October 6, 2013 - 20th Sunday After Pentecost

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for October 6th: Lamentations 1:1-16; Psalm 137; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10; theme: World Communion Sunday; song: Standing on the Promises – UMH 374 Psalm 137: This is the cry of a slave culture, who has been taken away from the meaning of their land, and forced to take a new life – a life which they have no control over. They can’t worship in their own space, they are confused. They are trying to put the pieces together, but life is just not the same. This is a psalm of lament, but it goes further than that. The Isrealites ask for vengeance. They want their enemies to pay for the pain that they have put upon them. There is a five part structure to these kinds of laments: cry to God, a description of the problem, profession that God is faithful; a request for God to intervene, and a promise to praise God for what he does. It is okay for us to be angry and to ask for God to intervene in our troubles, but what does Jesus tell us to do for our enemies? What place does forgiveness play in our cries for help? Luke: This is a story of faith. This is a story of what it means to have faith. It is a reminder that faith is not about our will, it is about God’s will. It is not about what we can do, it is about what Jesus can do. We don’t have to understand how Jesus does it, we just have to mildly believe that he can, and we will witness big results in our life. A little faith is just as much as a lot of faith. We cannot measure how much faith works. There are probably a lot of times in our lives when we feel that if we just had more faith things would turn out. We would do better and results would be better. Jesus has to remind the disciples and us that is not what faith is all about. We think that we have to study the bible all of the time, we have to be in church every Sunday, we have to participate in every outreach activity; we have to do all that we can to earn our faith. Jesus says that it does not take all of that. We do those things in response to what Jesus has done, not to make him do it. We can’t make Jesus do anything it is all a fee gift of grace. Questions: Are you able to bring all of your concerns and emotions to God? Can you truly tell God when you are angry? Does being honest help you to forgive those who wrong you? How much faith do you have in Jesus? When your prayers are answered who gets the credit – Jesus or your faith? What do you need to do to have more faith ?

September 29, 2013 - 19th Sunday after Pentecost

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for September 29th: Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15; Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31; Theme: There is hope for God is about to do; Song: We are called - #2172 Jeremiah: Jeremiah has been all over the place in his emotions and in appealing to ours. He has scared us , he has accused us, he has warned us, he has cried for us, and now he is the one to bring us hope in the midst of a bad situation. All of these emotions have personally affected Jeremiah. He warned that Israel would be attacked because of its sinfulness. God would send a more powerful nation to imprisoned Jeremiah not for causing the invasion, but for rightfully prophesying it. It is in prison that his relatives come to him and ask him to buy some land that has been devastated by the enemy. Jeremiah buys the land as a symbol of hope. He wants his people to understand that this is not the end of God’s story. God’s story never ends on a bad note. Jeremiah actually dies in prison, he never gets to live on the land that he bought. But he has paved the way for his people. The invasion did end, life did get better, the Israelites were able to move back on their land, property was bought and sold. But the question is, did his people learn their lesson, or did they continue to live without God? Some did, and some did not. Just a few faithful people was enough to give God hope in humanity. Luke: The 4 emphasis of the Methodist urban strategy is the address education, safety, hunger, and advocacy. They acknowledge that this is important because these are the results of poverty. The Greater Chicago Food Depository also acknowledges that hunger is a direct result of poverty. They realize that you service the poor in a very different way then you service the middle class. They do a good job of soliciting resources from the rich in order to totally meet the needs of the poor. They are living out this gospel lesson. A rich man ignores the needs of the poor all of his life. when he dies and goes to heaven, he realizes that he could have done so much more to help. He tries to ask God if he can warn his family. God says no. We all can read the bible. We all can listen to God for how we can help one another. We can all live a life of service in thankfulness for what we already have. No matter how poor we are, we all have something that we can give to others. Jesus teaches us that again and gain. Questions: Who do you look for in order to have hope? What do you think needs to be said in the city of Chicago in order for people to have hope? What do we need to actually do in order to make a difference? What can we do to address poverty? Is it enough?

