never

June 19

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, June 19

MATTHEW 6:7-15
I teach you what you have come to call the “Our Father.”

Prayerthoughts
a. There are no doubt many prayers that I “read” or “recite by heart” and I do not pay attention to the words that I should—what might be called “babble.” I should review the formal prayers that I pray and determine to pay attention to the words that I use.

b. Our God knows what we need. When we pray to God, we are the ones that change, not God. Our prayer in every instance is something that should help us understand that God is working for us.

c. Our prayer should include praise of God. For what things should I praise God most of all? (This is the task of the meditation.)

d. I pray that my place on earth be made into the kingdom in heaven. What should I do in my life to make it more in tune with the heavenly kingdom?

e. I pray for what I need daily. What are the daily needs that I must have? Do I thank God enough for them?

f. I pray the word “forgive.” The Lord even reminds me at the end of the prayer. Who should I forgive most at this time of my life?

g. I pray that my life may be free from evil. What are the evils that surround me most that I should avoid?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will carry out letter c.

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Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

JESUS TEACHES US HOW TO PRAY

- As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he was most anxious that the true Gospel be taught

- an understanding of Jesus that was true

- the Corinthians in Paul’s day did not understand completely, and there are many in our own day who do not

- part of the understanding of Jesus is understanding what he says about prayer

+ He wanted his followers to pray to God for what they wanted with the assurance that God knows what they want and need already

- that is no insignificant statement

- because God knows what we need in our lives, it really doesn’t matter what we say

- we are phrasing our prayer for our sakes, not for God’s

+ And Jesus tells us exactly how we should be thinking as we address God in prayer as we analyze the Our Father

- there must first of all be praise of God

- God is more important than we are, and we must humbly and intentionally acknowledge God’s importance up front

- not easy since we want to dictate to God what should be done

+ And once we have praised God, only then should we petition God for the things that we think we need

- primarily spiritual, that is, for the Kingdom of God to be alive in our hearts

- then, we must ask for daily help for ourselves and deliverance from the evil around us

- with the implicit statement that we will avoid that evil

- also when we pray, it may not seem like we receive, but it really happens, as the Lord tells us in another place of Scripture

- it must all be understood with Jesus’ statements about what is good

- God will give us only good

- and only God knows what is really good

- stone/loaf; snake/fish

- the prayer of petition will always be answered

- and part of the prayer of petition is that we understand that God’s answer will be good for us

+ Also, as we pray, we must remember the Lord’s directive to love others

- Jesus places the forgiveness idea both in the prayer itself

- and then reiterates it afterwards, as if to bring home the point

+ Jesus wants us to pray, but he wants us to understand the prayer that we pray.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Never Be the Same" -- Camila Cabello

WE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

The Gospel

JOHN 14:1-6

JOHN 14:1-6

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way." Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Gospelthink: As I told my disciples, so I tell you: I will come back for you, and in the meantime, I am the guide for you. Is it clear by my actions that the Lord is present in my life?

"Something must’ve gone wrong in my brain. Got your chemical all in my veins, feeling all the highs, feeling all the pain. Now I’m seeing red, not thinking straight, blurring all the lines, you intoxicate me, just like nicotine, heroin, morphine. Suddenly, I’m a fiend and you’re all I need. Just one hit of you. I’ll never be the same."

Camila Cabello's song “Never Be the Same" is a love song and is intended to be a statement on behalf of the one loved. The man in the relationship is all the lady needs, the woman in the song sings, and, from her point of view, if only she and he could be together for the rest of their lives, their lives would be happy, and "never be the same" as it was before their relationship. He is so important to her that he will affect the rest of her life.

This love song can enable us to turn our minds to a world that is in need of help. As we study the feelings of the lovers, we can ask the question, “What is all we need?” The Christian should answer with the thought of Scripture, “Jesus is all that we need; he is the way, the truth and the life.”

For Jesus to be real, the Christian must truly accept him as the way, truth and life with all that the phrase means. It means that we will never be the same as before we knew him. It means that we Christians will deliberately break the addiction to violence that we have; it means that we will control the pleasure that can get out of hand; it means that we will not allow money to be a god for us; it means that Christians will accept the personal responsibility to change some of their sinful behaviors.

After the tragedies that have happened in our world, after the terrorism attacks and the killings in schools, after the retaliatory wars that are initiated, we wonder whether we are recognizing that we have a problem. The problem may be simply that we are lost and that we have accepted no direction from anyone besides ourselves. Every Christian must acknowledge that Jesus and what he has given to us is the solution. He really is the way, the truth and the life. He is “all that we need.”

Love songs can easily teach us how to look at our world. As lovers realize what each of them mean to each other, they understand that each will have a noticeable affect on how each of them thinks. They are guided by their love. When a Christian looks at the world, and they are guided by the love that they have for the Lord, the world will change and never be the same as before they knew about him.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, as we study the love songs of our day, may we learn that Your Son has shown us Your love and therefore we can never be the same once we know You. Your Son is the truth that we accept. It is His life that we should imitate. Help us see that we must accept Him totally into our lives. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: When a person is important to us, that person will have an effect on us.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In your opinion, have most Christians honestly chosen Jesus as the way, the truth and the life? Yes or no and why?
2. What do most couples need in a loving relationship?
3. In our past, what are some things that affect the rest of our lives?
4. What does the world need most?
5. How does a Christian bring the teaching of Jesus to the world?
6. In your opinion, will the world ever accept completely the teaching of Jesus? Why or why not?
7. What does the song "Never be the Same" teach young people?