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GospelThink

September 5

[media presentation below]

Friday, September 5

Luke 5:33-39
Fasting

Prayerthoughts

a. Spiritual practice includes some type of fasting, whether from food or things (such as television, Facebook, etc.). Do I spend too much time with created things?

b. Jesus gives a new meaning to fasting. It involves not the old idea of restraint, but the new idea of love of God. When I am asked to fast (by Church law), do I spend the time when I am fasting to turn to God in prayer?

c. The bridegroom, Jesus, is never taken away from us in the sense that the Lord is always with us. Do I acknowledge the Lord’s presence during the day as often as I should?

d. Jesus’s approach to life is something new. How do I describe the Lord’s law in general?

e. New wine is poured into fresh wineskins. I must adjust my life to what the Lord wants. At this time in my life, what should I change the most?

f. My prayerthoughts….

Today, I will read Colossians 1:15-20 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE NEW TEACHING OF JESUS

+ Jesus’ response to the scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel today was a statement that he was establishing a new teaching, a new and up till then, unheard of, concept

- what he called in his preaching, the Kingdom of God

- defined roughly as a time of God’s presence on earth that was to culminate eventually with union of God in heaven

- and while here on earth, it had to be understood as different from the religious teaching of the scribes and Pharisees

- such a teaching did not go over well with the scribes and Pharisees obviously

- Jesus was intimating that their religious beliefs—that which they had given their lives to—was inadequate or lacking in some way

- Jesus in this Gospel tells them that although there may be some elements that are the same, for the most part, you can’t put “new wine”—his teaching—into “old wineskins”—the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees

+ As we apply this thought to our situations today,

- generally, we are not into any fights about our religious beliefs

- for the most part, the people of our United States whom we interact with are all Christian in one form or another—they accept the new teaching of Jesus Christ concerning the Kingdom of God

- it is embarrassing however that even though we profess the one Christianity, there are so many different belief systems

- we have the new teaching of Jesus, but it hasn’t led us to unity like it should

+ But I don’t think that that is the real problem with Christianity today—with the new wineskins of the Kingdom of God that Jesus talked of

- we can live and accept different belief systems as long as they are basically Christian or even Jewish—what we call in the United States, the Judeo-Christian belief system

- I think our problem as spiritual people is the influence of the world outside and everything that it offers

- the world is basically offering too much

- too much pleasure, too much power, and too much money

- those are the “wineskins” that the world would like to pour its wine into, so to speak

- in general, our human natures want what the world has to offer—the teaching of the world, if you will

- and it is a difficult task to keep our human natures in control

+ You and I profess the new teaching of Jesus,

- the belief that we are all working to establish the Kingdom of God in our lives right now

- that teaching is at odds with the teaching of the world

- our call is to be aware of that, and continually work to keep our spiritual balance as we live in the world.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "No Time to Die" -- final session

THE ULTIMATE GIFT

The Gospel

JOHN 15:12-17

Jesus said, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love that this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. I was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.

Gospelthink: My first practical commandment is that you show love to everyone. Have I managed to keep the commandment?

In the movie "No Time to Die," James Bond reestablished his relationship with Madeleine after discovering that she had not betrayed him. Lyutsifer Safin who was the real evil managed to infect Madeleine with the virus that killed Blofield, the leader of Spectre. In reality, Safin had directed all of the evil, even overpowering Spectre. Eventually, M and Q in MI6 headquarters enabled Bond to infiltrate the island in which Safin had set up his operation. Safin had set up the island to facilitate the manufacture of the virus in order to conquer the world, a virus that Obruchev of MI6 had invented, but Safin had taken over. Of course, as in all of the Bond movies, James Bond wins in the end, but this time after he has killed Safin, freed Madeleine and arranged for the destruction of the island where Safin had manufactured the virus, he was trapped. Having discovered that Madeleine was the mother of his child, he willingly died with the love of Madeleine and his son in his mind.

What would we do if we were in a situation that required us to die on behalf of another? Jesus, our redeemer, made such a decision. Paul the Apostle describes Jesus' death this way: "Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-7)" Jesus died for humankind, even though in many ways we did not love God the way we should, and could be called "sinners." James Bond's gift to Madeleine was given in the context of one who loves; it was not only the gift of love, but it was the ultimate proof of the gift of love. As Jesus reminded his followers, there is no greater love.

Again, the original question, what would we do if we had to die for another? We obviously do not know the answer because we are not in such a situation, and we do not know how we would act. We know we have great examples of people who have loved to such an extent, and we have seen it enacted on the movie screen. Usually the dying for another is in a romantic context as in the movie "No Time to Die," but as Jesus describes it, this type of love ought to be part of every believer in Jesus Christ on behalf of anyone else. It is a difficult doctrine. In fact, in today's world, some might even call it and impossible doctrine.

Knowing that such proofs of love exists is only part of the answer. Perhaps our principal concentration must be on managing to love everyone as completely as we can. Then, if the ultimate is required of us, we would be ready to show it.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son died for us, the ultimate statement that he loved us. We were not worthy of such devotion to us. Help us learn the lesson of love in such a way that if we were asked to give our lives for someone else, we would be able to do it. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: In the end, the way to die is to give up our life for love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 77 minutes)
1. What scene during this session is most striking and why?
2. Concerning the Lord's directive to love everyone, do Christians even try to follow it?
3. Looking at this movie from the point of view of the end of this series of James Bond movies, what is the principal lesson that James Bond gives the world?
4. Do you think that most good Christians would die on behalf of another?
5. Besides, Jesus who is the best example of someone willing to die for another?
6. If everyone truly loved one another, what is the first thing that would change in our world?
7. What does the movie "No Time to Die" teach young people?