[media presentation below] GospelThink Sunday, December 3, First Sunday of Advent MARK 13:33-37 I tell you to be aware that you will die. Prayerthoughts a. As the Lord speaks here, he is referring to his own death as well as all death. What do I think about death? Is it something that I fear, or something that I look forward to? b. Jesus used two words describing the preparation we should have: one is “alert”; the other is “watch.” He is referring to whether or not I am prepared. Am I prepared for my death? c. In Jesus’ story, we are all given a certain “work” to do as we await the Lord’s coming.  In my life right now, do I take enough time to “prepare” to meet the Lord? d. In Jesus’ parable, the possibility of the Lord finding me “sleeping” is brought up. I often find myself “sleeping,” that is not prepared for the Lord. I should say a prayer asking for forgiveness for my sins. e. As the Lord says to me to “watch,” what is the thing about my life that I should correct most of all? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today I will write a prayer asking for a happy death. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy THE CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE            We begin a new Church year today, a year in which we will use Mark’s Gospel on most Sundays. Here we have one of the themes of Mark’s Gospel as we begin this season of Advent. It is a very important word for a Christian. Jesus says it in the Gospel:           Watch! That is—we are to live our lives with the knowledge that our Lord will return, and therefore, as we live our lives, we are to watch for his return.            What does this do to us practically? I think it means that we will do our tasks, our jobs a little differently because we will do them with the thought that we are expecting the Lord to come. We are setting up a specific attitude of living in whatever we are doing.            We all have something to do in life—some of us are lawyers, homemakers, secretaries, teachers, students, workers in a store or office or school, retired people who spend time doing specific things, and so forth. We all do something with our time and energy, and we do them according to our personality and how we have come to look at ourselves in light of the world. It means that we will do the things that we do with different attitudes; we can choose to do whatever we do in a cynical/critical attitude or an angry one or a selfish one. What you and I are called to do is to have a Christian attitude, an attitude in which we really are watching for the Lord to return.            M. Scott Peck begins his book “The Different Drum”—a good book on communication—with a story about setting up an attitude of living, a story which he calls “The Rabbi’s Gift.”           Once upon a time, there was a monastery that came upon hard times. Once it was a great and functioning place, but now in the 1800’s, the numbers had decimated, so that there were only five monks left—the abbot and four others, all over 70, all near to dying. There was a deep woods surrounding the monastery, and in it was a little hut which a retired holy Jewish rabbi used from time to time. The thought occurred to the abbot to consult with the holy rabbi about how to save the monastery which he did. But the rabbi did not have any answers either. They prayed together, and at the end of the visit, the rabbi had no deep words of wisdom, but he did say that he felt that the Messiah, savior of the monastery, was one of the five monks that were there. The abbot reported what the rabbi said: “The Messiah is one of us.”           In the weeks that followed, while the monks did their tasks, they pondered this statement: “The Messiah is one of us?” As they contemplated in this manner while they did their tasks, they began to treat themselves and each other with extraordinary respect in the off chance that one among them might be the Messiah.           Now, it so happened that people came to visit the monastery and picnic on its beautiful lawns and visit its chapel. As they did so, they sensed this aura of extraordinary respect that the monks had for one another, and they began to come back, and they brought their friends, and their friends brought their friends. Then some of the younger men visitors started to talk to the monks. After a while one of them asked to join them, as did others. And within a few years, the monastery was once again thriving, thanks to the rabbi’s gift.           The Rabbi’s gift was nothing more than looking at each other differently—with respect as if everyone were sent from God, creating an attitude of living. That is what we are called to—to create a truly Christian attitude with others and ourselves. It can be called an attitude of watching for the Lord. If we manage to do it, then we will learn what Advent is all about—preparation for the Lord. More importantly, our world will be better. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Close to Me” — Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo & Khalid FULLY AWARE The Gospel JOHN 13:1-5 Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciple’s feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.

Gospelthink: I knew what I wanted to teach my Apostles, namely service. Am I showing service to others around me as much as I should?

“We know that we’ll be alright, so don’t let me down, keep me in trouble, born to be wild out in the jungle, And I don’t want to be somebody without your body close to me, and if it wasn’t you, I wouldn’t want anybody close to me. ‘Cause I’m an animal, an animal like you.”

Maturity has been defined in many ways, but perhaps one of the best ways to understand it is from the perspective of awareness. If we become fully aware of something, it means that we have considered the possibilities and ramifications of all of our actions and thoughts concerning the act involved. If there was anyone in history who was fully aware of what he wanted to accomplish, it was Jesus Christ. One of the concepts he wanted to teach his apostles was the idea of service to others. Washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus was fully aware of what he was doing, that is, he knew what he was all about; he knew what he wanted to teach. Most people grow old within a small circle of ideas, most of which have been given to them by others. They are not wrong, so much, as they are without thought. Many of us simply go through our lives without being aware that life is so much more than what we think it is or what we selfishly want. To become aware means to understand the many options that we have, and deliberately choose on the basis of what is good for everyone involved. The couple in the song “Close to Me” seem to be considering only the feelings of the moment. They like what is happening, no matter what it does to themselves or to others. “Keep me in trouble,” they sing, “born to be wild ’cause I’m an animal like you.” One must question whether they are fully aware of what they are doing, that is, whether they have considered all the ramifications of their actions. It seems as though they have not. As we grow in love, we discover many feelings that we like, and our desire is to keep them as long as we can. The problem is that many times those feelings are nothing more than selfish feelings that in the long run will hurt the people involved. Our goal must be to be fully aware of what we choose to do in life.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son was fully aware of what he wanted to do while He was here with us. In doing so, he set the standard for the way we should act. May we learn his lessons of maturity in life and love. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: If we are to grow in love, we must learn maturity. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1.What does the song “Come to Me” teach young people?   2. Do you believe that most Christians have an understanding of Christian service to others? Yes or no and why? 3. What does the phrase “I’m an animal” in the song mean to you? 4. What is your definition of maturity? 5. In your opinion, when does a young person achieve “maturity”? 6. Do most people make a significant decision based on how they can help others? Yes or no and why? 7. Do you agree with the meditation that the couple in the song are immature? Yes or no and why?