August 2, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for August 2nd: Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 17:1-7,15, Romans 9:1-3, Matthew 14:13-21; Theme: God will provide Matthew: The Lord’s Prayer is basically a prayer for God to provide what you need from day to day. It reflects the situation of most people in Jesus day. They did not have refrigeration, so there was no way to store up leftovers. More importantly, they did not have anything to put into a refrigerator. But one of the primary messages of even the old testament, is not to fret about tomorrow, because the Lord will provide. The crowd had gathered to hear the words of Jesus, and not Jesus tells the disciples to provide for them to be able to eat. The disciples are able to take five loaves and two fish and to feed 5000 people. What a powerful testimony. There are still hungry people coming to the church for help today. We are still called to use our resources to make a difference. Romans: No matter how effective you may be, there are always going to be people who criticize what you are doing. A lot of time your biggest critics are those people who are closest to you. That can cause even the most dedicated person a lot of Grief. Paul had been very effective in teaching gentiles about Christ, but his own Jewish family refused to accept Christ. Today, Christianity and Judaism are related, but two very different religions. Paul wants his family to understand the salvation of Jesus Christ so much, that he says that he is willing to deny his own beliefs in order to reach them. Paul finds hope in the fact that God’s love even transcends doubt. God loves both religions because of God’s grace. Questions: Who are the people who are living hand to mouth today? How does God call us to help them? Does everyone in your family accept Christ? What can you do to reach out to them and show them Christ in you?

July 19, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for July 19th: Genesis 28:10-19, Psalm 139:1-12,23-24, Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; Theme: fighting with life and winning Genesis: Jacob has been a real trouble maker in his family, and now he is running for his life. Never in his dreams did he expect to have an encounter with God on this journey, but that is exactly what happens. Jacob gets to a safe place for the night, falls asleep and God comes to him in a dream. All of us are on a journey and God will appear in the most unexpected places. In his encounter, Jacob fights with God. He is on this journey because he has been fighting with his family. He has been fighting for status, he has been fighting with his twin brother for an identity. And now he fights with God for meaning. After the dream he is so touched by the experience, he changes his name to one who wrestles with God. He goes forward from here as a changed man. Matthew: Jesus continues his third teaching to the crowd. He is trying to get them to understand what the Kingdom of heaven is like. He uses yet another parable about the farmer. This time he asks that all time question, what is the difference between a weed and a flower. In this case he is speaking of the wheat and the tare. He explains that they are different plants, but God loves them, more importantly it is not for us to try to judge the difference. We are told to love them and to let God separate them. There is a church sign where God tells us to love everybody and to let God separate them in heaven. The Kingdom of heaven is a lot like life here on earth. We are to nurture, to love, not to judge, and God makes both the weeds and the flowers to grow. Questions: When in life have you felt you were wrestling with God? How has the presence of God come to you in your situation? Are there people that you consider to be weeds? How do you tell the difference between them and the people you love?

July 12, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for July 12th: Genesis 25:19-34, Psalm 119:105-112, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 Theme: How do you receive the word of God? Matthew: I think that all of us have heard of the parable of the sower, but how many of us have really taken the time to think about what it means – how does it apply to our lives? There is a difference between a planter and a sower. A planter would plant the seeds and then take care of them in order to make sure that they grow. A sower just throws seeds out anywhere and leaves it up to nature for them to grow. In this story God is a sower throwing as much seed as possible out into the world. Unlike humans, God has the ability to get the plant to grow wherever they may be. Nevertheless, God knows that there are some environments more conducive than others for growth. Our hearts are the soil that helps the plant to grow into somethings productive to the world. In order for the seeds to grow we have to become the planter, nurturing and caring for that plant. Genesis: We are learning a lot about the family tree of the first family. Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob and Essau. It seems that barrenness also follows each generation. Now Rebekah is not able to conceive. Once again when she does conceive it is a blessing. She gives birth to twins. Obviously they are fraternal twins because they are very different in appearance and in personality. As the story progresses, they also have different destinies. Jacob actually is always after his brother, and finally does get his inheritance as the first born child. That becomes a huge responsibility to bear as we will learn. But he always remembers the bond of his brother, even when things are tough. Both become fathers of great nations. Unfortunately, history only follows Jacob. Questions: What type of nurturing do you provide for God’s word in your life? In life are you a planter or a sower? What would life be like if Essau had maintained his birthright? How does your relationship with family affect your faith?