May 5, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for May 5th: Acts 9: 1-20; Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19; Theme: Jesus charge to Peter and to us John : After the resurrection, Jesus makes a point to come to his disciples to encourage them to move forward. This is the third resurrection story, when Jesus appears to the disciples. It is interesting that Jesus comes to talk and teach over a meal. They have been fishing all day, Jesus fishes with them, tells them where to catch a lot of fish, and then sits down to eat with them. Peter has been at the trial, at the crucifixion, at the cave after the resurrection, even in the upper room with Thomas. He is looking forward to getting back to his life. But after this encounter with Jesus, things will never be the same. No longer will be fish for fish, but for men. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. (He sure doesn’t act like it). Then Jesus makes Peter Bishop of the church. Actually he tells Peter to feed his sheep – to be the shepherd of the church. Peter takes on this role, even accepting his impending death. How much do any of us Love and follow Jesus? Acts: Luke goes through great trouble to introduce the enemy of the church. The person who has made it his mission to destroy the church, and to kill its members. In the story, Jesus himself appears and confronts this opponent. He stands in the middle of the road and asks him why is he persecuting him and his followers. Who would think that the biggest enemy of the church would become the biggest proponent of the church? Who would think that Saul would become Paul. But we know that all things are possible with God. The people that Saul has been attacking, take care and nurse Saul back to health. Christ has been working with all parties, with the heart of Saul, but also the heart of the followers. Christ tells them to not worry about anything, but to just take care of Paul. The love that saved Peter, also saved Paul. It is the love that saves us all. God has a way to make all things fall into place. If this love can transform a hater into a supporter, imagine what it can do for us. Questions: Put yourself in Peter’s position, how would you have answered Jesus? How would you have acted if you were Paul? What does feed my sheep mean?

April 28, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 28th: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31 Theme: Doubting Thomas John : The story of Jesus coming to the disciples in the upper room is always the story on the Sunday After Easter. The disciples have no idea of what to make of Jesus’ body not being in the tomb. They do not have faith in the resurrection on the Sunday when he rose. It is not until Jesus appears to them after the event, that they finally start to understand what is going on. We typically hear of this story as doubting Thomas. But the story is not about doubt, it about how Thomas responds to realizing that the man before his really is his Lord and Savior. He asks for a sign and he gets it. Thomas needed that assurance in order to go forward in his faith. Jesus gives it to him, but he gives it to many others. Even now, Jesus still shows his presence in this day and age. Acts: This is a powerful faith statement by Peter. Now that the disciples have come to understand what the resurrection means, they want to tell the world. They are all out in the streets full force preaching the gospel. Finally, they are turned into the authorities, who question them and tell them to stop preaching. But Peter realizes that it is far more important to listen to God, than to man. He knows now what he must do. Peter gives the faith statement that Jesus has been raised from the dead. And that the disciples are witnesses to this miracle and they have a responsibility to tell the whole world. That is the faith statement that motivates them to go to all different kinds of people and to experience all kinds of abuse all for the sake of spreading the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. Questions: What assurance are you looking for to have faith in Christ? When you get it, how will you respond? What actions are you compelled to take because of your faith? How do you respond to rejection of the message of God’s love?

April 21, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 21st: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2,14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12 Theme: Easter Luke : This is a continuation of the story that was told last week. Last week ended at the tomb, this week begins at the tomb. The women are going to pay their final respects. But someone has been there before they got there. They are in disbelief when the angel tells of the resurrection. They inform the others, and no one really knows what to do with this information. New life is hard for any of us to understand. We all tend to get caught in our old ways, and cannot think of anything else. If a miracle happens what do we do next? What does that mean for our life, for our understanding of life. Most of all, Jesus wants us to look at the situations of life in a new way. He wants us to realize that the impossible is possible, when we have faith in God. That is what the resurrection is all about. Acts: Peter is trying to put all of the pieces of what just happened to him together. He makes a statement about the resurrection. He was there to witness it all. When it was all happening and Jesus was with him, nothing made much sense. But now he sees that Jesus was preparing him for the resurrection. Jesus wanted him to go out into the world to make sure that everyone else knew. Everyone in the world must know about salvation, not just Jesus friends and family. Peter is starting to comprehend the fact that we are all equal in God’s eyes. So Peter has to be excited to tell anyone. Peter is telling this story to anyone willing to listen. Questions: What old ways of thinking is the resurrection calling you to give up? What does the resurrection mean to you? Is it a miracle, or just an ordinary part of life? Who are the people who need to hear the gospel that are not getting it yet? How would you tell this story if you had witnessed it for yourself?

April 14, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 14th: Luke 19:28-40; Psalm 118:1-2,19-29; Isaiah 50:1-9; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Theme: Palm and Passion Sunday Luke : As we prepare for Easter, the scriptures get longer and longer. Today it takes two whole chapters to tell the story of the passion of Christ. In the book of John, Jesus has been making his way to Jerusalem for three years. He finally arrives, and knows what he must face. The story starts with Jesus meeting with the disciples for the Passover meal, and ends with being buried in a borrowed tomb. In between is the most important, most told story of all time. It is the story which begins our faith. It is a story which helps us to understand God’s love for us. It is a story which shows us the consequences of sin. It is a story which demonstrates human nature, to betray, to dessert, to blame, to celebrate trajedy. The celebration of Easter makes no sense until we hear this story of Jesus journey to the cross. As we enter into the passion story this year – let us hear this story in a new way. Let us let God’s forgiveness sink in. This week, we will hear this story one more time. Psalm 31:9-16: This is the passion psalm. This is the psalm that Jesus quotes while in the cross – father into your hands I commit my spirit. It is one of 3 psalms which come to mind for Jesus. In his hour of need, he thinks of these psalms. This psalm is a cry for help in a time of despair. The psalmist outlines all of the horrible things going on in his life. But in spite of those things vows to trust God. Ask God for protection from not just his enemies, but the devastating affects of life. Not only is he suffering from his affliction, but from all of the social pressure that goes along with it. Not only does he give God his spirit, but he says that he has put his future into God’s hands. He trust that God wants the best for him and that things will get better. God is his healing and his salvation. Questions: How many times have you betrayed Jesus? How many times has Jesus shown forgiveness for your sins? How do you handle being in a tough spot in life? Do you trust God to make things better?

