Making Transitions in Excellence

2 Advent  Cycle C     December 6, 2015

Malachi.  3:1-4      Song of Zachariah  

Philippians 1:1-11     Luke 3:1-6

Lectionary Link
 

   You and I can be very presumptuous about what we read in that we take what we read very personally.  Surely this book was written for me?  Really?  Even if the author did not know me or my circumstances?
  You and I can think that the Bible and the Gospels are written for us.  Why do we feel this?  The truth is that everything which comes to language can feel like it is for us because whatever is in language is open to universal accessibility.  If something comes to language, it is no longer a secret and if the shoe of the text fits, then you can wear it as your own.
  But the Bible and the Gospels were not specifically written for you or me.  Their authors had their own purposes and contexts.  And in being such ancient texts, the specifics of the writing purposes are often very hard to discover.
  What happens when writers write about the life of person?  Particularly, what happened when the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist were written about?  A great reduction happened.  If John and Jesus lived for around 33 years, they lived for about 290,000 hours.  But from all of those hours a few selective events were chosen to characterize the lives of both of these men.
  The first question that we might want to ask the Gospel writers is why did you write so much about John the Baptist?   John the Baptist is quite important in the Gospels.  He like Jesus is presented with a marvelous birth story, like the marvelous birth stories of Isaac and Samuel.  His birth story is only surpassed by the miraculous birth story of Jesus.
  Why was John the Baptist presented with more Gospel ink than the twelve disciples?  The Gospels were written with a purpose and they were written to specific target audiences.  One of the major target audiences of the Gospel was the significant community that followed John the Baptist.  John the Baptist had such a great following that there was speculation about him being not only being a great prophet but also the messiah.
  The Jesus Movement was a Movement which succeeded the John the Baptist Movement.  In the Gospel we read that the ministry of Jesus did not fully begin until the death of John the Baptist happened even though there is presented in the Gospels an overlap in the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus.  But by the time the Gospel of John was written, the relationship between John and Jesus was seen as the handing on of the torch of leadership.  By the time the later Gospel was written it was assumed that Jesus of Nazareth was the legitimate successor of John the Baptist.  So if you had been a follower of John the Baptist, you could in good conscience follow Jesus.
  The Gospels present John the Baptist mostly in a very good light, though it does indicate that he had a small lapse in faith while he was imprisoned.  
  If you and I think that the Gospels were written for us; the community of John the Baptist was perhaps the primary target audience for the Gospel message.  Many of the disciples of Jesus had previously been followers of John the Baptist.  So since they had made the smooth transition to follow Jesus, they wanted to persuade and convince all of the followers of John the Baptist to make the transition to Jesus Christ.
  So how did they help others make the transition to Jesus? They wrote about the respect that John the Baptist had for Jesus as one who had become a surpassing protégé.  The writers showed that Jesus had respect for John in submitting to his baptism. They wrote about how the role of John the Baptist fit into the salvation history that was being realized in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  If Jesus was a fulfillment of the figures and types presented in Hebrews Scriptures, then so was John the Baptist.
  You and I read about John the Baptist and Jesus with a primary naiveté as if what we read is about the actual events in the life of Jesus and John.  But really the Gospel writings are about the Jesus Movement and the John the Baptist Movement.  They use the examples of their leaders to give an explanation for the spiritual processes that were happening within their community.
  So yes, we read the Bible first in a primary naiveté as personal literature for you and me with an "as if" encounter between John the Baptist and Jesus and us.
  But we also must make the honest attempt to understand the function of the Gospel writings in their own contexts.
  Today, on this second Sunday of Advent, remember that John the Baptist was very important because he had a significant community of followers.  And the leaders of the Jesus Movement wanted to convince all of the members of the community of John the Baptist to become members of the Jesus Movement.
  The Gospel writers wanted to show that there was no competition between the message of John and the message of Jesus.  In contrast, the Gospel writers show Jesus at odds with other parties within Judaism, like the Pharisees, the leading scribes and the Sadducees and the Herodians.  But among all of the parties within Judaism, the sect of John the Baptist include people who would most likely become members of the Jesus Movement.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were presented as those who turned Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion.  The community of John the Baptist is presented as the proto-community of the Jesus Movement.  They are presented as a transitional phase in the development of the early church.
  There is another message in the transition of the community of John the Baptist to the community of Jesus Christ.  In our lives we often make transitions in our spiritual lives.  Can you list the succession of mentors and influential social groups in your lives?  Sometimes a very good mentor like John the Baptist  has to be let go of when the next phase of spiritual advancement is presented in the person or event bringing another phase of excellence. 
  It is sometimes hard to let go of loyalties to a person and a movement of the past.  We can get so locked into social settings of our prophets, teachers, gurus and mentors.  Sometimes social pressure does not let us leave to explore who we are supposed to become in future self-surpassability.
  The Gospel writers wrote favorably about John the Baptist but they also wrote that he was a transitional figure to introduce a group of people to the surpassing greatness of Christ.
  You and I are still in quest of what the surpassing greatness of Christ means in our lives.  And we have gone through and will go through transitions as we are drawn to new insights which bring us to further excellence. 
  The Advent message about John the Baptist is a message for us today, because we are always a people in the transitional process towards excellence.  And the Risen Christ is more than the written words on the page about Jesus of Nazareth.  The Risen Christ is adaptable to next person, writing or event which calls you and I to greater excellence in our lives today, as we strive to love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves.
  May John the Baptist be an Advent witness for us as we continue in the process of excellence in discovering who the Risen Christ is for us today.  Amen.

