How Do We Account for Christly Presences after Jesus?

5 Easter a May 3, 2026

Acts 17:1-15 Ps. 66: 1-8
1 Peter 2:1-10 John 14:1-14

Lectionary Link

In the Gospel of John, we can find that the writer is quoting Jesus as saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," and this pertains to having a relationship with God as Father.

In the Acts of the Apostles, "The Way," was a description of the early Christ communities.  This would suggest the metaphor of a life journey.   We are on a journey with the passing of time being occasions of life on this journey.

But our Gospel reading presents us with perhaps a conflict between life as a journey as nomads in time, with the metaphor of the homing desire of a divine parent to prepare seeming permanent dwellings.

How does one have a dwelling while one is on the road?  In our modern era we have recreational vehicles which provide travelers with portable living spaces.  In ancient times, sleeping on the road would be done in tents or the caravanserai, the ancient roadside inn.

The discourse of Jesus that we have read in John's Gospel is a preparation discourse for the physical Jesus being absent from the lives of his disciples.  

Essentially the New Testament is about Jesus from Nazareth being physically absent from the lives of his followers, yet having to account for the continuing popularity of this now unseen Rabbi Jesus.  The New Testament is trying to account for the success of the Christ Movement.  How has this Movement remained when this Jesus is no longer seen?  How can we account for the effervescent social energy which is now institutionalized by having writings about the origins of the movement?  When a movement attains a social coherence it institutionalizes through writings to teach and explain its reason to be and continue.  The Gospels are writings by the early Christ communities to explain their very success to themselves.

The Christ communities are a way of life, zoe, or abundant life.  It is not just bios, biological life, or pseuche or soul life, it is zoe, esprit de corps life, the invisible linguistic  wind of Christ as eternal word creating continual Christly presences when the actual physical Jesus is no longer seen.

How did the Gospel writer explain this continuation of Christly presences after Jesus was gone?  One explanation was this departure discourse of Jesus to his disciples.  Why are we still thrilled with these extraordinary Christly presences long after Jesus is no longer seen?

Jesus promised that even though he would leave he would prepare a place for us and come back to us in the place prepared for us.  He said that in his Father's house there are many "dwelling places."  We perhaps with Downton Abbey pretensions prefer the King James version, "in my Father's house there are many mansions."  This is a bit more high brow living quarters.

But what if the dwelling places of the Father God is each person as a tent moving in time?  A tabernacle, a moving temple of the Holy Spirit, to invoke the Pauline writings of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.  In this way, God as heavenly parent, Christ as paradigmatically unique Son of God, and sibling of all humanity, embraces each of us as suitable dwelling places in our journey on the Way of this abundant life.

Let us embrace the Gospels, and the New Testament writings as writings of people who were amazed and surprised that continual Christly presences associated with this figure Jesus of Nazareth could continue in such manifest ways to become such a prominent social phenomenon in history.  To write their amazement they resort to the poetry of metaphors, because the language of wonder is the only language which seem appropriate to account for the occurrences of the experiences of Christly sublime.

The Gospel for us today is to continue in this Way, this Christly lifestyle, and to appreciate how the Eternal Word has individualized the Christly presence within our own lives and in the lives of people around us.  Let us embrace this Christly lifestyle as the Way of abundant life, a continuous wondering life and as a truthful life in being authentically honest to way that the eternal Word has become locally and continually resident in our nomadic lives in the Way of Christ.  Amen.

Sunday School, May 3, 2026 5 Easter A

  Sunday School, May 3, 2026    5 Easter A

For Discussion

Jesus came to teach us about being members of the great family of God.

It is easy to know that are members of the family of our mom and dad and brothers and sisters and cousins, uncles and aunts and grandparents.

Families live in houses.

Did you ever think of your body as a house?

The body of each mother is a special house because each baby first lived inside of mother.

But even when we are born, we still live inside of the heart of our mothers, because our mom’s keep memories of who we are as her special treasure, so we always have a place inside of our mothers.

Jesus reminded his friends that they always had a “dwelling place” inside of God his Father.

Jesus came as God’s Son to show us that he was made in special image of God.

Jesus came to remind us that we are made in God’s image and so we too are children of God.

