October 3, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for October 3rd: Job 1:1;2:1-10, Psalm 26, Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12, Mark 10:2-16 Theme: World Communion Sunday, Song: One Bread, One Body UMH 620 Job: Have you ever had that feeling that the devil is out to get the best of you? Well that is Job’s story. He was trying to live a life of faith, and everything imaginable happen to him. All of his friends told him this was a good time to forget about God, in the way God seems to have forgotten about him. The whole book of Job is about his suffering and his struggle with being faithful in the midst of some dire circumstances. The lectionary tells this story over the next four weeks. This will be the only time that we look at Job’s story. His wife tells him that there is no hope, so he may as well just curse God and die. Job remains faithful and regains everything that he lost and more. I wish all of our lives were like that. Mark: When I was a new Christian learning about the bible, I distinctly remember that it was the book of Matthew that was very scary to me. But as we are going through the lectionary looking at Mark, it seems to have its fair share of terror text. And then there are those scriptures like this one that really mess with our modern sensibilities. Jesus talks about a number of things in this passage. But first and foremost he talks about marriage. Marriage is between a male and a female and that there is no reason for divorce. None of those things are true in the world any more. Yet we have to consider Jesus’ words in our life decisions. I am glad that is not the scripture that I am preaching on. Jesus continues to stress that who we are as disciples is determined by how we treat the little children. Questions: When was a time when bad luck turned into good luck for you? Who encourages you when you have no hope? What are you beliefs about marriage and Christianity? How are we letting the little children come to Jesus?

September 19, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for September 19th: Proverbs 31:10-31, Psalm 1, James 3:13-4:3. 7-8; Mark 30:37: Theme: living in wisdom, Song: I Surrender All UMH 354 James: This will probably be the only week this year that we will look at the book of James. James continues our lesson on what it means to live in wisdom. Wisdom always comes from God. It is always in our best interest. When we live in wisdom it affects how we make decisions and how we treat other people. Wisdom is the beginning of harmony in the church. When we are in touch with the world’s wisdom, then we put ourselves and our own needs first. James says that causes us to be jealous of other people. And that causes friction. If we want to stop friction, then we should learn to be humble. Proverbs: The whole point of proverbs is for the prince to find the right wife. This story tells what a “virtuous woman” will do. She is not just a romantic partner, but she has the ability to run a household. In today’s world this is a very idealistic perspective. But it does make a very good point about planning your life. About thinking about how to sustain yourself in the future. And how important hard work is to success. Not many women aspire to be a housewife in this day and age. But a home that is happy and taken care of is important. The key to any happy home is a willingness to put God first in all things. Questions: What does it mean to be humble? How does this scripture help to deal with church conflict? How do you personally put God first? What does it mean to be a virtuous woman today?

September 26, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for September 26th: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22; Psalm 124, James 5:13-20, Mark 9:38-50; Theme: Song: They will know we are Christians by our Love TFWS 2223 Mark: Mark is at it again – giving some very hard sayings of Jesus. Mark likes to get straight to the point. This chapter with the disciples asking about someone casting out demons. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to remind us that even though people don’t agree with everything we do or say – we are all still united when we represent Christ. Jesus reminds us that a part of our faith is tolerance and understanding. And in the next moment he is saying that we should be mindful of the children and not discourage them from faith. In all of this Jesus is reminding us of what it means to be a disciple. In life we will have tough choices, where it is easy to follow the world – but we should always take the time to do what Jesus would do. James: It is fitting after the gospel lesson, that we would also be looking at James this week. James can also have some very harsh words of wisdom for those who are disciples. Today James is saying that the answer for all of our problems is to pray. We live in a world of suffering. It seems that lately , more and more people are getting sick. James also tells us that it is important for the church to pray together. The body of Christ has the power to heal, to change situations, to make a difference. But our power lies in the ability to pray together and to trust one another and to more importantly trust Jesus Christ. The prayers of the righteous truly make a difference. Questions: how do we treat children who come to church seeking Christ? What are the disagreements that we have with other Christians? How has God answered your prayers lately? How Has God answered the prayers of the church?