April 6

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, April 6, Fifth Sunday of Lent

JOHN 8:1-11

Condemning Another

Prayerthoughts

a. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, probably to pray. Prayer is significant in the Lord’s life. Is prayer a significant part of my every day?

b. Jesus taught them. What do I consider to be Jesus’s most significant teaching for me?

c. The woman caught in adultery was treated with no respect. How do I think of people who have done wrong? Do I judge them instead of pray for them?

d. Harsh treatment was given to people who did evil in the past. In my thinking, do I judge evil people in a harsh way?

e. We have no idea what Jesus wrote on the ground. Perhaps a good thought would be: if Jesus would write something to me, what would it be?

f. The meditation is more about not condemning people than forgiveness, although certainly forgiveness is part of the thought. See letters c and d. Do I consider forgiveness of others to be a significant action?

g. Jesus tells the woman not to sin any more. Sinfulness has been a part of my life. Perhaps now is a good time to make an act of contrition.

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will write an act of contrition as suggested in letter g.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

GOD DON’T MAKE JUNK

+ In the Gospel today Jesus acts out one of his teachings with regard to how we should treat others

- the teaching is that everyone is important

- the scribes and Pharisees wanted Jesus to look badly with regard to following the law

- so they use a woman caught in adultery to suit their purposes

- Jesus says basically, “this is a human being, and everyone is important; you don’t treat human beings this way”

- Jesus separates the sin from the sinner and does not condone the sin as he tells her:

Go, and from now on do not sin any more

- but he treats her, the sinner, with the utmost respect

- to Jesus, everyone is important

+ We must all listen to that teaching, just as everyone in the Gospel story had to listen to what Jesus wanted to get across to them

- He actually made them think by getting everyone there to look closely at what they were doing

- Whatever that writing on the ground was, it could easily have been nothing more than taking up time to get the Pharisees to understand what they were doing

- and likewise to make the woman understand the sinfulness of her ways

- It was time to make them think about what they were doing, making them question themselves a little

+ Evil does not like that

- The devil, or Satan, or however we look at the dark side of life would much rather cause dissension and chaos

- But Jesus gave everyone time to think

- and eventually they came to the conclusion that somehow this woman was an important human being because everyone is important

+ That fact—that everyone is important—was brought home to me in a striking way a number of years ago

- Capper Foundation, Topeka

- asked to talk, teens

- wheelchairs, administrator

- took me to ward

- big room, portable beds, around the walls,

- my talk on leadership involves activity, eye-contact, had nothing like that

- I was totally embarrassed

- rushed through program with music

- afterwards, wanted to get out of there

- administrator: one of them wants to talk to you

- they couldn’t talk, they couldn’t move

- led me to an alcove of five or six young people who were in wheelchairs in front of computers

- took me to one of them

- head band with pointer, hit computer to talk

- young man realized how uncomfortable I was

- “thank you for coming; don’t feel bad; remember—God don’t make junk”

- contrast—this young man whom many consider junk in our world was telling me that just because I didn’t think that I did very well, I was not junk

+ God don’t make junk

- from the most insignificant person who died during this past minute to the child who was just conceived by a man and a woman

- everyone is important because God don’t make junk

+ One of the movies of the past that I think everyone should see is “Seabiscuit,” the story of a horse who could have been junk

- one line keeps going through the movie that is very apropos here and something that we can learn from:

- “You don’t throw away a whole life just because it’s banged up a little.”

- Jesus acted that out today; it’s a necessary lesson to learn for the Christian.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Secretariat" -- beginning session

THE HELP WE NEED

The Gospel

LUKE 8:1-3

LUKE 8:1-3

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

Gospelthink: Jesus had a lot of help from all the people who believed in him, men and women. Do I take the time to help the people that I can?

The movie "Secretariat" is the story of a horse, but it is the story of much more than a great animal. It is the story of the greatness of human beings who were able to discover the makings of a great racehorse. Penny Chenery Tweedy was a strong woman: she had given her life to building up a strong family, and when she suddenly became the owner of her father's horse farm, she saw the need to make the farm stronger than it was. She believed in herself (the subject of the final session of the meditation on the movie), but she knew that if she wanted to accomplish her goal, she needed more than that. She needed help. She chose a trainer, Lucien Laurin, a groom, Eddie Sweat, and a jockey, Ronnie Turcotte. And, of course, there was Secretariat himself, who was to become with the help of his human owners, the greatest racehorse in the history of the world.

The movie "Secretariat" begins with Penny Chenery Tweedy reciting a portion of chapter 39 of the book of Job from the Hebrew Scriptures that extols God's creation of a horse. "Do you give the horse his strength," God asks Job, "or clothe his neck with a flowing mane...He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing...he eats up the ground, he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds." Arguably God created no greater racehorse than Secretariat, winner of the Triple Crown, something that few horses accomplish.

But it is clear from the Hebrew Scriptures that God gave control of the world to human beings. There may have been something special about Secretariat, but there was something even more special about the people connected with Secretariat's life. That "specialness" resided in their belief in each other as they worked with this gifted racehorse. Penny Chenery Tweedy knew that in order to accomplish what she wanted to accomplish with her horses, she needed the help of others. She quite literally could not do it alone. Likewise one trainer or one groom or one jockey by themselves cannot create the goal of a winning racehorse. It took a belief in people, and a belief that people were absolutely necessary to bring out the best in a racehorse.

The lesson is obvious for a believer in God. Since God created everything there is, we must have a love for animals and nature, but especially we must have a respect for the importance of other human beings in our lives. Simply put, we need people. We need people to help us grow, to help us continue to grow, to help us in our lives, to help us when we grow old, to help us when we die. The human Jesus realized that fact in his life. Luke records in his Gospel that he sought out the help of not only the famous Twelve Apostles, but many others who were not so famous.

One of the major truths of our Christian belief is that other people must be important. Jesus constantly reminds us of the love that we should have for others, even people that do not agree with us. Closely connected to such a belief is the fact that we are not self-sufficient. We need the help of other people, and the people who understand such a truth will understand themselves a little better.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son taught us the importance of other human beings in the way we were to live on this earth. Help us understand how much we need others, even as we see the importance of loving them. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: In order to accomplish our goals, we need the help of others.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 58 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. The good news that Jesus preached was the good news of our salvation. Given the fact that we believe that Jesus offers salvation to all, what is another example of "good news" that we most need to hear about in today's world?
3. This Gospel is the only place that women are mentioned specifically as part of Jesus' band of followers. Women may not have been important in Jesus' time, but Jesus treats them with the respect that men received. Do you think that there is a prejudice against women in our world? Yes or no and why?
4. If you were told to prepare people to receive Jesus, what would you stress most? Why?
5. Project: present the story of Job.
6. In your opinion, what animal is the smartest animal in our world? Why?
7. Project: present the story of Genesis 1 and 2, showing God's words concerning how human beings were placed in control. Some people comment that God's action was a "mistake." In what ways would people see it as a mistake?
8. In general, do most people accept the help of others willingly? Yes or no and why?
9. In general, do you think that most people have a sincere interest in helping our environment? Yes or no and why?
10. In your opinion, do most people desire to be self-sufficient? Yes or no and why?
11. One of the most difficult things to deal with in life is the death of a parent. How can you help a friend who has suffered the loss of a parent?
12. Likewise, one of the most difficult things to deal with in life is parents who are old and have dementia. In general, what should children do when their parents are no longer able to function by themselves?
13. Scene analysis: Penny decides to keep the farm, and stay there off and on, obviously setting up a "problem" with her being gone at home. Should she have sold the horse farm, as everyone wanted her to? Yes or no and why?
14. Scene analysis: Penny fires her trainer. When should an employee be asked to leave?
15. Scene analysis: Penny's young son is with Penny when Secretariat is born. Why is it good for children to see animals be born?
16. Scene analysis: one of the children listens.as Penny and Jack argue about Penny's involvement in the horse farm. Why are children hurt when the parents disagree?
17. Scene analysis: Penny laughs, and she says that she hasn't laughed for a long time. There is a lot of tension in people's lives. What is the best way to work with tension?
18. Scene analysis: Penny calls her daughter as she is acting. Obviously, Penny still wants to be a good mother even though she is away a lot. Do young people understand when their parents have to "do their own thing"? Yes or no and why?
19. Scene analysis: the reporter asks the question: "Is that horse posing?" Do you think that animals have the ability to sense what is happening? Yes or no and why?
20. Dialogue analysis: Penny makes the decision not to sell Secretariat saying "You never know how far you go unless you run." Explain the meaning of the statement.
21. Scene analysis: Penny, Seth and Ham only get "no's" to their request for breeding rites for Secretariat. There are always setbacks in any undertaking, but Penny shows her determination. Given the circumstances, would you have sold Secretariat? Yes or no and why?