JoanG

I feel that Paul is talking about God's acceptance of Gentiles as equals to Jewish people. I believe that it was a great mystery that the death of Jesus could and should unite enemies into one common faith and congregation. In Paul's day, this would have been very important to the Gentiles. They would be accepted into a community that was once closed to them. There would be the right to pray to God and to know that God was going to pay attention to you as well as the Jews.

I feel that when we are ready, God will let parts of his ideas or thought known to us. God will never reveal everything to us at the same time. We as humans are not able to comprehend all of it at once. I feel that we would lose out on a great revelation if we do not follow what God has related to us. I believe that we would lose out on some grace that God was sending our way. We should not think that we are better than God or that we know more than he does. If this occurs we will lose so much. We need to be open to God. We need help and guidance and we need to believe that God is still here for us or we have no reason to call ourselves Christians. Our faith and our prayers will be useless.

Where two or more people gather in prayer there God shall be. We were called to become a family with each other. We were brought together by a belief system that we together welcome God into our community. There is to be a love between us that is all encompassing. It is to reach out to everyone. We are to live in accordance to the examples of Jesus. The hindering effects to this are many. We, sometimes, have people on ego trips that feel that they are better than others. We have those who only come to be entertained by the sermon. They feel that they do not have to participate in anything. We have those that pray with hardened hearts. And I do not feel that God really listens to those that use fake words or feelings. I also feel that people who really have no faith for themselves but acct as Christians really hinder the flow of God's graces throughout the congregation. And I am sure that there are a lot more that can be listed. I have tried to talk to people about the problems that we were facing and still face. However, that really proved to be a futile activity. I tried to start different types of bible studies, but there was no interest in them. I tried to incorporate different ideas into the worship itself but too many people did not want to change. I have become burned out and now I feel God has lead me to a place where I can grow.

To have "access to the Father" means that we are able to talk directly to Him. We no longer have to stand on the outside of the curtain area and hope that the High Priest can really portray our desires with justice before God. the Holy Spirit is a direct link to God at any moment. We have been blessed and given the Grace of God when we were given the Holy Spirit to help us and guide us in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit is an internal guide to help us live as sons and daughters to God. Jesus enabled this access by dying on the cross for us. Because of our faith in Him, Jesus gave to us the Holy Spirit. This was a promise that he gave to his faithful disciples right from the start and he has graced us with the same promise.

By dying on the cross, Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice that caused an end to the sacrifice of animals for sins. He destroyed the sins of all men by his death. He opened up the path to God for common man. No longer is there a need for a barrier to God. We are able to pry directly to God. There no longer needs to be all the ceremonies that the Jewish law held fast to. Jewish people are now able to have some religious freedoms. They are no longer guided by a number of laws that keep them apart from God. They are able to talk openly and freely to God on a daily basis. There was a chance for instant forgiveness of sins. No longer would there have to be cleansing periods for sin. Once Gentiles were kept away from all connections to God. Now those fences are removed. We are able to stand as equals with the Jews. We are able to have our prayers heard as clearly as our brothers. we are no longer criticized and belittled because we do not hold stock in all the ceremonies and laws that have kept us apart from God. Our sins are forgiven just as easily as the sins of the Jews.

A lot of us have been born into Christianity. We have grown up in the same area. We know most of those that worship within out church. We all know who we are and how we worship and connect to out God. We have comfort and we have safety. We are afraid to go to others that are not part of us. We do not feel safe approaching people about our religion. We might work with them or live by them, but we do not want to let them into our inner circle. We do not want to share everything with them. I have a friend that refuses to believe in Christ. She has had a lot of problems in her life. She one went to church by has stopped and taken up the belief of an atheist. She has a very hard heart. She does not let too many people into her world. She is very negative about everything. She always looks at the worse side of things. She is very critical of all actions of others. she seems to lack any hope that things will get better for her or the world around her. My heart goes out to her but I need to walk "on egg shells" around her. It is very hard to talk to her because she takes everything in whatever mood she is in. She never really listens to anything that someone says to her.

By partaking in the Lord's Supper, we are able to renew our bond with Jesus. We are able to remember the basics of our faith. We are able to feel new and alive again. We take time to build a stronger bond with Christ. It gives us a time to reflect on our beliefs in Christ and God. When we break bread together, we are remembering that Jesus died for us to give us eternal life in heaven with God.

