Hi friends, I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four

books of the New Testament and the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These are the stories

of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the

miracles. Each month we get to read all four books and we'll be finishing up the book

of Mark today. If you've gotten behind or if you want to invite someone to finish out

the month with us tomorrow is the start of a new book. We get to start the book of Luke.

This is the perfect time to simply start again or for a new friend to join in with us.

So here's how it works. I'll read three chapters to you. You can listen or read along in

your own Bible and then I'll pray and that's it. Today is August 15th, day 15 and I'll

be reading Mark chapters 14 through 16 and this month I'm reading from the message.

Mark 14. In only two days the eight day festival of Passover and the feast of unleavened

bread would begin. The high priest and religion scholars were looking for a way they could

seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during

Passover week. We don't want the crowds up in arms. They said Jesus was at Bethany,

a guest of Simon the leper while he was eating dinner. A woman came up carrying a bottle

of very expensive perfume opening the bottle. She poured it on his head. Some of the guests

became furious among themselves. That's criminal. A sheer waste. This perfume could have been

sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the poor. They swelled up an anger

nearly bursting with indignation over her. But Jesus said, let her alone. Why are you giving

her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You have

the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you

can do something for them, not so with me. She did what she could when she could. She

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