September 22, 2013 - 18th Sunday after Pentecost

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for September 22nd: Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13; Theme: be obedient to God’s Word; Song: 2172 – We are called 1 Timothy: Paul is talking to Timothy, who is studying to be a minister. Here is telling him what it means to live a life of faith. Today Paul is saying that one of the most important parts of a life of faith is prayer. He says that we need to pray for everything and for every one. We need to be thankful for everything that happens, we need to pray for those in need of help, we need to pray for what we need, and we need to pray for our leaders and the situations in the world. We may not want to pray for our leaders, but the decisions that they make affect us all, so they need our prayers. Paul reminds us that there is only one God, one mediator. Sometimes we may be on opposite sides of an issue, but there is only one God. That God provides for the needs of all people and both sides of an issue. We have to remember that there is only one Christ, who gave his life for us all. So no matter how we feel, no matter what side we are on, we pray to the same God. And we depend on the same God for all of our needs. Luke: This is a stewardship lesson. But it is also hard for many people, is Jesus really telling us that it is okay to cheat? Is Jesus telling us that it is okay to cheat the system? The important things to remember is that this is not a passage about money it is a passage about faith. Jesus is saying that no matter who we are, and no matter what God entrust us with, we should be faithful. Some people are faithful with a lot, some people are faithful with a little. All of it comes from God, and we have to be thankful for all that God gives us. Are you a sinner? Has God had to forgive you for something. Has God taken away your debt? Has God had to forgive a little? Has God had to forgive a lot? It does not matter. God forgives is worth the same for all of us. Is not God worthy of our honor and glory? Questions: How often do you pray to God? What do you pray about? Does your prayer make a difference? Do you pray for leaders of all countries, or just your own? Why would it be important to pray for all leaders? How has God has to forgive you recently? What difference does forgiveness make in your life? How do you serve God and not the world?

September 15, 2013

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for September 15th: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14:1-7; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10; Theme: God continues to reshape us; Song: 2151 – I am so Glad that Jesus lifted me Jeremiah: Jeremiah is giving a warning to his people that it is time to change their ways. Last week we talked about God reshaping us like a potter. But it is often the events of our lives that remold and reshape us. When disasters happen, we have to change in order to adjust to new conditions. But how many of us are willing to change when we get a natural warning, a disaster that hit close to home, a close call in our lives. When it is pointed out to us- we may take heed. But how many people still smoke, even though they know it is bad for them? How many people still text and drive, even though people continue to get killed? What does God have to do to give us a message to turn away from our sin? We have to have a relationship with God and with God’s word. We have to look for the prophets in our lives who remind us that the message is directly for us. When are determined to be faithful, we know that disaster came to pass, but God’s love will be with us forever. Luke: Have you ever lost something? What did you do when you found it? Have you ever felt lost? What did you do when you found your way? Have you ever been in a position where you realized that you were lost in the eyes of God. Many times when we are sinning and lost to God, we are the last to know. We are the last to realize what needs to happen in order to be found. We can be grateful that when we are lost in sins, God loves us enough to come and get us. And what does God do when he finds us? He rejoices. But he also makes sure that we are in a safe place, so that we don’t get lost again. We are with others that God just found and wants to keep track of in the church. Once we are found, what do we do to help God find others? Questions: What do the disasters that are happening in the world really mean? Is the message for us or for others? What will it take for the world to listen to God’s word? How do we get sinners into the church? What do we offer them to help them to turn their life around? How do we praise when God’s salvation is at work?

September 8, 2013 - 16th Sunday of Pentecost

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for September 8th: Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33; Song: Change My Heart O God #2152; Theme: God prepares us for our call. Jeremiah: A prophet likes to give people solid examples in order to make sure that his message is understood. God tells Jeremiah to go to the Potter’s house and to watch how pots are made. The potter depends on the movement of the wheel in order to form a perfect pot. But that movement can also produce a bad pot. And then he has to start all over again. Life is the wheel, we are the pot and God is the master potter. God knows what we are supposed to look like, God knows our purpose, and God knows our capacity to fulfill that purpose. It is interesting that God says that he is shaping evil against us, and devising a plan against us? What does that mean? I thought God shaped us with love? It is not the bad things in life that force us to respond? What do we respond to but God’s judgment. In the hands of God, even the bad things in our life turn our good. God’s judgment is intended to make us repent and to become a well shaped pot, not a cracked pot. Psalm: I am wonderfully and fearfully made. God created all of us for a purpose. Our life did not begin at our birth, because God had a plan for us from the beginning of time. God knows all about us, we can’t hide from God. We can have an intimate and open relationship with God, we can share anything, even our deepest thoughts with fear. If we need to understand ourselves, we don’t need to ask ourselves, we can ask God. If we ask, he will tell us all that we need to know. God formed each of us to help with his plan for the salvation of creation. But before we can save the world, we have to save ourselves. We have to make sure that we are in touch with God. It is hard to believe that when we were born God knows the day we will die. But while we are here, we are expected to make the most of it. This is an important Psalm to remember. It tells us where to go for the answers. We can be proud of our purpose, and we know that we have to support to make it so. Questions: How has God shaped your life? When has God had to reform you and start all over again? How do you respond to God’s judgment? What does it mean for you to repent? Do you trust God with all parts of your life? Do you allow access to all parts of your heart? Do you have a complete understanding of God, or is there still more to learn? What does it mean for you to have a relationship with God?

