s Gospel opens in a similar hush. No lineage, no preamble. Just water. John baptising, people releasing the weight of their stories, and Jesus stepping gently into surrender, then into wilderness. His mission begins during the ordinary, a moment that invites us to step into something raw, holy, and deeply alive.

Apply: This week, let the start of your day become a quiet liturgy of surrender. Let the boiling of the kettle, the weight of your bag, the soft glow of your screen become holy cues, a call back to presence. 

Before the rush begins, pause. Stand at the door, sit at your desk, take one slow breath, and whisper, 'Jesus, I need You.'  Ask Jesus to reveal what you’re carrying: that task that won’t quit, the thread of anxiety you didn’t notice pulling tight. When it surfaces, name it, hold it before him, and let it go.

Switch off the noise. Let God meet you in the hush and renew your heart.

Devote: Lord Jesus, thank you that you are good news and that each new day comes wrapped in mercy. Awaken me to your grace hidden in the ordinary and draw me into your rhythm of restoration.