may 28

May 28

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, May 28

JOHN 16:12-15

The Spirit that I will send will instruct you.

Prayerthoughts
a. The apostles were not ready to hear the complete message of Jesus. I have the advantage of having the whole message. As I study the Christian message, what are the most important messages and how do they apply to me?

b. The Holy Spirit will guide us to truth, meaning the truth of Jesus. But speaking in general of truth, am I a truthful person always? What are the times when I am not truthful and honest?

c. The Holy Spirit will guide us to the message of Jesus. What are the different guides to my life right now? The Christian message should be the most important guide, but is it truly? Who or what do I truly follow?

d. Once we have received the Christian message, we will be part of the Trinity—God, Son and Spirit. Do my actions, say yesterday, show that I am truly part of God’s direction?

e. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Acts of the Apostles 17:15,22–18,1 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

+ Paul, in a beautiful sermon in the city of Athens during the second missionary journey

- speaks of the God that Paul now makes known to the Athenians

- it is the God in whom we move and have our being

- that God was the God that Jesus talked about, his “Father” as he calls him in John’s Gospel

- it is that same God who together with Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, as Jesus describes it in the Gospel

+ If we really believe in this God, we can expect many things

- one of them would be guidance

- specifically, Jesus says in the Last Supper discourse, guidance to the truth

- Jesus saying that

The Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth.

+ Our Christian mind will lead us to the question of just what is that truth that that Spirit will guide us to?

- Paul gives the fundamental theological truth in the sermon to the Athenians

- we must turn to the God who is now known to us, the God who is not made by human hands

+ Such a truth is not only “theological,” but it leads to something quite practical

- Paul also gives that in his sermon to the Athenians

- we must repent, that is, reform our lives according to the teachings of that God in whom we live and have our being

+ As believers, we have accepted the truth—the God of the universe, as Paul describes him

- we have accepted Jesus and the Holy Spirit as Jesus describes it during the Last Supper discourse

- acceptance of theology is not our problem

- our problem comes in the practical side of theology

- repenting

- acknowledging that we are sinners, and then attacking the sources of sinfulness that are part of our lives

- the anger, the words, the judgment of others, the bitterness, etc.

+ We are privileged to have the truth, and believe it

- now we are called to live out that truth in practical spiritual lives.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "As It Was" -- Harry Styles

IT'S JUST US

Te Gospel

LUKE 13:1-5

LUKE 13:1-5

Some people who were present there told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did."

Gospelthink: Accidents happen; it is not a sign of punishment. It is a sign to be aware that you need to repent, and there is still time. How much time do I spend on improving my life?

“Holdin' me back, gravity's holdin' me back. I want you to hold out the palm of your hand. Why don't we leave it at that? Nothin' to say when everything gets in the way. Seems you cannot be replaced and I'm the one who will stay. In this world, it's just us. Answer the phone, "Harry, you're no good alone. Why are you sitting at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?" Ringin' the bell, and nobody's coming to help. Your daddy lives by himself. He just wants to know that you're well. In this world, it's just us. You know it's not the same as it was."

Studying Harry Styles' song "As It Was" is an interesting endeavor. According to the people who write about such things as they study a song, the song is about his relationship with fame and how his life is not "the same as it once" since he has entered the public eye. That certainly is a plausible explanation. But there may be another way to interpret it.

There is no doubt that something in the person in the song's life has called for a change. "In this world," he sings, "there's just us." He has had a relationship with something or someone in the past, and it is over now, and so he must change. It can be viewed as a call to be better now that the change is made. He will have to accept the situation and then move on. Hopefully, he will move on to something better.

In the Gospels, Jesus was confronted with evil and the accidents of life. His attitude was one of acceptance by trying to change what he could. But mainly Jesus was interested in what could be learned. He is told of the deaths brought about by Pilate and the accident at Siloam and he taught his followers that such things will happen in life. The important thing is that we learn from it, and be willing to change as a result. In Jesus's mind, it amounted to repenting for sin.

There are difficult moments in life. Change has been brought about for some reason. The follower of Jesus will accept those changes, but especially she/he will learn from them--what does it teach me? Why am I reacting the way I am (sitting on the floor by myself, taking pills, as Harry Styles sings)? But especially what should I do in the future to make myself and my situation better?

Our personal worlds can be better than they were before the change that has happened. But it is up to us. We must make the effort.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, there are many things in my life that change the way it was before. Help me to adjust to those changes well, learn from them, and then move on to something better. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Change happens in our lives and we must be accepting of the new direction, and make our lives better.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "As It Was" teach young people today?
2. What evil or wrong has happened recently in our world, and what can we learn from it?
3. The song could describe a breakup of a relationship. What can be learned from a breakup?
4. In general, do most people handle "fame" and "stardom" well? Yes or no and why?
5. How does one "accept" a change that is unexpected?
6. In your opinion, do we try to be better after a change has happened in our lives?