January 18, 2015
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany B
Sunday School Themes
The Call of God
God called Samuel
Jesus called Philip and Nathaniel
Samuel heard the voice of God speaking to him in the
night. He thought it was strange and
didn’t know how to respond. Eli the
priest told him to say, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening”
We need to know how God is trying to communicate with
us. Through parents and teachers, the
Bible and other educational books which give us good guidance to show us what
to do with our lives.
We always need to find what we are called to do which
mean finding the right way to be ourselves and do what is required of us to be
excellent at our age and in the place where we are living.
Nathaniel was skeptical about Jesus. He had a prejudice against the town where
Jesus lived. He said, “Can anything good
come out of Nazareth?” Some time when we
have ignorant prejudice we keep ourselves from learning new things and meeting
new people who can be our friends and help us.
Fortunately Nathaniel was able to meet Jesus and Jesus convinced him
about what he could teach him.
Topic: Vocation: what do we do with our lives? And how do we understand God to be involved
in our lives?
Topic: Call as Christian
Ministry. Priests, deacons, bishops and
pastors are not the only ministers in the church. Everyone is a Christian minister. When we are baptized, we are made ministers
and called to ministries. How we serve
God changes but we still are ministers of Christ each and every day.
Puppet Show:
Philip: Nate, you are my best friend and I want to share
with you a surprise.
Nate: What that? I’m
just enjoying a rest under this fig tree and this figs have just turned ripe
and they are soft, sweet and delicious.
Philip: I’ve met a new friend and teacher and I’d like
you to meet him too.
Nate: Okay, what did he sell you? How much money did it cost you? How much does he charge for his classes?
Philip: Nothing,
Nate. Why are you so skeptical?
Nate: Well, I’m
suspicious because I’ve been sold too many bridges over the Jordan, if you know
what I mean.
Philip: Well, Nate, Jesus is a teacher who comes from
Nazareth and….
Nate: Hold it
right there. Nazareth has a bad
reputation in my book. Can anything good
from Nazareth? Isn’t that the place
where carpenters make wooden crosses for the Romans to use for crucifixions?
Philip: Nate, you may be skeptical but please come with
me. Please trust me as your friend.
Nate: Okay, I’ll go with you to meet your new friend.
Jesus: (see Nathaniel)
Hey, here comes a skeptical Israelite.
Nate: Who, me? How
did you know? I’ve never met you before.
Jesus: I saw you under the fig tree; I read your body language
and I could tell many things about you.
Nate: Wow! You’re good.
How could you tell all of that from such a distance?
Jesus: Well, don’t be impressed by that. You have much more to learn about me. You will learn that I am like Jacob ladders
connecting heaven and earth. And God’s
angels will be messengers and message through me to you.
Nate: Wow! Rabbi
Jesus, you are truly God’s Son.
Jesus: Come Nathaniel,
and you will learn much more.
Nate: Wow, he call me by my full name, just like my mom.
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
January 18, 2015 The Second Sunday After the Epiphany
Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; Peace Before Us;
Lord, Be Glorified; Awesome God
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: 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
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the
light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and
Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be
known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, 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 First Book of Samuel
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the
LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel again, a third
time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called
me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli
said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak,
LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his
place. Now the LORD came and stood
there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said,
"Speak, for your servant is listening."
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 139
How deep I find your thoughts, O God! * how great is the
sum of them!
If I were to count them, they would be more in number
than the sand; * to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.
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 John
People:
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found
Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We
have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus
son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything
good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly
an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where
did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig
tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are
the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you
believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see
greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon
the Son of Man."
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.
Intercession
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 Music:
Peace Before Us (Wonder, Love and
Praise # 791)
Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our
feet. Peace within us, peace over us,
let all around us be peace.
Love before us….
Light before us…
Christ before us….
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 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.
(Children 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.
Sanctify us 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: Lord, Be Glorified (Renew! # 172)
In our lives, Lord be glorified, be glorified. In our lives, Lord, be glorified today.
In our homes, Lord…
In your church, Lord…
In your world, Lord…
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: 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
Dismissal
Liturgist: Let
us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People: Thanks
be to God!