Baptism: Realizing Childhood of God Status

1 Epiphany A January 11, 2026
Is.42:1-9 Ps. 89:20-29
Acts 10:34-38 Matt. 3:13-17

Lectionary Link

In a cursory glance at human behaviors within all cultures, people are ritual beings.  Rituals are prescribed communal behaviors done with ceremonial intensity as a sort of play acting to teach and inculcate the chief values of the community.  Ironically, most people are born into society but then have to go through ritual process of becoming a practicing member of the society.  What ritual practice indicates is at some point beyond the natural place of birth, and the nurture that we receive from our communities, the individual within the community must choose to be a member of the community as an adult agent of the values of the community.   A child has automatic belonging within a family; but an adult has to ratified that passive belonging through the ritual process of fulfilling membership roles within the family or society.

Where religion and society are one, the rituals of society and religion are unified.  When religions exists in secular society, the secular rituals and the religious ritual are separate and different.

The presentation of Jesus in the New Testament is of a person who was born into a society where rituals were prescribed and practiced.  Jesus was Jewish, but the Jews did not control the land where he lived.  The Jews did not have "ritual" control over their homeland of Israel.

Today is a day when we ponder the ritual practice of Jesus, in his submitting to the rite of water baptism by John the Baptist.

The baptism of Jesus might baffle us as it is also presented as baffling the one who was to ask to officiate at his baptism.

We come to the baptism of Jesus, just as the writers of the Gospel did.  We know the end of the story.  We know about the many titles of Jesus.  We know that writer wrote about the baptism of Jesus with all the meanings being a progressive explanation toward what Jesus had become as the Risen Christ in his afterlife in the early Jesus Movement communities.

The meanings are retraced.  What was the logic of the baptism of Jesus?  And by John?  Jesus who had undergone the rituals of circumcision and presentation was regarded already to belong to his religious community.  The Gospel writers had to seek for some logic about how the pre-resurrection was becoming the post-resurrection Christ.  If Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, Lamb of God, Great High Priest, why did he have to submit to the baptism?

The Gospel are retelling a narrative life with the belief that Jesus lived out the meaning of God with us, or the name that had been suggested to them from the prophet Isaiah.  The name Immanuel.

If Jesus is God with us, Jesus is God emptied into human form, as the Pauline hymn states,  and so Jesus did very human things including the ritual practices of his specific communities.  I say communities because, it seems that Jesus not only was familiar with the practices of synagogue and Temple, he also participated in the prophetic movement within Judaism which is seen in the ministry of John the Baptist.  John the Baptist, even as an aloof ascetic was charismatic enough to attract a following and even generate a community with the seeming extra-liturgical rite of baptism in the Jordan as a way of publicly signifying a new life style commitment.  Judaism had the practice of proselyte baptism for non-Jews convert to the faith.  Why did Jews need a baptism?  This is an indication of an addition ritual practice in a reformation movement.  Was John's baptism and message meant to complement or succeed the message and practices of the synagogue and Temple?  Did his message and practices compete with the rabbis and the priests of synagogues and Temple?  Why did Jesus within his birth into Judaism need to be associated with John the Baptist?

Without knowing all the specifics of the details in the life of Jesus in his, we assume that Jesus was highly associated with John the Baptist and his community.  We might even assume that John the Baptist was a mentor for Jesus and given that eventual followers of Jesus had been previous disciples of John the Baptist, we can assume that what became known as the churches had grown in Palestine from the model of the community which surrounded John the Baptist.

Jesus became baptized, immersed,  into humanity; he was fully human initiated so that humanity might discover their initiation into solidarity with the divine.  As the Eastern Orthodox notion of deification or Theosis states: Jesus became human that humanity might realize the divine image upon our lives.

The baptism of Jesus is presented with a divine heavenly proclamation:  Jesus is declared to be the beloved Son of God on whom God's parental pleasure resides.

Beyond our attempts to figure out the purpose of the baptism of Jesus, we look for the meaning of our own communal baptismal practices.  The grace of baptism is the recognition that we too as God's children can be those who have esteem because we can in our very interior beings know that God is pleased with us and that the divine favor resides within us in the full spectrum of what may happen to us.

