Scripture & Questions for Sunday (1/29/17)

Doyle Weitz was in a car wreck this morning and was airlifted to San Antonio. Please keep him in your prayers.

Scripture for Sunday
Luke 6:1-11 (ESV)  

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. [2] But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" [3] And Jesus answered them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: [4] how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?" [5] And he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." [6] On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. [7] And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. [8] But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there. [9] And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" [10] And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored. [11] But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. 

Questions for Reflection
1. What is your idea of a truly restful day?
2. What does the word “Sabbath” mean to you?
3. What were the disciples accused of doing when they picked the grain? (6:2)
4. Why were the teachers of the law watching Jesus closely? (6:7)
5. Why were the Pharisees and teachers angry at Jesus? (6:7, 11)
6. Why did Jesus heal on the Sabbath?
7. In these incidents, whose actions were really “Sabbath-keeping”?
8. Why is it important for us to take time off from work to rest?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (1/15/17)

Tuesday, Jan 17th - Session at 5:30 PM moderated by Laurie.

Saturday, Jan 28th - Session training and visioning 9:00 AM at the McMillan river place.

Scripture for Sunday
Luke 4:16-30 (ESV)
    And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.  [17] And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
    [18] "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
        because he has anointed me
            to proclaim good news to the poor.
    He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
        and recovering of sight to the blind,
            to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
    [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
    [20] And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  [21] And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  [22] And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"  [23] And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself.' What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well."  [24] And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.  [25] But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,  [26] and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  [27] And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."  [28] When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.  [29] And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.  [30] But passing through their midst, he went away.

Questions for Reflection
What are some of the best things that happen when a person comes back home after being away at school or in the service?
What does the old saying mean, “You can never go home again”?
How did the audience respond to Jesus’ reading? (4:20)
What were the main points of Jesus’ words to the people in His hometown? (4:23-27)
Why were the people angry with what Jesus said? (4:23-29)
What did Jesus know firsthand about rejection?
To what extent will people go to avoid hearing the truth about themselves?
Why do we sometimes try to avoid facing the truth about ourselves?

Scripture & Question for Sunday (1/8/17)

Prayer Concerns:  Jean Blaylock is home recovering from her hip surgery but has developed shingles. Please keep her in your prayers.

Scripture for Sunday
Luke 3:1-22 (ESV)  
    In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2] during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.  [3] And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
    "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
    Prepare the way of the Lord,
        make his paths straight.
    [5] Every valley shall be filled,
         and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
    and the crooked shall become straight,
        and the rough places shall become level ways,
    [6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
    [7] He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.  [9] Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
    [10] And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" [11] And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." [12] Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" [13] And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do." [14] Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."
    [15] As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, [16] John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  [17] His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
    [18] So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. [19] But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, [20] added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
    [21] Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, [22] and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

Questions for Reflection
1. What attitude did John warn the people not to have? Why? (3:8-9)
2. How did people react to John’s message? (3:10)
3. What advice did John give those in the crowd who wanted to respond to his message? (3:11)
4. What practical examples of repentance did John use to help people who asked for direction? (3:11-14)
5. What title were the people beginning to give John? (3:15)
6. What was John’s response to those who thought he might be the Messiah? (3:16)
7. How did John explain his phrase, “Produce fruit in keeping with righteousness”? (3:8, 11-14)
8. When we are confronted with a call to repent, why do we tend to accept or reject the invitation strongly?