May 30, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for May 30th: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:24-35, Romans 8:22-27, John 15:26-27,16:4-15; theme: Pentecost, Song: O Spirit of the Living God UMH 539 John: We know that the red flame on the cross and flame stands for the Holy Spirit. But, beyond that many United Methodist do not have any idea of what the Holy Spirit does. Pentecost Sunday is a perfect time to think about the Holy Spirit. John promises that when Jesus is not with us, a companion will come to guide us. Much of the gospel in the last few weeks has been Jesus prayer for his disciples when he is no longer with them. He is concerned that the mission continues. Last week Jesus prayed directly to the Father. Today, He prays that the spirit of truth will take his lead and continue to guide the disciples in carrying out the mission of the church. Romans: Pentecost is both a beginning and an ending. During Pentecost a lot of things will fall into place and a lot of things will fall apart. Change is hard - it is not a time of peace, it is a time of uneasiness. Paul probably has an understanding of our time when he says that all of creation is groaning in labor pains. We are all wondering what the future will bring. As we look to the future, it is important to also look for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Paul says that as we are moving forward that we should look in our lives and in nature to see what the spirit is telling us. Jesus says that we should get our comfort in the spirit, not in the events that are going on around us. The spring will reveal itself and live in a beautiful summer. Questions: What does the Holy Spirit mean to you? Have you ever had a time in life where you knew that the spirit moved you? What do you think the future holds for the church? How do we know that the Spirit is leading us? are we willing to follow?

May 23, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for May 23rd: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1, 1 John 5:9-13, John 17: 6-19 Theme: evangelism John: This is Jesus’ to God to watch over his followers and to give them what they need to be faithful. Jesus talks about the connection between him and God, he expands that connection to include us on earth. Jesus is concerned because life has gotten hard for those on earth – and he wants the faithful to know they are not alone. Jesus is the intecessor on our behalf. In John the world are the outsiders who persecute us. But we should also extend God’s love to the outside world as well as nature. Lastly, Jesus tells God that he has sanctified us – made us holy – so that we could continue his salvation work. Acts: This is the story of the dynamic church at work. Thousands have joined the church, they have defined what it means to be community. As they go forward, they realize that Jesus is not coming back to lead them. They have to commit to move forward. They have to realize what the resurrection means for each of them. They have to come up with how to trust the spirit in making the right decisions. This decision is who will replace Judas. Their means of discernment is to pray for guidance and to think about What Jesus would do. They were able to make a decision and to trust their judgement. Questions: Have you ever prayed on someone else’s behalf? Who is it that prays for you? How do we continue Jesus’ work today? Do you ever pray over a decision? What does discernment mean? How do you know if you are doing what Jesus wants in a situation?

May 9, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for May 9th: Acts 10:44-48, Psalm 98, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17 theme: Mother’s Day Song: What a Friend we have in Jesus UMH 526 Psalm 98: Psalms 90-99 are called enthronement psalms – they celebrate the fact that God is on the throne of the world and of our lives. We are gathered together to celebrate God’s reign in our lives. We are grateful for all that God has done from creation to the events in our lives. We thank him by praising God with Songs and with rejoicing. Mother’s day is a time to celebrate people in our lives who care about us. It is a time to celebrate the goodness in our lives. To celebrate the rebirth of nature. What better way to do that then to sing a new song? John: The theme of this verse is love. Once again it is the love of Jesus Christ. We find that the love of mother is a part of Jesus love, not the other way around. Jesus proves that he loves us by sacrificing his life, so that we can have a better life. He goes on the talk about the love of God which is powerful and life changing. It is also not something that we can choose or will to happen. In life we often do not get the choose the way love will manifest itself in our lives. But love is present in even the hardest of lives. This is the day we celebrate that love in the form of a mother or mother figure. Questions: how do you celebrate the presence of God in your life? What is it that you celebrate about nature? How does it remind you of God? How can you show love to your mother today? What can you do nice for those around you?

