Sunday School, January 8, 2017 1 Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus
Christ
Themes
Baptism
Baptism is a celebration of being in God’s family with
others.
At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of God’s Son, Jesus
into a human family, the family of Mary and Joseph of Nazareth.
When Jesus was born, he was already God’s child, but we
celebrate that Jesus was a human child because we believe that God wanted to
become so much like one of us to show us how God could be known by human
beings.
Jesus as God’s Son, did all the human things that we as
humans do. Jesus was baptized by John
the Baptist the Jordan River. He did
this so show us how much God was with us in our human lives. Jesus was baptized to show us that we could
be baptized too as a celebration of being members of God’s family.
Jesus was baptized so that we might follow him and be
baptized too.
What is baptism for us?
It is a celebration of being members in God’s family. So we have two families is our lives; the family
of our birth and the family of God.
Jesus came to us as God’s special son to show us that we too
can know ourselves as God’s sons and daughters.
Why is it important?
Because we will live our lives differently if we know and live as a
member of God’s family. We will live
with love, kindness and forgiveness. We
know that our human families are not perfect but we know that God is
perfect. Since we know this we can
forgive each other for not being perfect.
Sermon:
How did you come into this world? You were born right? And you were born into a family, right?
But did you know
that you were born into another family too?
Who gave birth to
this entire world and the sun and the moon and the stars and everything?
We might say that
God gave birth to this entire world.
That’s what it means when we say that God created the world.
But sometimes we
forget that God is the creator of the world.
Sometimes we forget that we are a member of the great world that God
gave birth to.
How do you and I
remember that we were born? We remember
that we were born by celebrating our birthdays each year.
So how do we
celebrate that we are also a member of the family of God?
We celebrate our
membership in God’s family by what we call baptism.
Jesus Christ came
into this world to remind us that we also belong to the family of God. And Jesus Christ was baptized into the family
of men and women, boys and girls, so that he could show us how much God cares
for us and how close God is to our lives.
God joined the human family to remind us that we belong to the family of
God.
So as we remember
the baptism of Jesus today, we also remember our own baptism too.
So when you are born
into your family, how do you keep alive as a little baby? Do your mom and dad feed you? How many of you had a high chair? Why do we put babies in high chairs? We do it so when a baby is still young, a
baby can still be at the table with us when we eat our meals. Family meals are important because that is
how people in a family get fed; but they are also important because that is
when members of a family talk with each other, share stories and memories.
And each family has special meals at birthdays, at Thanksgiving and at
Christmas. So family meals are very
important to us for many reasons. If
your dad does not come home for dinner because he has a business trip, does
that mean that your dad does not like you?
No. Even though dad misses a
meal, dad is still with you in his love and his care and his concern. Even when we don’t see mom or dad at our
meal, their love is still present within us.
Do you see this
piece of furniture here? What do we call
it? An Altar? But another name for this piece of furniture
is the “Lord’s Table.” What meal do we
have on the Lord’s Table? We call it the
Holy Eucharist or our meal of Thanksgiving.
Holy Eucharist is
the Christian family meal and it is a very special meal…we have a special plate
and cup and we have nice candles. And
when we have our meals we sing and we share stories about Jesus. And even though we don’t see Jesus, we know
that Jesus is with us in his love and in his promise that he would be with us
as we receive the bread and the wine.
When we receive the bread and the wine, we take it into our mouth and it
goes into us and it becomes us. And so
the food we eat becomes a part of us. And
that is how close Jesus promises to be with us in our Christian family meal;
even though we don’t see him, he is close to us.
Since this is a
special meal, I want you to have some special practices in receiving this
meal. When you come to receive the bread
and wine. First we are kneeling as a sign of respect to Christ. Next we can prepare for receiving the
presence of Christ in different ways. We
can whisper some prayers: Be near to me dear Jesus and be near to my
friends. We can make the mark of our
Christian family…the sign of the cross.
We put out our hands and when I put the bread on your hand, I say, “The
body of Christ the Bread of heaven.” And
when you receive the bread, you say,
“Amen.” Do you know what Amen
means? It means, “Yes! I agree.”
And then when you hold your bread to dip into the wine and the cup
bearer say, “The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.” You say again, “Amen.” And then you carefully dip your bread to just
have a little wine in it. And then you
can whisper, “Thank you Jesus for being in me.”
And you can make the sign of the cross again before you go back to your
seat.
You are baptized and
so you are in the family of God. And you
receive the bread and the wine because this is our Christian family meal.
And we remember that
we need lots of things for our life that we cannot see. We need air and we can’t see air, But we also
need love, and hope and joy and faith and we can’t see them even though we know
that they are real.
Do you now
understand baptism and Holy Eucharist a little better now? I hope so.
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
January 8, 2017: The First Sunday After theEpiphany
Gathering Songs:Hallelu, Hallelujah!, Peace Before Us, There
is One Lord, I’ve Got Peace Like a River
Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. 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: Hallelu, Hallelujah!
(Christian Children’s 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
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River
Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit:
Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have
made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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 Prophet Isaiah
Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and
stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives
breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD,
I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations..
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his Name; * worship the
LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory
thunders; * the LORD is upon the mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice; * the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor.
.
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 Matthew
People: Glory
to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be
baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be
baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let
it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."
Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from
the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said,
"This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
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
Peace Before Us (Wonder,
Love and Praise, # 791)
1-Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our
feet. Peace within us. Peace over
us. Let all around us be peace.
2-Love, 3-Light,
4-Christ
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.
The Prayer continues with these words
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: 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 Hymn: There is One Lord (Renew! # 161)
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. There is one God who is Father of All.
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: I’ve Got Peace Like a River (Christian
Children’s Songbook # 122)
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..
Love
Joy
Dismissal:
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People: Thanks be to God!
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