Sunday School, December 6, 2015 2 Advent C

Sunday School, December 6, 2015   2 Advent C

Topic: The Role of John the Baptist

Why is John the Baptist important in Gospels?   There is much information about John the Baptist in the Gospel.  That must mean he was important.

John the Baptist was a popular preacher and prophet.  There were many people who followed him.  There was something like a “John the Baptist Church.”  But John the Baptist died; he was killed by King Herod.  His friends and the members of his community were sad.  What would they do?  John the Baptist baptized Jesus and Jesus became the leader for those who used to follow John the Baptist.

When you are in first grade and really like your first grade teacher, you want to keep your first grade teacher forever.  But when you go to second grade, you have another teacher and at first that might make you sad.  You might miss your first grade teacher.  But as you learn new things from your new teacher you learn that you can like more than one teacher.  You learn that you can graduate to a new teacher.

John the Baptist was the first teacher of many of the people who later graduated and became students of Jesus Christ.  During Advent, we always read about how John the Baptist was the first important teacher for many of the followers of Jesus. 

During Advent, we learn about how important John the Baptist was because his community became the first churches of Jesus Christ.

What does a blocker do in football for a running back?  He pushes and shoves tacklers out of the way so the running back can run far with ball.

 What do we use bulldozers and earthmovers for?  We used them to build straight and level roads so we can get places quicker in our cars.

 Today we read about a man named John the Baptist.  And John the Baptist is a person who was like a blocker or like a bulldozer.

 He was like a blocker, in that he pushed aside everything, to prepare a way for Jesus Christ.  He was like a bulldozer in that he was trying to help people come directly to knowledge of God.

 John the Baptist lived a very different life.  He camped out all of the time.  He lived out amongst the wild animals all of the time.  He probably slept in caves.  He wore a camel hair robe and do you know what he ate:  He ate grasshoppers and honey?

John came and he wasn’t very popular, because he saw some things that were wrong that needed to be corrected.  And no one likes to be corrected, do we?  When our parents or teachers correct us, it is not always fun.  But why do they correct us?  Because they want us to be better.

 John the Baptist corrected people, because he believed that they could be better.  And he really wanted them to be introduced to Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ was a important gift from God to us.

  Today, when we think about John the Baptist, let us remember that sometimes we need to be corrected so that we can get better. What If we never were corrected, then we could not get better.  It does not always feel good to be corrected, but remember we do want to get better.  And the only way to get better is to have someone show us how.

