TGIMMPompeii

October 8

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, October 8

LUKE 11:5-13

I continue to teach you about prayer.

Prayerthoughts
a. The Lord introduces this prayer of petition presentation with the thought of persistence. Am I persistent in my prayer, praying with the knowledge that the Lord is listening?

b. Every prayer that I say to the Lord will be answered. Do I pray with that thought in mind? A prayer of thanksgiving to God would be in order here.

c. Again God answers every prayer. Jesus reiterates it twice here. It is very important then that I know this because there are times in my life when I doubted it. What were some of those times, and how have they been resolved?

d. God knows more than I do. In my prayer of petition, I may be asking for things that would have been harmful to me. What are some examples of the past when I prayed for something, but God saw that it should not be given to me?

e. Sometimes our prayer of petition actually asked for something evil and we did not know it, but the Lord did. What is my reaction to a prayer that does not seem to be heard by God?

f. The Lord knows what is best for me--he promises the Holy Spirit--and so my prayer of petition for whatever I desire must close with “,,,but You know better than I.”

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Galatians 3:1-5 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE PRAYER OF PETITION/THANKSGIVING

+ As one listens to Paul berate the Galatians

- he really is wondering about them: “have you gone out of your minds” and “how could you be so stupid?”—

- how disturbed he was about the fact that the Galatians did not follow through with what they learned

- and what they learned was how important the Spirit was and not the law

+ Jesus says that the Spirit will be given to those who seek God and ask for God’s help

- it is a classic statement on petitionary prayer, and some important elements:

+ 1 – Jesus starts off with a statement about persistence

- how important it is to keep petitioning, keep asking things of God

- it makes the person who asks realize that he/she must have God’s help

- and it makes them realize that God is in charge

+ 2 – That God will answer

- there will be some answer that God gives to the prayer of petition

- we can count on that

+ 3 – That God will answer with the Holy Spirit, that is, with good things

- the most important part of the prayer of petition

- the whole discussion of knowing that sometimes we will not be asking for the good

- the snake/fish and scorpion/egg statement

- God will not give us evil, even if we think it is good

+ 4 – A conclusion to all of this:

- we can look at the prayer of petition as only a prayer of thanksgiving:

- as believers, we ask for God’s grace – ask, seek, knock

- when we do, God is going to give us good no matter what

- we see how things work out as we try to bring about what we ask of God

- knowing that God will help us as we “do our part”

- and so we see what happens as God’s answer

- we thank God for what God has sent to us, whatever it is

+ The prayer of petition is more than asking and receiving

- it is the understanding that God will always give good to those who ask

- and being thankful for it.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "A Bar Song” (Shaboozey)

THE IMPORTANCE OF RELAXATION

The Gospel

JOHN 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So, they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So, they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an interior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

Gospelthink: Jesus’s first miracle was worked so that some people could relax better.

“Someone, pour me up a double shot of whiskey. They know me and Jack Daniel's got a history. There's a party downtown, near 5th Street. Everybody at the bar gettin' tipsy. I've been boozey since I left, I ain't changin' for a check. Woke up drunk at 10 am, we gon'[na] do this stuff again. Tell your girl to bring a friend.”

John the evangelist presents the setting of a marriage to be the place of Jesus's first miracle. Often cited by Christian authors as a miracle enacted at Jesus's mother's request, the setting of the miracle is important as well. Jesus and his apostles were celebrating the wedding of some people that they probably knew. As Jesus blessed the marriage with his presence, he was also blessing the marital activity, and therefore, Jesus in a sense, is blessing the fun that people were having, and in particular blessing the fact that the people were drinking alcohol, since he provided more of it. And, maybe to excess.

Many modern songs speak of having fun and in particular by using alcohol. Shaboozey’s song “A Bar Song” is just that—a song that can easily be part of a raucous group of people gathered around an alcoholic bar while partaking of the drink that is present in abundance at that bar.

The question must be asked by the Christian: did Jesus want what happens to a group of people as they consume large amounts of alcohol? Did he want the drunkenness and the sexual interaction that often takes place when people are having fun with alcohol? Did he want people to allow the effects of alcohol to cause the pain that often happens because of the misspoken words and misguided actions that happen when people have too much alcohol to drink?

Obviously, the answer must be in the negative. No, Jesus did not want that. First of all, Scripture scholars speak of wedding celebrations in Jesus’s day as being totally different from the type of celebrations when modern people typically speak of parties with too much alcohol. Secondly, the same evangelist who reported the miracle at Cana also says to a sinful woman, “Go, and from now on, do not sin any more” (John 8:11). Jesus did not bless the wine so that people would sin. He blessed the wine because he wanted a married couple to enjoy a time with their friends.

Jesus knew about human nature. And therefore he knew the importance of relaxation. He knew that it was important because it helps us deal with stress and therefore it improves our health. He knew that we reduce the risk of stress-related health problems such as heart disease and dementia. Likewise, he knew that relaxing could be easy and enjoyable. Believers know that Jesus was divine, but they also know that as a human being, he understood our needs, not only in a spiritual way, but materially as well.

Jesus called us to be responsible people. Yes, it is good to relax, but we must also know that too much of a good thing is no longer good.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we know the importance of following you through Your Son. As we learn to help our human bodies with relaxation in our lives here on earth, give us the grace to truly understand our personal responsibilities as well. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: There are times to relax, but we must remember to relax in a mature manner.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "A Bar Song" teach young people?

2. How can we help an alcoholic friend in our world today?

3. Do songs like “A Bar Song” cause more drinking in our world today? Yes or no and why?

4. The meditation makes the point that we should drink alcohol responsibly. Exactly what does that mean?

5. Is drinking alcohol a problem among the young people under 18 today? Yes or no and why?

6. In general, what is the best way for people to relax in our world?