[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, May 23 JOHN 17:1-11a I begin my prayer to my Father, and I recall what God has done for all of us. I pray specifically for you. Prayerthoughts a. It is evident from the Gospels that Jesus spent a significant time in prayer. Do I spend   enough time with the Lord, and can I do better than I am right now? b. Jesus prays for eternal life for me. That should have a direct effect in my life. Am I sufficiently thankful for the gift of eternal life that He has given me? (This is the task of the meditation.) c. Jesus gives me a definition of eternal life: namely a life spent with Him. As I prepare for my life with Jesus, are there things in my life that should be changed? d. Jesus did the work of God the Father. What is my work right now, that is, what do I spend the most time on in my life? Is it something that I can make a little more Christian than I am doing now? e. The Lord tells his Father that he did the work of God, namely “revealing God’s name.”  In my conversation with others, is it clear that God has been revealed to me? For example, the language that I use? f. Jesus says that I know that everything that is given to me is given by God. Do I look at my life and what has happened to me to be the will of God in my life, no matter what has happened? g. Jesus prays for the disciples and in a sense for us. What does it mean to me personally that Jesus actually prayed for me while he was here on earth? h. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will write a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for all the things that the Lord has given to me. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  OUR WORK AND OUR FUTURE  + St. Paul’s speech in the reading from Acts is a significant speech because it is Paul’s final instruction as he ends his missionary activity           – and Jesus gives a final instruction of sorts in the Gospel                      – this is the beginning of his High Priestly prayer, a prayer for the Apostles and a prayer for us           – from these two instructions, there comes two major thoughts which can lead to meditation on our lives           1 – both Jesus and Paul finished their work                      – Jesus, making known the person of God to the people of the world                      – Paul, never shrinking from preaching repentance and faith           2 – both Jesus and Paul were prepared for the future                      – both were ready for the suffering that was bound to come   + Both of those points come to play in our spiritual lives           – first of all, the idea of work                      – our spiritual work is basically to do the will of God                                – that is, nothing more than making the Lord’s name known in whatever way of life we have chosen                                          – which means that we add the element of Christianity to our daily circle of things                                                    – that is, bring about a truly Christian atmosphere in whatever we do           – and secondly, the idea of the future                      – we have to always think in terms of the future                                – recognizing that as Christians we have here no lasting home, but we are preparing for our home in heaven                                          – celebrating eternal life with God                                                    – and so we live our lives with that in mind. + One of the things that is most interesting about Jesus’ High Priestly prayer is that Jesus not only prays it specifically for the Apostles,           – but he prays it specifically for us as well:                      – he will say during this prayer: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word”                                – that’s all of us           – and that concept of Jesus praying for us                      – is one of real encouragement for us           – our Lord and leader remembering us                      – it should lead us to a true desire to make him more a part of our lives. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Cake by the Ocean” — DNCE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING The Gospel LUKE 4:1-4 Filled with the holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.'”

Gospelthink: The devil tempted me to satisfy myself. Do I tend to give in to my selfish desires too much?

“Oh no, see you walking ’round like it’s a funeral. Not so serious, girl. You’re a real life fantasy, but you’re moving so carefully; let’s start living dangerously. Let’s lose our minds and go crazy. I keep on hoping we’ll eat cake by the ocean. See you licking frosting from your own hands, want another taste, I’m begging, ‘Yes, ma’am.’ I’m tired of all this candy on the dry land.”

If there is an encouraging part of Jesus’ temptations before he began his public ministry, it may be that he was tempted. As we accept Jesus as our primary guide, we realize that he was tempted just as we are. Perhaps the first temptation as recorded in the Gospels had to do with something that everyone of us desires in some way, namely pleasure. Eating would be pleasurable especially after fasting for a significant time. The devil tempted Jesus by telling him to give in to the feeling of pleasure. Jesus teaches us a lesson as he dismisses the devil. During Jesus’ life with us, he obviously had pleasure in eating, drinking, having friends, helping others with his power, and so forth. But it must be noted that he was always in control, never allowing too much pleasure to dominate his thinking. One of the aspects of the songs of pleasure that are produced today is that enjoying ourselves a lot may be a good guide. Such is the thought of DNCE’s song “Cake by the Ocean.” The man in the song implores his girlfriend to “live dangerously,” to “lose our minds,” and to “go crazy.” By any standard, such a description may imply going “too far” and wanting “too much” in the way we are living. Jesus’ reminder that we do not live by bread alone can easily be interpreted to mean that feeling good as a sole means of living happily leaves much to be desired. Pleasure and having a good time is part of our desire in life, even a necessary part of our desire. But too much can only lead to emptiness. Cake is enjoyable; but too much cake will make us sick. Perhaps our goal as we live the life that God has given to us is to truly enjoy ourselves, but never to enjoy ourselves in such a way that we may cause hurt to ourselves or others.

PRAYER  Good and gracious God, we are tempted to give ourselves to too much of a good thing. May we learn the lesson that Your Son gives us, and enjoy what you have given us, but never in a way that causes pain. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Pleasure is a true force in people’s lives, but we must understand that sometimes it is dangerous. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. The Spirit was active in Jesus’ life. How do we see the Spirit working in today’s world? 2. The meditation interprets the temptation to be a temptation to satisfy oneself. In our world today, how are we tempted the most? 3. Text analysis: “Cake by the ocean.” In DNCE’s explanation of the song, the phrase refers to “Sex on the beach.” In your opinion, why are many of the songs of our current culture so deliberately explicit in their content?  4. Do you believe that a song such as this affects our young people in a significant way? Yes or no and why?  5. Do you believe that Jesus was tempted “just as we are”? Yes or no and why? 6. In your opinion, are there a lot of people in our world who give in to too much pleasure? Yes or no and why? 7. Why do you think the meditation says that “pleasure” is a necessary part of our lives? 8. Give an example of a situation in which “enjoyment” was a harm to oneself or others. 9. What does the song “Cake by the Ocean” teach young people?