Sunday School, June 18, 2023 3 Pentecost A, proper 6
Theme:
Discuss the difference between a disciple and an apostle
It is June; we have finished the school year. Many students have graduated. What do students do after graduating? They go to the next level of their education or they begin to work doing what they have been trained to do.
A disciple is a pupil or student. An apostle is a person who has been sent.
Today we read a list of the 12 disciples. The 12 disciples were pupils or students of Jesus. They followed him and watched him. They heard him teach many lessons about God and life. Jesus as the teacher and professor decided it was time to graduate his disciples. When he graduated his disciples, they became apostles. They were sent to do and say the same things that they had learned from Jesus. But as apostles, they still were disciples because even after they began to teach and preach like Jesus did, they still continued to learn from Jesus as his students.
You and I are to be both disciples and apostles. We are supposed to students of Jesus. But we are also supposed to students who have graduated. We have successful learned many things from Jesus and so we are qualified to practice what we have learned and to share it with other people.
If we don’t share what we have learned then we have wasted it. That is why we need to be both disciples and apostles. We need to be students of Jesus but also messengers of Jesus in sharing what we have learned from Jesus about God’s love, God’s forgiveness and the Good News about Jesus.
Sermon:
Peter, Andrew, James and John. Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew. James and Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas.
Do you know who these 12 men were? They were 12 friends and disciples of Christ.
Why were there 12 disciples? The church was called the new Israel. And how many tribes were in the Israel? There were 12 tribes named after the sons of Jacob.
Were there only 12 disciples of Jesus? No there were many more. Jesus helped so many people that all of those people became his disciples.
There were women: Mary his mother, Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany, Martha. There was Zaccheus, Nathaniel, Bartamaeus, and many more.
Today, we have read about how Jesus changed the 12 disciples into 12 apostles.
What is a disciple? A disciple is like a student.
Is a person supposed to be a student forever? No, that is why we have graduation. A student graduates. A student then becomes a teacher, because everything that a student learns he or she must share that with someone else.
So the twelve disciples graduated from their school with their teacher Jesus, and they became apostles.
Apostle means someone who has been sent to do an important work.
The disciples graduated and became apostles because Jesus told them it was time for them to go and to do the things that he had taught them. He told them to go and tell people good news. He told them how to get rid of the bad things in life. He told them how they could recover from their sicknesses.
And since Jesus had only one voice, two feet and two hands, he could not be everywhere. So he sent the apostles to help him do his work.
And now today, Jesus calls us to be disciples. We are students of Christ. But not just students of Christ, we are also apostles, because Christ needs us to be his voice and his hand and feet in this world.
With our voices we can tell people good news. With our feet we can go to the places where we are to tell people good news? Where is that? It is right here. And with our hands we can help and heal people who need to be helped.
Let us remember that we are disciples of Jesus, but that we also have graduate from being disciples, because Jesus also makes us apostles when we are sent to do and say the good things that Christ taught us. Amen.
Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist
June 18, 2023: The Third Sunday after Pentecost
Gathering Songs: If You’re Happy and You Know It, Awesome God, Amazing Grace, Simple Gifts
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: If You’re Happy and You Know It, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 124)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it then your face should surely show it. If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.
Make a high five…...
Make a low five…..
Shout Amen….
Liturgist: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Liturgist: Let us pray
Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and 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
A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 116
I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving * and call upon the Name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD * in the presence of all his people,
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 went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, `The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
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 Song: Awesome God (Renew! # 245)
Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from heaven above.
With wisdom, power and love. Our God is an awesome God.
(Sing three times)
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 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.
(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,
(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)
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: Amazing Grace (Blue Hymnal # 671)
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. ‘T’was blind but now I see.
‘T’was grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.
The Lord has promised good to me, his word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. ‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
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’ve first begun.
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: ‘Tis the Gift to Be Simple (Blue Hymnal, # 554)
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free, ‘tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right, ‘twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained, to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,
to turn, turn, will be our delight till by turning, turning we come round right.
Dismissal:
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People: Thanks be to God!
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