  Jesus Christ showed us how to be better.  He showed how to love God with all our hearts and how to love our neighbors.  Let us be thankful today for the people that God gives to us to help correct our behavior so that we can become better.  That is what the season of Advent is about: Correcting our behavior so that we can be better.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

December 6, 2015: The Second Sunday of Advent

Gathering Songs: Light a Candle; He’s Got the Whole World; This Little Light; Jesus Stand Among Us; Lord I Lift Your Name on High

Lighting of the Advent Candle:   Light a Candle

Light a candle for hope today, Light a candle for hope today, light a candle for hope today.         Advent time is here.

Light a candle for peace today….

        

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: He’s Got the Whole World (Christian Children’s Songbook # 90)

He’s got the whole world; in his hands he’s got the whole wide world in his hands.  He’s got the whole world in his hands; he’s got the whole world in his hands.

Little tiny babies. 

Brother and the sisters  

Mothers and the fathers

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: 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 First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Canticle 16

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, *  from the hands of all who hate us.

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 Luke

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. 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.

Song: This Little Light of Mine (Christian Children’s Songbook # 234)

This little light of mine.  I am going to let it shine.  This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, no.  I am going to let it shine.  Hide it under a bushel, no.  I am going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Don’t let anyone blow it out; I’m going to let it shine.  Don’t let anyone blow it out, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.  Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

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.

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, 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: Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17

Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

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: Lord I Lift Your Name on High, Renew! #4

Lord, I lift your name on high; Lord, I love to sing Your praises.  I’m so glad you’re in my life.    I’m so glad you came to save us.  You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the   earth to the cross, my debt to pay.  From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord, I lift your name on high!

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

  

Repentance, a Scary Word, or Just Education?

2 Advent  Cycle C     December 9, 2012

Malachi.  3:1-4      Song of Zecariah  

Philippians 1:1-11     Luke 3:1-6

Lectionary Link

   The words of the prophet Malachi were used for a baritone aria in the oratorio by George Fredrick Handel, The Messiah.  “But who may abide the day of his coming.  Who shall stand when he appeareth.  For he is like a refiner’s fire.”  And Handel’s Messiah did not include the phrase, “he is like fuller’s soap.”

  In broad terms one could say that the ministry of the ancient prophets was one of education.  The prophets were teachers who tried to motivate people to live well.  They believed that living well had to do with knowing how to reach beyond what people already knew and to seek further horizon in human experience.  And beyond the horizon was the realm where God beckoned people to continually surpass themselves in excellent behavior.  The prophet often went to the edge of society to avoid distractions and hear the calling from the far horizon of human experience.

  How did God function in the experience of the prophet?  The prophet used the metaphors common to metallurgy and to the production of cloth.  The work of God is like the production of a pure metal; it requires heat to burn off the impurities until the silver or gold attains their purist forms.  The work of God is like “industrial strength Woolite.”  Fuller’s soap was combination of ash and alkali used on newly woven wool to soften it up to be used to make clothing.

  So the process of education is like the process of making pure metal.  It is like the process of softening harsh wool to be useable for making clothes.  There seems to be an emphasis in the prophets about the painful process of education.  The assumption for the prophets was that the teaching process of history for God’s people both on the personal and corporate level involved a painful process.  There is a phase of nurture that is painful.  Growing up involves painful experiences.  Education involves the painful unlearning of some habits in order to take on new habits of mind and practice.

  The church uses the liturgical calendar to present two distinct seasons of learning, Advent and Lent.  And the church has often emphasized the painful side of education and learning.  It is painful to give up old habits and take on new ones.

  We have in our religious tradition a tradition of educators who are like military drill sergeants.  Many of the prophets often seemed like drill instructors.  And in the season of Advent we have the ultimate drill sergeant arrive on the scene, the one and only John the Baptist.  John arrives on the scene and immediately we feel like he is saying to us, “Okay maggots, drop and give me 100 pushups now!”  We probably do not like the boot camp style of John the Baptist.  We aren’t boot camp people, we think.  That’s for people who are in prison or for the proverbial problem kid who is sent off to military academy for disciplinary training.  Instead of John the Baptist, I’d rather have my Advent teacher be Mister Rogers who would simply tell me that it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood and that I’m special.  I think that I would learn more with Mister Rogers’ style than with boot camp sergeant, John the Baptist.