Churches will disagree and argue about the rite of Christian baptism; how much water, adult, infant, ordinance, sacrament, who can officiate et. al.  In the arguments about the best or ordained practice of baptism and perhaps prideful sense of exclusive access to thinking that one's own faith community does it best, we can miss the big point.  God from creation wants people to know themselves to be children of God bearing the divine image, and doing so by living lives of love and justice with each other.

My prayer would be that each person would know the baptismal reality of the heavenly voice declaring them as a beloved child with God's parental favor.  This is a vital interior affirming esteem which is especially needed when one's environment does not always provide the nurturing affirmation.  Baptism is being made into people who have the maturity to live into this higher inward affirmation in the life of the virtues.

Our belief about Jesus in his baptism is that he is the Exemplar of God choosing solidarity with humanity to provide us with the example and grace of finding our solidarity with God, through living the godly Holy Spirit values of love, hope,  faith, justice, and kindness.

Let us not argue about the baptism of Christ or our own specific ritual practice of baptism; but let us know the affirmation of our lives as children of God and let us live seeking to affirm each other as beloved children of God.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 11, 2026 1 Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

 Sunday School, January 11, 2026   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. 

And Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 11, 2026: 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

Let us read together from Psalm 29

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! 

Being Beloved and Pleasing to God

1 Epiphany A January 8, 2023
Is.42:1-9 Ps. 89:20-29
Acts 10:34-38 Matt. 3:13-17

Lectionary Link

The baptism of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel sets some important elements about the baptismal life to which followers of Jesus are committed.

The report of a heavenly voice signifies a divine message for all to know and hear.  And what is that divine message?

Jesus is the beloved child of God, and God is well-pleased with him.

This encapsulated what I would call baptismal personal esteem.

You and I are children of men and women and as children we are lucky indeed if we have had parents who loved us and been pleased with us.  Such regard of parent for a child is foundational in the establishment of healthy personal esteem.

Not everyone has the continuous experience of parents who follow them like a helicopter providing words and acts of continuous affirmation.  We are do not alway live in affirming environments as individuals and as groups of people.   We have the world history and personal histories to indicate the situations of inhumanity in this world, in both horrific and petty ways.

But Jesus came to proclaim that inhumanity behavior is not and cannot be the norm.  The norm intended by our creator is the model of being a beloved child of God and being pleasing to a loving God.

God is love and to be God-like is to be loving and beloved.

This is the baptismal model of living provided in the model of Jesus.

We cannot reduce baptism to but a cute baby rite and birth celebration, although it can be both.  Baptism is the declaration that to live is to live beloved by God and pleasing in God's sight.

This is the high standard to which we are called.

Each person needs this esteem situation for good living.  We don't always live in affirming situations.  People who treat us well are not always with us.  This is why we need a sense of esteem supplied from a higher and an omnipresent source that can be carried with us wherever we go.  God is the lover who fills the fullness of all and is the perpetual source of esteem for anyone even when the situation does not seem so affirming.

The inhumanity stories which dominate our news crowd out the normalcy of the baptismal life of being God's children beloved and pleasing ones.  From our own experiences of inhumanity in the habits of cruelty, bias, bigotry, and hurt, we can become to think that inhumanity to each other is the norm.  We can begin to live as though we are constantly preparing for the next blow to our esteem.  We can be tempted to live defensively rather from the positivity of our baptismal esteem.

Each week we return to place of the altar and the font so that we can be reminded of our baptismal identities.  We need these regular and continuous renewal events to counter the tendency to live defensively against occasions of inhumanity and assaults upon human dignity and personal esteem.

Today, we gather to re-affirm our foundation in our baptismal identity, and we can hear the voice of God say to us: You are my beloved sons and daughters.  With you, I am well pleased.

And in hearing this renewing voice, we are also commissioned to go forth to promote the baptismal identity to all people.  In our lives the voice of God is to proclaim:  You are God's beloved children.  With you, God and we are well pleased.   Amen.

Sunday School, January 8, 2023 1 Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

 Sunday School, January 8, 2023    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. 

And Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 8, 2023: 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

Let us read together from Psalm 29

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!