December 13, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for December 13th: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18; Theme: third Sunday of Advent; Song: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus UMH 196 Zephaniah: This is the Sunday where we get the assurance that things are going to get better. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We have to remember who to give the credit for bringing us through a very dark situation. God. All of our scriptures for this whole season are more like poetry and songs in honor of God. This is the song of Zephaniah the prophet. This is a song of celebration for the exiles. This is the time for them to go back home and to be reunited as a family again. But once we get to the promised land, we have to still remember God. Just because things are wonderful, that does not mean that we can forget God. We still have to praise and thank God for all that we are and all that we have. But today, the journey is not over, we are almost there, but we still have a long way to go. Luke: This is the second week that we hear the story of John the Baptist. John gives a deep message to us about repentance. It may have been partly our fault that we were exiled in the first place. There may have been no other way for God to teach a lesson. And now he sees that we are ready to go back home. John is surprised that so many sinners are ready to go back home, and are willing to get baptized and to repent. He is exited, but knows that some of these people have some deep ingrained sin. Some of these people don’t even recognize their own dark side. Even when the best of us confess, it is by God’s grace that we stay on the side of righteousness. It is by God’s grace that we are able to live into our baptism. We still have to wait for the coming of the Lord. Humans can baptize with water, but the Holy spirit uses fire, which is longer lasting. Questions: How do you feel like an exile? How does God bring you back home? At what time of the year do you take the time to say thank you to god for what he has done for you? What does living into your baptism mean for you? How are you helping the whole community by living into your baptism?

December 6, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for December 6th: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6; theme: second Sunday of advent; song: 706 Soon and very Soon Malachi: I always get excited when we start to read the words of Handel’s Messiah in the bible. It tells us how we are to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus in the world and in our lives. These words remind us that we are about to have an encounter with the divine. And that is no ordinary task. We are sinners, our hands are dirty. We must do what we can to make then clean! Sometimes God takes it upon himself to clean us. We wont come out of the dirt ourselves, But God will create situations that will refine us and make us a better person. What comes out of the fire is stronger, more durable and longer lasting and many times for our own good. Be thankful for the challenges, you would not be who you are without them. Luke: Luke also talks about cleansing before the sacred. He also talks about baptism and straightening up. Before any spiritual change there is a prophecy. We have to be ready to go in a new direction, or the instruction will come and we will just keep walking. Once again this is a verse from Handel’s messiah. Advent is well on its way, your preparations should be to. Not for company coming, But for Jesus. Who are the modern day prophets? What are they telling us to get us ready for a new day, a day with Jesus? Questions: What things have happened in your life to purify you soul? Are you grateful for hard times or resentful? What do you need to get out of your life before Jesus comes? What do you want for Christmas this year? What spiritual gift do you want?

November 22, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for November 22nd: 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-12; Revelation 1:4-8, John 18:33-37; theme: the last Sunday of the year; Holy Holy Holy - UMH 64 Revelation: This is the last Sunday of the Christian year. Everything starts anew next week. So it is fitting that we read a scripture about the end. The end of life as we know it. It talks about how Christ will return a second time to actually claim his kingdom on earth and turn it into something else. For every ending there is a beginning of something else. Christ has the power to make an earthly world a spiritual world. But we have to be prepared for the change. We have to be waiting and watching for a change. Jesus depends on his followers to prepare those who have not yet heard that Christ is King! The change comes in our hearts before it comes to the world, and then we are to work to bring God’s kingdom on earth. John: This is Christ the King Sunday. Jesus has come to Jerusalem, and he is in the chambers of Pilate. Pilate asks him the key question – Are you a King? Is what they say about you true? If he is a king, the jews want him to be killed. How can Christ be king, when our earthly king is in charge? What does Jesus have to do in order to be in charge? In the next verses, Jesus answers, and says that my kingdom is not of this world. He is not a threat to the earthly king. But he is a threat to our sin. If we are able to put Christ first in our lives. What do you need to do for Christ to be your king? Do you worship him? Do you change your actions because of him? Would you do anything to serve him? What does it mean that his kingdom is not of this earth? Where is it then? Questions: What are your doing to prepare for the second coming? What are you doing to prepare others? How will you recognize the reign of Christ when you see it with your own eyes? What are you doing to make Christ king? What would happen if Christ were our ruler instead of Obama? Would this be a better world? Or about the same?

November 1, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for November 1st: Isaiah 25: 6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6; John 11:32-44; Theme: All Saint’s Day; Song: Marching to Zion UMH 733 Revelation: This is an explanation of the fullness of time. When all that has happened to us will finally make sense. Our reward in the life to come. New Jerusalem is something to look forward to. When the light of God finally comes to earth there will be no darkness. Other parts of Revelation so speak of the Saints all marching in to honor and to see God. We are a part of the communion of Saints, the living and the dead. God’s promise to both is that he is making all things new. He will make a difference in our lives. Everything that we do in this life, everything that happens to us, prepares us for that moment. The beginning and the end are the same, because God is Alpha and to Omega. We don’t have to be sad as endings, because they are just new beginnings. John: What better story to highlight the power of All Saints day, than the story of Lazarus. Jesus visits Bethany, and his good friends Mary and Martha report that their brother Lazarus has died. When they see Jesus, they tell him that he could have kept his brother alive. But in order to demonstrate the power of God, Jesus brings Lazarus back to life. Jesus is the master of resurrection. That means that there will be times in life when things fall apart. Jesus doesn’t say that he will hold it all together, he says that he will put it back together again. Death is a part of life, and will happen to us all. As a matter of fact, even Lazarus, Mary and Martha eventually all died. But in life they can be grateful that they got a second chance. The good news is that the power of resurrection is always available as long as we have life. There is a chance for us to start again. To begin anew. To be grateful for the people and things that we do have in life. Questions: If you had a second chance, what would you do all over again? What do you imagine heaven to be like? What needs to be healed in your life? This all saints day – what legacy of your life do you hope to pass on to future generations? What does resurrection mean to you? Why do you think it is powerful? What is the use of coming back to life, if you are only going to die again?

