Sunday School, August 28, 2016 C proper 17

Sunday School, August 28, 2016     15 Pentecost, C proper 17

Theme: Hospitality

What does hospitality mean?

It means welcoming people into one’s life.

How do we practice hospitality?  How do we make people feel welcomed?

Have you ever arrived at school or at the playground or dance class and you did not know anyone? 

Sometimes it is not easy to be the new visitor to a place where you don’t know anyone.

How can you feel welcome or comfortable in a new place?

You can feel welcome when someone whom you do not knows is friendly to you and tries to introduce you to help you make some new friends.

And how can we practice hospitality?   We can practice hospitality by being friendly and kind to new people who have just arrived and have not made any friends yet.

Do you know what the Holy Eucharist is?  It is a celebration meal and it is a meal of welcome for all people to come and eat together and share in what we believe.  We share that God loves us and cares us and has made us sons and daughters of God.  So everyone is in God’s family and everyone is welcome to God’s meal, the Holy Eucharist, the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends.  He told them to keep having this meal as a way of welcoming new people to know that Jesus loves them and cares for them and that he is a close to them as the bread and wine that they eat and drink at the special meal.

We come to church on Sunday to remember that God practices hospitality.  God practiced hospitality by sending his Son Jesus to live with the people of this world.  He sent Jesus to form a group of people who would always be in this world to remind everyone that God is a welcoming God.  God always invites everyone to come to the welcoming meal of the Holy Eucharist.

A sermon about being welcomed

  Have you ever felt left out?  Not included?

  When I was a little boy, I moved with my family to a new town and so I had to go to a new school.  I did not have any friends in the new school.

  I felt very lonely on the first day of school.  At recess when everyone was playing outside, everyone was playing with someone except me.  Everyone one seem to have a friend, except me.  They were playing games and they were playing with the dodge ball, but I didn’t get asked to play.  So I did not know if I would like my new school.

  When it came time for lunch, I went to the cafeteria.  I got my tray of food and when I went to sit down, the tables were already filled with students who were eating together.  There was only one table open and nobody was sitting there.  So I went to the table and sat down to eat my lunch alone.

  Suddenly, a boy tapped me on the shoulder and he said, “Do you want to sit with us at our table?”  And I said, “There isn’t any room.”  But he said, “I will get a chair and put it at the end of the table.”  So I did not have to eat lunch alone.  I was invited to eat lunch by this kind boy and he became my friend and I made new friends in my new school.  And I did not have to be lonely.

  Jesus told his friends that they should be like the boy who welcomed me to eat lunch with them.  Jesus said we should welcome those who are lonely and don’t feel like they have any friends.

  Yes it is nice to have friends and to spend time with our friends, but it is good if we are always making room for new people in our lives.

  Today, we are here for a special meal.  It is called the Holy Eucharist.  We eat bread and drink the wine.  It is the special meal that Jesus started and he told us to keep having this meal.  And he told us to invite everyone to this meal.

  And so we have the meal every week and we invite everyone because we know that Jesus is friendly and Jesus invites everyone to his meal, because everyone is welcome at the table of Jesus.

  Let us always remember how friendly Jesus is.  Let us remember how friendly God is.  And let us learn how to be very friendly and welcome people into our lives.  Since we like to have friends, let us learn how to make friends and invite others to be our friends.

  How many of you like to have friends?  How many of you can be a could friend?  Let us learn how to invite new friends into our lives today? 

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

August 28, 2016: The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: This is the Day; O Be Careful; Father, I Adore You; Give Me Joy in My Heart

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

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: This is the Day (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 232)

This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. We will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made.

(Repeat)

Liturgist: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist: Let us pray

Lord of all power and might, the maker and giver of all good things: Make to grow in our hearts the love of your Name; help us to be truly religious; nourish us with all goodness; and let our lives grow the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: 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 Letter to the Hebrews

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 112

Hallelujah! Happy are they who fear the Lord * and have great delight in his commandments!

Their descendants will be mighty in the land; * the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches will be in their house, * and their righteousness will last for ever.

Light shines in the darkness for the upright; * the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!

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.

Jesus was went to the house of an important religious leader. Jesus was invited there to eat the meal on the day of worship, the day they called the sabbath. Since Jesus was becoming popular, the other guests were watching him closely. And Jesus was watching their behavior too. He saw how many guests wanted to sit in the best seats at the main table. So to teach them, Jesus told a parable. A parable is a story that hides a message within the story. Jesus said, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the best place, because a more important person may come and they might ask you to go to a seat that is not at the main table. It’s better to take a lower seat and then be invited by the host to a better seat. For if you are excessively proud, then you will feel put down and forsaken when a humbling event happens to you. But if you are humble, you can truly know how people feel about you when you are promoted to a higher place.” Jesus also said, “When you give a party do not just invite the people who can return the favor, also invite the poor and those who are impaired. And so you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Liturgist: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Offertory Song: O Be Careful (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 180)

1-O be careful, little hands what you do; O be careful little hands what you do; For the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful, little hands what you do.

2-O be careful little feet where you go……

3-O be careful little eyes what you see…

4-O be careful little lips what you say….

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 God.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of 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.

(All may gather around the altar)

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

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 then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

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 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: Alleluia, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People: Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Father, I Adore (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 56)

1-Father, I adore you; Lay my life before you. How I Love you!

2-Jesus, I adore you; Lay my life before you. How I Love you!

3-Spirit, I adore you; Lay my life before you. How I Love you!

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

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: Give Me Joy in My Heart (Christian Children’s Songbook, #53 tune only)

1-Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising. Give me joy in my heart, I pray. Give joy in my heart, keep me praising. Keep me praising till the break of day.

Chorus: Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna to the King of Kings! Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna to the King!

2-Give me in peace my heart, keep me loving, Give me peace in my heart, I pray. Give me peace in my heart keep me loving. Keep me loving till the break of day. Chorus

3-Give me love in my heart, keep me serving. Give me love in my heart, I pray. Give me love in my heart keep me serving. Keep me serving till the break of day. Chorus.

Dismissal:

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People: Thanks be to God!