January 25, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for January 25th: Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20; You can’t hide from destiny; Song: Rock of Ages UMH361 Jonah : This is a tale about the calling of a prophet, but also about the calling of a people. Jonah does not want to go to warn the people of Ninevah. We know that he runs away from his calling. How many of us think in our heads that there are certain people who are not worth saving? They don’t need to know the good news, and if I waste my time telling them they wont listen anyway. We forget that it is not our job to make them listen. That is God’s job. And God wants to save everybody. Thus God speaks to their hearts and prepares them to listen, when someone is able to speak. The people of ninevah realize that their only hope is to ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness. And that God’s grace was the only thing that saved them. Jonah needed to learn that lesson for himself, before he could pass that message on to others. God can do all things, God can melt all hearts. All are worthy of God’s salvation. Mark: This story is about a calling of a different kind. Jesus is building his disciple team by asking them to come and follow him. He is asking them to leave everything and to become fishers of men. Once again a calling is first to the person, and then to the people. We listen to and follow other people. In order to get others to trust God, we have to trust first. Jesus is still coming to people and saying come and follow me. God is doing a mighty things in the world. And he needs mighty people in order to do it. We all know that God can create without our help. The problem is the creation has gone awry, God does not need us, but we need God in order to get back into step with creation. Repentance is something that the people have to do. But in order to repent, someone has to show them the way. That is the point of being a disciple of Christ. Questions: What group of people are you convinced will never be saved? What can be said to get through to that group of people? How do you resist God’s call on your life? What is the consequences of that resistance? How does Christ convince you to come follow him? Where you be, if know one believed in you? Who needs your encouragement?

January 4, 2014

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for January 4th: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12; Theme: yearly commitment to service; Song: This little Light of mine UMH 585 Isaiah : The exiles have been out of their land for years, and now that prophecy is that it is time to go home and to rebuild their lives. But not to forget, that God is the center of our lives, God is the center of our society. They were put out because they did not follow God. So it is critical to do it right them time. When God’s people are trusting in God, other people will take interest and want to be a part of the rebuilding. The prophecy is to arise, your light has come – it is time to come out and to celebrate, and to see what God has done for you and for me. God is making an example of what we do, so that he can attract the other nations. Ephesians: There is no division that God cannot heal. We as humans constantly find ways to separate ourselves. We make sure that there are insiders and outsiders. There is us and them. Christ can overcome those boundaries. It is important to realize that we are not one in Christ, we are united. We can come together and to find common ground. Paul says that the secret of our unity is grace. Christ reaches out to us all, and saves us in our place and in our lives. Christ wants the world to see that he their salvation to. We are know different from the people in the world. But when we believe in Christ, we can do anything and overcome all obstacles. Paul tells us to be confident and bold in our trust for God’s grace in our lives. Questions: How do you know that God’s light is shining in such a dark night? How do we know that the world sees the light of God? How does God’s light bring hope? What differences have we had to overcome to be united in Christ? How do you feel God’s grace? What does it take to be bold and confident in Christ?

December 28, 2014 - First Sunday After Christmas

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for December 28th: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 148; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:22-40; theme: what gift did you get for Christmas? Song: Away in the Manger UMH 217 Isaiah : As we read through the book of Isaiah, we are taken through a battle. The people are struggling and suffering, they are crying out to God for relief. But if God is up there, and we are down here, How does he get that help to us? He promises that he will send those who speak for him. That he will raise up a suffering servant. He becomes that suffering servant. As we come to the end of Isaiah, we learn that the battle is over. That the people has won. Isaiah starts to tell us what victory looks like, so that we recognize it when we see it. The earth will start to live again, the people will start to live again, We will celebrate. We will become new people. Let us celebrate what the Lord has done, but also what the Lord will do in our lives. Luke: We continue the story of the birth of our Lord. He has to be brought into the Jewish family. So his parents take him to the temple to be blessed and circumcised. But this is no ordinary baby, at this point only the parents know that. Jesus does not have a halo over his head. So how does Samuel know? Because the promise fulfilled is not just to Mary and Joseph, but to the people – to all of us. So the people, the elders bless that baby and put all of their hopes and dreams. The good news is that the child recognized his place in life, and he never stepped out of his purpose. HE grew, he sacrificed, and we have a chance to give our blessing to Jesus even today. Questions: What are signs in your life that things are getting better? How is God answering our prayers even today? Who is the suffering servant today? How do you bless the children of today and tell them they are special? How do you watch them grow into strong children? What do you do to teach them faith?

December 21, 2014

Scriptures for December 21st: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:46-55, Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38; Theme: God chose Mary to bring Jesus into the world; Song: Hark the Herald Angels Sing Luke : This is the Magnificat of Mary. It is Mary’s celebration of all that God has done for her. She realizes that she is no one special, but that God was not concerned about the special. God realizes that most of his people are a part of the righteous victims. They have become a part of those who are struggling to make it is a world designed for others benefit. The point of the messiah is to make a difference, and to give the lowly a chance. So he would not appoint a prince in a castle to make a difference, but a baby in a manger. A baby that comes from parents who have nothing, but faith in a God that cares for them. Luke: This is the Magnificat that has been played out in reality. Mary did not understand how she would give birth to a son, when she accepted the prophecy from the angel Gabriel. But she trusted that if God gave her a message, then God would make a way for it to happen. She gets support from her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a lot older, but she was also pregnant. They could fulfil the prophecy of the future together. God works miracles in our everyday lives, with everyday people. Questions: How does your soul magnify the Lord? How do you live out God’s intention for your life? When God gives you a challenge, what do you do? Do you accept it? Or do you argue with God? Who has God sent in your life to support you in God’s plan?

