mission trip to India- Paul Paulraj
Burnt Mills Sabbath School
Dear Friend,
Welcome to Burnt Mills Sabbath School !
Our Sabbath School Program at 10:30 am on October 16, 2010 is a special mission outreach program presented by Donna James. The feature highlights the recent mission trip to India by Mr. Paul Paulraj. We want to welcome back Mr. Paulraj who has been away for over two months. Many of you have supported this trip with prayers and finances. You will not want to miss this report – reaching out to an entire non-Adventist congregation and sharing the truths of the Bible.
We hope the weekly comments on the lesson from Ellen White and Contemporary Comments continues to be a blessing and it leads you into studying further the lesson for the week. Bring your thoughts and comments to class. Share in the study and blessed.
If you have not picked up your lesson study guide, please be sure to see your teacher or Suzie Dallas this Sabbath. This is probably the final week before all study guides are given out.
Hannah: Learning to be Someone | October 16, 2010
1 Samuel 2:1-11 - Hannah's Prayer
1 Then Hannah prayed and said:
"My heart rejoices in the LORD;
in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
2 "There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
3 "Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
4 "The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
"For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;
upon them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
"It is not by strength that one prevails;
10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
"He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed."
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.
1 Samuel 2: 21 - And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
Matthew 6:19, 20 - Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Luke 12:13-21 - The Parable of the Rich Fool
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Comments from Ellen White :
“Parents, give your children to the Lord. Always teach them that they belong to Him, that they are the lambs of Christ’s flock, and that the true Shepherd always watches over them. Hannah dedicated [gave] Samuel to the Lord. And ‘as Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him. He made everything Samuel said come true.’ 1 Samuel 3:19, NIrV. Samuel is the best example of what God can do for the child if parents work with God, doing the work God has given them to do.”—Adapted from Ellen G. White, Counsels [Advice] to Parents, Teachers, and Students, page 143.
Adapted from Contemporary Comments :
“Bristol Palin was not a household name until she was introduced as Sarah Palin's daughter and unmarried teen mom-to-be in 2008. Since the birth of her son, Bristol has become a public advocate for teen pregnancy prevention. After some major magazine articles about her and most recently appearing on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Bristol is no longer a shadow figure of her mother.
Lesser known television “stars” are Catelynn and Tyler. They were first introduced on MTV’s “16 and Pregnant”. Unlike Bristol who is parenting her child alone, in anticipation of the birth of their daughter, Catelynn and boyfriend Tyler decided to make an open adoption plan with an adoption agency.
According to the Tyler and Catelynn website, the couple chose Brandon and Teresa to parent their daughter, Carly. Brandon and Teresa are described by Tyler as “a well-rounded, religious family from North Carolina”. The couple, whose last name remains anonymous, was unable to conceive children of their own and agreed to an open adoption with Catelynn and Tyler.
In Tyler’s words: “We only did what we thought was the best for our daughter. I believe that when you become a parent no matter what the age you have to put that child before yourself and it is your job to deliver that innocent child the absolute best possible life.”
Our Bible study this week introduces us to Hannah and Elkanah. Like Teresa and Brandon, they were unable to conceive a child. In their culture life revolved around children. After all God had made a covenant with Abraham that was all about families multiplying and inheriting land.
Because she was unable to get pregnant, not only did Hannah feel she failed her husband in not giving him a son to carry on the family name, but also she felt like a failure in the sight of God. Those in her community believed a woman who was unable to conceive a child was being punished by God for a sin she committed.
Hannah’s feeling of worth plummeted even more when her husband, Elkanah brought home wife number two who became pregnant with a son right away. Scripture tells us that Peninnah provoked Hannah severely to make her miserable. Hannah became a shadow figure in her own home. Even in public at religious festivals Peninnah demeaned Hannah to the point Hannah wept and wouldn’t eat.
Three times a year all the men of Israel appeared before God in Jerusalem. (See Exodus 23:17) Eli was the high priest in the tabernacle of the Lord and his two sons were priests. It was during one of the family’s journey to the tabernacle that Hannah made a vow in prayer before the Lord. She promised that if she were given a son, she would return him back to the Lord to serve all of his life. Hannah made an open adoption plan with God for the son she did not have at that time.
When Samuel was three years old, Hannah kept her vow to the Lord. She did what she felt was best for her child. For her faithfulness, the Lord blessed Hannah with three more sons and two daughters.”
A Note of caution: As you study and discuss this lesson, let us be sensitive to the hearts of those in society or even in the church today : a teen mom parenting alone, couples without children, parents of adopted children as well as anyone who as a child may have had a mother who made an adoption plan and did what she felt was best for her child. God cares and loves us enough to lift us up from our circumstances and we must do the same.
Wishing you an abundance of Sabbath blessings – fellowship, nurture, peace, love, joy, rest . . . . !
Regards,
Joseph Pakkianathan
Burnt Mills Sabbath School