February 7, 2010

Breaking Open The Scriptures
Scriptures for February 7th: Isaiah 6:1-8(9-13); Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 Songs: Lord You Have Come to the Lakeshore UMH 344; You Alone are Holy TFWS 2077; O Jesus I have Promised UMH 396

1 Corinthians
This is the end of our continuous reading of 1 Corinthians. Paul is trying to give the Corinthians a foundation on what it means to live in community. He reminds us not to put our gifts above one another, to love one another unconditionally; and this week we are reminded that we are here because we are all sinners, and because Jesus Christ bought salvation for us all. Christ died, Christ Rose, Christ will come again – that is not just what we say every Sunday – it is the reason we come to church. Because we depend on that fact to save our lives. Paul was a witness to the fact, even though he was not there when Jesus was crucified. Christ came to Paul and Christ comes to each of us. If we only believe.

Luke
Jesus encourages his disciples to go fishing. Or not to really go fishing, but to just let down their nets and to take in the bounty. They don’t have to do anything or have any skill – just listen to Jesus. The Greek word for obedience means a willingness to listen. Obediance is not an act, but a way of life. The disciples were discouraged and seemed to get no results. But Peter listens to Christ and things start to turn around. How well do we listen to Christ? Are we obedient? What results do we get from our fishing? What results are we really looking for?

Questions What does it really mean for Cornerstone to be the body of Christ? How do we say thank you to Christ for forgiving our sins? What does it mean to be obedient to Christ? How do we listen to what Christ is saying to us? What results do we see in our lives of our faithfulness?