July 1, 2012

Scriptures For July 1st : 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43 Theme: The miracles of Jesus; Song: Pass Me not O Gentle Savior – UMH 351 2 Samuel: David is now the king. He has had a long relationship with Saul’s family. Saul was intimidated by David’s power. He even sent soldiers to kill David. Saul’s son, Jonothon, was David’s best friend. David even married Saul’s daughter. But in death, David’s worst enemy became his best friend. Both Saul and Jonathon were killed in battle. After their death, David called the whole nation together and called for a national time of mourning. Saul may have had a lot of faults, but he served his country with all of his heart. The people had an easier life things were better. David called the nation to remember the moment of his death, and to honor what he had done for his country. He was genuinely sad because of the death. Today we don’t honor any leader, the way David honored Saul. Mark: We are hearing more about the miracles of Jesus. How much he was willing to enter into the lives of ordinary people, and change circumstances, and to save lives. In this miracle story, we hear about the woman who had an issue with blood, and Jairus’ daughter who had already died. Jesus was able to save them both. But that was not the end to the miracle. When Jesus saves the lives of the individual, he also works to save the community. He changes their expectations, he teaches them to have hope in the midst of a dire situation. He teaches them to look beyond social understandings in order to accept those who are sick and who are different. He taught love for those who are sick. But most importantly, he taught us to believe in all that he could do to transform our lives. Questions: Who was the last person that the whole nation mourned over his death? Who is a modern day David, that can influence us to mourn the lives of a great person? What are the things that we do to mourn today? How long do we take to mourn a death? What do we believe about the miracles of Jesus? Do we still see miracles today? How do we feel about people who are constantly sick?