Peterborough UMC – Bible Study and Sermon Notes for October 20, 2018
“If I Don’t Do It . . .”
Questions to consider when help is needed:
1. Does this glorify God?
2. Is this something only I can do?
3. Who else could either do this or help me do this?
PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Lord Jesus, you knew yourself and your life mission. You were clear about what only you could do, and you called men and women to help you with any tasks you could share. You took time to pray even when people clamored for you. You aimed to please God, not crowds. You worked, and you rested. That life rhythm made you more effective, not less. Teach me to follow your example. Help me carry out my God-given life mission living in the unforced rhythms of your grace. Amen.
MONDAY 02.14.11 Exodus 18:13-26
Task: lead a throng of ex-slaves safely through the Sinai desert. They weren’t organized; had just one clear leader. They hadn’t learned to work out even minor conflicts— their slave masters had run everything. Moses found himself ironing out every little problem the people had in person—until his father-in-law wisely told him, “What you are doing is not good.”
• It was good that Moses took his role as leader seriously. “The people come to me to seek God’s will,” he said. But his father-in-law was God’s instrument to remind him that he wasn’t called to be a solo act, handling everything himself. What solo tasks do you carry right now? Look prayerfully at what parts of them you could share with others.
• Exodus 2:16, 3:1 and 18:1 called Moses’ father-in-law “the priest of Midian.” Moses was “sheltered, married, employed, and counseled [by] a priest of Midian.” (Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible) Midian’s religion probably differed from Israel’s. Are you, like Moses, open to God’s wisdom even if it comes through a source you didn’t expect?
TUESDAY 02.15.11 1 Kings 19:3-16, 18
Through Elijah, God’s power routed the pagan priests of Baal (the story is in 1 Kings 18). Then, physically and mentally drained, Elijah ran from Jezebel’s threat, and even asked God to kill him.
God gave him rest and food, and listened to Elijah claim (twice) he was the last faithful person in Israel. God told him he was not alone, and gave him names to enlist to help him.
• God told Elijah he was not alone: “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel.” Elijah’s fatigue distorted his point of view. He “had dismissed everyone’s faith but his own and failed to appreciate ways in which God was at work.” (New Bible Commentary) Have you ever felt alone, the way Elijah did? How can you get enough rest to be able to “see straight”? How can the faith and service of others give you strength for your own calling?
• Elijah also “made the mistake of thinking that he was…God’s last and only hope” (Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament). So God named his successor! Who are you investing yourself in to prepare them to fill your place when you aren’t able to?
WEDNESDAY 02.16.11 Matthew 20:20-28
This request must have seemed shrewd to James and John (and probably their mom, though Mark left her out when he told the story in Mark 10:35-45). “Thy kingdom come”—well, weren’t “kingdoms” about seeking places of power? “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. There is no status-seeking Kingdom of Heaven. In my Kingdom, we serve.
• People knew in Jesus’ day, and we know in ours, what power, privilege and importance look like. Down deep, most of us wish for some of the perks that go with power. But Jesus answer was succinct: “No so with you.” Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. In what specific ways does living like Jesus change your approach to life?
• Jesus told James and John, “You will indeed drink from my cup.” James was the first martyred apostle (Acts 12:2). On the other hand, Christian tradition says John lived a long life of service and writing. In what ways did John, as well as James, “drink from Jesus’ cup”? In what ways has your life so far called on you to do that?
THURSDAY 02.17.11 Romans 12:3-8
Once Paul had ambitiously tried to single-handedly wipe out people he saw as God’s enemies. In Christ, he became a community-builder, one member of the inter-reliant “body of Christ.” “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,” he wrote. It wasn’t about him; it was about the good of the whole community.
• Scholar William Barclay wrote that to “think of yourself with sober judgment” means “an honest assessment of our capacities, without conceit or false modesty.” Which do you struggle with more: conceit (“I can do it all”) or false modesty (“I’m can’t do anything”)? What tools can God use to help you think of yourself with sober judgment?
• In our bodies one part does not envy or compete with another. Rather, as Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 12:26, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” Who have you known who lived out that spirit as a member of “the Body”? How can you more fully honor your own gifts and those of others?
Peterborough UMC – Bible Study and Sermon Notes for October 20, 2018
“If I Don’t Do It . . .”
Questions to consider when help is needed:
1. Does this glorify God?
2. Is this something only I can do?
3. Who else could either do this or help me do this?
PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Lord Jesus, you knew yourself and your life mission. You were clear about what only you could do, and you called men and women to help you with any tasks you could share. You took time to pray even when people clamored for you. You aimed to please God, not crowds. You worked, and you rested. That life rhythm made you more effective, not less. Teach me to follow your example. Help me carry out my God-given life mission living in the unforced rhythms of your grace. Amen.
MONDAY 02.14.11 Exodus 18:13-26
Task: lead a throng of ex-slaves safely through the Sinai desert. They weren’t organized; had just one clear leader. They hadn’t learned to work out even minor conflicts— their slave masters had run everything. Moses found himself ironing out every little problem the people had in person—until his father-in-law wisely told him, “What you are doing is not good.”
• It was good that Moses took his role as leader seriously. “The people come to me to seek God’s will,” he said. But his father-in-law was God’s instrument to remind him that he wasn’t called to be a solo act, handling everything himself. What solo tasks do you carry right now? Look prayerfully at what parts of them you could share with others.
