Sunday School, February 4, 2018 5 Epiphany B

Sunday School, February 4, 2018   5 Epiphany B

Themes:

Understanding Health

How many times do most people get sick in their lives?

If we live a long time, we get sick many times.

Sometimes it happens several times in a year.

A strong healthy child can have ear aches, strep throat and pink eye all in a month.

We get colds and we get the flu.

There are other kinds of sickness, like from an injury.  If we fall and get a sprain or a broken bone, we have to spend a longer time to recover.

We also have sickness that happen that not everyone can see.  We can be very sad and we can feel sick in our inside feelings.  If we don’t get enough to eat we can feel sick.  If we don’t get enough sleep, we can feel sick.  If we don’t drink enough water, we can feel sick.  We also can have allergies that sometimes make us feel sick.

So, we get sick and better many times in life.  And sometimes we have a sickness that stays with us for our entire lives like an allergy.

If we get sick and better many times in our lives, what is the meaning of health?

Jesus is known as a person who healed.  But the people who Jesus healed, still got sick again and again and eventually they died.

So, what does health and healing mean for Jesus?

Jesus healed the insides of people.  He healed their thoughts and their feelings and the deepest place inside of them, he healed their hearts and spirits.

And when your spirit is healed you have health, now and forever.  You have health even after you have died, because you have the promise that God is going to preserve and save your life.

Jesus also healed by starting a community of people who loved and cared for each other.  This is the greatest meaning of health.

Think about how you can health even when you can get sick many times in life?

Health is about how we care for each other and how God cares for us in this life and the next.    Health is knowing that God cares for us in this life and in the next and for now God gives us people who care for us and for the health of our hearts, souls, minds, feelings and our bodies.

Jesus is a healer because he showed us as persons and as a community to live in the most healthy way.

Sermon:

Today, we have read a story about how Jesus healed the mother-in-law of Simon Peter.  And if we read all  the stories about Jesus, we will read about how Jesus had the gift of healing.  He healed people with many, many problems.

  Jesus did have a special gift of healing.  To be able to help someone get well, is a very important gift to have.

  And even though you and I may never be able to heal people in the same way that Jesus did, we can learn to heal people in some very important ways.

  Did you know that an empty stomach is a great sickness?  Did you know that many men and women and children in our world do not have enough to eat?  So, if the people who have more than enough food help feed those who don’t have enough, then we are helping to heal the empty stomachs in our world.  People who don’t have enough to eat really feel sick.  And so we can help heal them.

  We can heal in other ways too.  When someone is hurt and crying, we can heal them by being kind to them.  When we make them feel better, we are helping to heal them.

  When people are fighting with each other, this too is like a sickness.  If we can help make peace and help to make people friendly with each other, then we can be healers, even though we are not doctors.

  When we can make people happy, give them joy and hope and faith, then we are helping to heal their lives.  Every person needs hope.  Hope means that we feel like we are going to live forever because we feel like God is inside of us in our hearts.

  And when we have this feeling that God is inside of us in our hearts, we call it salvation or health, or Good News.

  Jesus was a great healer because he was able to give people hope.  And when Jesus came back to life, he showed us that death isn’t the strongest thing in life.

  Today, we come here to celebrate the hope that Jesus has given to us.  And we also come here to remind each other that we are to help Jesus heal the people in this world who need to have hope and joy and faith.

  Jesus was a great healer and he was not even a doctor.  You and I can do many good things to help heal people as well.

  Can you help Jesus in healing this world?  You can by loving your neighbors and being kind to one another.  This is how we can help heal the many problems in our world.  Amen. 

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

February 4, 2018: The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs:  O Be Careful,  Alleluia, Give Thanks, Into My Heart, Do Lord 

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

O be careful little hands what you do.  O be careful little hands what you do.  There’s a father up above and he’s looking down in love so be careful little hands what you do.

O be careful little feet where you go. ……

O be careful little lips what you say….

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.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

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

Liturgist:   A reading from the Prophet Isaiah

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.  Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 147

Great is our LORD and mighty in power; * there is no limit to his wisdom.

The LORD lifts up the lowly, *  but casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; * make music to our God upon the harp.

  

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Liturgist:

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 Mark

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus left the synagogue at Capernaum, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

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. (chanted)

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.

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  Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks, Hymn # 178, in the Blue Hymnal

Refrain: Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the Risen Lord, Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to his Name.

1 Jesus is Lord of all the earth.  He is the King of creation.  Refrain

2 Spread the good news o’er all the earth: Jesus has died and has risen. Refrain

3 We have been crucified with Christ.  Now we shall live forever. Refrain

4 Come, let us praise the living God, joyfully sing to our Savior. Refrain

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 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 up 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.  And sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbors.

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: Into My Heart  (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 126)

Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus.  Come in today, come in to stay.  Come into my heart Lord Jesus.

Into our church, into our church, come into our church Lord Jesus.  Come in today, come in to stay.  Come into our church Lord Jesus.

Into our homes….

Into our work…

Into our lives…

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: Do Lord (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 42)

I’ve got a home in glory land that outshine the sun.  I’ve got a home in glory land that outshines the sun. I’ve got a home in glory land that outshines the sun, way beyond the blue. 

Refrain: Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me.  Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me.  Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me, ‘way beyond the Blue..

I took Jesus as my savior, you take him too.  I took Jesus as my savior, you take him too.  I took Jesus as my savior, you take him too, ‘way beyond the blue.  Refrain

Dismissal   

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

People:      Thanks be to God!