Without belief in Jesus, we do not have a true strong faith that will carry us through out darkest times. We were never promised an easy life if we believed in Christ. We are only promised that we will have eternal life. The twelve were hand picked by Jesus to be the ones to carry on his ministry on earth,. These men were going to be the ones that everyone were going to look up to for the best examples. The crowd that turned away were those that lacked the ability to maintain the pressures to keep the faith needed to defend their beliefs. They are the ones that lacked persistence in their lives. True disciples are those people that believe in Jesus. They know his words and understand what his messages were. They know the truth. They understand the real meanings and they lived by those words. They lead by examples.

I feel that Jesus was comparing his death on the cross to the Last Supper. He was giving us an insight to what his death would entail and why he was doing this. In Luke, Jesus is talking more on a personal level. He seems to be telling us what we are individuals are important to him. In John, Jesus is telling us that he is going to save the world. We now have a glimpse of the future and how his life is going to affect more people than just the Jews.

Every time we partake in the Lord's Supper, we are filling our soul with the graces of God. We are actually refilling our spirits with an eternal life of faith. I feel that nibbling would equate those that are lax in their faith. These are the people that do not have a lot of loyalty to the Risen Christ. They might be called "Sunday Worshippers". I feel those that make a meal of the Lord's Supper are those that are true Christians. They are the people that live their whole life in a reflection of Christ. These are the people that carry the love of Christ to all those that they meet on a daily basis. These are the people that have a longing for Christ in their hearts and lives and souls.

Everyone who believes in Christ and partakes in the breaking of bread are all one in the same body. There should be no questioning of the traditions that each group choses to follow. The question should not be how we break bread together but why we do it. People need to learn the real meaning behind the actions. That is the only way that true faith can be expressed. Nobody wants to have to accept others or their traditions. They do not want to leave their comfort zones. I find this very unsettling. If we can't get along with other Christians, how are we going to get along with anyone else?

Since, I have started these lessons, I have seen the corruption in my congregation more clearly. I have become all to aware of the godless actions of the elders. I find that there is no grace from God when we come together in the act of worship. Where there was once a great feeling of warmth and unity, there now is only emptiness and bitterness. There is no heart in the worship. At times, it seems like we are there just to get amused and to be entertained. There is no love or warm feelings in the building. I am not saying that there is no warmth at all. There is some between friends and families but not much can be felt by everyone. I have no idea how we can get it back. But I do feel that we are sinning each time we come together as a community to worship. We share the bread and wine. And yet, there are hard feelings between those passing out the elements and receiving them.

Both readings in Mark and Matthew say how we have to have the good will with our fellow man before we go before the Lord with any type of prayer or offering. There must be peace within ourselves and within the hearts of those we might have hurt. we need to take responsibility for our actions and thoughts. We need to be an example of the ideals of Christ. There needs to be a peaceful and loving calm in our souls before we can get the true blessings of Christ. Only, with peace, can we feel the Grace of God within our hearts and souls. Otherwise, we are acting out the actions of the service and getting none of the benefits or graces from God.

The focus on the "cup of blessing" is to be a blessing to the Lord. It is also to be a thanksgiving to God. For all of the great things that He does for us on a daily basis. We have been taught to be very self-centered during our worship. We have been taught that all of the blessings are for us. We have the idea that worship is there to amuse us or entertain us. We really need to put it back into proper perspectives that God should be the key element that we are there to worship.

The law was suppose to be a set of guidelines that were used to help people stay away from sin. It was not put there to make us feel holy if we followed the rules that were written. The law was to make us mindful of our actions. It was to make us aware of the consequences of not doing the right things. It made it a bit easier for people to point fingers at wrong doers. But it also gave people a way to hide their faults. They would twist the words around to hide what they were doing that was wrong.

The laws did not allow the people to get to know God on a personal level. They never tried to open up to Him. They were kept from Him by being slaves to the word of the law. There was no love being expressed by them to God. there was only fear and possibly resentment. The Gentiles did not have a fear of God because of the law. They were able to open their hearts freely to the concept of forgiveness and they were able to have belief in all that they were told. They receive the promise of the Spirit based on the love and grace of God because of the belief in Jesus Christ and all that they were taught about Him.

