October 31, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for October 31st: Ruth 1:1-18, Psalm 146:1-10, Hebrews 9:11-14, Mark 12:28-34 Theme: loyalty in our relationships Song: Pass it on UMH 572 Ruth: There are only 4 women mentioned in Jesus lineage by name. Ruth is one of those people. She is not even Hebrew, she is an inlaw – but she loved everything about her mother in law. Perhaps she had no real family, perhaps she comes from an abusive home. For whatever reason, when her husband died, she refused to go home. As a woman, she had no life on her own, she had to survive based on her relationships. Eventually she marries into Ruth’s family and becomes David’s great great grandmother. Her story teaches us a lot of lessons about loyalty and love. Her story demands that as people of faith we need to be sensitive to people in need. Even though they are women, it is a love story. Not only is Ruth healed from her love, but her mother in law also gets a new lease on life. Mark: Jesus is being constantly questioned by the authorities. Jesus does not give the standard answers, but they find that they can’t question his theology. In this scripture they are asking Jesus what the most important teaching is. Love the Lord your God with your all love your neighbor as you love yourself. They don’t have a problem with the first part, but what is the point of loving our neighbor. Eventually Jesus tells them that our neighbor is God in person. Loving our neighbor is unique to Christianity. Others are taught to love family, but not those who are not related to us. But it is the same love that Ruth had for her mother in law. In the eyes of God we are all one family. And when someone is in need, does it really matter if they are related to us in order for us to help them. Jesus takes it one step further, when we help then, we help Jesus – that is the greatest love of all. Questions: Who are the ones who show you love? Who are the ones that you love and take care of? Do you have a relationship with your neighbor? How can you get to know them better?

October 17, 2021 - Laity Sunday

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for October 17th: Lamentations 1:1-6, 3:19-26, Psalm 137, Psalm 37:1-9, 2 Timothy 1:3-7, Luke 17:5-10 theme: Laity Sunday Song: What a Friend we have in Jesus UMH 526 Luke: Jesus is explaining what it means to be a servant. He feels that is an important lesson for leaders. Usually when we have servants, we Lord it over them and tell them what to do and give them no apologies. Jesus turns the tables and says that if we want to lead, then we have to be willing to serve. When we help people in need, we do it not for glory, but because it is what we are called to do as people of faith – it is our duty. He starts out by saying that we do not have to have a lot of faith to be effective – the faith of a mustard see will open the door and call God’s presence into the situation. Laity Sunday helps us to understand that all of us have a job to do, all of us have talents to give. Psalm 137: This psalm speaks to the situation of the church in the midst of the pandemic. How can we sing praise songs when there are so many problems in the world? The Hebrews had been taken away from their land, their heritage and they were being held hostage in a strange land. Their praise of God was also a celebration of being on their land, fulfilling the promises of God. God tells them that this terrible time will too pass. One day it will all make sense. One day the same people that terrorized the Hebrews will be terrorized themselves. But the good news of it all will be that they will once again be the apple of God’s eye. God will bring them home and restore their faith. When this pandemic is over, may God do the same for us. Questions: When have you had an opportunity to be a servant for God? When have you had an opportunity to be a leader for God? How has the pandemic affected your faith in the church? What will restoral after this is over look like for you?

October 10, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for October 10th: Job 23:1-9, 16-17, Psalm 22:1-15, Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31 Theme: Jesus as our mediator; Song: God of Grace and God of Glory UMH 577 Hebrews: The Gospel of John says that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was God and was with God. Jesus was with God from the beginning of time. Jesus Christ is the word of God. Hebrews speaks of Jesus Christ being our mediator – the one who stands in between God and us. Sometimes we need to pray to Jesus in order for God to hear us. Sometimes Jesus needs to speak to God on our behalf to ask for mercy. Jesus is the mediator because he died on behalf of our sins. Our scripture says that the word of God is like a double edged sword. Sometimes it holds us accountable for our actions, and sometimes it inspires us to do good for others. Jesus lived our life, so he understands where we are coming from. His mission on earth – to tell us how earth can be more like heaven. Job: How do you cheer up a friend who is depressed? We realize that our words can never really be enough to make a difference. Job was depressed with his situation. His wife and 3 of his best friends tried to say things to cheer him up. But it only encouraged Job to be more determined to accept societies definition of the situation. The current wisdom was that if something happened it was your own fault and that God was too far away to make a difference. Job does not want to hear a word they are telling him. He also decides that if he can just talk with God, then perhaps he can feel better. But Job has no idea of where to find God, he too thinks that God is too far away and that God does not know him. He is afraid to talk to God directly. Eventually Job will get his chance to speak with God. God will not be angry, but God will also not give Job any solid answers. This is one issue he will have to contend with his own heart. Eventually he does find his way out of depression and blaming others. Questions: If Jesus mediates for us, what do you need him to say to God about your life? How has God’s word held you accountable? If you could speak to God what would you say? How has your faith helped you out of depressions?

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?

August 29, 2021

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for August 29th: Song of Solomon 2:8-13, Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9, James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23: Theme: What’s on the Inside? Song: Just As I am, without One Plea UMH 357 Mark: Jesus tells us where real evil comes from. Evil is not a disembodied bad behavior, it comes from real people in the world. Many of us think that evil originates in the hearts of people that we don’t understand, agree with or know. But Jesus tells us that evil comes from the hearts of all of us – even if we go to church every week. When we are not checking our emotions and intentions, we are all evil. Jesus seems to be well aware of the fact that not all Jews have the same belief or are on the same page. Usually when we are around people who don’t agree with us, conflict arises. We want everyone to be on the same page. That is never going to happen. This argument because some of Jesus disciples did not wash their hands before eating. It sounds like a petty thing to argue about – but how do we treat people who do not fall into line with our beliefs. Sometimes it causes us to judge people instead of looking at their hearts. Jesus reminds us that God know the true intentions of all of us. Song of Solomon: This is the only time in the three year lectionary cycle that we will read from the Song of Solomon. On the surface it is a love story between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. But it is also the love story of God for the faithful, and Jesus for the church. The woman is telling everyone how much she is in love. She is so excited about her new love that she brags to anyone who will listen. Can you imagine Jesus doing the same thing in heaven. He Is telling the angels how excited he is about the church. Sometimes I think that we forget that we are Jesus beloved community. We forget how much Jesus loves us, and we totally forget to express our love for Jesus. This bible book reminds us how much fun it is to be in love and to be willing to express that love to anyone. Questions: Who are some people that you have strong opinions about? Have you ever taken the time to talk with someone in that group? How does Jesus expect us to deal with people that we do not agree with? How do you tell the world that you love Jesus? How would the church be different if we acted like Jesus’ beloved?