February 7, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for February 7th: Isaiah 40:21-31, Psalm 147:1-11,20; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, Mark 1:29-39 Theme: God is hope in the midst of dark times Song: Leaning on the Everlasting Arms UMH 133 Isaiah: I think that we are all going through tough times right now. I think even the most faithful of us are questioning our faith and wondering how God could let this happen to us. We look at the bible, and get frustrated that it does not apply to our life. Isaiah is telling us that he understands how we feel because he and his people have been through it. Isaiah’s response to us: surely you have known, surely you have heard, surely someone told you, surely you understand how life works. Everything that we know about faith tells us that God will provide. Life needs to change, not God. We have to remember that the dark times are temporary and will not last forever. In time we will feel better and see God in the situation, and see how God has led us to a better day. Our faith is what gives us the patience to wait, actively wait. Mark: They say there is no rest for the weary. We have been following Jesus since he has been baptized, and we have not even made it out of chapter 1 yet. Jesus picks his inner circle. Interestingly, they are willing to leave dad in the fishing boats, but want to go home and check on mom. When they get to Capernaum, mom is not doing well. Jesus is the guest, but he does not hesitate to heal mom so that she can get up an cook that delicious dinner that he was promised. Not even mom gets to rests, she gets up and gets to work. We too are reminded how important it is for us to keep working, there is an awful lot that needs to be done. After dinner, Jesus tells the disciples that they need to head to the other side of the lake, there are too many people who need to hear the good news of healing. Who is it that is waiting on us, so that they can hear the good news and change? Questions: How have you been discouraged by the pandemic? Where do you find God in the process? What is it about being a Christian that makes you tired? Why is it important for you to keep working?

January 31, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for January 31st: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28; Theme: Even the Demons Obey him Song: Help Us Accept Each Other - UMH 560 Mark: We all recognize that there is negativity in the world. There is even negativity in the church. Mark is one of the few spiritual authors who is willing to address negativity head on. He clearly demonstrates that Jesus has authority even over the negativity in our lives. In this verse, Jesus starts to teach in the synagogues, and Jesus recognizes the demons and asks them to leave. Jesus does not destroy them, he just takes away their power. When others see this they spread the news that the messiah has the power to heal. The good news for us is that Jesus’ presence, words, and actions have that same authority over our problems in life and in church. We don’t have to find demons in other people and call them bad. We do have the power to look at our own lives and see what inside of our own spirit needs to be changed. 1 Corinthians: Paul picks up where Jesus leaves off in encouraging us not to judge the behavior of others. We are all different people, with different values. There are Christians that we do not agree with. We don’t have to criticize them, we can be an example for them. In Christ we have freedom to do anything and to be forgiven. But not everything that we do is on our best interest. As Christian, people tend to scrutinize our behavior more than others. We have to be aware of that tendency, but not be controlled by it. Our relationships with others should not be controlled by judgement, but by love. How do our actions affect other? Questions: Have you ever experienced Jesus healing? How does the spirit of Christ help you to overcome negativity? How do other people judge your behavior? How can you respond in love?

January 24, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for January 24th: Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 62:5-12, I Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20 Theme: Come Follow Jesus Song: Softly and Tenderly Jesus is calling UMH 348 Mark: During the Epiphany Season, we have been looking at what it means to be follow Jesus to the Cross. We are looking at the way that God speaks to us and gives us marching orders in life. Jesus came to Earth to give the good news to people. Even though he was the messiah, he soon realized that he could not transform the world alone. We hear the story of how he was able to reach out and recruit 12 ordinary citizens into his mission. They were not ordained, they did not study the bible all of the time. They were ordinary men who were committed to the normal things in life. And yet each was willing to give all of that up to step into the mission of the messiah. They did not always get what Jesus was about, but they all remained faithful. They were willing to make faith a part of their ordinary life. They were able to truly make a difference. What would happen if we chose to listen to the call to come and follow me. Jonah: As a child, this was one of my favorite bible stories. I loved the pictures of Jonah in the belly of a whale. As an adult, as a pastor this is an important lesson. Jonah was willing to listen to the call of God. He just did not really care for the people that he was called to serve. And yet he learned that he could resist God’s instruction, but God always finds a way to make us pay attention. When Jonah was willing to obey, he was hoping that the people would not listen so that he could feel justified in hating them. But they listened and followed God. The lesson for us is that God loves everybody, even those whom we don’t agree with. Questions: How are you like the disciples? What is God calling you to do for the world? What group of people do you feel is not worth saving? What would happen if you thought of them as children of God?

January 17, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for January 17, 2021: 1 Samuel 3:1-20, Psalm 139:1-6,13-18, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, John 1:43-51: Theme: Human Relations Sunday: Song: Here I am Lord UMH 593 Samuel: After reflecting on the meaning of baptism, this is the time to reflect on what it means to be called by God. This is one the most important call stories in the bible. The calling of Samuel. Samuel was left in the temple by his mother Hannah as an offering to God. Eli, the priest raised him as his own. Eli’s own children were priest, but they were not good faithful people. While Samuel was a child, heard God’s voice very clearly. He followed that voice all the way into adulthood. Interestingly, his children were not faithful followers either. Being called by God is a very personal thing, it comes from deep within your spirit. The story says that when God spoke to Samuel, he was not faithful either. But he was willing to listen to God and he was willing to grow in God. The scripture says that God’s word at that time was treasure like gold. I think today God speaks every day, but we don’t always listen. John: Every gospel writer tells a story of how Jesus was able to recruit the 12 disciples. Jesus got to know people and observed their behavior. He was able to recognize that relationship that they had with the spiritual. Then Jesus would get to know them personally and talk with them. Jesus must have had a magnetic personality that was able to draw people to him. Nathaniel was amazed when he realized that the Son of God had recognized him and wanted him to be a part of the team. Jesus tells him that as he gets to know Jesus he will be able to see even greater things in life. The disciples were so impressed with what they saw that they were willing to follow this person to the cross, through death to eternity. Questions: Have you ever heard God’s voice personally? What is the spirit leading you to do for the world? How far are you willing to follow Jesus? How have you convinced someone personally to be a Christian?

January 10, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for January 10, 2021: Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11: Theme: Baptism of the Lord: Song: Spirit Song UMH 347 Genesis: Since it is the beginning of the year, it is fitting that we start at the beginning of the bible – the creation story. The story does not start at the beginning of creation, it starts at the beginning of order in the world. This story shows that from the beginning of order, God has wanted humankind to be a major part of that creation. It is our job to maintain that order. God has left a lot of responsibility in our hands. This verse covers the first day of creation. After God is done for the day – he says and it was good. And yet there is still 6 more days of work to complete. Perhaps God knew that there would always be unfinished business in creation for man to complete. There are some things that still need to be corrected in order to call it good. Psalm 29: This psalm is a celebration of being co-creators with God. We get to work, but as we see God’s creation first hand, we can’t help but to be in awe and to worship God. As we watch God in action, we see that his source of creation is his voice. All he has to do is to speak, and the world appears. Perhaps that is why Jesus Christ, who is also with God is the WORD – the one who makes it all so. As we watch God at work in creation, we too are blessed with peace and abundance. The beginning of the psalm calls us divine beings, created with the purpose of living a blessed life with God as the center. Questions: When have you watched God at work in creation? Do you see the awe of God when you are in nature? How can we speak the future into being? What does it mean to be a divine being?