The theme of the day of reflection is "making a difference". A day of reflection is a time when your whole group reflects on how the year is going and experiences a wide range of performances and activities from the Youth Mission Group on the impact the Bible has on young people in today's society . Throughout the Gospel of Mark there is a wide range of themes and underlying messages that allow a wide audience to engage with what he wrote. On Year 9 Reflection Day, I want to involve the public as much as possible to ensure they get the most out of the day. This can be achieved by creating a show using Year 9 volunteers to help act out the 'Parable of the Sower' from my chosen passage of Scripture (Mark 3:7 - 6:6a). At the end of the show, Year 9 students will split into small groups to discuss and create a work of art portraying the Parable of the Sower that is unique to them. The show I create will try to show the theme or message I have chosen in a way that is not obvious. The Parable of the Sower is the story of a sower who scatters seeds that fall on four different types of soil. The hard soil prevented the seeds from growing and the seeds become bird feed. The stony soil provides sufficient soil for the seeds to grow, however the plants do not take root and wilt in the sun. The thorny soil allows the seed to grow, but the thorns choke out the plant life. Finally, the good earth receives the seed and produces fruit. To engage Year 9 students in this parable it is important to realize that everyone receives God's Word differently and it is how they interpret the good news that determines their relationship with God. I will involve them in activities that will aim to encourage a greater development of their faith. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Gospel according to Mark is the second book of the New Testament. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest book of the four gospels and was probably the oldest written gospel and is thought to have been composed shortly before the destruction of the Temple of Jesus in 70 AD. The Gospel of Mark is divided into three acts (sections ). Act 1 is set in the city of Galilee and focuses on who Jesus is and Jesus' power to bring the kingdom of God to Earth. Jesus did this by healing sick or oppressed people and at the same time forgiving their sins. Act 2 is called "on the way" and focuses on the disciples' struggle to understand what it meant for Jesus to be the messiah. Finally, Act 3 focuses on how Jesus became the Messianic King and describes Holy Week and the crucifixion of Jesus. Some believe that Mark's gospel was never finished because he wanted to emphasize to the reader the shocking statement that Jesus crucified and resurrected was the Messiah. ​The four authors of the gospels found in the New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and are known as the Evangelists. An evangelist is a person who wants to seek out people to convert them to the Christian faith. The four authors are often represented according to the attributes assigned to them. For example the Angel for Saint Matthew, the Lion for Saint Mark, the Ox for Saint Luke and the Eagle for Saint John. In some cases, these symbols are used to replace evangelists. In particular, Saint Mark is represented as a winged lion but can also be depicted with a book representing his gospel. The winged lion is seen as the patron saint of Venice and is used as a symbol showing a unique sign of identity and power. The symbol of San Marco has noofficial or political meaning but rather a popular and religious origin. The winged lion represents that as a parish family we are alive and vibrant, strong and moving, which is similar to Jesus in the gospel of Mark. The Scripture passage I chose was Mark 3:7 – 6:6a with a specific focus on the parable of the sower (4:1-20). A wide range of themes and messages are exposed through the parable of the sower. The main themes that can be extracted from my chosen scripture reference include; God's steadfast love for us and the truths about the Kingdom of God. Throughout the parable of the sower simply represents the seed of the good news of Jesus told by his disciples. The farmer in the story sows four different seeds in many different places, just as Christians tell the news of God in a wide range of places. Depending on where the seeds are sown, it may depend on how well the seed physically grows. This is the same with Christians regarding the good news of Jesus, for some people it is a good outcome while for others it can have a bad outcome. The Parable of the Sower contains a wide range of messages relevant to ninth graders in today's society. The parable can teach us about ourselves. This means that God will bless those followers (disciples) who love him and trust in him. From this parable we discover very similar truths found in the Beatitudes. Mark 4:11​ - He said to them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside everything is told in parables.” This scriptural reference means that there are many things that people are concerned about and want to know more about. However, if these people cannot understand the truths and messages of the Gospels, how could they learn something more difficult? This reference helps us understand the privileges we have as followers of Christ. This reference reveals truths about the kingdom of God which was one of my key themes. Mark 4:20​ - “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a harvest: some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” This scriptural reference refers to the seeds that were sown into the good soil. The good ground throughout the parable refers to the hearts of Christ's followers who receive the Word of God. If the Word of God has been received, these followers will do everything in their power to show God an unfailing love for them and vice versa. Mark 12,29-31​ - “The most important thing,” Jesus replied, “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, 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." This scriptural reference refers to Christian followers who love God with all their hearts, which will enable them to engage with whatever they might be satisfied with. The reference asks us to balance the two greatest commandments: loving God and loving others. These two commandments are the basis of the Christian faith and must be respected to discover the truths about the kingdom of God and receive God's unfailing love for us. Throughout the research process I had to create a research question that was relevant to the unit of study which was the Gospel of Mark, with particular attention to relevance to young people. I had to use a wide range of sources that allowed me to precisely answer my research question. In this assignment I felt like there was a lot of variety and options to choose from so I could have fun while answering the research question I created. In this task it is me 2019