God gave this world as the house that we live in now when we are alive.

But Jesus promised his friends that even after they died, they would still live in rooms and dwelling places in the Father’s house.  So after we died, we can know that we will still have a place to live and it has been prepared for us.

But while we are still alive, Jesus said that we had great work to do.  The great work that we have to do is to tell everyone that we belong to the family of God, that God is our heavenly parent and that Jesus is our brother in this great family of God.

Question did you ever think of your body as a house?

Think about the rooms in this house as the memories you have inside of you about each of the people in your life.

The people whom you love have a special room inside of you.

Can you accept yourself as person who is loved by God and who has been given a dwelling place in God’s house forever?

Sermon

What do we call this building where we are now?  A church.

Now if we sold this building to someone who opened a restaurant here, what would we call the building then?  A restaurant…we might say, “It’s a building that used to be a church.”

  So what makes this building a church?  The way it is built, or does the people who use this building make it a church?

  Jesus promised his disciples that he would provide for them a place to live, but he didn’t mean houses and buildings.  He meant that he would provide for them a group of people with whom they could live and call friends.

  And just as a church really isn’t a building but the people who worship there.  A home is not just a building.  A home is where one lives with one’s family.

  Jesus promised to make his followers sons and daughters of God, so that they would have another family, a Christian family.

  So that is why we have a church.  A church is a Christian family where we can live.  It is group of friends with whom we pray.  It is a group of friends that we join so that we can worship God, learn about God, pray together and help people who are in need.

  Jesus promised that his friends could find a group of friends to be with even after he was gone.  And he promised that whenever they got together, they could feel as though Jesus was still with them, because they were doing the work that he gave them to do in this world.

  Remember that our church is a group of friends where we belong.  And so we gather to offer prayers, to help one another, to share in eating the bread and drinking the wine, and know that the presence of Christ is with us.

  Jesus said that in his Father’s house there were many dwelling places.  God’s big house is this world we live in; and God dwellings inside of the people who live in this big house world of God.

  You and I can know that God dwells with us.  We can invite God to be in us and let him always be a special guest inside of us.

  Let us be thankful that Christ taught us that God dwells within each of us and so we can celebrate God’s closeness to us.  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

May 3, 2026: The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: Glory Be to God on High; We Will Glorify; If You’re Happy

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

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: Glory Be to God on High  (Christian Children’s Songbook  # 70)

1-Glory to be God on high, alleluia.  Glory be to God on high, alleluia.  

2-Praise the Father, Spirit, Son, alleluia.  Praise the Godhead, three in one, alleluia.

3-Sing we praises unto thee, alleluia, for the truth that sets us free, alleluia.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First 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 First Letter of Peter

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.  Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 31

In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; * deliver me in your righteousness. 

Incline your ear to me; * make haste to deliver me.

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 John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."  Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."

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

Offertory Anthem:  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 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, 

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:  We Will Glorify  (Renew! # 33).

1. We will glorify the King of kings, we will glorify the Lamb; we will glorify the Lord of lords, who is the great I Am.

2. Lord Jehovah reigns in majesty, we will bow before his throne, we will worship him in righteousness, we will worship him alone.

3. He is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, he is Lord of all who live; he is Lord above the universe, all praise to him we give.

4. Hallelujah to the King of kings, hallelujah to the Lamb; hallelujah to the Lord of lords, who is the great I Am.

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: : If You’re Happy  (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 124)

1-         If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.  If you happy and you know it clap your hands.  If you’re happy and you know it then your face should surely show it, if your happy and you know it, clap your hands.  

 2- If you’re happy and you know it, make a high five.  If you happy and you know it make a high five.  If you’re happy and you know it then your face should surely show it, if your happy and you know it, make a high five

3-Make a low five

4-Make a fist bump  

5- If you’re happy and you know it, shout Amen!.  If you happy and you know it shout Amen!.  If you’re happy and you know it then your face should surely show it, if your happy and you know it, shout Amen!  

