1. Dress rehearsal and lunch for those taking part in the Christmas Play will follow morning worship.
2. Community Christmas Cantata Sunday December 11th 6pm at First United Methodist Church
3. Our Church Family Christmas Breakfast is December 18th at 9:45. Please bring a breakfast dish to share.
4. The Christmas Play is next Sunday during morning worship.
5. Also during our morning worship on the 18th Hilario and Courtney Cantu will reaffirm their wedding vows.
Scripture
Mark 2:1-12
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. [2] So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. [3] Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. [4] Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. [5] When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
[6] Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, [7] "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
[8] Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? [9] Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? [10] But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." He said to the paralytic, [11] "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." [12] He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
Questions for Reflection
1. What dilemma did the paralytic man and his friends face? (2:2-4)2. What do the details of the story tell you about the paralytic man, his friends, and Jesus’ reputation? (2:3-4)
3. What motivated Jesus to respond to the paralytic man’s plight? (2:5)
4. What connection is there between a person’s faith and God’s working in his or her life?
5. What does God require or not require to forgive us of our sins?
6. How would you compare Jesus’ response in this story to the Pharisees’ attitudes?
7. What does this story tell you is the difference between true spirituality and counterfeit spirituality?