  Perhaps what you and I can ponder during this season of Advent is what further education means for each of us.  Why are drill sergeants needed in life?  They are needed to prepare us for things that we don’t just naturally want to prepare ourselves for.  Probably, it is not natural to be prepared for the conditions of war; that’s why marines and soldiers go to boot camp to be forced to harden themselves for the conditions of war.  And they need to be forced to do some things that they wouldn’t just do on their own.  Why does a coach want the team to practice in a strenuous way?  The coach wants the team to be prepared for the game.

  Discipline for excellent performance in extenuating circumstances requires a departure from our normal patterns.  In some way discipline implies an out of the ordinary learning process.  What do we call persons who embraces a discipline?  We call them disciples.  Often we are happy to celebrate that Jesus had twelve disciples and so he didn’t need to have any more disciples and that term “disciple of Jesus” would be too austere and too pretentious for any of us to aspire to.

  Are we to be congratulated for our modesty today for not aspiring to be disciples of Jesus?  “Oh, I would not want to be a disciple of Jesus, that would be much too pretentious and the 11 of the 12 did it so well. “  

  Advent is a season to remind us to embrace education as a metaphor for what is happening to us in life.  We can say events in our lives are but happening to us in some random way without any purpose or we can read all of the events of our lives to have a purpose.  And even when the purpose that we assign or discover might seem a bit individual or arbitrary, assigning or finding purpose in the events of our lives happens because we have faith.  Faith is the attitude of accepting that from the horizon of human experience from the God-world we are loved and called to surpass our own horizons with future excellence.  We are to accept life and history as our teacher.  Being a disciple of Jesus means that we view ourselves as being mainly in life as those who are willing to be taught, those willing to be educated.  Life is sometimes a hard instructor and sometimes harsh and painful and sometimes life is a seductive teacher and sometimes joyful and sometimes fun and sometimes humorous and sometimes musical and sometimes artistic and beautiful and sometimes awesome and breath taking.

   During the season of Advent we need to remind ourselves that we are ever the students of life.  And as students we need to also be willing to be mentors and teachers to each other.  We need sometimes to be drill sergeants ourselves.  We need to be those who intervene, particularly on behalf of children and the vulnerable.  There are children in this world who are being given inappropriate and untimely learning experiences in their lives, like for example the children refugees in Sudan.  This world is full of situations where God’s lesson plan of love has not been learned.

  John the Baptist is the one who became a hermit; the word hermit comes from the same Greek for wilderness.  John went to the horizon of human civilization to hear another voice and another word.  And because he went there, he found that others became interested in what he had heard in the far fringes of human society in the God-world.  And when John saw people’s interest in the God-world he warned them.  He in effect said to them, “Don’t play with religion.  I am not the latest guru circus bear to entertain you.  If you are curious and interested in what I have found in the God-world, then make a serious commitment to education.”

  Repentance is but a fancy religious word for education.  Advent is about repentance; it is about education.  Education is a more accessible word for us in our lives and we need to embrace the broad implication of education for our lives.  How can I read the signs in the events of my life giving me indication of some different choices that I need to make now to achieve the next insight and the next plan of action?

  Advent is also a time of education for our parish?  What is God trying to teach us as a parish as we finish this year and as we begin 2013?  What do we need to do differently?  What changes do we need to make?  How can we respond with greater faith to the educational experiences that are upon our parish right now?

  Let us not be threatened by the word education.  Let us not be threatened by the vision of the  self-surpassing people that God calls us to be.  Let us not be frightened by the possibility of a newer parish life that beckons us to commitment and excellence.  And let us not be modest about our primary educational vocation, namely,  being disciples of Christ in the school of life.  Amen.