B. Short Story:
A minister passing through his church
In the middle of the day
Decided to pause by the altar
And see who had come to pray.Just then the back door opened,
A man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw
The man hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was shabby, old,
And his coat was worn and frayed.
The man knelt, he bowed his head
Then rose and walked away.
In the days that followed,
Each noon time came this chap.
Each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
With robbery a main fear.
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
"What are you doing here?"
The old man said he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time
For finding strength and power.
"I stay only moments, see,
Because the factory is so far away.
As I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is what I say:
I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP,
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM,
CHECKING IN TODAY."
The minister, feeling foolish,
Told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime.
Time to go, Jim smiled, and said "Thanks."
He sped to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
He'd never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
And met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
He repeated old Jim's prayer:
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP,
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERY DAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME,
CHECKING IN TODAY."
Past noon one day, the minister noticed
That old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
He began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
Learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
Why Jim was so glad
When no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.
The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up
And with a winsome smile;
"The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
That in here all the while.
Everyday at noon, He's here,
A dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:
'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
I ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
AND I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERY DAY,
SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS,
CHECKING IN TODAY.'"
C. American Idioms:
1. (have) egg on your face
Silvio had egg on his face after saying he was much better than all the other drivers, and then
a. winning the raceb. coming last in the race
c. coming second in the race
2. (your) bread and butter
This job is my bread and butter, so
a. I don't really need itb. I don't get paid for it
c. I can't afford to lose it
3. a flash in the pan
The company hopes that their new computer game won't just be a flash in the pan, but that it'll
a. be popular for a long timeb. be unpopular for a very long time
c. be very popular for a short time
4. do you the world of good
If there's one thing that always does me the world of good it's
a. going to the hospitalb. losing money on the stock exchange
c. playing with my grandchildren
5. stick out like a sore thumb | stand out like a sore thumb
When Hector went to the dance club he stuck out like a sore thumb because he was the only person there who
a. had a swollen thumbb. was over fifty years old
c. was wearing brown socks
6. warts and all
The Kurt Cobain biography is good because it's a real warts and all account of his life, and it doesn't try to
a. show the more disturbing parts of his lifeb. hide the more disturbing parts of his life
c. show his weaknesses as well as his strengths
7. You are what you eat.
My doctor said, "The most important thing to remember is that you are what you eat," and then told me to eat more
a. bacon, hamburgers and hot dogsb. fruits, vegetables and fish
c. chocolates, sweets and cookies
8. if all else fails
We normally travel in business class, but if all else fails I guess we can go in
a. first classb. economy class
c. the baggage hold
9. keep abreast of
You can keep abreast of current affairs by
a. reading old newspapersb. watching the latest movies
c. checking out news websites
10. safe and sound
If you got somewhere safe and sound, you got there
a. because it was easy to get thereb. even though you got hurt on the way
c. even though there was some danger on the way
D. Bible Lesson:
PhilemonNew International Version (NIV)
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:
3 Grace and peace to you[a] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Paul’s Plea for Onesimus
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my sonOnesimus,[b] who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings.24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Questions:
1.) Who are the main characters in this letter?
2.) What is the issue or conflicts discussed within the letter?
3.) What are some ways that Paul attempts to resolve the conflicts?
4.) What do we learn about Paul in this letter?
5.) How can we apply this letter to our own lives?
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