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THE TOP 5
with
"guides for classroom use”
April 21, 2024
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SELFISH
Justin Timberlake
Under construction
CRUEL SUMMER
Taylor
Swift
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So a division occurred
in the crowd because of [Jesus]. Some of them even wanted to arrest
him, but no one laid hands on him. So the
guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did
you not bring him?” The guards answered, “Never before has anyone
spoken like this one.” So the Pharisees
answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the
authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which
does not know the law, is accursed.” Nicodemus, one of their members
who had come to him earlier, said to them, “Does our law condemn a
person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?”
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Gospelthink:
Nicodemus finally came to understand who I was.
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"Fever dream high in the quiet
of the night. You know that I caught it. Bad boy, killing me slow, out
the window, I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below. Devils roll the
dice; angels roll their eyes. What doesn’t kill me makes me want you
more. I’m drunk in the back of the car and I
cried like a baby coming home from the bar; said, ‘I’m fine,’ but it wasn’t
true; I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep
you. Oh, it’s a cruel summer. He looks up grinning like the
devil.”
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One of the most difficult aspects of
growing for an older adolescent and "twenty-something" is the act
of developing love relationships, and ultimately choosing one of them for
marriage. It is not easy because every one of us have different ways of
doing things and different ways of acting that we have learned from our
backgrounds. Everyone's personality is very different, and struggling to
allow our own personality to mesh with another is indeed quite difficult.
Taylor Swift's song "Cruel Summer" expresses those feelings quite
well. The initial reaction of her meeting her boyfriend is extremely
exhilarating: a "fever dream" that she "caught." But, as usually happens, the early relationship is shaky
and she has "secrets" that she is not sharing with him. And in
terms of their relationship, then the summer is "cruel," that is
their time together is difficult.
Searching the
Gospels for the same feeling. There may not be a romantic feeling as young
people have early on, but one finds a number of people who were attracted
to the personality and thought of Jesus Christ, but
needed time and patience to develop it. Nicodemus was one of them. He had
come to Jesus only at night, no doubt a little afraid of what his fellow
Pharisees might think of him. Then after the initial fear, he finally
worked up the courage to defend him as he and his fellow Pharisees were
discussing what to do concerning his ministry. It takes time to develop any
type of love relationship.
The lesson is absolutely necessary for our modern
world in which too many love relationships fall apart in bitterness and
hatred. Modern man and woman must spend time and patience as we develop our
romantic relationships with one another. If we manage to consider our
developing love relationships in a cautious way, our summers and our lives
will not be "cruel."
Most of us choose to get married as we live our lives in our complex world.
We must strive to see that our final choice will be one that is happy
forever, and in order to do that well, we must
give it time and patience.
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PRAYER
Good and gracious God, it is difficult to develop true love in
today's world because of our individual feelings. Therefore, we need your
help as we do it. Give us the grace to understand how to love well. Be with
us, we pray.
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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: Developing love relationships is difficult
and takes time and patience.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Cruel
Summer" teach young people?
2. Besides Nicodemus' bravery in the Gospel,
he brings up a good point: in general, why do people not listen to people
before they accuse them?
3. Analysis: the lady in the song is obviously feeling strongly about the
man. In general, do we tend to allow our emotions to dictate our behavior?
Yes or no and why?
4. In general, how much time should someone spend before he/she
makes a decision for a permanent commitment?
5. In your opinion, what is the principal cause of permanent commitment
breakdown in our society? Why?
6. In what ways has "divorce" hurt our world?
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GREEDY
Tate McRae
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BEING “TOO
GREEDY” IN LOVE
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Someone in
the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance
with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge
and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard
against all greed, for thought one may be rich, one’s life does not
consist of possessions.”
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Gospelthink: A follower of mine
will not be into greed.
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“He
says, ‘Are you serious,’ I’ve tried, but I can’t figure out; I’ve
been next to you all night and still don’t know what you’re
about.” But she says, “I would
want myself. Please believe
me. I’ll put you through hell
just to know me, so sure of yourself, don’t get greedy—that stuff
won’t end well.”
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Jesus knew
about being greedy. He understood that it was nothing more than
selfishness and so he warns those who follow him: “Take care to guard
against all greed.” It is significant that he says “all greed”
because greed not only applies to possessions which he mentions, but
understood generally, it applies to personal relationships as well.