April 7, 2019

Scriptures for April 7th: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:4-14; John 12:1-8; Theme: resurrection preview John: This scene shows the aftermath of Jesus raising Lazurus from the dead. After Lazurus has been raised, they are celebrating. Mary Magdelene comes in and honors Jesus by pouring perfume on him and wiping his feet with her hair. It is as if she is preparing him for burial. There is a lot of symbolism in this verse. The sweet smell of perfume hides the smell of death from Lazurus. Jesus was given perfume at his birth, and now he is given more at his death. Most significant is the fact the Judas is present at this dinner. He is the one to protest all that Mary is doing as extravagant, and in a few short days he will betray Jesus ….for money. That is the epitomy of selfishness. And yet it is just as important for him to be present at this meal as Mary. It is interesting how Jesus loves to keep unity. Psalm 126: The theme of this poem is restoration. This would have one of the ascent poems. One of the songs the people would have sung while they were going up the mountain to Jerusalem. They would have recounted all of the wonderful things that God was doing for them. They have a history of things to be grateful for. In this psalm, they sing of the times that God changed the fate of the nation. When they should have been mourning, they found reason to sing. When there was famine, the Lord provided. How can you not worship a God who always brings you through tough times? Questions: How is the church like Jesus dinner party, where we encounter our enemies as guest of Jesus? If we were to write a modern day psalm – what events in American history have we seen the hand of God? What extravagant gift do we bring to Jesus today? On our way to church, do we consciously think about the goodness of the God we worship?

March 31, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for March 31st: Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32, Theme: Lenten celebration Luke: The story of the prodigal son is one of the most popular stories in the Bible. We hear it so much that it can be easy for us to forget the true lesson of the story. Jesus is involved in an argument with the pharisees. They don’t understand why Jesus and his disciples refuse to follow protocol. If Jesus claims to be such a holy man, why does he spend so much time with questionable characters? Jesus tells three stories of things that were lost and were found. Each time the lost things was found, there is a celebration. If a woman can celebrate about finding a penny on the floor, then surely, a family can celebrate the return of a lost child. We are that lost child and God rejoices when we repent and return to him. Lent is a strange celebration, where God rejoices when we set life aside and take God more seriously. Imagine how God must feel about Easter? Psalm 32: Confession is good for the soul. The psalmist tells us how important it is for us to be honest with God about our lives. When we hold our sins inside, they can destroy us. The psalmist says that my body is wasting away. I am suffering because I am keeping the darkness inside of me. But once I talk with God and let the light in, things get better. He (the psalmist )is saying that having a relationship with God makes all of the difference in the world. It can be such a healing experience. But it can also save you from getting caught up in what is happening in the world. You can resist sin, by focusing on your relationship with God. This is a great reminder for lent – to think about the time of repentance as a great time to enjoy the benefits of God. Questions: How have you stepped away from God? What part of your life do you need to rededicate to God? What do you feel self-righteous about and refuse to celebrate? How is confession a part of your life? How do your feel about your relationship with God? Yo

March 24, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for March 24th: Isaiah 55:1-9, Psalms 63:1-8, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9, Theme: Lenten repentance Luke: Jesus, first answers the question of why do bad things happen to good people. As we watch the news, we can see countless stories all over the world where innocent people who are involved in tragedies that they did not create. We can’t help but to wonder why God allowed this to happen. Jesus is addressing a mass killing in his time – a group of Galileans who were killed when they entered into Jerusalem. – did they deserve to die? No, Jesus says that they did not deserve to die. God loves them just as he loves everyone. But Jesus uses this as an example of why we need to repent and return to God while we can. Lent is the season of repentance – of renewing our relationship with God. It is our chance to use our personal strength in order to change. He goes on to talk about a fig tree, which gets a second chance to produce fruit. The tree has been given grace, and God grants us second chances in order for us to have a chance to blossom. Isaiah: God starts out this passage with a promise of fulfillment. God is the source of well being, so God invites others to come, make God the center of your life and all that you are missing will be fulfilled. This promise comes as the end of the part of Isaiah where God has promised a savior, who will be the earthly agent to fulfill those promises. I love the end of this verse, why God reminds us that our ways are not his ways. We don’t always think like God does. We can get comfortable thinking about ourselves, rather than thinking about others. We can fill our pockets, and watch others who have empty pockets. God says that when God fulfills, it is in a way where everyone is happy and fulfilled. The promises of God extend to all people, not just some. But in order for us to be a part of those promises, we have to repent and make the walk back into God’s good graces. We have to put aside our ways and accept God’s ways. Questions : How do you pray about the victims of senseless violence? When have you been given a second chance? What promises do you need to see fulfilled in your life?