February 23, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for February 23rd: Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 99, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9; Theme: Transfiguration Sunday 2 Peter: Transfiguration Sunday is about witnessing the glory of God in our own time with our own eyes. In this scripture each of us is encouraged to experience God for ourselves. To trust that God and the prophecy of what is to come is real. This is a scripture about authority, credibility and trust. John Wesley believed that faith was a combination of scripture, experience, tradition and reasoning. We can take all of those tools to examine our heart to have faith in God. We can look for God in all of those places. What we hear about in scripture, we can look to manifest in our lives and in our experience. Then we can decide to live according to what God tells us in our own hearts. Faith is always a living experience, not a far away dream. Matthew: It was Martin Luther King who said “I have been to the mountaintop”. He is referring to the tradition of church fathers going up into the mountains in order to have a vision from God. Jesus himself goes up to the mountain to talk with God, he takes his disciples with him as he goes to talk with Moses and Elijah. They fall asleep, but Jesus continues to pray. In prayer his gets his revelation from God, and that gives him inspiration to go on with the rest of his ministry, even though he knows that he will die in the process. It won’t be until the end of his ministry, when he goes up on another mountain, that the disciples will understand the significance of this mountaintop experience. In his last mountaintop experience, Jesus tells his disciple that he will not leave them. The first experience is so that Jesus realizes that he is not alone in his ministry. He has Elijah and Moses who are with him guiding his, just as God talked with each of these prophets on a mountain. Questions: What are the ways that you are able to see God clearly? What experiences have you had to convince you that God is real? Have you ever had a mountaintop experience?

February 16, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for February 16th: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37; Theme: Planting the seeds of faith 1 Corinthians: Wisdom was an important topic for the Greeks. Paul uses that interest in wisdom to teach them about the gospel. But he always points out that there is a difference between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of man, as a matter of fact, they are exact opposites. Paul goes as far as to tell the Corinthians that what they consider to be wisdom is not really real. He tells them that he cannot help them to understand God, because they are limited in understanding the spiritual things. He goes on to point out that the petty divisions that they have are a sign of not understanding God’s wisdom. We are all united in Christ, and when we have the mind of Christ, we can overcome our differences. When we are united in Christ, then God can use our spirit to transform the world. Matthew: We have been taking our time to take an extended look at Matthew chapter 5. This is the third week on this chapter. This is a continuation on the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells us what it means to be a disciple of Christ and to have a better understanding of our purpose in life. He tells us to go farther than human understanding by saying “You have heard it said that…..But I say to you”. He is telling us to go farther than standard jewish teaching and to listen to him. He is reforming righteousness. Following God is more than just following a bunch of rules, it is dedicating our whole heart and soul to living God in all that we do, and think and feel. It is a life that not only demands more of us, but promises more also. Questions: What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? What are the divisions that keep Christians separated today? Is it impossible to be a Christian today? What does it take to live a righteous life?