june 7

June 7

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Saturday, June 7, Easter Weekday

JOHN 21:20-25

There are so many things that I have said that are not recorded.

Prayerthoughts
a. “The one whom Jesus loved” is an apostle usually identified as John the apostle although it may not be. Peter is thinking of that apostle in this passage. It may have been jealousy on his part. Is there any jealousy of others in my life right now?

b. Peter’s thought of the other apostle may have been one of admiration. Who is the person I most admire right now and why?

c. Jesus responds that Peter should follow him and not be concerned about anyone else. Do we spend too much time thinking about what others should or should not be doing, judging them in the process?

d. Are we critical of God in our thinking, and instead of thanking God for God’s gifts, we criticize with the thought that God should not be working in such a way?

e. The Lord’s directive: “You follow me.” Where in my life should I follow the Lord more?

f. The evangelist says that the whole world would not be able to contain the books written about him. If I were to write a book about Jesus, what are some of the titles I might use? (This is the task of the meditation.)

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will answer letter f.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE CLOSE OF THE GOSPELS

+ As we close out the Easter season, the Liturgy discusses three close followers of the Lord—

- Paul, closing off his life of discipleship in prison, but a not a confining prison—

- he was free to preach and gather the Christians to speak to them

- he later was to die according to tradition under the persecution of the emperor Nero

- Peter and the apostle whom Jesus loved just before the Lord ascended into heaven

- Peter jealously looking at the other apostle, perhaps hoping that that other apostle will have the same fate as him

- and Jesus’s rather brusque statement to him that it is not his concern

- his concern was to follow the Lord: “You follow me”

+ And the liturgy gives us the close of John’s Gospel epilogue with a statement about what Jesus did and why

- “There are many other things that Jesus did…”

- the unwritten words are that Jesus’ character will never be matched

- studying Jesus from such an exalted point of view would lead a person to say that in John's opinion, no one would ever be able to define his character

- studying him from what he said and did in the world, one would have to say that no one loved people and cared for people the way he did

+ All of that can lead to a couple of conclusions as we anticipate the Holy Spirit’s presence with us tomorrow at Pentecost

1 – Paul was active at preaching the Christian message up to the very end of his life, never giving up even though he was in prison

- important for us to see that we are called as was Paul to “preach” the word by our lives, our thoughts, words and actions

- always making the Lord’s presence known in some way

2 – I think we should listen closely to Jesus’s somewhat of a rebuke to the impetuous Peter, namely “You follow me”

- our human natures have a tendency to judge others as we are going through something difficult

- we want others to feel the same, feel sorry for us or whatever

- the Lord’s statement to us—you follow the Lord’s teachings at every moment of your life and let God worry about others even as we pray for all

3 – the close of John’s Gospel is a great statement of the importance of Jesus in a Christian’s life

- the lesson for us is that we do not allow other things to be more important in our lives

- and we all know how difficult that is, given our world of plenty

+ The closing words of the last Gospel that was written give us the courage to proclaim that we are indeed a follower of Jesus.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Levitating" -- Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby

A RIDE IN THE GALAXY

The Gospel

LUKE 7:36-48

LUKE 7:36-48

A Pharisee invited [Jesus] to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Jesus said to him in reply ... “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Gospelthink: I forgave the repentant sinner who anointed me, while pointing out that there are people who insult me. Do I beg for forgiveness as I should and thus show great love?

"If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy and I can take you for a ride. I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm where the music don't stop for life, glitter in the sky, glitter in my eyes, shining just the way I like. If you're feeling like you need a little bit of company, you met me at the perfect time. You want me, I want you. I'm levitating."

Jesus experienced many relationships during his time with us on earth. Some of them might even be labeled as "romantic," though not in the sense that Jesus showed a love leading to marriage, but there were no doubt some who experienced a deep love relationship with him. One of them was the lady in Luke's Gospel. Luke describes her simply as the "sinful woman." As one reads the story, it is relatively clear that the woman showed her love for Jesus, a love that could constitute a deep love relationship. She felt good about that love relationship, and it became a "teaching experience" for the apostles as her emotions of love led her--as Jesus said--to a "great love."

Dua Lipa's song "Levitating" is all about the emotions of love and how they can guide a person toward true love of the other in the relationship. She is "levitating" she sings, that is, she is filled with the emotions of the moment, and it leads her to a rhythm of love where the music of love will never cease. It is a love that allows the feelings of love that the couple have to be a means to deeper love.

Songs of any genre of music often speak of the emotions of love. Sometimes they can lead the couple to actions which can hurt the couple in the long run, leading them into premature commitments. But emotions can also lead the couple to an even greater love than their beginning feelings.

Couples must study how their emotions of love affect each other. What should happen is defined by the "sinful woman" in Luke's Gospel. She came to "great love" because of her emotions. In life today, couples in love must allow their natural feelings of love to direct them to a stronger love than they have already.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your law of love is paramount in importance in our lives. Sometimes it is a romantic love with all the emotions that implies, and when it is, give us the grace to work with that love, directing it to a deeper meaning. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Feeling good about a relationship can help the relationship become stronger.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Levitating" teach young people?
2. In your opinion, are Christian people truly "forgiving" in their lives?
3. In your opinion, do most Christians show love of God and neighbor in their lives?
4. How long should "romantic love" last before a marriage commitment?
5. The meditation refers to times when romantic love can lead the couple to hurt one another. What are some examples that you can think of?
6. Not all good feelings about another leads to marriage. What is the most important element of love that must be present before a marriage?