September 9, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for September 9th: Proverbs 22:1-2,8-9, 22-23; Psalm 125; James 2:1-17; Mark 7:24-37; Theme: God favors the poor over the rich James: James continues to help us to understand that faith is not how we believe, it is how we live our lives. We have a tendency to live in stereotypes of other people. We tend to believe that if people are poor, then it is their own fault, and they are bad people. If people are well dressed, then they must be doing something right and they are good people. James says that actually it is the exact opposite. God is always on the side of the poor. So whatever reason they may be poor, we need to help them to live a better life. Proverbs: This book is attributed to Solomon as a middle aged man. Others say that the book is written by a concerned mother. It is a book of advice for a young prince growing up and trying to find his way in the world. The advice for this week: a good name is better than riches, the rich and the poor are both created by God, injustice will always be repaid, The generous will always benefit, and don’t take away from the poor. Questions: What were some pearls of wisdom that your mother gave to you? What do you think when you see someone in need? How willing are you to help others, Do you see benefits for yourself when you help others? What is it that you wished that you had learned earlier in life?

September 2, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for September 2nd: 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: Faith in Action James: For the next month we will be studying the book of James. James goes much further than Ephesians in telling us how to live as individual Christians, and as the church. James starts our by asking us two fundamental questions. Who is God, and who are we. God is a God who gives, we know God by what we have been given in faith – God gave us birth, God gave us every gift, God gave us a harvest to enjoy. Then James asks who are we: Just as God showed God’s love in action, we the faithful must also be those who act upon our faith, not just think about it in our heads. We show our faith in the way we treat others, when we forget who we are, not only do we lose track of our lives, but we lose track of God. Whatever we are doing, we must never forget our faith, others are watching. Mark: People are asking Jesus why his disciples don’t wash their hands like everyone else. Jesus explains that it is not what is on our hands that hurts us and others, it is what is on our hearts. Jesus tells the pharisees to not get so caught up on outward appearances. It is pretty common for the faithful to talk about how good they are – but then to think that just because they go to church everyday- they can treat people anyway they want. Jesus continually reminds us that true faith is not about appearances, it is about what we think and about how we live that out in life. People can tell our faith by the fruits that it produces. Are we kind and gentle, or controlling an mean? Jesus says that true evil comes from inside the heart. So we have to be careful about what we feed our spirit. Questions: What gifts have you received from God recently? Did you say thank you in prayer? How do you put your faith into action? How do you guard your heart from doing mean things? What inner practices do you do to get closer to God?

August 26, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for August 26th: 1 Kings 8:1,6,10-11;Psalm 84; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69; Theme: The armor of God Ephesians: We are reminded of what it means to be the church of God. That it is our job as a church to address the wiles of the world, to show the world that there is a new and different way to live. But the world can be very forceful, that is why we are encouraged to put on the whole armor of God to protect us. We are to be immune to all of the challenges of life, and to keep determined to the mission of God. The most important part of our armor is a relationship with God where we pray about everything. A lot of Christians are not comfortable with references to soldiers or of fighting, but we are told that we are to have the sword of the spirit. We have a right to fight for justice and righteousness in the world. 1 Kings: Solomon has fulfilled his destiny of being the king who will build a house for God. In the midst of his humanness, Solomon has shown that he has a relationship with God, and now is his chance to bring that relationship to the people of God. He is able to dedicate the temple. God reminds Solomon that God is bigger than the temple, and that temple does not completely contain the spirit of God. God also instructs Solomon to remember the immigrants and visitors who are present. To remember the God is bigger than any one people. God is present in some form in all people. So there was a place at the temple for foreigners and strangers who were in search of God. Eventually, Jesus will bring even the strangers (the gentiles) into the family of God so that we can all be equal and all stand around God’s table. Questions: What is the armor of God? How are some ways that we have to protect ourselves from the influence of the world? What are the fights for justice in our time? Who are the people that we need to allow to come to the table of God?

August 19, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for August 19th: 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58; Theme: Jesus, the bread of life John: We continue our look at John 6 and to asks the question what does it mean to eat the body of Christ and to have eternal life? Many scholars believe that it means to believe in Christ as your savior. But when Jesus says this is my body and my blood he is speaking on many levels. This is also our invitation during communion. – to take and eat and to take and drink. Once again, we are not eating a symbol of Christ; Christ is in the elements. When we participate in the communion we are given spiritual life to face our struggles. Just the knowledge that God is always with us, gives us strength to last a lifetime and beyond. Ephesians: This continues the conversation of how as Christians, we should be set apart. We should live our lives to be an example to the rest of the world. It is interesting that in this verse we are told not to get drunk and to sing Christians songs all day. One practical thing that we are told to do is to live in an attitude. Learn to tell God thank you for our blessings. How many of us actually think of something to be grateful for in everyday? The world can tell us to keep up with what others are doing, to always have something to do. This verse encourages us to slow down, and think about the true meaning of life – God’s love. We have to be constantly reminded that we are intended to lead the world to love, not follow the world to suffering. Questions: What does communion mean to you? Does communion give you any spiritual strength? What does it mean to have eternal life? How many times do you say thank you to God for what you have? What does it mean to have the wisdom of God?

