[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, August 28 MATTHEW 23:13-22 The religious leaders missed the whole message of religion and were not open to change  as I gave it to them. Prayerthoughts a. This section of Matthew’s Gospel (beginning here) takes to task the religious leaders of   the Lord’s time. In general, in Jesus’s mind they act like they are pious and prayerful, but in reality, they are not. Is hypocrisy part of my life at all? b. The scribes and Pharisees went to great lengths to convince others of their way of belief.  How convincing am I of my way of belief as seen in, say, my actions yesterday? c. Jesus takes the scribes and Pharisees to task in how they “swear” that something is true. Are my words completely honest? And if they are not, why am I being dishonest, and  how should I change? d. Elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel (5:34), Jesus says that taking oaths or “swearing by….” is not necessary if we have given our whole lives to the Lord and his teachings. As I    considered my actions yesterday, where could I have been more convincing of my Christian belief? e. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will ready 1 Thessalonians, chapter 1, and write an important thought from it .Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE TEACHERS WE SHOULD BE  + Matthew chapter 23 continues Jesus’s and Matthew’s strong words against the Scribes and Pharisees           –  this is the roughest language that Jesus uses in the Scriptures                      – and therefore important to study why he is using the language                                – why did he feel so strongly?                                          – these were religious leaders who were not leading well                                                    – making a mockery of religion, making it something that you do instead of something that you live  + Here, in particular, the Scribes and Pharisees were not the teachers that they should have been           – they were frauds                      – blocking their own and other people’s entrance into the Kingdom                      – making devils of people  + In contrast to the language of condemnation, we hear Paul speak in terms of praise for the Christian church of Thessalonica           – and in particular, their faith and their labor of love  + As we make applications from our readings today:           1 – the whole question of the way we influence others comes to mind                      – we may not be formal teachers                                – but we do touch people’s lives and we are teachers of our families, to be sure                                          – that accusation of making “devils” of people is especially disturbing                                                    – that is, leading them to sin, as, say, in the area of criticism of others, talking others down, etc.           2 – as Paul praises the Thessalonians, he remembers their work of faith and labor of love and their hope in Jesus                      – the thought of “labor of love” is a good one                               – that should be the driving force of a Christian’s life, namely to live the labor of love  + We are all called to be people who labor with love, teachers of God’s way to others           – it is good to study ourselves in that light. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Unstoppable” — Sia SHARING INTIMATE FEELINGS The Gospel JOHN 4:16-19 Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Go, call your husband, and then come back here.” “I have no husband,” replied the woman. “You are right in saying you have no husband!” Jesus exclaimed. “The fact is, you have had five and the man you are living with now is not your husband. What you said is true.” “Sir,” answered the woman, “I can see you are a prophet.”

Gospelthink: In my encounter with the Samaritan woman, I gently guided her to study her life. As I study my life and my choices, am I happy with what I have done?

“I know what it takes to fool this town. I’ll do it ‘til the sun goes down. And all through the night time, I’ll tell you what you want to hear, keep my sunglasses on while I shed a tear. I break down; only alone I will cry out loud. You’ll never see what’s hiding out deep down. I know I’ve heard that to let your feelings show is the only way to make friendships grow, but I’m too afraid. I’m unstoppable, I’m a Porsche with no brakes, I’m invincible. I win every single game, I’m so powerful I don’t need batteries to play. I’m so confident, I’m unstoppable today.”

One of the interesting incidents to study in the Gospels is part of John’s Gospel and the interaction of Jesus and the person that we have come to call “the Samaritan woman.” It is interesting to study it with modern songs in mind because most modern songs are about “love” in one form or another. In light of that, we focus on the teaching that comes from the thoughts of the song “Unstoppable” with Jesus’s words to the Samaritan woman.Jesus’s words to her at one point of their conversation deal with the way she feels about her present boyfriend. Jesus brings out her inability to stay with any of her boyfriends, and his teaching is about the deep feelings that should be part of her intimate relationships. Making her admit that she had no husband at that point in her life was a statement by her of the lack of a deep feeling in her present relationship. She finally looked at her relationships in light of the deep feelings that should have been part of her love life.In her song, Sia understands that she is hiding deep feelings. She actually admitted that she had heard that letting feelings show was the only way to make an intimate friendship grow. But, she says, she is too afraid to do it. She then goes into her strong statements that she is quite capable of not showing deep feelings. But such a resolution leads to loneliness, as she sings, “I break down.”What she does not see in her relationships is that she and her partner must share their deep feelings. Without saying those words exactly was what Jesus was teaching the Samaritan woman. Communication is the foundation of any important relationship that we may have, and sharing our intimate feelings is very much a part of that communication.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, it is part of our human nature that we will fall in love. Help me understand that I must be able to share how I feel with the person whom I love.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: A most important part of communication with another is the ability to share deep feelings. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Unstoppable” teach young people? 2. What are the most important characteristics of a good marriage? 3. In your opinion, what would Jesus’s opinion be about modern marriages? 4. Why are people who are close to each other afraid to share deep feelings? 5. What are the most important ways to overcome loneliness? 6. In your opinion, do most of the married couples you know communicate the way they should?