Dismissal:    

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Way, Truth, Life, Home, and Inheritance

5 Easter a May 7, 2023

Acts 17:1-15 Ps. 66: 1-8
1 Peter 2:1-10 John 14:1-14

Lectionary Link

When the most important person and mentor of one's life leaves, what does one need?  One needs direction, honesty, and an assurance that there is greater life than the death of the loved one.  And what if we've have gotten location and identity by being with someone so important?  What if our life has been poignantly defined by living in proximity with the most important person in our lives?  Our personal neighborhoods change when our loved one is gone.  How can a home be a home when the one who made it seem like home is suddenly gone?  When someone important dies, one can believe that significant resources for living have been lost.  How do we access the inheritance of the loved one whom we've lost?

How did the writer of John's Gospel, writing decades after Jesus, present Jesus?  Jesus was presented as one who prepared his disciples for his eventual absence.  And by logical extension, the first readers of the Gospel of John were to know that the preparation for the absence of Jesus of Nazareth pertained to their lives as well.  And by further extension, you and I can find insights on how we can live today without having seen, walked, or talked with Jesus of Nazareth.

The Gospel writers believed that they could write about Jesus in such a manner that he could be known as the exemplary person on whom one's life could be modeled.  In short, Jesus was the way; he was the one who provided the direction for how to live best in the way love, peace, joy, and justice.  Probably the most important gift that any of us has had are exemplary mentors who have provided us with living examples of how to live well.  Jesus is the way, because he was the exemplary person who has given us a direction of excellence into which we can continuously grow.

Further, we need to know what is true.  Truth has many nuances.  It cannot be reduced to scientific laws or logical arguments.  The truth of Jesus has to do with the aspect of living honestly with oneself.  Jesus was honest to God, honest to himself, honest to his friends, and honest to the world in which he lived.  How do we live in the truth of Jesus?  By honestly discovering ourselves to be children of God and from this discovery, live with this distinction in such a way as to invite this same insight for others.  We should strive to be able to say, "If you have seen us, you have seen something of the likeness of God and Christ."  If we can attain to honesty about our heavenly parentage, the likeness and image of God on our lives,  then we emulate the truth of Jesus.

When the life of Jesus ended upon the cross, did that mean the end of the kind of qualitative life of Jesus was gone?  No, Jesus promised the continuance of abundant life, resurrection life, even the life of the Holy Spirit.  The early followers of Jesus lived with the sense of the continued presence of the Risen Christ.  This continued presence was the abundant life which Jesus provided for his disciples, for the early Christians and for us today.

When Jesus died, did the disciples lose their home?  Where are we going to live after Jesus is gone?  Wherever Jesus went, he created a home for his disciples.  Sometimes we like to reduce the words of Jesus to funeral services and speak of eternal life in some heavenly dwelling.  When he was on earth, Jesus told them that the Son of Man had no place to lay his head.  He was an itinerant and nomadic Jesus in his ministry.  He had no home, but he found many homes with many friends.  What Jesus taught us about God is that God is an itinerant and homing God, one who indwells the lives of all.  Jesus presented God as a homing God; one who would be pleased to dwell in the lives of all.  This is a connection of creation theology with incarnational theology.  The likeness and image of God dwells within creation and especially within people.  Jesus is the one who taught us to bring our God-identity to the surface to become manifest in our words and our deeds.

In his farewell to his disciples, Jesus was saying, just as I have found the likeness of God my parent within myself, so too can you find this same resource within yourselves.

Today, we live in the same promises of the farewell discourse of Jesus.  We have the example of direction for our lives; we have his honest to God living, we have access to the abundant life within seeming ordinary life, we don't need to worry about a home because God has made a home within us, and finally, we can live off the continuing inheritance of the image of God upon our lives which can be known as the rising Holy Spirit.

As we always live in the grief of having lost Jesus of Nazareth, we live in hope and joy of the continuity of the values of the life of Jesus today.  Amen.

Sunday School, May 7, 2023 5 Easter A

 Sunday School, May 7, 2023    5 Easter A

For Discussion

Jesus came to teach us about being members of the great family of God.

It is easy to know that are members of the family of our mom and dad and brothers and sisters and cousins, uncles and aunts and grandparents.

Families live in houses.

Did you ever think of your body as a house?

The body of each mother is a special house because each baby first lived inside of mother.

But even when we are born, we still live inside of the heart of our mothers, because our mom’s keep memories of who we are as her special treasure, so we always have a place inside of our mothers.