August 12, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for August 12th: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, psalm 130, Ephesians 4:25-5:2, John 6:35, 41-51: Theme: Getting along with others in the church. Ephesians: Gentleness can be defined as living a life controlled by God. It is learning to get angry at the right times and to never get angry at the wrong time. That was the theme of the first part of chapter 4, the second part is about how to deal with anger in the church. How to be angry in the right way. I like that the writer says that the church should be the place where the truth is told. But the truth can sometimes hurt our feelings. So the church is also the place where we deal with our honest feelings. Living in community can be hard, but Christ asks us to learn to be in community with one another. In order for us to be a community of love, we have to deal with our anger. The writer of Ephesians says that we should look at life through the mind of Christ, not our own. We should see people as Christ sees them, not as we see them. That means forgiving them and staying connected in love. John: We are still studying the important concept of the bread of heaven. We are still learning how Jesus feeds us and sustains us through life. The people are happy with Jesus, but they are still complaining about life. Jesus tells them that he comes to point us to God. He came to remind us to look to God for our strength and our sustenance. What Jesus is doing for us, is so that we can rely on God. Jesus is making the ultimate sacrifice of his own flesh, so that we can have direct access to the grace of God in our lives. Jesus is giving us bread that will keep us full for a lifetime. The manna that the ancestors got only lasted for a day, and them they had to get more. Once again Jesus is saying that man cannot live by bread alone, but we have to live on the word of God in our lives. Questions: What do your do when you are angry at a fellow Christian? Is the church a place where the truth is told? What does it mean for Jesus to be the bread of life? When was a time when you were fed and nurtured by God?

August 5, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for August 5th: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35; Theme: Unity of the Church Ephesians: This is a continuation of the teaching on unity. It is important for us to be one church. The writer says that there is one God, one Christ, One Lord, so there is no reason that we can’t be one church. Unity does not mean uniformity, we are a symphony of people with many different gifts. The writer tells us what the gifts are, and he says that there cannot be unity without good leadership. It is the leaders who lead us in one direction. But they do not get that direction from themselves, but from God and studying the bible. John Wesley says that there should be diversity in how we express our love for one another, but unity in understanding the word of God. It is okay for us to disagree with one another, as long as we respect the persons that we disagree with. Unity is not something that comes all at one, unity is a process, a working relationship of understanding. John: This is a continuation on Jesus teaching on bread. This is one of the I am statements – I am the Bread of Life. Jesus starts our with the everyday understanding of bread, but he is trying to get them to look beyond that normal understanding to think about the real bread of life. Jesus says that man cannot live on bread alone, but on the word of God. But if you are hungry in your belly, then you are not able to listen to what God is trying to tell you. God wants us to be fed, but God also wants us to understand the meaning of life. He sent Jesus to give us both. Everything that Jesus does points to the work of God. We are empowered to continue that work. Questions: Who in your life has mentored you to understand what the bread of life is? Who is God asking you to feed and nurture? Is it possible for the church to be totally united in mission? What is it that keeps us separated from one another? What will it take to bring us all into unity?

July 29, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for July 29th: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21 Theme: God’s Abundance John: This is the story of the feeding of the 5000. It is more than a miracle story. It is a story that reminds us of God’s abundance. John tells us a story as a precursor of what it to come when we all get to heaven and eternally live in the presence of God. All of our needs will be taken care of. There will be enough for everyone. Jesus does more than heal, he points to the presence of God. John tells us these stories so that we know exactly who Jesus is, and what it means that he is the messiah – the anointed one of God. this story takes place right before the Passover, Jesus has everyone gather together in community before they are fed. When we gather together for fellowship and with family, we are coming together in hopes that God will provide for all who are present. Ephesians: This scripture continues the theme of God’s abundance. The author is praying for the church to have all that it needs to fulfill God’s mission on earth. This passage talks about the fullness of Christ. Christ provides all that the church needs. The prayer is for faith, love and fullness all in the name of Christ. God can provide far beyond our understanding and sight if we trust in Christ. the final prayer request is for glory in the church. What does that mean? What does it mean for a church to be successful? Does it mean that the seats are filled and they have all the money they dream of? Or Does it mean that the church has learned to be faithful in all situations and they give whatever is necessary to fulfill God mission? Questions: When have you experienced God’s abundance? Does your family celebrate love with food? How is that like being in heaven? What does it mean to attend a successful church? How does love contribute to the fullness of Christ?