July 1, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for July 1st: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43: Theme: Jesus Heals Mark: Jesus continues to demonstrate what it means to be the messiah. He continues to heal, and to change conditions not just people. This is a story of a double healing, a healing of two people that the authorities would not have touched. First he heals the daughter of a soldier. Even though Jairus is not a believer, he still believes that Jesus can help his daughter. And next a woman dares to approach a man with a bleeding issue. Jesus does not walk away, even though he knows that society will gossip about it. After it is over, Jesus debriefs with his disciples, saying to tell no one, he does not even tell the women to tell the priest what has happened. But the people see what he is doing and he is starting to get a reputation for making a difference. What does the church have a reputation for doing? Corinthians: This is a stewardship message. Paul wants us to know that the way in which we live out our membership vows does truly make a difference. It shows how much faith we have in God. Paul is collecting money for the widows of Jerusalem. He lifts up Macedonia as a church which does not have a lot of money, but is very willing to help others. This is the passage where Paul says that God loves a cheerful giver. Give out of what we have, not what we don’t. That the way in which we give and receive gifts says a lot about our faith. Giving to help others in needs is a big part of our faith. When we give, we always get something in return. Questions: Who are the people that society is afraid to touch today? How does Jesus tell us to treat those people? Have you ever been healed of a condition that made others shy away from you? What is your attitude toward giving to help others? What does it mean to give to help others?

June 10, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for June 10th: 1 Samuel 8:4-20(11:14-15);Psalm 138; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35 Theme: God sustains us through tough times Mark: Jesus is busy ministering to the community, but his family does not understand what he is doing or why. What he is teaching goes against everything that they have taught him as a child. So they come to stop him. But we know that eventually they listen to him and become followers to. As they come, Jesus does not reject them, he knows that God has given him to do. That is why he says that any who listen are his mothers and brothers. Sometime we have to make a bold step in order to follow Jesus. We have to walk away from home temporarily. But Jesus assures us that we will find our family and new home in the will of God. Psalms: This is a psalm of celebration for coming through a tough time. The psalmist realizes that they were weak, but it was God’s love that sustained them. God is the head of their life, not themselves, and certainly not their circumstances. They say that it is God that makes them live again and who protects them. We are reminded that the greatest response to God’s love and mercy is to be grateful. To take account of where we are and what God has done for us. We are encouraged to be faithful, and to not be afraid to tell God and others how far we have come. This is the psalm of the common person, just trying to make it through life. It is the strength to get us through the day. Questions: Do we have to sacrifice our family and friends in order to follow Jesus? How do we redefine our family when we understand our faith? Name a time when Jesus has helped you through a tough situation? How do you say thank you to God? You can view Breaking Open the Scripture online at https://breakingopenthescriptures.blogspot.comYou can view Pastor Harriette’s sermons online at https://aplaceforshalom.blogspot.com

June 3, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for June 3rd: 1 Samuel 3:1-20; Psalm 139:1-6,13-18; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6 Theme: Confirmation Sunday Psalms: This is a very personal psalm about our relationship with God. It is a confession that God knows everything about us. God knew us when we didn’t know ourselves. There is nothing that we can do to get away from God, because is always present in our lives. So instead of trying to run away from God, we need to embrace God. We should try to get to know God as well as God knows us. We should take advantage of our relationship with God. In times of trouble we can depend on God. In times when we are happy, we can rejoice with God. The last part says that God has plans for us, that is why we were created. In order to fulfill those plans, we have to have a relationship with God. 2 Corinthians: In this passage, Paul is trying to defend his ministry against the haters. He is confident in his relationship with Christ, so he tells the congregation that his actions come from his relationship. He is not in it for the personal glory, but the glory of God in Christ. This is a message for all of us to take to heart. We have all been criticized in some way for our relationship with God. Paul says that we are only human, and in this life things are not perfect. We are a good spirit inside of an earthly body – treasure in a clay pot. As long as we rely on that good spirit, we can withstand the criticism and the problems. We can let the light of Christ come through in our actions. In this life we die with Christ, so that we can live in Christ in victory. Questions: What is your relationship with God like? Is it comforting to know that God is always around? When have you been criticized for being a Christian? Did it cause you to have second thoughts or encourage you to move forward?

