October 29

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, October 29

LUKE 13:22-30
The Narrow Gate

Prayerthoughts

a. The Lord does not answer how many will be saved. Am I too concerned about whether I will have eternal life, and neglect the people around me?

b. The Lord uses some strong language to remind me that I should enter through the narrow gate, that is, I should be dedicated in my approach to my spiritual life. Am I following the “narrow gate” idea as I work on my spiritual life?

c. We don’t like to consider the possibility of our exclusion from the Lord—such as “I do not know where you are from.” I should take the time right now to ask forgiveness when I have rejected the Lord.

d. Perhaps we are taking the Lord for granted in the sense that we may think of him frequently. But have we truly shown Christian actions, for example yesterday?

e. The Lord uses a “scare tactic” saying that we will be “cast out.” Are there any moments of my life now in which I have not followed the Lord’s wishes?

f. We like the idea of being “first,” but maybe we are too proud in our thinking. In what ways can I be more humble?

g. My prayerthoughts...

Today, I will read Romans 8:26-30 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE NARROW GATE

+ The question asked of Jesus today is interesting:

Lord, will only a few people be saved?

- it is important to see Jesus’s response / because he did not answer the person

- rather than give a number or spend time with the question, Jesus continues to teach

- in order to be saved, he says, a person must enter by the narrow gate

+ The image of the narrow gate, the idea of discipline

- means that a person must work in order to gain eternal life

- in particular, Jesus’s difficult words: just because you spend time with me or think about me doesn’t mean that much

- if a person does not make an effort at becoming a good human being who not only knows the concepts that Jesus taught, but is one who wants to put them at work, then that person will not gain the Kingdom

+ Involved here is a basic question concerning Christian maturity for Christian people in our world today—you and me

- are we entering through the narrow gate, that is, learning this discipline, this self-discipline process so that life and love can happen?

- we may not be controlling ourselves

- practically, what does this idea of control and discipline and entering by the narrow gate involve?

- Paul, in the letter to the Romans, gives a general rule for the way we are to live: all things work for good for those who love God

- so, our goal must be to love God, and if we do, everything will work for our good

- and that means very practical things

- it might mean things like:

- buying less material goods and giving the money to the poor

- deliberately setting up a time to pray and read the Gospels every day

- in general, it means controlling selfishness which is the principal destroyer of the spiritual life

+ The fact is that we must enter the spiritual life by the narrow gate, that is, practice a little discipline in order to have better control of our lives

- it is not easy, but it is the word of Jesus Christ

- we must move ourselves to see what we can do, and then do it.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Aquaman" -- final session

WE MUST HAVE HELP

The Gospel

JOHN 3:13-15

Jesus said, "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life."

Gospelthink: I remind you that you must honestly believe in me and what I have done. Have I accepted everything the Lord has said and done for me?

Princess Mera and Arthur, now Aquaman, have teamed up to fight against Arthur's half-brother Orm, but they met defeat after defeat. They finally had to flee and seek out a means to defeat Orm and his army. They sought a trident that will help defeat Orm. (Orm had already defeated Arthur and had smashed his mother's trident which Arthur possessed.) They attempted to discover something that will help defeat Orm from attacking the surface world. At one time they were rescued by Atlanna, Arthur's mother who gave them confidence to carry on their fight. Finally they discovered a special trident with Atlanna's help. Together they fought the enemies of the surface, and won, but Aquaman allowed Orm to live. Eventually Arthur was crowned the king and protector of the land and the seas, although it is clear that Orm will come back if he possibly can.

The Scriptures often say to us that we who are human need help. In the Hebrew Scriptures at one time as the Israelites were wandering in the desert before they were allowed into their Promised Land, they were bitten by serpents that killed some. After consulting with his God, Moses directed them to "make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; and it shall come about that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live" (Numbers 21:8). Jesus refers to that instance saying that He would be mounted on a standard called the cross, and everyone who looks at it will be saved.

The whole message of the Christian Scriptures is that we need help in order to have the life that we seek. We all desire eternal life with God, and the help that we must have in order to achieve it is the person of Jesus, the "Son of Man." If we look on the Lord's cross and believe in what He did for us, we will have the help we need.

It was obvious that Princess Mera and Aquaman were going to need help. At one time in the movie "Aquaman," they had to hide in a mouth of a whale, and they finally had to flee to the Sahara desert which once was an ocean. They were looking for the special trident, that is a sword-like weapon that would help them defeat Orm and his armies. To find it, they had to have the help of Atlanna and others before Arthur could finally use it to become the king.

Whether we are dealing with fantasy or real life, one of the important facts is that we must have help in order to live. We cannot depend on ourselves alone. In real life, we must see that there are people that will always help us. In the spiritual life, we must be aware that looking upon the cross of Jesus and believing in him, will give us ultimately what we all desire.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son is ultimately the help that we must have in order to live well. Give us the grace to turn to You through Your Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit so that our lives can be better here on earth and later in eternal life with you. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: If we want to save our world, we will need help.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 67 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. What does the movie "Aquaman" teach young people?
3. Analysis: Atlantean people show no forgiveness. What is the result of a world that would show no forgiveness?
4. Mounting a serpent on a pole makes a cross. Already in the Old Testament, the cross became of symbol of salvation. We see the cross everywhere in our lives: our jewelry, our decorations, etc. Do you think that we have the proper understanding of the Christian cross? Yes or no and why?
5. Many Christians feel as though God has not given them the help they need. How would you answer someone who requests your help to explain how God answers prayers?
6. There are some people who will say that they do not need help. Is there anyone on earth who really does not need help? Yes or no and why?
7. What are the principal helps that young people have in order to live better lives?
8. The spiritual help we need comes from believing in what Jesus has done for us through the cross. In your opinion, do most Christians believe the way they should? Yes or no and why?