June 13

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Saturday, June 13

MATTHEW 5:33-37

I tell you to be truthful.

Prayerthoughts
a. Jesus demands of us a truthfulness that makes oaths unnecessary. Am I a truthful person, always seeking to find the facts of a situation before I give an opinion?

b. Realizing that there are times when situations demand that I do not tell the truth, do I find myself lying when it makes me look better in some situation?

c. I will be around others when speaking. Do I present myself always as a truthful person?

d. Jesus reminds me that if I say “yes” or “no,” that I should mean it. Are there somsituations in my life where I have said something, but did not follow through?

e. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read 1 Kings 19:19-21 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

BEING A TRUE FOLLOWER OF JESUS

+ The Hebrew Scriptures present for us a real proof that one will follow another

- Elisha is chosen by God to follow in the pathway of Elijah

- and in order to do it, he takes the utensils that he is working with, namely his oxen, and slaughters them

- signifying that he is giving up everything to begin a new task

- he could do nothing else now as he follows Elijah

+ There are many ways of looking at following the Lord

- today’s liturgy suggests a couple

- from the 1 Kings reading

- if we will follow someone, we will study what that someone was doing and make it our own

- Elijah was into reconciling the Israelites to God and so it is Elisha’s wish as well

- in the New Testament, we see God reconciling the world to himself through Jesus

- and we being reconciled to God through our actions with others

- being a true follower of Jesus implies therefore that we be people of reconciliation

- people who recognize what God has done for us through Jesus, and people who act out that reconciliation by being loving and caring human beings on behalf of others

+ Secondly, from the Gospel, the true follower of Jesus is going to be someone who is honest and straightforward in his/her dealings with others

- in the Gospel here from Matthew 5-7, Jesus is extolling what could be called the Law of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount according to Matthew

- and here he talks about oaths--

- at the time of Jesus, the Hebrew people were into taking oaths and swearing by something else that something was correct

- Jesus says that that is not necessary:

Do not swear at all…. Let your “Yes” mean “Yes,” and your “No” mean “No.”

- that is, the follower of Jesus is one who will see that his/her speech will always be honest and sincere

- a Christian’s speech or talk must be kind and caring toward all

+ We say that we are true followers of Jesus

- can we so dispose ourselves that we can’t do anything but follow the Lord?

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Summertime Sadness" -- Lana Del Rey

SADNESS IN LIFE

The Gospel

LUKE 4:31-37

Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

Gospelthink: Jesus's words in the Gospel have authority. Am I listening to the Gospels the way I should?

"Kiss me hard before you go. Summertime sadness. I just wanted you to know that you’re the best. I got my red dress on tonight, dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight, done my hair up real big beauty-queen style, high heels off, I’m feeling alive. I feel it in the air, telephone wires above are sizzling like a snare. I’m on fire, I feel it everywhere, nothing scares me anymore. I’ve got that summertime sadness."

According to psychologists, there are six basic emotions that we must deal with as human beings: happiness, anger, surprise, fear, disgust and sadness. The most difficult for us personally may be sadness. It is a feeling, a mood, that can completely overwhelm us. The worse form of sadness is probably depression, a disease that must be treated with professional therapy. Sadness is more of a general feeling that will eventually pass with time. But while it is part of our lives, it tends to dominate our thinking and acting.

Sometimes it is good to be sad, as when we become sad about the evil in our world. Sometimes it is a feeling that comes from the circumstances of our lives. Lana Del Rey's song "Summertime Sadness" presents sadness that comes as the result of a desired love which is not working out. She is losing someone that she loves, and her life will be difficult. At the same time, she is beginning to feel alive again. In the video, it is clear that the lady in the song is preparing to die. The song could also mean that she is overcoming the sadness and will live a happier life.

How ever we interpret the song, people in sadness must have something to help them. Jesus looked at the people who were in a state of sadness when he walked on our earth. He saw people who were in need of something that would control evil spirits, both those who settled in individuals and in general. He spoke his word and gave hope to the sadness that inhabited the earth.

Humankind at the present time must have the same hope. There are many "sadness-es" that engulf us. Jesus gives us his word, enabling us to have the hope to carry on. At the same time, our God has given us other means to help the sadness--the kind words of a friend, the gentle direction from a inspired leader, the fundamental understanding of what life really is, and other helps that are personal to every individual circumstance.

We must have help to withstand the sadness in life; we are encouraged that God has given it to us.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son sensed our sadness in life, and so he spoke with authority and power, giving us hope. Enable us to study the sorrows we feel, and help us realize that you will continue to help us. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL FULFILLMENT

Theme: We must be prepared for sadness in life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Jesus observed the Sabbath as all good Jewish people. Why do many Christians not attend Church on Sundays?
2. An "unclean spirit" in the Gospels is often a general description of some illness. In our world today, what do you consider to be the worst of all of our problems?
3.The Gospel passage makes a point about the power of Jesus' word. In your opinion, do the Christians of our world honestly follow the word of Jesus as written in the Gospels? Yes or no and why?
4. What are some "summertime sadness-es" in the lives of people in our world today?
5. What are the ways to "feel alive" in our lives?
6. In the song, as mentioned in the meditation and is clear in the video, the lady may be preparing to end her life. What is the best way to help a friend who is thinking of suicide?
7. Project: go through each of the basic emotions, giving examples from every day living.
8. Do you agree that the most difficult emotion for us personally is sadness? Yes or no and why?
9. As you study the words of the song (without the video), what is your interpretation of the song? Why?
10. In what way did Jesus give hope to the people of this earth?
11. What does the song “Summertime Sadness” teach young people?