[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, June 14 MATTHEW 5:17-19 I call you to obey all of the commandments, not only those given by the ten commandments. Prayerthoughts a. The law of Jesus fulfills the Ten Commandments given to Moses. Therefore, I should know the Commandments and what they mean in light of Jesus’ words. (This is the task of the meditation.) b. We should recognize the law of Jesus to be of paramount importance. List the three statements of Jesus that I should pay most attention to. c. Most scholars would say that the law of Jesus was primarily the law of love. How do I rate my life right now in terms of love of God and others? d. The Lord refers to scandal as he talks of how people obey his law. Is there any time in my life in which I scandalize others? e. The two parts of being “great” in Jesus’ eyes are a person who “obeys” the law and “teaches” the law. Do I see myself as doing these two directives? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will list the Ten Commandments and my own understanding of what they mean for me in my life in light of Jesus’s teaching. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  RESPECT FOR THE LAW OF JESUS  + Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in the first reading uses a phrase that has a number of applications, namely, the phrase, “the ministry of the Spirit”          – what is the “ministry of the Spirit”                   – mainly it will be as he describes it, the ministry of righteousness                            – that is, the ministry of bringing about what should be in the world  + Specifically “what should be” in our Christian world is following the word of God, especially the word of God as contained in the Sermon on the Mount          – and in the first part of that Sermon, Jesus calls for a reverence for the law                   – Matthew was more aware of the Jewish Christian than say, St. Paul was, and therefore he has Jesus be more respectful of the law than the other early Christian writers  + The spiritual meaning for us lies in the question:          – who do we follow?                   – an important question for the Christian of today’s world                            – because that world is full of answers like power, pleasure and money                   – if indeed we do follow Jesus as everyone of us professes,                            – then the law of Jesus will be of particular concern and receive the highest priority for us                                     – the law of Jesus in the six cases that will be brought up in the Sermon on the Mount                                     – the law of Jesus as given later on summarized in the idea of love of God and love of neighbor                                     – the law of Jesus as a general rule of life  + Jesus told his followers here in Matthew’s Gospel that his job was to “fulfill” the law and the prophets          – that meant that he was to make the law and prophets part of his own agenda                   – making the law and prophets a truly Christian thought  + Our ministry of the Spirit is to make the Christian thought important for us right now. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Walk Me Home” — Pink REST FROM WHAT IS GOING ON The Gospel MATTHEW 11:25-30 Jesus said: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

Gospelthink: Some comforting words that I speak to you in particular (and everyone, of course). In my trials, have I come to the Lord the way I should?

“There’s something in the way you roll your eyes, takes me back to a better time when I saw everything is good. But now you’re the only thing that’s good. Trying to stand up on my own two feet, the conversation ain’t coming easily. And I know it’s getting late, so what do you say we leave this place. Walk me home in the dead of night. I can’t be alone with all that’s on my mind. So say you’ll stay with me tonight ‘cause there is so much wrong going on outside.”

A person of faith knows that love songs are quite appropriate to express the love that God has for the people of our earth. From the first moment of creation, it is clear that God loved the human race. God gave us everything that is good. And even after the human being messed things up with sin, God continued to love us through Jesus. And even further, God constantly reaches out to us through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus taught during his lifetime, therefore, God calls us to come and find rest. Pink in her song “Walk Me Home” is looking for some type of rest and respite from “so much wrong going on outside.” That wrong probably includes her relationship with her significant other in the song, saying “the conversation ain’t coming easy,” but it includes more than that. She can’t be alone with all that is on her mind, she sings, probably signifying that she is suffering also from some type of discouragement caused by the wrong outside. It is a double problem that she has, both her own relationship, and her experience with what might be called “the world outside.” She is convinced that the other person in the relationship is going to help her conquer the negative feelings. For the Christian, the person that should help us conquer the negative feelings is Jesus himself who tells us to come to him to find rest. It will cost a little, as he says, because there is a burden–we have to give ourselves to his judgment–but he assures us that the burden is light. One is led to believe that given our acceptance of Jesus in prayer and knowledge of his principles, we can help both the wrongs within and without. Pink’s song asks for help for herself by working with a relationship and also the world outside. Her significant other will certainly help, and together with her God help lighten any burden.

PRAYER  Good and gracious God, through your Son, you promise help and rest from the burdens that hurt us. Give us the courage and grace to turn to you as well as other people as we try to improve our time here on earth. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme:  We must have some help when we get too discouraged with what happens in the world. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Walk Me Home” teach young people? 2. In your opinion, do most Christians believe that they can turn to God in prayer for help? 3. Why is it difficult for Christians to turn to God in prayer? 4. When are the times when we understand that “everything is good”? 5. In your opinion, what is the most significant wrong that goes on “outside”? 6. In the meditation, what does it mean that we must give ourselves to Jesus’ judgment? 7. In particular, what can a friend do to help the person in the song feel better than she does?