Theme for week: “Born from Above to Love”
November 15, 2021 (Monday)
When speaking to a group, do you say, “You” “You all,” or “y’all?” In all likelihood, you say what you were taught as you grew up, and you were taught by both precept and example.
But that may not be all you were taught. Some folks were taught to hate. There’s a song (“You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught”) in the musical, “South Pacific,” that enlarges this thought. It begins, “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear; you’ve got to be taught From year to year; it’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear; you’ve got to be carefully taught (see entire song in box below).”
But the good news is that many people have been taught to love. In fact, Jesus reminded his disciples that His One Great Commandment is “Love one another” (John 3:34 KJV). Everyone you know has been born; some of the people you know have been “born from above” (John 3). Those “born from above” (also known as “born again”) have learned to love others.
Some teach, “hate.” Some teach, “love.” Which voices are having an impact upon the way you think?
You’ve got to be taught To hate and fear, You’ve got to be taught From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed In your dear little ear You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a different shade, You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate, You’ve got to be carefully taught! *
TEACH ME TO PRAY, LORD
Words & Music Albert Simpson Reitz
1925
1 Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray;
This is my heart-cry day unto day;
I long to know Thy will and Thy way;
Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.
Refrain:
Living in Thee, Lord, and Thou in me;
Constant abiding, this is my plea;
Grant me Thy power, boundless and free:
Power with men and power with Thee.
2 Power in prayer, Lord, power in prayer,
Here ‘mid earth’s sin and sorrow and care;
Men lost and dying, souls in despair;
O give me power, power in prayer! (Refrain)
3 My weakened will, Lord, Thou canst renew;
My sinful nature Thou canst subdue;
Fill me just now with power anew,
Power to pray and power to do! (Refrain)
4 Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray;
Thou art my Pattern, day unto day;
Thou art my Surety, now and for aye;
Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray. (Refrain)
From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus taught the way of love. Jesus began His “Sermon on the Mount” with the Beatitudes — pronouncements of blessings and happiness upon those who obey His commands to love one another. Here, in The Message Translation, are the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12 MSG):
THE BEATITUDES
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
* Listen,if you like, to James Taylor singing, “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught”