[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, September 22 LUKE 8:1-3 I chose both men and women to follow me. Prayerthougths a. What is the “good news” that I “preach” by my attitude? b. There were a number of so-called “sinners” among those who followed Jesus. It is a lesson to us that everyone, no matter what they have done or are doing is important. Is there someone in my acquaintance that I do not treat the way I should? If yes, what can I do about it? c. How do I understand the “kingdom of God”? d. Luke mentions Mary Magdalene in particular whose life was not what it should have been before she met Jesus. Do I judge others with the thought of their wickedness? e. It is important to see that among Jesus’ early followers, there were some women. In the way I live and act, do I show respect to all people, whether male or female? If no, what should I do about it? f. The women provided for them out of their resources. Do I give to others out of the resources that I have? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read 1 Timothy, chapter 6:1-12, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KINGDOM  + The central thought of Jesus’ teaching revolves around the concept of the Kingdom of God           – here, Luke says that he went from place to place with one message, namely proclaiming the Kingdom of God           – the Kingdom has many characteristics, of course, and our whole spirituality is based on them           – the readings today mention a couple  + As Paul wrote to Timothy about how a teacher of the Kingdom—namely, he, Timothy—ought to handle himself           – he says that the teacher ultimately has to be concerned about his own spiritual life—laying hold of eternal life, and then the rest would follow                                – similar to Francis of Assisi’s and most of the saints’ thought—work on your own religious life before you worry about the ministry or even the salvation of others                                          – do your best to insure your own spirituality and holiness  + Secondly, from the Gospel, we have a glimpse of the way Jesus went about his ministry of getting the message of the Kingdom across           – he went from place to place with a band of helpers which included women                      – the “women” part was something that was scandalous to the Jewish mind                                – women in those days often helped with situations, but never traveled with the men           – Scriptural theologians point out that the band of people who accompanied Jesus is a symbol of the make-up of God’s Kingdom                      – men and women, married and single, healthy and ailing, rich and poor                                – it also is a make-up of the Church as we know it                                          – Jesus excluded no one                      – applying that to ourselves, we have a human tendency to want to exclude certain people from our own circle                                – many spiritual writers say that this is one of the basic sins of religion                                          – namely, wanting to make their religion—for us, Christianity—an exclusive club           – Jesus’ group as he traveled preaching the Kingdom was not into exclusion of others                      – it included all and so should our understanding of carrying on the work of our Church  + Jesus preached the Kingdom of God to all           – he wanted the preacher to be convinced first           – and then he wanted to extend it to all. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Woman King” — final session A GOOD YOUNG ADULT The Gospel LUKE 2:39-40 When Mary and Joseph had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Gospelthink: My early life was a normal earthly life, growing and learning.

In the fight with the Oyo after Nawi was captured, Nanisca, Nawi’s mother and the leader of the Agojie made the decision to rescue her. In the meantime, Nawi befriended one of the slave traders, the half-Dahomean Malik who managed to give Nawi her freedom from the slave traders. Going directly against the orders of King Ghezo, Nanisca with a group of like-minded warriors set out to rescue Nawi. With the help of Malik, they managed to do so and the triumphant Agojie return to Dahomey, where Ghezo privately admonished Nanisca before crowing her the “Woman King.” Nanisca and Nawi privately acknowledged their familial relationship.

How would Jesus have lived in his earlier years? The Scriptures do not tell us very much about his time when he was growing up early in his life. No doubt his living was the same as the other young people of his time–learning to love and obey, how to pray in the Synagogue, how to act, why to act a particular way, and what he could do in the future. According to Luke the Evangelist, Jesus prepared in a special way because as he tells us, Jesus was “filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him.” Jesus was no doubt studying what kind of future he might have and realizing what was needed.Nawi in the movie “The Woman King” did not have that type of preparation. She did not know her real father and mother; she grew up to be such an independent child that her foster father could not control her, eventually giving her to be trained by the Agojie because she would not marry. Only later in the movie do we discover that Nawi was the actual daughter of the Woman King Nanisca. We do not know of their relationship after the discovery save for Nanisca’s rescue of Nawi from the slave traders. But from the last scenes we are led to believe that it was a good relationship, one in which Nawi could grow into a special daughter and good young adult. It is of immense importance that the young people of our world grow up in a wholesome family situation. Just about every song and movie that describes “evil” later in life traces back the evil person’s origin to a poor family life. Why is that? It is a relatively easy answer to find. The developing young mind must have a certain amount of stability in order to grow. As a delicate flower must have the proper environment, so the young person must have the necessary atmosphere to learn about life and love, freedom and responsibility. If the young people do not experience a stable basis for their growth, they will enter adulthood wounded.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, our lives are often difficult lives because of how we react to the circumstances of life. Give us the grace to understand how to prepare ourselves for a good future life. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Growing up with a loving family is the best preparation for a happy life. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 63 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. What does the movie “The Woman King” teach young people? 3. Most Scripture scholars contend that Jesus did nothing “miraculous” when he was young. Do you agree with that assessment? Why or why not? 4. Give your own definition of an “independent child.” 5. Give an example from the media of someone “evil” who had a very poor upbringing. 6. What virtues should a Christian young person develop as he/she matures?