Jesus reminded his friends that they always had a “dwelling place” inside of God his Father.

Jesus came as God’s Son to show us that he was made in special image of God.

Jesus came to remind us that we are made in God’s image and so we too are children of God.

God gave this world as the house that we live in now when we are alive.

But Jesus promised his friends that even after they died, they would still live in rooms and dwelling places in the Father’s house.  So after we died, we can know that we will still have a place to live and it has been prepared for us.

But while we are still alive, Jesus said that we had great work to do.  The great work that we have to do is to tell everyone that we belong to the family of God, that God is our heavenly parent and that Jesus is our brother in this great family of God.

Question did you ever think of your body as a house?

Think about the rooms in this house as the memories you have inside of you about each of the people in your life.

The people whom you love have a special room inside of you.

Can you accept yourself as person who is loved by God and who has been given a dwelling place in God’s house forever?

Sermon

What do we call this building where we are now?  A church.

Now if we sold this building to someone who opened a restaurant here, what would we call the building then?  A restaurant…we might say, “It’s a building that used to be a church.”

  So what makes this building a church?  The way it is built, or does the people who use this building make it a church?

  Jesus promised his disciples that he would provide for them a place to live, but he didn’t mean houses and buildings.  He meant that he would provide for them a group of people with whom they could live and call friends.

  And just as a church really isn’t a building but the people who worship there.  A home is not just a building.  A home is where one lives with one’s family.

  Jesus promised to make his followers sons and daughters of God, so that they would have another family, a Christian family.

  So that is why we have a church.  A church is a Christian family where we can live.  It is group of friends with whom we pray.  It is a group of friends that we join so that we can worship God, learn about God, pray together and help people who are in need.

  Jesus promised that his friends could find a group of friends to be with even after he was gone.  And he promised that whenever they got together, they could feel as though Jesus was still with them, because they were doing the work that he gave them to do in this world.

  Remember that our church is a group of friends where we belong.  And so we gather to offer prayers, to help one another, to share in eating the bread and drinking the wine, and know that the presence of Christ is with us.

  Jesus said that in his Father’s house there were many dwelling places.  God’s big house is this world we live in; and God dwellings inside of the people who live in this big house world of God.

  You and I can know that God dwells with us.  We can invite God to be in us and let him always be a special guest inside of us.

  Let us be thankful that Christ taught us that God dwells within each of us and so we can celebrate God’s closeness to us.  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

May 7, 2023: The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: Glory Be to God on High; We Will Glorify; If You’re Happy

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

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: Glory Be to God on High  (Christian Children’s Songbook  # 70)

1-Glory to be God on high, alleluia.  Glory be to God on high, alleluia.  

2-Praise the Father, Spirit, Son, alleluia.  Praise the Godhead, three in one, alleluia.

3-Sing we praises unto thee, alleluia, for the truth that sets us free, alleluia.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First 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 First Letter of Peter

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.  Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 31

In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; * deliver me in your righteousness. 

Incline your ear to me; * make haste to deliver me.

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 John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."  Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."

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

Offertory Anthem:  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 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, 

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:  We Will Glorify  (Renew! # 33).

1. We will glorify the King of kings, we will glorify the Lamb; we will glorify the Lord of lords, who is the great I Am.

2. Lord Jehovah reigns in majesty, we will bow before his throne, we will worship him in righteousness, we will worship him alone.

3. He is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, he is Lord of all who live; he is Lord above the universe, all praise to him we give.

4. Hallelujah to the King of kings, hallelujah to the Lamb; hallelujah to the Lord of lords, who is the great I Am.

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: : If You’re Happy  (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 124)

1-         If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.  If you happy and you know it clap your hands.  If you’re happy and you know it then your face should surely show it, if your happy and you know it, clap your hands.  

 2- If you’re happy and you know it, make a high five.  If you happy and you know it make a high five.  If you’re happy and you know it then your face should surely show it, if your happy and you know it, make a high five

3-Make a low five

4-Make a fist bump  

5- If you’re happy and you know it, shout Amen!.  If you happy and you know it shout Amen!.  If you’re happy and you know it then your face should surely show it, if your happy and you know it, shout Amen!  

Dismissal:    

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!