April 5, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 5th: Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2,19-29, Isaiah 50:4-9, Psalm 31:9-26, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:14-27:66; Theme: Passion/Palm Sunday Philippians: This is a special service, a time to get in touch with how much God loves us, to get in touch with the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us by becoming a human, living our life, and ultimately dying our death. Christ starts out in the presence of God. Christ starts out in heaven with all of the fullness of God. But he put that all aside. Paul says that God emptied himself to come to earth. As we relive the passion story – we learn the true nature of God – mercy, righteousness, compassion. As we relive the passion story, we are encouraged to take on the mind of Christ. It is not necessary for us to sacrifice, the sacrifice has already been made for us. But we can be grateful for that sacrifice. We can let the sacrifice affect the way we go through life. If Christ thought of us, we can think of others. All that we do should show the world that Jesus, the Son of God is also our Lord and Savior. Psalm 31: The psalms have a way to express all of the emotions of being human. These are songs of faith that can give us comfort. Jesus recited the psalms during his time of suffering. He said into your hands I commit your spirit. In other words, in hard times I believe in God. This psalm is a prayer for someone who has been treated unfairly and who suffers for something that he/she did not do. The psalm describes all of the emotions that one would feel in trying to come to terms with their faith. This is one of the psalms which describes what Jesus went through on his way to the cross. Jesus shows us how to keep the faith in those times in our life when we are suffering, especially when we suffer for something that we did not do. Christ’s faith helped him to endure and to get through. Our faith in Christ does the same for us. Questions: How do you feel about the Passion of Christ? What does it mean to follow Christ to the cross? When have you had to suffer unjustly? What words of courage help you to get through the situation?

March 29, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for March 29th: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11, John 11:1-45; Theme: Fifth Sunday of Lent Ezekiel: Given all that is going on in the world today, it is easy to lose hope. It is easy for us to assume that things will never change for the better. Ezekiel must have felt that way when he returned to his neighborhood and saw waste and destruction everywhere. It seemed that it was the dead of winter and everything around him was dead. He describes it as seeing dry dead bones everywhere. This is one of my favorite passages, because eventually Ezekiel sees the bones turn into a living body, God breathes life into the body and the whole scene comes back to life. The community has hope again and starts to thrive. Right now for us, things seems hopeless, but spring and new life is coming. Bones represent the very depth of our soul, the core of our being. What needs to happen in order for us to regain hope at the core of our being? Romans: Romans is one of the most important books of the bible in explaining what it means to be a Christian. Romans chapter 8 has one of the most important messages in the chapter. Paul talks about the difference between living life in the spirit and living life in the flesh. According to Paul, when we are Christians, we are flesh and blood, but we also have the spirit of Christ inside of us. It is the spirit that affects who we are and how we live in the world. When we have the spirit of Christ, we think and act differently. This is a continuation of the theme of Ezekiel. That we are dry bones until we have the spirit of Christ inside of us to truly bring us to life. Questions: What situations are going on in life that seem hopeless? What will happen in order for the spirit of life to be restored? How has being a Christian changed your response to life? What reminds you that it is not okay to live and respond to life in the flesh?

March 15, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for March 15th: Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 95, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42 Theme: Third Sunday of Lent Exodus: Exodus is the story of the Israelite’s journey into a new life. It records the ups and downs of that life. Today we focus on one of those down moments. God has promised to take care of them and yet they still worry. At first they worried about what they would eat, and God provided manna. Now they are worried about what they will drink. God will eventually provide a spring. And yet God is also tired of their complaining. As a matter of fact, this is the last straw and God never quite gets over the fact that they do not trust God to provide. As a matter of fact, we are still complaining, and each time God tells us to trust and to seek new faith, we say that God will not provide. How do we learn to trust that if God calls, then God will equip is to do what it necessary? Romans: Paul continues his conversation on righteousness. To be righteous means to follow and obey God. Paul makes it clear that we cannot just decide to be righteous – it is a gift from God. But once we have it, then we have to live it out is a way that others can see clearly that God is a part of our life. Romans spells out very well the difference between a saint and a sinner. We are all sinners, but we are not all saints. Some of us strive to be better and some of us do not. God’s grace is available to us all, but we have to make a choice to use it. Paul starts to outline the journey of grace. It was John Wesley who believed that we are saved by three types of grace, prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace. He gets this belief from Paul talking about a grace that is with us, but justifying grace which brings us closer to God and sanctifying grace which keeps us there in the midst of a sinful world. Questions: When we a time when you trusted God, and then felt you made a mistake? What did God do to make you trust again? How have you experienced God’s grace? Are you more of a sinner or a saint?

