Scripture & Questions for Sunday (11/20/16)

Scripture
Psalm 100:1-5 (ESV)
    A Psalm for giving thanks.
    Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
        [2]  Serve the Lord with gladness!
         Come into his presence with singing!
    [3] Know that the Lord, he is God!
        It is he who made us, and we are his;
        we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
    [4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
        and his courts with praise!
        Give thanks to him; bless his name!
    [5] For the Lord is good;
        his steadfast love endures forever,
        and his faithfulness to all generations.

Questions for Reflection

1. When do you feel like shouting for joy or singing?
2. When (in what situations or for what acts) do you expect a thank you or acknowledgment of a favor you’ve done?
3. How does the psalm writer describe the relationship God has with His followers? (100:3)
4. How should a person enter God’s house? (100:4)
5. How does God demonstrate His goodness to the world? (100:5)
6. What message comes through most clearly to you in this psalm?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (11/13/16)

Movie Night! Tomorrow at 6:30 PM.  Come to the fellowship hall to watch God's Not Dead 2.

Session Meeting on Tuesday at 5:30 PM.

Hanging of the Greens and Chili lunch Sunday, November 20th following Morning Worship.

Scripture for Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8 (ESV)  

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  [2] Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  [3] And one called to another and said:

    "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
    the whole earth is full of his glory!"

[4] And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  [5] And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" [6] Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.  [7] And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.  [8] And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."  

Questions for Reflection
1. When have you tried hard to communicate something important to an unresponsive audience?
2. How did Isaiah see himself once he had been exposed to God’s glory? (6:5)
3. What provision was made for Isaiah’s guilt in the presence of a holy God? (6:6-7)
4. How did Isaiah respond to God’s call? (6:8)
5. Why is it almost impossible, or intolerable, for a human being to stand before a holy God?
6. What could have motivated Isaiah to volunteer to be God’s messenger?
7. How can we follow Isaiah’s example of availability to God?

November 2016 Newsletter

Click on the link to view this month's newsletter.

November 2016 Newsletter

Have a great day!
Carmen

Upcoming Events

This Sunday, Laurie will be preaching from the book of Jonah.  The book is not long, you might consider reading it before Sunday.

Saturday is Men's Breakfast 8:00 AM.

Sunday during Sunday School the children and youth will begin practicing for our annual Christmas Play. The play is scheduled for Sunday December 18th.

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (10/30/16)

Announcements

We will have a congregational meeting Sunday November 6th to elect a nominating committee who will nominate elders for the class of 2019.

Scripture
1 Kings 17:8-24 (ESV)  

Then the word of the Lord came to him,  [9] "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you."  [10] So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."  [11] And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."  [12] And she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die."  [13] And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.  [14] For thus says the Lord the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.' "  [15] And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.  [16] The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. 

[17] After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.  [18] And she said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!"  [19] And he said to her, "Give me your son." And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.  [20] And he cried to the Lord, "O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?"  [21] Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, "O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again."  [22] And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.  [23] And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives."  [24] And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth." 

Questions for Reflection
1. What two requests did Elijah make of the widow at Zarephath? (17:10-11)
2. What did the widow consider inevitable for herself and her son during the drought in Israel? (17:12)
3. What step did Elijah ask the widow to take in faith? (17:13)
4. What was unusual about the ways God chose to provide for Elijah during the drought?
5. What kind of faith is required for living with just enough for each day and no more?
6. How would the miracle of the flour and oil have appeared to the widow in retrospect if her son had died?
7. In what way do you find it easy or difficult to obey God when you don’t know what the outcome will be?
8. In what peculiar but sufficient ways is God meeting your needs today?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (10/16/16)

Scripture for Sunday
2 Samuel 7:1-17 (ESV)  

Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, [2] the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent." [3] And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you." [4] But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, [5] "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? [6] I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. [7] In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" ' [8] Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. [9] And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. [10] And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, [11] from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. [12] When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. [13] He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. [14] I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, [15] but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. [16] And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.' " [17] In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. 

Questions for Reflection
1. In what way do you think church buildings should reflect our humility? our esteem for God?
2. What contrast bothered David after he was well established in Jerusalem? (7:1-2)
3. What was Nathan’s initial reaction to David’s instinct to build a house for the ark of God? (7:3)
4. According to the word Nathan received from the Lord, how did God feel about the fact that no permanent house of worship had been built? (7:5-7)
5. Initially, did David’s concern for the house of God sound pious or presumptuous?
6. Why is it significant that Nathan heard from God immediately after he had spoken with David?
7. What is the most reassuring aspect of God’s covenant with the house of David?
8. What is the most important “temple” you can offer to God, and what is one thing you can do to offer it?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (10/16/16)

Scripture for Sunday
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (ESV)  

Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. [2] At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.  [3] The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.  [4] Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, "Here I am!"  [5] and ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. [6] And the Lord called again, "Samuel!" and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."  [7] Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. [8] And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the young man.  [9] Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. [10] And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant hears."  

Questions for Reflection
1. How have the relations of children to adults changed since you were a child?
2. What are some examples of a child’s refreshing naiveté about God?
3. How would you characterize Samuel’s relationship to Eli? (3:4-5)
4. What did Samuel assume about the voice he heard in the night? (3:5)
5. How did Eli instruct Samuel to react to the voice he heard? (3:9)
6. What was Israel’s relationship to God at the time of this story?
7. How would you characterize our day and age with regard to people hearing from God?
8. What characteristics of the boy Samuel made him a suitable person to hear from God?