Jesus possibly took this woman by complete surprise when He was able to tell her that she spoke the truth to Him. This woman acknowledged that Jesus was a holy type of person. She gave Him the title of prophet. She really believed in His knowledge and ability to know her. It opened her heart and eyes even more. The gifts of the Spirit can help us to be open to people. It can teach us to be accepting of people's past and not to be judgmental just honest. It will show people a love and an acceptance that they never had before. It will possibly fill them with a longing to feel more and to become more. We can open up the world for them. We can help them accept the love of God, the forgiveness of their past, and the grace to help them move forward.

We are constantly making mistakes. We need God to pardon us of our most current sins. We are sinful by nature and we need the grace of God to help us daily. We need the grace of God to teach us how to forgive others. We can not life our lives by holding grudges and being hateful to our fellow men. We need to let go of this negativity inside of us. We must have the grace of God to allow the pain from others to dissolve in us. we need to be able to forgive just as Jesus was able to forgive those that hurt him.

Abraham believed in God and the power of God and the love of God. He never had any formal training in religion or worship. He lived his life in a way that brought honor to God. He was able to have faith in the unknown. And this enabled him to get grace for his goodness. We are mostly Gentiles that believe in God and Jesus even though we were not of the Jewish faith. Abraham was the first and we take after him.

The presence of the Spirit was given to the Galatians before they were told of human laws. The Spirit was always among them. They were given the grace of God to grow in their faith of God and Christ. They were a dynamic group of people that shined in God's eyes. Their prayers were music to God's ears. We need to bring the heart of worship back to people. We need to send out sparks to the souls of all people. We need to help people be reborn in the spirit again or for the first time

The Gift of God and the Living Water refers to the grace that is given to us when we turn our lives to believing in God and Jesus. We are able to feel the grace pulsating through our souls. It helps us to grow and have the courage to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. It is different than the baptism with the Spirit. This is the growth of the connection between us and the Spirit.

There is a great spiritual thirst in the world today. People have become soft and complacient. They worship without feeling. They blindly follow others. They do not want to face reality. Their souls are empty. The woman is spiritually thirsty. she feels in her heart the words that Jesus is speaking. She becomes alive again. she feels that need to have more inside of herself. We need to get this spark that this woman experienced when she talked to Jesus. We need to learn to talk to Him again. We need to learn to feel the love that is able to flood through our whole soul.

Jesus was there to break down the unjust social barriers of His time. He did not agree with the concept of segragation that was widely practiced during that time. He saw the goodness and worth of all people. We are a people that are afraid to rock the boat at times. We want to feel safe and secure in our own world. We are afraid to step outside the safety to really see other people. We only want to have to associate with people like ourselves. We at times feel that we are better than others. This is so true today with the wide spread hatred of gays and lesbians. We forget about the humanness of the homeless. We close our eyes to those around us. However, we need to move past our security blanket and face the real world. We need to see people as our equals. We need to accept and love their differences. We need to be willing to break down the barriers adn to lovingly accept all people just as Jesus did.

A lot of People feel tto vulnerable to ask for help. They feel that they are going to be indebted to the person or persons. They feel that they are a failure if they have to turn to others for help at all. a lot of us were brought up to think that God gave you this life and that you need to succeed or you are a failure to God. We were taught that we are not worthy of God's love and that we are in this situation because of all of our sins. We feel that God has turned His back on us. A lot of people are afraid to face their needs. They do not want to recognize the help that they need. They put blinders on and just go along their own way. But, we need to go to God. We need to daily praise Him, and ask for His blessings in our lives. We need to tell Him about our concerns and fears and dreams. He wants to know us. He wants us to get to know Him. If we do not approach Him now, how will we be able to approach Him at the time of our judgement?

The Father's kingdom is the heavenly realm. It is an all encompassing aspect of perfection. It is more than the human brain can comprehend. We want God to be able to shine throughout the whole world. We want His love to permiate every heart. We want to have a peace that flows freely through everything on this planet. To achieve this goal, we personally must take responsibility for all of our thoughts, feeling and actions. We must be the change that we desire in this world. We need to set the example of what it is like to live in love with of all life. We need to respect all aspects of this world in order to show others how to live.