August 16, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for August 16th: Genesis 45:1-15, Psalm 133, Romans 11:1-2,29-32, Matthew 15: 10-28 Theme: The faith of everyday people in everyday situations Song: Standing on the Promises Matthew: We have been following along with Jesus bootcamp for his disciples. He is preparing them to continue his ministry. Now Jesus is ready to take them into the real world and to deal with the real problems of others. He takes them to cities that have a reputation for being rebellious and do what they want. He takes them to meet people who have no religious training. Ironically these people do have faith that Jesus has the power to heal them. A foreign woman comes to him and asks for healing for her daughter. At first Jesus is unprepared, and says no. But she persist. How many of us would do anything to help our children? Jesus at that moment realizes that the love of God is available to all kinds of people. Jesus admires her faith and grants her request. She asks for Jesus to have mercy on her and her situation. Our God is a God who always responds to honest prayer. Genesis: The story of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers after all those years in Egypt is one of the most heartwarming stories in the bible. Years ago these were the same brothers who sold him out of the family in jealousy. They come to Egypt because they are starving and willing to do anything. They do not recognize their brother. He is willing to do whatever he can to help them. He never thought he would see his father and brother again, and now they are all back together. All of us have family drama in our lives. All of us are at odds with someone in our family. A lot of times the rift has gone on for so long that we just accept that is the way it is. Perhaps there is nothing that we can do, but God can do everything. God can restore relationships. This reunion formed a whole new religion, based on the relationship of these 12 brothers. Questions: What regions of the country do you think are hopeless, with lots of nonbelievers? How do you respond to help of people who are not like you? What family rifts do you need to pray for? What can you do to bring about reunion?