• Exodus 2:16, 3:1 and 18:1 called Moses’ father-in-law “the priest of Midian.” Moses was “sheltered, married, employed, and counseled [by] a priest of Midian.” (Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible) Midian’s religion probably differed from Israel’s. Are you, like Moses, open to God’s wisdom even if it comes through a source you didn’t expect?
TUESDAY 02.15.11 1 Kings 19:3-16, 18
Through Elijah, God’s power routed the pagan priests of Baal (the story is in 1 Kings 18). Then, physically and mentally drained, Elijah ran from Jezebel’s threat, and even asked God to kill him.
God gave him rest and food, and listened to Elijah claim (twice) he was the last faithful person in Israel. God told him he was not alone, and gave him names to enlist to help him.
• God told Elijah he was not alone: “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel.” Elijah’s fatigue distorted his point of view. He “had dismissed everyone’s faith but his own and failed to appreciate ways in which God was at work.” (New Bible Commentary) Have you ever felt alone, the way Elijah did? How can you get enough rest to be able to “see straight”? How can the faith and service of others give you strength for your own calling?
• Elijah also “made the mistake of thinking that he was…God’s last and only hope” (Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament). So God named his successor! Who are you investing yourself in to prepare them to fill your place when you aren’t able to?
WEDNESDAY 02.16.11 Matthew 20:20-28
This request must have seemed shrewd to James and John (and probably their mom, though Mark left her out when he told the story in Mark 10:35-45). “Thy kingdom come”—well, weren’t “kingdoms” about seeking places of power? “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. There is no status-seeking Kingdom of Heaven. In my Kingdom, we serve.
• People knew in Jesus’ day, and we know in ours, what power, privilege and importance look like. Down deep, most of us wish for some of the perks that go with power. But Jesus answer was succinct: “No so with you.” Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. In what specific ways does living like Jesus change your approach to life?
• Jesus told James and John, “You will indeed drink from my cup.” James was the first martyred apostle (Acts 12:2). On the other hand, Christian tradition says John lived a long life of service and writing. In what ways did John, as well as James, “drink from Jesus’ cup”? In what ways has your life so far called on you to do that?
THURSDAY 02.17.11 Romans 12:3-8
Once Paul had ambitiously tried to single-handedly wipe out people he saw as God’s enemies. In Christ, he became a community-builder, one member of the inter-reliant “body of Christ.” “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,” he wrote. It wasn’t about him; it was about the good of the whole community.
• Scholar William Barclay wrote that to “think of yourself with sober judgment” means “an honest assessment of our capacities, without conceit or false modesty.” Which do you struggle with more: conceit (“I can do it all”) or false modesty (“I’m can’t do anything”)? What tools can God use to help you think of yourself with sober judgment?
• In our bodies one part does not envy or compete with another. Rather, as Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 12:26, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” Who have you known who lived out that spirit as a member of “the Body”? How can you more fully honor your own gifts and those of others?
FRIDAY 02.18.11 Philippians 3:3-16
Paul had foes who said their “credentials” made their message truer than his. He could play the “credentials game” with the best of them, he said—but he didn’t. He used the strong term “garbage” (verse 8) to describe his human efforts, meaning he’d laid aside self-important status games. He didn’t care how people assessed him, as long as they learned to love Jesus.
• Paul didn’t just “talk humble;” he was. Some preached Christ, he said, “supposing they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice”
(Philippians 1:17-18). What do you believe helped this strong, confident leader to make Jesus central, and himself a supporting cast member?
• Paul set aside ego about his views: “If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” How easy or hard is it for you to deal that way with those who think differently from you?
SATURDAY 02.19.11 Mark 1:21-39
The only person who might have ever had a right to feel he should (or could) carry “the weight of the world” was Jesus. But he didn’t! He drove out demons, healed a sick woman, and ministered to the whole town gathered at the door of the house. But in the morning, without asking anyone, he left the whole crowd waiting while he prayed. When the disciples anxiously said, “Everyone is looking for you,” Jesus replied, “Let’s go somewhere else.” He was able to take the long view of God’s plans, and of his own place in them.
• Imagine for a moment how a Hollywood publicist would have told Jesus to “capitalize” on the crowds he drew in Capernaum. (He was, after all, the Lord of the universe come to live on earth.) In what ways did Jesus behavior differ from the advice you imagine him getting? In what ways can you learn from Jesus’ example, and adopt his attitudes toward “success” and letting God define your true value?
Family Activity: Every part of the Body of Christ is needed; each has its role to play. Assess how this truth is demonstrated in your own family. Are everyone’s gifts and abilities valued? Does each person contribute to the functioning of the home as he or she is able? Ask someone in your family to draw an outline of a body. Brainstorm how each person can serve in the family as one or more of these parts: head, hand, heart, feet, mouth, ears, and eyes. Write these ideas on or near the body part on the picture, using a different color for each person. What is each person able to add to the family? Celebrate each person’s gifts. Emphasize that each person is highly valued and equally loved by God.
This sermon was inspired by one that was offered by the Rev. Adam Hamilton. I have incorporated my own observations and want to acknowledge and thank Rev. Hamilton for sharing his resources so generously with everyone.