June 21, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for June 21st: Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10,16-17; Romans 6:1-11, Matthew 10:24-39: Theme: The responsibility of a Disciple Matthew: What role does fear play in your life? What role does fear play in your participation in church? If fear has no role in your church involvement, then are you really involved in church? Every time an angel approaches someone with a mission from God, the first thing said to that person is “Fear not”. All of God’s missions call us to step out of our comfort zone and to be bold and courageous. That is why this passage on fear comes after the commissioning of the apostles. The apostles are the ones who are sent out on a mission from God. In this passage, Jesus says that disciples will experience the same fate as the teacher – resistance and oppression. But we are told not to be afraid of those who can hurt our body, but to fear God who can hurt our soul. He goes on to say that being a disciple is our first role in life, much more important that the relationships that we have with others. We have to put God first in all that we do, and know that if we are not afraid to listen to God, then we are not really listening. Genesis: This is a celebration of God’s promise being fulfilled to Abraham and Sarah. The son that Sarah never thought she could have has been born. Now that he is growing up, she becomes worried about the relationship he has with his older brother Ishmael. She becomes so worries that she demands that both he and his mother Hagar are banished. Reluctantly, Abraham banishes them both to the desert. It is in Hagar’s deepest moment of despair that God tells her that everything will be okay. That Ishmael will grow to be a part of the promise and have a family of his own. Everything turns out for the best. Ishmael becomes the father of the muslim nation. Questions: What are you afraid of in your service to God? What struggles have you had to overcome to be a faithful follower of Jesus? When has a time of struggle turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you? What does it mean to be a child of Abraham?