November 6, 2016

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for November 6th: Daniel 7:1-3,15-18; Psalm 149, Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31; Theme: Remembering our Saints; Song: Holy, Holy Holy UMH 64 Daniel: Many people are afraid of this book. It is the precursor for the Book of Revelation. And Daniel forsee’s a very definite future for both his captors and his own people. But this is more a book of visions. Daniel receives a vision of the future from God and he is just passing it on. As we think of our ancestors on this day, let us remember their visions. We are the people who are intended to make those visions come true. Our forefathers and mothers may have a better incite on the world and its events then we do, they have seen it all before. They more disturbed by what they see, but we in the living world have the power to change it. Luke: Luke is talking about the promise of heaven. Those who are qualified to go to heaven are those who follow in Jesus footsteps in any circumstance. Heaven is for those who earn it. The life that we live on earth is not meant to be ideal and perfect. It is full of challenges that prepare us for heaven. Heaven is for those who dare to be different. We can be grateful for the rules and discipline that our parents taught us. Many children are not learning those same values. But those values come straight for this verse, to do the right thing in all circumstances, you will be blessed in the end. Questions: Who is your family always had visions of the future? How did you live out those visions? How do those visions inform our actions? What important values were present in your family? Why were those values important? Do you believe in heaven? How does your belief affect the way in which you treat people?

October 30, 2016

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for October 30th: Habukkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4, Psalm 119:137-144; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4,11-12; Luke 19:1-10; Theme: God loves the sinner; Song: UMH 451 Habakkuk: The prophet is living in a world that is wrought with violence and destruction. Not only does he see the destruction of everything that he and his family care about, but he also sees the destruction of everything that God cares about. He can’t help but ask God how long will He allow all of this to go on. Perhaps God is not really paying attention to what is going on, or perhaps God does not care about what it going on. God does speak, and God says to wait, be patient. God does see and God will give you a vision to make a change, and if God gives a vision, it is important to make the vision plain to everyone around you. They are waiting also. Luke: Election Day is coming up, and it is important for us to pray for our politicians and to remember that God loves them too. Like Zaccheus, it is common for us to use crooked and politician in the same sentence. Some deserve that reputation, and some don’t. but perhaps Jesus chose to visit Zaccheus’s house to help us to understand that God wants all people to be saved. God didn’t just come for our friends, he came for everyone. And if Jesus can turn around the crooked politicians, then God can save anyone and everyone. Sometimes they want to do right, they just need some encouragement from the Lord. Questions: What destruction of your neighborhood do you see now? What do you wish God would do to make it different? What vision has God given you to make a difference? What and who do we need to pray for this election season? How can you encourage your politicians to do the right thing?

October 16, 2016

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for October 16th: Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119: 97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8; theme: Laity Sunday ; Song: This is a Day of New Beginnings Jeremiah: This is the last week that we will deal with Jeremiah this year. Jeremiah has a way of turning our understanding of life upside down. He encourages us to see the good in the bad things of life and to realize the bad we bring on ourselves by trying to feel good. He encourages us to come out of our skin and to think of others. And to find hope in the darkest of situations. Our text for today starts out by saying that the day is coming. It is not hear yet, but it is coming. We will realize all that we have been striving for. Not only will things get better, but God will make a new covenant with a new people. People will live right, because they think right and praise God right. We can look forward to that day. Jeremiah ends his message with the most popular verse in the bible – This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Luke: This is another word of hope and trust in the Lord. The widow prays and prays, and the judge gives her justice. I heard a story of a mother who walked into a dealership and prayed over a car every day. The dealer gave it to her. If a dealer who does not go to church can do that, imagine what God can do if you pray to him every day? There is a lot going on in our world that we need to pray about. God wants us to pray, God wants to answer our prayers. But the world has gotten so far away from prayer. When Jesus comes will he find us on our knees or standing on our own two feet. Luke encouraged us to stay faithful and to pray. Questions: If you could pray for a perfect world, what would it look like? How do you rejoice in the present? What gives you hope? What signs of hope do you see in the world? What are you praying for now? What discourages you from praying?

October 2, 2016

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for October 2nd: Lamentations 1:1-6; Psalms 137; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10 2 Timothy: For the last 3 weeks we have been looking at 1 Timothy. For the next 4 weeks we will look at 2 Timothy. October is a very good time to think about what it means to be a Christian leader, since this is the time that we also celebrate lay leadership in the church. In first Timothy, we looked at what it means to be ordained. 2nd Timothy is about leaders in general. Paul has sent his protégé Timothy home to be a minister. Now he is worried that Timothy has gotten bored and has started to slip in his faithfulness. So Paul tells him that he needs to rekindle his faithfulness. He needs to return to the faith that he learned from his mother and grandmother. He needs to be reminded of the power of Jesus Christ to light any fire. The fire of faith is most important in all parts of life. He reminds Timothy of all that Christ has done for our lives. When we are feeling defeated, we can recount what Christ has done for us and be revived. Luke: This week, the gospel demonstrates the words of the epistle. The disciples also seem to be in a low point in their faith. The first thing that they ask Jesus is to increase their faith. Jesus says that if you have the faith the size of a musdtard seed, you can work miracles and do powerful things. God is not be dependent upon our energy to make a difference. God can make all of the difference in the world all by himself. He also reminds us that we should not do good for a reward, but because we are faithful to what we are told to do. We do what we are told by the master. This is not just a lesson for leaders, but for all Christians. We all have a job to do, no matter how insignificant we think we are. God has need of us all. There is nothing that can take God’s faith away from us. There should be nothing that can take our faith in God away. We never give up. We never have an excuse not to obey the rules of God. Questions: What leadership positions do you have in the church? What leadership positions do you have in the world? What rules do you follow when you are in charge? Who has the ultimate authority in your life? What are some things that happen in life that make you feel discouraged? What do you need to do in order to get your faith back in order? What is going on in your life that requires a little more faith from you?

