Saturday, September 30, 2017

October 8, 2017

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for October 8th: Exodus 20: 1-4,7-9, 12-20; Psalm 19; Philippians 3:4-14;Matthew 21:33-46 Exodus: This lesson is a teaching of the ten commandments. These rules are the backbone of a the Jewish life. These rules give them meaning and purpose as a community. It is not an accident that these rules were written in the midst of the wilderness experience. The Isrealites were walking away from Egypt with its established rules. They were a part of this society, but with no power – they were slaves. It was a society based on economic power. They were in the wilderness to create a society based on the love and loyalty of God. With this new community, they needed to create new rules. In Egyptian society a man was the head. In this new community God was the head. The rules were based not on getting ahead, but on getting along – along with one another and with God. Philippians: The 4 chapters of Philippians tell a very important story. In chapter 2 Paul tells us that Jesus had to empty himself in order to relate to humans. In chapter 3, Paul tells his own story of emptying himself and his life in order to serve Christ. He had attained a lot of status as a priest of his religion, until Jesus appeared to him and told him that all of that did not matter. God had a bigger purpose for him rather than attaining power and status. Paul could actually brag about his past, if he had not given it all up. He was a new person in Christ now. Paul goes on to encourage us to be faithful one step at a time. The only way we are going to win the race, is to run it at our own pace trusting in God to get us where we have to go. The only way we will win, is with God by our side. Questions: Are the ten commandments still relevant in today’s society? How do they encourage us not to be slaves to our economic status? Which commandment do you like the most? Which one is the hardest to keep? Have you ever sacrificed anything for Christ? Did you get it back in time? How is being faithful like running in a race?

Sunday, September 10, 2017

September 17, 2017

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for September 17th: Exodus 14: 19-31; Exodus 15:1-11,20-21; Romans 14:1-12;Matthew 18:21-35 Romans: When we gather together in faith, we have all had different levels of training in church, we all have different definitions of what it means to be Christian. Paul is saying that just because we are different, that does not mean that we are better than others. When you find yourself putting yourself above others, then you need to be careful. We need to be mindful of others. The key to being the church is in being able to accept those who are different without judging them. We are all sinners saved by grace. Christ had a reason for inviting all of us to the table. We have to learn to all get along. Matthew: This is an important next step in learning to live in Christian community. Christian community is based on love and forgiveness. Peter asks how many times should he forgive someone before giving up on them. Jesus says that there is no limit to forgiveness. He then tells a parable about a king forgiving debts – this reminds us that when we judge others, God also judges us. We have had to have some of our debt forgiven. We should keep this in mind. The golden rule is to treat others the way you expect to be treated. Forgiveness is the golden rule of Christianity. We should do it as Jesus tells us to. Questions: how do you treat people who practice Christianity different from you? How do you overcome your differences with others? What does it mean to be weak in faith? When was there a time when you needed to forgive a Christian brother? Was it easy? Did you think about what the bible tells you to do.