Sunday School, April 2, 2017
5 Lent A
Theme:
Stories and Babushka dolls
Babushka dolls are like an onion. They have layers. They are a way of showing how things
grow. The way that you and I appear today
includes all of the layers of stories about us before we became who we are.
The Gospel stories can be seen like babushka dolls; they are
layers of story and sometimes bigger story includes a smaller story that came
before the bigger story.
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus told a story about a beggar who
was very sick who lived at the gate of a wealthy man and the wealthy man
ignored beggar and did nothing to help him.
The beggar’s name of Lazarus and we don’t know the name of the wealthy
man. Both Lazarus and the wealthy man
died. The wealthy man after death went
to a place of discomfort; but Lazarus went to a place of pleasure to live with
the great Abraham. In death, Lazarus and
the wealthy man lived on the opposite sides and there was a big canyon between
them that could not be cross. The
wealthy man was sad about being in a bad place.
He yelled across the canyon and asked that Abraham would send Lazarus
back to life again to warn his family who had not yet died to live better lives
so that when they died they would not have to suffer. Abraham said that even if Lazarus came back
to life and spoke to the wealthy man’s family, his family would not believe. Why?
If they don’t listen to what Moses and the prophets taught them, then
they would not even believe a man who returned from the dead.
The writer of John wrote about a man name Lazarus who
died. The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and
Martha were very sad and when Jesus saw their sadness, he cried. Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and he
called Lazarus back to life again. But
did everyone believe in Jesus after this happened? No.
People still did not believe that Jesus was the Resurrection and the
life.
So do you see how the later story about Lazarus who died was
like another layer of the story that Jesus told about Lazarus and the wealthy
man.
Remember you and I are in the outer layer of another
babushka doll about Jesus and the Resurrection.
How are you and I making the resurrection of Christ appear in our lives
today? Are we doing it with love,
kindness, hope and justice? What will
people in the next layer of life and history say about how we believed in the
resurrection of Christ?
Sermon:
Do a Lazarus “mummy” sermon with strips of cloth. Get a child to be “mummy” Lazarus and other
children to help bind the mummy and then unbind him as you retell the Lazarus
story.
When the pyramids of Egypt were opened, they were found to
be burial chambers for the kings of Egypt.
And when they took
the dead bodies out of the wooden caskets what did they call them. Mummies.
So when people died
they wrapped their bodies in cloth.
I need a volunteer
mummy today. Would someone like to
volunteer?
And so we are going to wrap up our volunteer to look like a
mummy.
We read the story
about the death of Lazarus.
Jesus came to see
Mary and Martha after their brother had been wrapped and buried.
And Jesus cried when
he saw the sadness of everyone.
So Jesus went to the
tomb and he said, Lazarus, come out!
And Lazarus came out.
And Jesus said,
“Unbind the man.”
So let us unbind our
mummy and let him free.
Jesus wanted to
teach people that God is stronger than death.
But death is very strong. It can
make us have worry and fear. And these
worries and fear can be like that clothes that wrap up the mummy.
Jesus says, unbind
the man.
Jesus tell us that
we don’t have to be tied down because of death, because, there is a new life
for us after death.
After death, our
life is preserve by God.
So we don’t have to
live in fear of death during this life, because we believe that God will
preserve us forever.
Let us remember that
Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Amen.
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
April 2, 2017: The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Gathering Songs: Dry Bones, Christ Beside Me, There is a
Redeemer, I Am the Bread of Life,
Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.
People: God’s mercy endures 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.
Opening Song: Dry Bones
Ezekiel connected dem dry bones, Ezekiel connected dem dry
bones. Ezekiel connected dem dry bones. Now hear the word of the Lord.
The toe bone connected to the foot bone. The foot bone
connected to the ankle bone. The ankle bone connected to the leg bone. The leg bone connected to knee bone. The knee
bone connected to the thigh bone. The thigh bone connected to the hip bone. The
hip bone connected to the back bone. The back bone connected to the shoulder
bone. The shoulder bone connected to the neck bone. The neck bone connected to
the head bone. Now hear the word of the Lord.
Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones
gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Now hear the word of the Lord.
Liturgist: The
Lord be with you.
People: And
also with you.
Liturgist: Let us
pray
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly
wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you
command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes
of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be
found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Litany of Praise: Praise be to God! (chanted)
O God, you are Great!
Praise be to God!
O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!
O God, you have made yourself known to us! Praise be to God!
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior! Praise be to God!
O God, you have given us a Christian family! Praise be to God!
O God, you have forgiven our sins! Praise be to God!
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead! Praise be to God!
Liturgist: A reading from the Prophet Ezekiel
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by
the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full
of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley,
and they were very dry. He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones
live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me,
"Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of
the Lord. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter
you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come
upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live;
and you shall know that I am the Lord."
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, * O Lord, who
could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you; * therefore you shall be
feared.
I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; * in his word is
my hope.
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 John
People: Glory
to you, Lord Christ.
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been
in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and
many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary
stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you
whatever you ask of him." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise
again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the
resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will
live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe
this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the
Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." When she had said this, she went back and
called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and
is calling for you." And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to
him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place
where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling
her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought
that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was
and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the
Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and
deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him,
"Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said,
"See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who
opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Then
Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone
was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the
sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench
because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not
tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they
took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank
you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this
for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent
me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus,
come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of
cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him,
and let him go."
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: Christ Beside Me
(Renew! # 164)
1 Christ
beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart; Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ
above me—never to part.
2 Christ on my
right hand, Christ on my left hand, Christ all around me—shield in the
strife: Christ in my sleeping, Christ in
my sitting, Christ in my rising—light of my life
3 Christ be in
all hearts, thinking about me, Christ be on all tongues, telling of me; Christ
be the vision, in eyes that see me, in ears that hear me, Christ ever be.
4 Christ
beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart; Christ within
me, Christ below me, Christ above me—never to part.
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.
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 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: Christ
our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People: Therefore
let us keep the feast.
Words of Administration
Communion Song: There is a Redeemer (Renew! # 232)
There is a redeemer, Jesus, God own Son, precious Lamb of
God, Messiah, Holy One.
Refrain: Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son; and
leaving your Spirit ‘til the work on earth is done.
Jesus, my Redeemer, name above all name, precious Lamb of God,
Messiah, hope for sinners slain. Refrain
When I stand in glory I will see His face, and there I’ll
serve my King forever, in that holy place.
Refrain
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 Am
the Bread of Life, Lord (Blue Hymnal, # 335)
1-I am the bread of life; they who come to me shall not
hunger; they who believe in me shall not thirst. No one can come to me unless the Father draw
them.
Refrain: And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up,
and I will raise them up on the last day.
4-I am the resurrection, I am the life. They who believe in me, even if they die,
they shall live for ever. Refrain
Dismissal:
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People: Thanks be to God!
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