October 11, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for October 11th: Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31; Theme: Children’s Sabbath; Hymn: Nobody Knows the Trouble I See UMH 520 Hebrews: Logos means a word that wiggles – a word that moves. We hear a lot of words from a lot of people. There are a lot of people who are able to make promises. Sometimes they come true, sometimes they don’t. But we can be sure that Jesus words for us are always backed with action. Jesus always means what he says. When we cannot depend on anyone else, we can depend on Jesus. Hebrews explains to us who Jesus is, and what we can expect from him. We receive mercy and grace when we need help. Logos is another word for Jesus. A word that is always backed with action. Mark: I am seriously thinking about going on a purchase fast. I need to save money. But being a consumer seriously clouds our vision and I think also our judgement. Jesus tells this young man that in order to inherit the kingdom of God he must sell everything that he has and give it to the poor. Jesus is not concerned about how much money we have, but he knows that money has a way of clouding our vision. He tells us that most of all, we must be able to see the kingdom of God. God favors the poor, because they don’t have anything standing in their way. God will take care of them in this life and the next. They will live a life that helps them to see God. Questions: how does Jesus put his words into action in your life? Where have you seen the work of Jesus within the last week? What is mercy? What is grace? How have you experienced those two gifts this week? What stands in the way of seeing God in your life? Can you give it up? What does it mean to be rich? Is being rich and having money the same thing?

October 4, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for October 4th: Job 1:1,2:1-10; Psalm 26; Hebrews 1:1-4,2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16; Theme: World Communion Sunday; Song: Through it All- UMH 507 Job: We continue with the lessons from wisdom. We begin to study the book of Job. Job deals with the biggest question of humanity: Why do bad things happen to good people? With all of the bad luck that Job is having, it seems that God is picking on Job unfairly. All those who he talks to for advice, tell him to just curse God and being mean and die. Others tell him that it must be something that he did – sin causes bad luck. Job struggles with all of his friends, Job struggles with what is happening to him. When he is able to put it all into perspective – and to worship God for what he has – that is when his life starts to change. He heals, and eventually all that he lost is restored. In the midst of it all he was able to thank God. would we do the same in the same situation? Hebrews: We will be looking at Hebrews for a while this fall. This book is not a letter to a church, it is an essay written for no one in particular. The theme is to honor Jesus as a high priest. He is the priest for all Christians. A priest in an intecessor for humans. He performs the necessary task in order to please God. He is not an angel. His mission is to bring salvation to mankind. Our task is to meet Jesus halfway in our life. As John Wesley would say – we are to go on to perfection. We will never be perfect, but we can give all that we can to God. We can give ourselves to God. We can be called children of God who live according to the precepts of Christ. As long as we put our faith in Jesus, everything else will be okay. Questions: What do you know about the story of Job? Can you bless God in all circumstances? Who are your advisors on matters of faith? Do you listen to them all of the time? If you could talk with God, what would you say? How are you a child of God? What has Jesus done in your life to make a difference? What does it mean to go on to perfect?

September 27, 2015

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for September 27th: Esther 7:1-6,9-10, 9:20-22; Psalm 124; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50; Theme: our actions have consequences; Song: If it had not been for the Lord 2053 Esther: This is the one time that we will focus on this book. We are focusing on the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible – which we do not hear from very often. It is easy for us to dismiss these books of the bible, because they often do not focus on God, and there is no real lesson. They are in the form of short stories and poetry. They are often stories about women. But these stories are important. This is a story of a woman who stood up for herself, and her people. She did not ask for vengeance against the enemy of her people, she just told her husband, the king the truth about the matter. The king was able to make a just decision for himself. The wisdom in the story – do the right thing, always be who you are. Trust God to bring about justice and mercy in times of trouble. If you are on God’s side, God is on your side. Mark: This is an example of Jesus threats to us when he is angry. He can scare us into doing to right thing. But it is also an example of what it means to be a powerful Christian. You have to be worth your weight in salt. Jesus us telling us that there is no room for fooling around in the Christian life. We all sin, we all like to blame our sinful nature on the devil and keep on sinning. Jesus says that whatever it is that you are blaming your sin on, get rid of it. Make the right choice and once again do the right thing. There is a reason why God needs us to be wise people – it is our wisdom, it is God’s wisdom that encourages others to do right to. We cannot control other people, but we can control ourselves. We change others by changing ourselves. There is too much work in the kingdom to do for us to slack off now! Questions: When had there been a time in your life when you have had to stand up for your faith? What was it that gave you the strength to stand? What difference did it make to others? What are the things in your life that need to be improved for God’s sake? Who is watching your every move to see what it means to be a Christian? How are you an example to them?