September 1, 2013 15th Sunday of Pentecost

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for September 1st: Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1,10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Song: We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise – 2031; theme: how to live as people of faith. Hebrews: Hebrews can be known as the kitchen sink epistle, because the author intentionally covers a lot of ground. This is his farewell and it is still in character. He is reminding us to love one another, but to make sure that our love spreads to other people. The author gives a list of people for us to love the prisoner, those who are abused, those who are married, money, leaders. We love them not because of them but because of us, and of our love for Christ. We are called to offer the sacrifice of praise. That reminds us of the importance of worship that we dealt with last week. When Christ is the center of our lives, we live a life of joy. God wants us to do Good as our worship, not a give a guilt offering. Loving Christ is an all consuming effort, we love God with all that we are, we love others with that same love. Luke: Jesus loved to go to dinner parties in order to be around other people and to have an opportunity to teach. But it seems that as he went to more and more parties that he got bored. Bored with the same people, practicing the same behavior. He witnessed people who were obsessed with their own importance and who needed to be seen. A lot of times the only reason they were at the party was do that they could be seen. Jesus does not see anything wrong with being seen. But more importantly, take a look at yourself. Who are you being in the face of others. Anytime we assume that we are important and that life revolves around us, we are wrong. We have all had times when we have been embarrassed because we were not as know as we thought. Jesus suggest that when we go to parties, we should take the lesser seat. If people really think of us, they will invite us to a better seat. But if we are followers of Jesus, we know that even though we are important, that we should be humble. Let God glorify us, so that we don’t have to glorify ourselves. Serve those who are poor, not those who are rich and God will bless us. Questions: How do you show love to those that you know? How do you show love to those who you don’t know? Is goodness something you have to remember to do, or is it a natural part of life? What do you need to do to love more? What does it mean to be humble? When you have a party – who would you rather invite, those who can give you something, or those who have their hands out to receive? How does God glorify you?

August 18, 2013 13th Sunday after Pentecost

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for August 18th: Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19; Hebrews 11:29: 12:2; Luke 12:49-56; Examples of Faith in those before us; Song: Am I a soldier of the Cross UMH 511 Isaiah: This scripture is a song, a love song, of sorts from God. God talks about how lovingly he took care of us, how carefully he nurtured us. He watched us grow. And yet as we grew, he became disappointed in the results. He expected us to be loving, caring, even respectful. But as we grew, we had a mind and a will of our own. We did what we wanted to do. We were self serving. God is disappointed in us, and now he contemplates what to do. How do you continue to care for someone or something that does not return the care and love? You have the power to help and you have to power to neglect. And yet with each sin, God makes a conscious decision to love us and to care for us. In this song God calls us to repent, turn from our sin and to love him back. Hebrews: Paul has been giving us a lesson on the power of faith, the meaning of faith, and the difference it makes in the lives of those who have it. Paul also explains to us why the old testament is important to those who have faith in Jesus Christ. All throughout the stories of the bible, demonstrate what faith can do for us. Paul is helping us to see that our ancestors did not just have faith, they had extraordinary faith. They were able to call upon the Lord in times of trouble and he answered in a mighty long way. In modern times, we expect miracles and we get angry when they do not happen. And yet Paul is not talking about miracles, he is talking about faith. Being determined to believe in God against all odds, and knowing in your heart that there is a God, and that God has been with you all this time, and that he is with you now! When we have extraordinary faith, we are never alone. All those who have believed and trusted in God for all time are with us also. Questions: Why is God disappointed in you and your sin? What will you do to do better? What are some ways that you know that God has taken care of you? How have you returned God’s favor? Who are some people of faith that you look to as role models? What is your definition of Faith?