May 16, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for May 16th: Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:44-53, Theme: Ascension – Jesus goes up to heaven Luke: Sometimes we don’t truly understand what someone is trying to tell us until they are no longer available to us. Perhaps this was God’s plan for sending Jesus into our lives all along. Jesus appeared to his disciples during the Easter season to help them to understand that the story was not over. But Jesus knew that as long as he was with them, they would look to him for answers. If they saw him ascend into heaven, they would remember all that he said, but they would also put their own faith into action. This is one more talk with the disciples before he goes. He tells them what to do, but he also tells the Holy Spirit what they will need to continue through. The words of Christ live on forever in the hearts of those who follow him. Acts: This is another version of the Ascension story – written by the same person, but for a very different reason. These are not words for the Holy Spirit, but words for the disciples. Luke once again tells how Jesus appeared after the resurrection. How Jesus brought them to the mountain with him, and then he went into heaven. Of course the disciples want to witness every moment of this event. Then ending is humorous, but helpful – two angels ask the disciples why they are looking up in the sky for nothing. Jesus is in the work here on earth that they are about to do, not in the cloud. So get you head out of the clouds. Good advice for us as well. Questions: Where do you look for Jesus today? Where do you find Jesus in today’s world? Who in your life, who has passed on, but you remember their words daily? How can we continue that work of the disciples?

May 2, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for May 2nd: Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 22:25-31, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8, Theme: the power of evangelism, Song: Joyful Joyful We Adore thee UMH 89 Acts: This book is intentionally written to be dramatic and over the top. And this story does not disappoint. A man is reading scripture, but he does not understand what he is written. The disciple, Philip is willing to break it down for him. When they both realize that the book of Isaiah is talking about the savior, they both get the holy spirit. Phillip disappears, and the man is so convicted that he goes throughout the countryside telling others what he heard. Have you ever got that excited reading the bible? Perhaps you should. But the lesson for us is to not be afraid to share our faith with others. And when we do, to look for the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit in us that brings understanding to the other person. We may not have the same results that Phillip did, but eventually we will make a difference in others. 1 John: We continue to learn about the power of love. God loves us so that we can show others love. Love is the foundation of our faith. We come to church in order to learn love. This book teaches us that we cannot love God and hate people. We cannot see God, but we can see the people in our lives. When we show love – that is when God is apparent, not in person but in our attitude. We have not been given a spirit of Fear. Love gives us the power to step out of our comfort zone. It gives us the power to put up with things from other people that we would not tolerate otherwise. Perfect love drives out fear. Questions: Have you ever been willing to share your faith with someone? When have you felt the power of God in your spirit? In your life? What are your afraid of? How can love help you overcome that fear?

April 18, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for April 18th: Acts 3:12-19, Psalm 4, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24:36-48; Theme: We are God’s Children; Song: God of Grace, God of Glory UMH 577 1 John: This is another scripture about the importance of community in the church. This is another scripture about how difficult a task that can be. But we are encouraged to understand that all things are possible with the power of God. There were many divisions in John’s congregation. There were also a lot of broken dreams. People were dying before the dream was fulfilled. It was becoming clear that this was a new community that had nothing in common with the Jewish community. So many started to believe that if the Jews were children of God, then the Christians were not. John is reminding us that in spite of everything, we are indeed children of God. Not because of anything that we may have done, but because of the powerful love of God. We are reminded that God loves us, God also calls each of us to love one another. It is that love that gives us a sense of community. Acts: After the Resurrection Peter and the other disciples go out into the streets to tell others of the amazing deeds of Jesus Christ. He does not explain how or why Jesus died. But he does tell us that because he died, we have salvation. Because he died we are initiated into the family of God. Because he died we have a fair chance for repentance in our own time and our own age. God always finds a way to bring us back into the fold of his love. Jesus showed us God’s love in our time. Jesus’ story is not over, it continues to expand. Until he returns, the story continues. It is important for us to see ourselves on both sides of the story – we are the cause of Jesus death, but we are the beneficiaries. When we look back at the story of salvation, we can be grateful, and more important repent and turn around back to God. Questions: Jesus is called the author of life – how is the resurrection to beginning of life? How does love help us to be in community with others not like us? How do you need to repent? How have you rejected Jesus teachings in your life?