January 17, 2010

Breaking Open The Scriptures
Scriptures for January 17th – Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11 Songs: I am Gonna Sing when the Spirit says sing – UMH 333, Great is Thy Faithfulness – UMH 140, Many Gifts, One Spirit – UMH 114

I Corinthians
Paul had a very interesting relationship with this very interesting church. The Corinthians were faithful Christians who wanted to be who they were supposed to, but Corinth was an urban city with many belief systems competing for their attention. Yet Paul had faith that this church was very special. Paul tells them that each church is unique, each church has a personality, and God has given each church a set of unique gifts. He encouraged them to start looking for those gifts and to put them to use. A church doesn’t just have a budget, they also have gifts to be used as a resource in their ministry.

John
As Jesus has been able to articulate his call, he tells his followers that there is more to come – to just pay attention. Obviously his mother was paying attention to this. Because this is Jesus first miracle. The family is at a wedding, and his mother tells him that they need more wine. Jesus tells her that his time has not come – and that he is not the person to ask for such a thing. We all want to wait until we are ready, and God tells us all that the time is now, the place is wherever we are, and the thing is to do what God tells us and to be who God calls us to be. Jesus was called to be a savior for the people. He does that by pointing to the power of God in our lives. This is the first of many signs on that journey to get our attention.

Questions What gifts has God given to Cornerstone? What Ministry has God given to Cornerstone? How can we put our gifts to use? Have you ever experienced a miracle in your life? What signs is God giving to you now that point to what God wants you to do? Are your listening?