Tate McRae’s
song “Greedy” applies to personal relationships with the lady in the
relationship saying to the man that he should not be greedy. That is, he should not be too quick
to pursue entering some type of commitment. She is not ready yet, and she is
telling him not to be so selfish as to not give her the time that is
needed to be sure of a permanent commitment. As she said of the song,
it was all about the confidence of the woman and about female
empowerment. That is, she decides when the commitment will be
made.
The lesson of
greediness therefore implies a two-fold thought. Not only should we
not follow the desire to have as many possessions as possible, but we
should control our selfishness and allow the significant others in
our relationships to make the decisions according to their desires.
Greed is
selfishness and selfishness is controlled by the understanding of
what is truly important in life.
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PRAYER
Good and gracious God, we are selfish
people in many ways. We want what we want whether speaking of
possessions or relationships. Give us the grace to completely
understand our desires, and to regulate them for better living. Be
with us, we pray.
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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM
PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: Greed can be seen not only in the desire for possessions, but
also in the pursuit of
relationships.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song
"Greedy” teach young people?
2. What is your
understanding of “being greedy”?
3. When do you think is
the best time to make a permanent commitment like marriage?
4. As a general statement,
do you think most people get married too young?
5. What do you think of
the actions of many people who simply live together instead of
marrying?
6. Why do people what more
and more “things”?
7. In your opinion, what
is the best way to control selfishness?
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BEAUTIFUL THINGS
Benson Boone
Under construction
NUMBER 1
LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims
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After Jesus had appeared to Mary of Magdala after they had
risen from the dead, “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned
and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which
means Teacher. Jesus said to her, ‘Stop holding on to me, for I have not
yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am
going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
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Gospelthink: Jesus
tells Mary of Magdala that he must give others his time. Do I take time to greet everyone?
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“Something’s got a hold of me lately, no, I don’t know
myself anymore, feels like the walls are all closing in and the devil’s
knocking at my door. Outta my mind, how many
times did I tell you I’m no good at being alone? It’s taking a toll on
me, trying my best to keep from tearing the skin off my bones. Don’t you
know I lose control when you’re not next to me. I’m falling
apart right in front of you. You’re breaking my
heart. You make a mess of me.”
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There are a couple places in Scripture where Jesus tells
someone not to stay physically close to him after a healing encounter.
One of them is after his resurrection. Mary Magdalene or Mary of Magdala
as John the evangelist calls her, after going to the tomb and finding it
empty, ran to tell the apostles Peter and the apostle closest to Jesus.
When they left after being baffled by the empty tomb, Mary stayed behind
quietly weeping. When Jesus appeared to her, she wanted to stay with him,
but Jesus tells her that she should go do the work of announcing his
presence.
In the love relationships of today, the idea of “holding on”
to the other in the relationship is a must after a permanent commitment
is made. But it can be problematic if the love relationship is just
beginning. Relationships that are only beginning are meant to
be times to discover possible partners. When it becomes a time of
“stalking” another, or “hanging on” to the other because of a desire to
make it permanent too soon, it can be detrimental to the growth of both
parties.
Teddy Swims seems to be singing of the latter case in his
song “Lose Control.” The man in the relationship has begun the
relationship and he has quickly determined that he wants the relationship
to last. But it seems that the other partner is not as
determined as he thinks the partner should be. And it seems to
have a disastrous effect on him.
Early romantic relationships are difficult, and often really hurtful because feelings are fickle. The caring
person must be aware of the feelings of people in early relationships and
be willing to help if necessary. And if we are involved in an
early romantic relationship, we must remember to respect the feelings of
the other partner no matter how we may feel.
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PRAYER
Good
and gracious God, it is a difficult time in our lives when we are
beginning to be romantically involved with someone. Give me
the grace to understand my feelings and the feelings of those involved in
relationships. Be with me, I pray.
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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM
PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: In an early relationship, we must watch that we do not become too
dependent on the other.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Lose Control" teach young people?
2. In John’s Gospel, Mary is
the first person to recognize Jesus. In today’s world, do people
“recognize” the importance of God in their lives? Yes or no and why?
3. What is the most important
indication that a couple should enter a permanent relationship?
4. What should a person do if
he/she feels that the other is “holding on” too soon?
5. In your opinion, when
should couples begin to date?
6. What is the most important
thing to discover in early relationships?
7. In your opinion, what is
the most difficult thing to learn as one tries to grow in love
relationships?
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