December 14, 2014 - Third Sunday of Advent

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for December 14th: Isaiah 6:1-4,8-11; Psalm 126; I Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28; theme: The spirit of the Lord is upon you to do mission; Song: Come thou Long Expected Jesus – UMH 196 Isaiah : God has seen our pain, and God will bring about a solution. That solution is in the form of a leader who can truly make a difference. The jews are still waiting for that leader. And yet as Christians, we know that leader has come in the form of Jesus the Christ. In Luke, Christ proclaims that the spirit of the Lord is upon him to make a difference in the personal lives of God’s people. The spirit has given him the power to do what needs to be done. Isaiah 60 spells out what must be done, and who must be saved. We serve a God of righteousness, but in order for there to be righteousness in the world, there must be people who able to live according to that righteousness. This advent season, we not only serve our leader, but we live as he would live and we do as he would do. The spirit of the Lord is upon us! John: John the Baptist is the evangelist of advent. He is the one who spreads the good news. But the news he spread is not all good. In order for it to be good news, we have to be willing to repent. To turn our lives away from sin and to righteousness. When John stands up and speaks, people want to know who he is and why is he speaking. Are you a prophet? No I am a follower of Christ, I have been called not to be Christ for the world, but to follow Christ in all circumstances. We are not prophet, we are not the one who will change the world – but we are called to witness to the one who has come to make a difference. Questions: How do you know the spirit is upon you? Does the spirit make a difference in your life? In your attitude? How is God calling you to serve others? How are you a witness to the power of Christ?

November 16, 2014

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for November 16th: Judges 4: 1-7; Psalm 123; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30; Theme: Jesus depends on us ; Song: Jesus Keep me Near the Cross UMH 301 1 Thessalonians : This lesson is a precursor to advent and the season of preparing for the second coming. It is Paul’s demand that we listen and to prepare ourselves for that day. Paul warns us that there should be a huge difference between Christians and others. People should be able to spot us a mile away, simply based in who we are and how we handle every day life. Paul is telling us that we don’t know when Jesus is coming back, but the second coming should always be in the back of our mind. Preparation is not just for a season, it is for a lifetime. It is our lifestyle that will qualify us to go with Christ, when he returns for us. We will receive a reward for being faithful. We have been practicing our faith for thousands of years, Christ is aware of our faithfulness, our we aware of his to us? Matthew: This is another good message for advent. This is a message to get our lives in order. Each of us have spiritual gifts, and they were given to us in order to be used. God is watching how we use them. They are not to be used for ourselves, but to benefit others. We are reminded that the time is now for us to use our gifts, we are not to wait until later. We don’t know when our day will come. Jesus is giving us a call to action. So we all need to give some serious thought to our plan. But when we have a plan, know that God is with you and will give you the strength to fulfill what he has planted inside of you. If you have only one precious gift in the world, who would you give it to? How would you use it? Go ahead, the time is now to use your gift, tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. Questions: What do you think about the second coming? Are you really prepared for Christ to return? What do you still need to do? What is your talent? How do you need to give it away? What would you do if you lost your talent? What are you prepared to do if God gives you a new talent?

November 9, 2014

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for November 9th: Joshua 24:1-3,14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13; Theme: choose who you will serve Song: Battle Hymn of the Republic UMH 717 Joshua : This is my favorite verse if the bible. The 40 years of wandering is over. As a matter of fact, the first leader has passed on. Now the second generation is taking over. As the second leader, Joshua has a new task. It is time for people to settle down and get to work. In order to help people realize the change, he has a special service for them. But he is not asking them to be spectators on what it going on, but participants. Everyone needs to do their part in order for the community to begin a new life. Jesus tells them to choose ye who you must serve. Is it God or is it yourself? And he asks them to make a commitment that very day – to serve God. I have a sign in my house – As for me and my house we choose to serve the Lord. That is Joshua’s commitment – what is yours? Matthew: This is the story of the bridesmaids. They are waiting for the groom, five of them are ready with oil in their lamps and five of them are out of oil. The lesson is that we should be prepared for the groom when he comes. For many, this is the beginning message of advent. It is time for us to prepare for Jesus to come. We don’t know when the second coming will be, but the message is that we should live our lives as if he is coming back at any moment. It is not about when he comes, it is about how we live our lives. Advent is not just about Christmas, it is about how we live our lives. There is never a time when we should not be alert and ready. God appears in our lives in so many ways at so many times. Questions: When has there been a time when you needed to stop and take account of your faith? How do you choose God? How do you choose other things instead of God? What do you have to give up in order to be clear about serving God? Are you prepared for the second coming? When do you think the second coming will come? Is there really something wrong with waiting until the last moment to do something?