May 20, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for May 20th: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27,16:4-15: Theme: Pentecost Sunday Acts: This is the story of the birth of the church. The disciples had already been out in the world teaching everyone about Jesus. They already had success in what they were doing. New people were already interested in the church. But the disciples report, that it was a time when people from all over the world were gathered together, they were listening to the word of God, when all of a sudden the word came to life and the holy spirit came upon them and took the church to a whole new level. All present were inspired to go home and to spread the word to more people. The Holy Spirit has been working in the world every since then. John: Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer be with them. So as he introduces the Spirit, he wants them to know that they are not alone. They will have help with their work of evangelism. Jesus explains that the spirit will bring righteousness, truth and judgment. The spirit gives us the ability to do right in a world that wants to do wrong, it will tell the truth in a world that has bought into a lie, and it will teach us the consequences of our actions and our decisions. As long as we embrace truth and righteousness, we can accomplish anything in the name of the Lord. And we will be close to God. Questions: Where have you witnessed people from all nations gathered to praise God together? How have you seen the holy Spirit at work in your life? How can you further the work of the church and spread the good news in your life? What does it mean to live in righteousness for you? You can view Breaking Open the Scripture online at https://breakingopenthescriptures.blogspot.comYou can view Pastor Harriette’s sermons online at https://aplaceforshalom.blogspot.com

May 13, 2018

Scriptures for May 13th: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19; Theme: Mother’s Day John: Jesus is trying to make sure that his disciples are prepared for the days to come when he will not be with them. He wants to make sure that they have all that they need, so he tells them that he is praying for them. Jesus also says that he is praying for all who believe his message. He says that God has given him everything to take care of God’s people and now He gives it to us. It is our job to give it to others. Because of these gifts, we can be assured of God’s love, but not to keep it to ourselves, but to pass it on to others, so that they can pass it on to others. Jesus gives us access to all of his blessings to tell the truth in love. Acts: This is the first crisis in the new church. Now that Judas is gone, they have to select someone to take his place. Jesus chose the original 12 disciples, and many wonder why Jesus would make such a big mistake in choosing Judas in the first place. They establish who is even qualified to take the place of the original twelve. There are 120 followers not, but the person must be someone who has been with the movement all along, someone who actually listened to Jesus. They chose Matthias as the replacement. At the same time, Paul also feels that he is a disciple. He did not walk with Jesus on Earth, but Jesus came to him in spirit. Today we don’t know much about Matthias, but Paul reached people all over the world. Christ comes to all believers in spirit to guide us. Questions: If Jesus was praying for you what do you need? How do you use the gifts God gave you to help others to know who Christ is? If we needed to choose a new apostle, what would be the qualities we would look for? What present crisis do we need Christ to guide us through? You can view Breaking Open the Scripture online at https://breakingopenthescriptures.blogspot.comYou can view Pastor Harriette’s sermons online at https://aplaceforshalom.blogspot.com

April 29, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 29th: Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18; Theme: Good Shepherd Sunday Acts: One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is a boldness to speak to authority. It is an understanding of how God is calling you to change things. The message of the disciples was not well received by the powers that be. Actually it was those authorities that ultimately silenced each of the persons. But the authorities could not stop the message of God’s love bringing new life to the world. Peter is being prosecuted because he healed someone on the sabbath. Peter takes this as a chance to help everyone understand who Christ is for the world. Peter is explaining that what was meant for bad, God is using for good. The more the authorities squelch God, the more powerful he in Christ gets. As long as we read the bible, and we follow Christ teachings, we cannot go wrong, even when we are criticized. John: One of the earliest images of Christ was not him on the cross, it was him as the good shepherd. Jesus talks about the faith in terms of being a shepherd watching over the sheep. This is one of the I AM statements of John. God wants us to know that he cares for us and will take care of us. We don’t have to be able to take care of ourselves. Many people who heard these words would have been shepherds themselves, they knew how important sheep were. They knew the weaknesses and strengths of sheep. They were trained to watch over the sheep no matter what. The shepherd stopped others from bothering them, and stopped them from wandering around. Christ protects us, but also keeps us together as a flock and keeps us focused on our task. Christ takes care of all of our needs, we just have to be faithful. Questions: How are you like a sheep in your faith? What activity do you need the Holy Spirit boldness to do for God? When has the shepherd protected you?

April 22, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 22nd: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8; theme: dying in Christ, Rising in Christ Acts: The Holy Spirit told Philip to go a certain way in order to show the power of the Risen Christ. Philip ends up encountering the Ethiopian, who is so impressed with the words that he hears that he wants to be baptized in the name of Jesus. The spirit is so powerful that Philip is taken up by the encounter, and the Ethiopian continues to rejoice. This helps Philip to know that it is okay that he has given up everything, he is doing what God called him to do. He has the confidence to continue to preaching the good news of the resurrection of Christ. When we are working for Christ, we have to listen to the Holy spirit and understand that it is the Spirit’s power that is working, we are just witnesses to the power of the Spirit. John: John is trying to help us understand what it means to be saved by the messiah. So he gives a series of statements of who the messiah is, each start with I AM. This statement is I AM the true vine. The messiah is our connection to God. We are the fruit, and God is the vineyard keeper. Christ helps us to grow in God and in life. Christ says that we cannot accomplish anything without a connection to him. This helps us to understand the point that the Holy Spirit undergirds all of our actions, and it is the spirit, not us that makes a difference. Christ is God’s abiding presence in our lives. Questions: When did you first have an understanding of who Christ is? Were you excited about the experience? What is the holy Spirit urging you to do to help others understand Christ? How do you intentionally stay connected to Christ? What does it mean to produce fruit for God? How do you feel the Holy Spirit in your life?