Discussion for 14 February 2016

LUKE 4:1-13

¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. ³The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." ⁴Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

⁵Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." ⁸Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

⁹Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' ¹¹and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" ¹²Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" ¹³When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

FOR CONSIDERATION
-Have you ever been tempted to do something that appears good for others but would threaten your relationship with God?
- What ways have you experienced the wilderness?

Discussion for 7 February 2016

LUKE 9:28-43

²⁸Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" — not knowing what he said. ³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" ³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

³¹

³⁷On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. ³⁸Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. ³⁹Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." ⁴¹Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." ⁴²While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

For Consideration
-Have you heard anyone's Mountain Top experience?
- Would euchre your own Mountain Top experience?

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?

Discussion for 3 January 2015

Matthew 2:1-12

2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of 

Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, “Where

 is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed 

his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³When 

King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;

 ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people,

 he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They 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 my people Israel.’” ⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then 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.”

⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of 

them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until 

it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw

 that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 

¹¹On 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. ¹²And having been warned in a 

dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country

 by another road.

FOR CONSIDERATION
- The most familiar part of this passage is probably the star. A connection to Haley's Comet has been ventured, and star patterns in this period have been dutifully charted. Is there any benefit to spending much time considering contemporary astrophysics?

Discussion for 20 December 2015

LUKE 1:39-45 (46-55)

³⁹In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

⁴⁶And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the LORD,

⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

⁴⁸for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. 

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

⁵⁰His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

⁵²He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

⁵³he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

⁵⁵according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

FOR CONSIDERATION
-What was Mary's motivation for visiting Elizabeth?