For Discussion 5 January 2014

Matthew 2:1-12

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men^[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,^[b] and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah^[c] was to be born.⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd^[d] my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men^[e] and learned from them the

exact time when the star had appeared.⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,^[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped,^[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

For Consideration:
-Who or what is the one that is fixed...unmovable?

Keeping Christmas

This has been a favorite for many years. Worthy of including in this blog.

by Henry van Dyke

It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time.

But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is keeping Christmas.

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellowmen are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts hungry for you; to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness -- are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open -- are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world -- stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death -- and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.

And if you can keep it for a day, why not always? But you can never keep it alone.

Discussion for 22 December 2013

 MATTHEW 1:18-25

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.²⁰But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.²¹She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 
²³  “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 
          and they shall name him Emmanuel,” 
which means, “God is with us.” ²⁴When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, ²⁵but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

For Consideration

-Do we need a Savior today as much as Israel did when they were captives of the Babylonians?
-What questions do you have today that strengthen our need for Christ?

Discussion 15 December 2013

LUKE 1:47-55

     “My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷       and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸  for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
          Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹  for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
          and holy is his name.
⁵⁰  His mercy is for those who fear him
          from generation to generation.
⁵¹  He has shown strength with his arm;
          he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
⁵²  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
          and lifted up the lowly;
⁵³  he has filled the hungry with good things,
          and sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴  He has helped his servant Israel,
          in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵  according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
          to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

For Consideration:

-What effects does God's message have on Mary?

-What does Mary's song declare about society's role reversals?

-What human characteristic stands in our way regarding our relationship with God?

Discussion for 8 December 2013

MATTHEW 3:1-12

¹In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
     “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:      ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
          make his paths straight.’”
⁴Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan,⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

For Consideration

-For the most part, what tense is this written?

-Would you prefer to have a preacher like John in the Pulpit each Sunday?

-What does this passage challenge each of us to do? 

-What does this passage say about sin? 

Discussion for 1 December 2013

 ISAIAH 2:1-5

¹The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

²   In days to come
          the mountain of the Lord’s house
     shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
          and shall be raised above the hills;
     all the nations shall stream to it.
³        Many peoples shall come and say,      “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
          to the house of the God of Jacob;
     that he may teach us his ways
          and that we may walk in his paths.”
     For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
          and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
⁴   He shall judge between the nations,
          and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
     they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
          and their spears into pruning hooks;
     nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
          neither shall they learn war any more.

⁵   O house of Jacob,
          come, let us walk
          in the light of the LORD!

For Consideration
-Why would this passage be considered for the 1st Sunday of Advent?
-How does this passage underscore our yearning for peace and joy in the midst of our cultural behavior during the Advent season?

Scripture Reading for 24 November 2013

Psalm 46

¹God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, 

though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;³though 

its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with 

its tumult. ⁴There is a river whose streams make glad the city

 of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.⁵God is in the 

midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when

 the morning dawns.⁶The nations are in an uproar, the 

kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.⁷The Lord 

of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. ⁸Come,

 behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has

 brought on the earth.⁹He makes wars cease to the end of the 

earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the 

shields with fire.¹⁰“Be still, 
and know that I am God! I am 

exalted among the nations, 
I am exalted in the earth.”¹¹The

 Lord of hosts is with us; the 
God of Jacob is our refuge. 




FOR CONSIDERATION
-The 1st verse makes an awesome declaration. How does human experience  
challenge this promise?
-Where is the refuge God provides? How would those in the wake of a tsunami or tornado hear these words?

Discussion for 17 November 2013

LUKE 20:27-38

²⁷Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him ²⁸and asked him a question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. ²⁹Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; ³⁰then the second ³¹and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless.³²Finally the woman also died. ³³In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her."

³⁴Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; ³⁵but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. ³⁷And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive."

For Discussion
-What is the motive of the Sadducees with this intriguing question?
-How would 19th century slaves find this passage useful in the face of their current situations?

Discussion 10 November 2013

Job 19:23-27

“O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God,whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

This Sunday, November 10, we welcome Dr. Brennan Breed, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. Dr. Breed is a graduate of the University of Virginia, Princeton Seminary and Emory University. Dr. Breed's research focuses on the reception history of the Bible, which traces the divergent uses and understandings of biblical texts from their ancient contexts of production to the present day. His other interests include Hebrew poetry, biblical theology, textual criticism, ancient and medieval visual art, and philosophy.

All adult Sunday school classes are encouraged to meet in the Fellowship Hall during the Sunday school hour.

Discussion for 3 November 2013

LUKE 19:1-10

¹He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." ⁹Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

was going to pass that way. 

For Consideration

-Is Zacchaeus actually short in stature or is he barricaded or shunned by the crowd because of his profession? 

-Is this the first time Jesus had met Zacchaeus? If so, how did Jesus know to call his name? How did Jesus even know he was in a tree. 

-How does Jesus welcome Zacchaeus when he comes down from the tree?

-Is there a Kenny Rogers song about Zacchaeus?

Discussion for 27 October 2013

 LUKE 18:9-14

⁹He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' ¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

For Consideration:

-In Verse 14 what does Jesus mean when he says, "this man went down to his home justified?"

-What must we do to be justified?

Discussion 20 October 2013

 LUKE 18:1-8

 

¹Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. ²He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. ³In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' ⁴For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" ⁶And the Lord said,⁷And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? ⁸I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

For Consideration:

-What keeps us from praying?

-What are the benefits of praying?

-What does this passage say about who God is and hoe He acts?

For Discussion October 13, 2013

 LUKE 17:11-19

¹¹On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, ¹³they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" ¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. ¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? ¹⁸Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" ¹⁹Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

For Consideration

-From the Heidelberg Catechism, what is our chief and highest end?

Discussion 6 October 2013

 LUKE 17:5-10

⁵The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" ⁶The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

⁷"Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? ⁸Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? ⁹Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"

For Consideration-This selection consists of two important theological principals. What are they?

-Does Verse 9 sound like a polite, respectful relationship? 

-In Verse 10 who are the  "worthless slaves?"