September 18, 2016

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for September 18th: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13; Theme: pray for everyone: Song: This is my song UMH 437 Jeremiah: Last week was a warning. Today is the real thing. The destruction has happened. People are at a lost and disillusioned with their leaders. But this is not just about the leaders. When things were going well they went along with it, not that things are bad they are devastated. All Along Jeremiah feels their pain, their pain is his pain. When we are in pain, we look for relief, but sometimes there is no relief. The only way out of the crisis is through the crisis. We have to remember that God loves us. We have to remember that God does not take away the suffering, but he will suffer with us. God’s presence is our balm in Gilead. 1 Timothy: Timothy spells out what it means to be a Christian. A Christian will pray for everyone, including our leaders. We lift all people and all situations in prayer. We all need some kind of prayer. Prayer comes in many forms. We pray individually, but it is important for us to pray as a congregation. God hers the cries of the faithful. When we come together in community, it is prayer that should unite us. Even in the midst of many voices, there is only one God, so there should only be one faith. Sometimes our common prayer is all that holds us together. Questions: What trials are you going through? How do you feel God’s presence with you in this difficult situation? Who do you pray for? Who do you not pray for? When was the last time when God answered a prayer for you? What difference did that make in your life?

April 3, 2016

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 3rd: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31 Theme: Jesus appears Song: Soon and Very Soon UMH 706 Acts: It is important for us to read the book of Acts during the Easter season. It shows the transformation of the disciples. This is what happens when they come out of the upper room mentioned in John. They are confident to challenge what they see going on and they pay the price for it. But they also change the world, and bring in lots of new disciples. The very people who brought Jesus to trial are now questioning the disciples. They killed him, so why are they continuing on his crime. The disciples explain that overall they have to obey God. And God has called them to reach out to others. They are examples to us that when we obey God, the Holy Spirit will forgive our sins, prepare us, and even work ahead of us to make a difference in the world. John: This is the first encounter with Jesus after the resurrection. He appears to the disciples at their biggest time of need. They are locked up in the upper room. They are convinced that all is lost and they fear for their lives. Thomas is honest about his doubts. This is still all a bunch of nonsense. Jesus realizes how important it is to guide them and to bring them forward. He also realizes how important it is to bring us forward. He tells us that we are not as lucky as Thomas. We will not be able to feel the nails in his hands. We will have to read the words and to go forward anyway. We still have a chance to see the spirit move and do its work in our world and in our time. Questions: How do you see Jesus’ presence in the world today? Who would challenge Jesus ministry today? How do you depend on the spirit in your life and work? What can you learn from the disciples about spreading the gospel? Who needs to hear the message the most?

March 13, 2016

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for March 13th: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4-14; John 12:1-8; Theme: Keep going forward; Song: What Wondrous Love is this UMH 292 Isaiah: During the season of lent, we have talked about what it means to be reconciled with God. We have talked about coming to God’s table to get fed, we have talked about putting old things aside and making everything new. Now it is time to talk about putting it all together. We don’t have to wait until we go to heaven in order to celebrate with God. The messiah came to this world to make it possible for us to celebrate in our lives. We don’t have to wait until everything is perfect to live our lives in Christ, we can start right here and now. In the midst of our pain, our suffering, our sin, our yearning we can start to have hope. Hope is the doorway for the spirit to come in and to make a difference. God is telling us to just keep going forward and to not look back. When we are renewed, we do not need to be nostalgic. Life is not about going back, it is about creating a new future and stepping into it. John: March is the month of celebrating women. It is a time of acknowledging that God uses women, just as much as he uses men. Women were disciples of Jesus also. This is the story of the woman who mourned over Jesus and gave him some expensive perfume to anoint his feet. She showed her deep devotion to her savior. Of course the men felt that all that she was doing was a waste of time. But Jesus saw it as preparing him for the next steps in his journey. There are always people who do not understand devotion and who will think that it is a waste of time. There are always people who do not think it is necessary to sit at the feet of Jesus. There is too much mission work in the world to be done. But we have to do both, first we have to sit with Jesus in order to have the resources to go out in mission. What do you have in your alabaster jar? And how do you give it to Jesus? Questions: What old habits do you need to put aside for Christ? What are the new things that you are willing to replace it with? What new things is Christ doing for you? What about the world? How do you spend your treasure on Christ?