February 23, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for February 23rd: Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 99, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9; Theme: Transfiguration Sunday 2 Peter: Transfiguration Sunday is about witnessing the glory of God in our own time with our own eyes. In this scripture each of us is encouraged to experience God for ourselves. To trust that God and the prophecy of what is to come is real. This is a scripture about authority, credibility and trust. John Wesley believed that faith was a combination of scripture, experience, tradition and reasoning. We can take all of those tools to examine our heart to have faith in God. We can look for God in all of those places. What we hear about in scripture, we can look to manifest in our lives and in our experience. Then we can decide to live according to what God tells us in our own hearts. Faith is always a living experience, not a far away dream. Matthew: It was Martin Luther King who said “I have been to the mountaintop”. He is referring to the tradition of church fathers going up into the mountains in order to have a vision from God. Jesus himself goes up to the mountain to talk with God, he takes his disciples with him as he goes to talk with Moses and Elijah. They fall asleep, but Jesus continues to pray. In prayer his gets his revelation from God, and that gives him inspiration to go on with the rest of his ministry, even though he knows that he will die in the process. It won’t be until the end of his ministry, when he goes up on another mountain, that the disciples will understand the significance of this mountaintop experience. In his last mountaintop experience, Jesus tells his disciple that he will not leave them. The first experience is so that Jesus realizes that he is not alone in his ministry. He has Elijah and Moses who are with him guiding his, just as God talked with each of these prophets on a mountain. Questions: What are the ways that you are able to see God clearly? What experiences have you had to convince you that God is real? Have you ever had a mountaintop experience?

February 16, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for February 16th: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37; Theme: Planting the seeds of faith 1 Corinthians: Wisdom was an important topic for the Greeks. Paul uses that interest in wisdom to teach them about the gospel. But he always points out that there is a difference between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of man, as a matter of fact, they are exact opposites. Paul goes as far as to tell the Corinthians that what they consider to be wisdom is not really real. He tells them that he cannot help them to understand God, because they are limited in understanding the spiritual things. He goes on to point out that the petty divisions that they have are a sign of not understanding God’s wisdom. We are all united in Christ, and when we have the mind of Christ, we can overcome our differences. When we are united in Christ, then God can use our spirit to transform the world. Matthew: We have been taking our time to take an extended look at Matthew chapter 5. This is the third week on this chapter. This is a continuation on the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells us what it means to be a disciple of Christ and to have a better understanding of our purpose in life. He tells us to go farther than human understanding by saying “You have heard it said that…..But I say to you”. He is telling us to go farther than standard jewish teaching and to listen to him. He is reforming righteousness. Following God is more than just following a bunch of rules, it is dedicating our whole heart and soul to living God in all that we do, and think and feel. It is a life that not only demands more of us, but promises more also. Questions: What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? What are the divisions that keep Christians separated today? Is it impossible to be a Christian today? What does it take to live a righteous life?

February 9, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for February 9th: Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 112:1-10, 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Matthew 5:13-20; Theme: a life that makes a difference Matthew: For the rest of Epiphany we will be looking at the lessons from Matthew 5. Jesus is using the lessons of Moses to teach us what it means to be a disciple of Christ. We are compared to salt and light. Salt is only important when it is applied to something else. Our actions are not about how we treat ourselves, but how we treat others. If we do not include others in our plans then we are not being a good Christian. Light is worthless within itself. Light illuminates other things and makes them shine. Jesus relates all of this to the ministry of Moses, by reminding us that as the messiah he is the fulfillment of everything that God said to Moses. That ministry is to do what is right for the world. To direct the rest of the world to what is right. The only way that we can get close to God is to be the salt of the earth – to be God’s representatives to help others. I Corinthians: Paul biggest point to the Corinthians is to make a distinction between the life of a Christian and the life of other people. Everything that Paul says revolves around Christ. Or Christ crucified, as Paul says. In chapter 2, Paul compares the wisdom of the world, with the wisdom of following Jesus. Wisdom was very important to the Greeks. Paul uses the definition of wisdom as a way to start a conversation about Christ. Wherever Christ is, so is the Holy Spirit. Paul says that it is the spirit that reveals God to the followers. Paul says that the wisdom of people and the wisdom of God are exact opposites. And God’s wisdom does not make sense to someone who lives in this world. When we listen to the spirit we have the opportunity to understand everything, but we may not be understood by others. Questions: How do you make your Christian light shine to others? How do you pursue the wisdom of God? What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?

February 2, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for February 2nd: Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 15, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12; Theme: Sermon on the Mount Matthew: Everybody has heard of the Sermon on the Mount, but have we really given any thought to what it really means in our life? What does it mean to be blessed? What does it mean to be happy? Will we really be satisfied if we do all of these things for our life? Jesus has now officially began his ministry to improve the lives of his people who are crying our for help. He has declared his mission, he has recruited his followers, and now he is announcing to the people that things will get better. There is nothing required of us as we listen to the sermon on the mount, these are promises that God will give to our lives. If we choose to join those new disciples. Jesus invites us to join a radical movement, that will change the world. All we have to do is to trust God and God’s promises. Micah: The old testament is written sort of like a legal brief of an ongoing court case between God and God’s people. God complains that the people have been unfaithful or the people complain that God is not listening to them. Micah is a complaint against the people. They are told the consequences of their unfaithfulness. So the people cry out – what is it that you want from us. They are attending worship, they are giving sacrifices, they even keep the church spotless. God calls out that none of that is enough. God does not care what the temple looks like, God cares about the hearts of the people. Are they thinking about others, are they giving mercy to others, do they have an active relationship with God? Jesus constantly tells us that God wants our hearts, not our outward appearance. How do we respond? Questions: Are you Happy? What does it mean to be blessed? Who is blessed and who is not? What does your relationship with God look like? Do you believe in the promises of God? How do they play out in your life?