Sunday School, April 19, 2015 The Third Sunday of Easter
Themes:
Post-resurrection appearances Christ
Question: Why did only a few people see the risen
Christ? Why don’t people see the Risen
Christ today?
During the Easter season we are
studying the other ways in which Jesus told his disciples that he would be
known to them.
When Jesus re-appeared to his disciple
he said, “Peace be you.” And so that is
why we “pass the peace” in the church service on Sunday. We say, “The Peace of the Lord be with you
Always.” One of the signs that Christ is
still present with us is when we live in peace with each other. If we open ourselves up to the presence of
Christ, we can know peace in our hearts and we can also live in peace and
friendship with each other.
The writer of the first letter of John
wrote that the way in which we are able to “see” Christ is to become like
him. And the best way to become like
Christ is to learn how to live in love with God and with each other. If we let our hearts be changed by peace and love,
we can begin to find the presence of Christ in other people and in the beauty
of our world.
So remember when we say, “The peace of
the Lord be with you,” it is not just words in a church service, it is also the
way in which we want to live with each other because the presence of Christ
makes us peaceful and loving people.
Puppet Show
Jesus and his disciples Peter and
Andrew
Peter:
Jesus, I am so glad that you came back to life. When you died, I was very sad especially
because I had failed you. I told people
that I did not know you because I was afraid.
Jesus:
Peter, I understand and I forgive you.
Andrew: Jesus, now that you have return to life,
could we build a house for you to live in so you will a place to stay?
Jesus:
Andrew, I will always be with you but not in the seeing and touching
way. I have to make myself available to
everyone and everywhere.
Peter:
So if everyone is going to know you I guess you cannot stay here and
live in Jerusalem or Galilee. But where
will you go? And how will everyone know
you?
Jesus:
I am going to return to my Father.
But I will be known because the Spirit with be with everyone everywhere.
Andrew: What is the Spirit like?
Jesus:
It is like my breath. You can’t
see my breath but when I blow I can makes some leaves move in my hand. It is like the wind; you can see the wind
but you can see what the wind does.
Peter:
So how will we know that your Spirit is with us like the Wind or like
your breath?
Jesus:
When you see love, peace, kindness, fairness, kind words, then you will
know that I am present with you always.
And not just to you but to everyone who is looking for peace, love, joy
and kindness.
Andrew: Jesus, we do wish that you could stay and be
just with us because that would make us feel very special. But we know how much you want everyone to
feel special.
Jesus:
When I go, I will leave with you and everyone the Spirit of love, joy,
peace and kindness.
Peter:
And with you Spirit, we will go and tell everyone about you and about
how you will give everyone the best education in the world in love, joy, peace
and kindness.
Jesus:
I came to you again so that you can go to all people and teach them
about God’s love, peace and kindness.
And so I say to you: My peace be with you.
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA
95037
Family Service with Holy
Eucharist
April 19, 2015: The Third Sunday of Easter
Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; I’ve Got Peace;
Amazing Grace; When the Saints
Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.
People: The Lord is
Risen Indeed. Alleluia.
Liturgist:
Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and
worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Song: Hallelu, Hallelujah
(Christian Children Songbook, # 84)
Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu,
hallelujah, praise ye the Lord.
Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu,
hallelujah, praise ye the Lord.
Praise ye the Lord, hallelujah. Praise ye the Lord, hallelujah.
Praise ye the Lord, hallelujah. Praise ye the Lord.
Liturgist: The
Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Liturgist:
Let us pray
O God, whose
blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open
the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who
lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.
First Litany of
Praise: Chant: Alleluia
O God, you are Great! Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us! Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior! Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family! Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins! Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead! Alleluia
A reading from the First Letter of John
See what love the Father has
given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we
are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do
know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as
he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Let us read together from Psalm 4
You have put gladness in my heart, * more than when grain
and wine and oil increase.
I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; * for only you,
LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)
Litanist:
For the good earth,
for our food and clothing. Thanks
be to God!
For our families and
friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and
gifts that you have given to us.
Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a
good night’s sleep. Thanks be to
God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for
learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events
of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration
of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
Thanks
be to God!
Liturgist: The
Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
While the
disciples were telling how they had seen Jesus risen from the dead, Jesus
himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They
were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said
to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a
ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he
had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they
were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything
here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and
ate in their presence. Then he said to them, "These are my words that I
spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in
the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he
opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them,
"Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the
dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be
proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are
witnesses of these things."
Liturgist: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you,
Lord Christ.
Sermon – Father Phil
We did not make
ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great
and we are so small,
We believe God came
into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help
and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God
is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we
are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
welcome.
We believe that
Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we
have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must
die, we believe that God will preserve us forever. Amen.
Litany Phrase:
Christ, have mercy.
For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in
our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.
Youth Liturgist: The
Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving
of an offering
Song: I’ve Got Peace Like a River,
(Christian Children’s Songbook, # 122)
1. I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace
like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul. I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace
like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.
2. I’ve got love like a river….
3.
I’ve got
joy like a river….
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all
creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost.
Prologue to the
Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong
the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Holy Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family
of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to
his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the
Lord.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made
us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all
of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God
of Power and Might. Heav’n and earth are
full of your glory.
Hosanna in the
highest. Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the Highest.
(Children may gather around the altar)
The Celebrant now
praises God for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to
live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob
and Rachael.
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this
Holy Meal so that when we eat
the bread and drink
the wine, we can know that the Presence
of Christ is as near to us as
this food and
drink that becomes a part of us.
And so, Father, we bring
you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit
to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so
that we may love God and our neighbor.
On the night when Jesus was
betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his
friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do
this for the remembrance of me."
After supper, Jesus took
the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is
my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the
forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of
me."
Father, we now celebrate
the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are
telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and
that his presence will be with us in our future.
Let this holy meal keep
us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son
Jesus Christ. May we forever live with
praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.
By Christ, and with
Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
And
now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,
Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in
heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy
Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.
Done on earth as it is
in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our
daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.
And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.
Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.
Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy
name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Breaking of the
Bread
Celebrant: Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People: Therefore let us keep the feast.
Words
of Administration
Communion Song: Amazing Grace, (Blue Hymnal, # 671)
1.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch
like me. I once was lost but now am
found, was blind but now I see.
2.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my
fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
3.
The Lord has promised good to me, his word my hope
secures; he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.
4.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already
come; ‘tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
5. When
we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less
days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.
Post-Communion Prayer
We have remembered
his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has
been known to us.
We have remembered
that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now
into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
bread and wine spreads into each time,
place and person in our lives,
As we are ever
blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Closing Song: When the Saints (Christian Children’s
Songbook, # 248).
1.
O when the saints, go marching in. O when the saints go marching in. Lord, I want to be in that number, when the
saints go marching in.
2.
O when the girls go marching in…
3. O
when the boys go marching in….
Dismissal:
Liturgist: Alleluia!
Alleluia! Let us go forth in the
Name of Christ.
People: Thanks be to
God! Alleluia! Alleluia!
No comments:
Post a Comment