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January 30

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, January 30

MARK 4:21-25

Judging Others

Prayerthoughts

a. Jesus tells a story that involves my being a light for others to see. Others observe me all the time whether I like it or not. Am I showing the virtues of Jesus to the world?

b. There is nothing that will remain hidden, nothing that will remain a secret. Are there some actions that I do that I would not like the majority of the world to know? Why?

c. The Lord states a phrase that he often uses, saying that we must truly hear what he says to us. Are there some sayings of the Lord that are too difficult for me to listen to?

d. We must also take care what we hear. Do I find myself listening to idle gossip and negative conversation about others, maybe even sometimes contributing to it? Perhaps I should say a prayer for those people that I have been too critical of. (This is the task of the meditation.)

e. The Lord speaks the “measure” proverb anticipating that we will do well as we try to judge others well, saying that “more” will be given to us. Indeed, do I try to use a good measure of others as I judge?

f. The Lord promises that the person who really tries to do well in judging others will be rewarded and the person who does not do well will not be rewarded. It is a little of a scare tactic from the Lord, and one we should listen to.

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will pray in particular for some people that I have not judged well in the past.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

LAMPS

+ The preacher of the Gospel will be rewarded for holding on unwaveringly to our confession, the letter to the Hebrews says

- Jesus, of course, is the primary element of “our confession” that we must hold on to

- and in the Gospel, Jesus is speaking with the thought that what he is proclaiming must be made known to others—he asks:

Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed?

+ Jesus’ statements are especially apropos to us who have said that we will follow the Lord in our lives as spiritual people

- we believe firmly that Jesus is the lamp whose light we have received

- and our “job” as Christian people in our world is to make his light palatable for others

- so that others can see that we have completely bought into Jesus in our lives

- and inspire them to do the same in one way or another

+ Another statement that Jesus makes in the Gospel is quite important for us to listen to:

Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.

- because we are trying to do something very special with our own Christianity, we would like others to do the same, because we are the lamps of Jesus now

- and therefore we have a tendency to judge others

- Jesus tells us that whatever measure we use, that is what will be used with us

- if we are strict with others and what we think they should be doing, the Lord will be strict with us

+ The Lord calls us to be lamps to the world, and lamps will only shine

- they will never judge whether anyone is using the light or not.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "The Black Panther" -- final session

BRIDGES INSTEAD OF BARRIERS

The Gospel

JOHN 20:19-22

JOHN 20:19-22

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit."

Gospelthink: My Father and I gave the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and to you. Do I show that I have received the Spirit by my thoughts, words and actions?

King T'Challa who had taken over for his father T'Chaka continued to rule the four tribes of Wakanda, but the fifth, the Jabari did not submit to his rule. 'T'Challa battled and defeated the Jabari leader M'Baku and established a delicate harmony in the country, allowing the Jabari leader to live. Meanwhile, "Killmonger," N'Jobu's son, made strong by vibranium, returned to Wakanda and challenged T'Challa to be "The Black Panther." T'Challa lost the battle and was thrown over a mountain, but was found alive and cared for by the Jabari tribe.. The new "Black Panther", "Killmonger," decided to empower the black people of the world to rule with violence just as his father had planned. However, T'Challa returned to the throne, rightly claiming that he had not yielded to "Killmonger." With the help of the Jabari tribe, Wakanda once again came under the rule of T'Challa after a battle between T'Challa and "Killmonger's" armies. Afterwards, T'Challa announced to the world that the nation of Wakanda would give up its isolationist stance and thus hopefully, try to bring peace to the world.

What does the Holy Spirit bring to the world? When Jesus gave the Spirit to his Apostles, He primarily gave them the gift of bringing peace to a world that needed it in the worst way. That world had wallowed in sin after God had brought the world into existence. The sin went by many names, notably selfishness and desire for power and worldly comfort. The world needed the peace that the Spirit would bring.

In terms of the movie "The Black Panther," the Spirit could easily be defined to be the desire of the Wakanda leaders to help the world as best they could. As T'Challa said to the United Nations: "Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this earth, should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe." The Wakandans knew that they had the means to help the world, and they were willing to sacrifice their own wants in favor of help to the world.

There is little doubt that the Wakandans had the highest motivation. And they had the means to do it. The vibranium-enriched country could easily lead the world into a new era of peace and fraternal harmony.

Of course, this is a story. Many would call it nothing more than a mere fantasy. Can a world as complicated as ours give up enough of ourselves to honestly take the time to lead itself to peace? It is the hope of Christians--you and I--in our own little worlds to bring about a Holy Spirit-inspired peace that perhaps a larger world could learn from.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son gave peace to our world in the form of Your Spirit. May we accept the challenge to bring about true peace in our own worlds and if possible, the larger world around us. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: If we have help for humankind, we must share it with the world.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 62 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why?
2. How does the world understand "peace" and how does it differ from the Christian ideal of peace?
3. As you study the world right now, what is the "greatest sin" that you observe?
4. What is the most striking part of the T'Challa's speech to the United Nations quoted above?
5. What must happen in our world to begin a world of peace?
6. Do you think that the world could "give up enough of ourselves" to bring about a lasting peace?
7. What does the movie "The Black Panther' teach young people?