Discussion for 24 January 2016

Luke 4:21-30

21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 

29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

FOR CONSIDERATION

- Do Christians today have the same inside track to salvation as the Jews believe they had in Jesus time?

Discussion for 17 January 2016

 JOHN 2:1-11

¹On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." ⁴And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come" ⁵His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. ⁹When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom ¹⁰and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." ¹¹Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

FOR CONSIDERATION
-What does this passage suggest about our happiness? Does God want us to be so holy that we cannot have some fun?

Discussion for 10 January 2016

Luke 3:15-22

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were

questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether 

he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by

saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more

powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the

thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy 

Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear

his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his

granary; but the chaff he
will burn with unquenchable
fire.” So, with many other 

exhortations, he
proclaimed the good news
to the people. But Herod
the ruler, who had been
rebuked by him because
of Herodias, his brother’s
wife, and because of all the
evil things that Herod had
done, added to them all by
shutting up John in prison.
Now when all the people
were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized
and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the
Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like
a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are 

my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

FOR CONSIDERATION
If John's baptism is so clearly tied to judgment and
repentance, why does Jesus get baptized?