June 14

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Saturday, June 14

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 some situations in my life where I have said something, but did not follow through?

e. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read 2 Corinthians, chapter 5

and write an important thought.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

BEING AN AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST

+ One of the terms that Paul uses as he is describing his work with the Corinthians—and as a result our work as Christians in the world—is the term “ambassadors”:

“We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.”

- the text leads us to the very direct question of what kind of ambassador are we

- or some other ways of putting it:

- if the people close to us were asked to describe what we consider most important, what would it be?

- the term ambassador implies someone who is speaking on behalf of another; we should be speaking on behalf of Christ—

- if we were to ask our close friends who or what we speak for, would it be the Christian ideals?

+ There are many ways of looking at being the type of ambassador for Christ that we should be

- today’s liturgy suggests a couple

- Paul seems to sum up everything in one word: “reconciliation”

“God has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

- with two parts to it:

- God reconciling the world to himself through Jesus

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

- being an ambassador for Christ 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

- a person of reconciliation is a person who thanks God for the gift of redemption,

- and then becomes the minister of reconciliation to others—forgiving others, imploring others to forgive one another

+ Secondly, from the Gospel, the ambassador for Christ 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 ambassador for Christ 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 celebrate today the feast of someone who was a true ambassador for Christ—Barnabas who was one of the companions of Paul on his missionary journeys

- as an ambassador, no doubt, he practiced those two idea that we have been speaking of:

- he had an understanding of reconciliation

- and he was honest and sincere in the words that he spoke.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Walk Me Home" -- Pink

REST FROM WHAT IS GOING ON

The Gospel

MATTHEW 11:25-30

MATTHEW 11:25-30

Jesus said: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light."

Gospelthink: Some comforting words that I speak to you in particular (and everyone, of course). In my trials, have I come to the Lord the way I should?

"There's something in the way you roll your eyes, takes me back to a better time when I saw everything is good. But now you're the only thing that's good. Trying to stand up on my own two feet, the conversation ain't coming easily. And I know it's getting late, so what do you say we leave this place. Walk me home in the dead of night. I can’t be alone with all that’s on my mind. So say you’ll stay with me tonight ‘cause there is so much wrong going on outside."

A person of faith knows that love songs are quite appropriate to express the love that God has for the people of our earth. From the first moment of creation, it is clear that God loved the human race. God gave us everything that is good. And even after the human being messed things up with sin, God continued to love us through Jesus. And even further, God constantly reaches out to us through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus taught during his lifetime, therefore, God calls us to come and find rest.

Pink in her song "Walk Me Home" is looking for some type of rest and respite from "so much wrong going on outside." That wrong probably includes her relationship with her significant other in the song, saying "the conversation ain't coming easy," but it includes more than that. She can't be alone with all that is on her mind, she sings, probably signifying that she is suffering also from some type of discouragement caused by the wrong outside.

It is a double problem that she has, both her own relationship, and her experience with what might be called "the world outside." She is convinced that the other person in the relationship is going to help her conquer the negative feelings.

For the Christian, the person that should help us conquer the negative feelings is Jesus himself who tells us to come to him to find rest. It will cost a little, as he says, because there is a burden--we have to give ourselves to his judgment--but he assures us that the burden is light. One is led to believe that given our acceptance of Jesus in prayer and knowledge of his principles, we can help both the wrongs within and without.

Pink's song asks for help for herself by working with a relationship and also the world outside. Her significant other will certainly help, and together with her God help lighten any burden.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, through your Son, you promise help and rest from the burdens that hurt us. Give us the courage and grace to turn to you as well as other people as we try to improve our time here on earth. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We must have some help when we get too discouraged with what happens in the world.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Walk Me Home" teach young people?
2. In your opinion, do most Christians believe that they can turn to God in prayer for help?
3. Why is it difficult for Christians to turn to God in prayer?
4. When are the times when we understand that "everything is good"?
5. In your opinion, what is the most significant wrong that goes on "outside"?
6. In the meditation, what does it mean that we must give ourselves to Jesus' judgment?
7. In particular, what can a friend do to help the person in the song feel better than she does?