Resurrection as Future and as Now

5 Lent a March 26, 2023
Ez. 37:1-14 Ps. 130
Rom. 6:16-23 John 11:1-44

Lectionary Link

Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died?

In the relationship with God, one might cite the continuous mistiming of good things happening to undo bad things which have occurred.

The Lazarus story in the Gospel of John, encapsulates the way in which the early Christians were pondering their lives in their circumstances, which were not always so good.

By the time that the Lazarus story came to textual form, the Jesus Movement had moved from being a community waiting for the imminent end of the world to becoming a community which needed to survive and grow within the cities of the Roman Empire.

The very first writing of the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians was written by St. Paul to people who were anxious about the deaths of their friends happening before the Day of Lord.  St. Paul wrote words of comfort to link up resurrection life as a holding place in the now with the future resurrection of everyone.

The Thessalonian believers worried that death before the day of the Lord would put the preservation of such pre-deceased in question.

The Gospel of John is a writing which mixes a narrative of Jesus of Nazareth with a narrative of the Risen Christ for people living decades after Jesus.  The Risen Christ narrative is super-imposed over the narrative of Jesus of Nazareth.  

The Gospel of John incorporates a "Book of Signs" in it.   The word signs is used instead of "miracle" or wonder.  The Gospel of John proclaims Christ as the eternal Word of God from the beginning.  And as Eternal Word, the Risen Christ is all and in all.  And being all and in all, the Risen Christ is present to all life circumstances, some of which are cited in the book of Signs.  Christ is present in the seemingly trivial, like when wine runs out at a wedding feast.  Christ is present when one's child is deathly sick.  Christ is present when there is a storm on the Sea.  Christ is present for the blind and the lame.  Christ is present when the multitude lack enough to eat.  And finally Christ is present when one's loved ones die.

In this way, the writer of John is saying the Gospel is profoundly real to the actual circumstances of our lives.  It is not some other worldly, utopian, pie in the sky system of denial.

We do not necessary like the Risen Christ being compatible with all the conditions which we face in life.  We wish the timing of Christ would be our timing, and like children we wish that all human experience could be always already completely pleasant and "us" friendly.

The Gospel of John proclaims through the word of Jesus that the Risen Christ is resurrection, not only the resurrection or his resurrection, but rather resurrection itself.   What could this mean?  It means the preserving essence of life itself even when life is going through apparent states of change.  The most apparent states of change are designated as birth and death,  and resurrection encompasses both.  Neither birth nor death changes the status of resurrection.

The story of Lazarus is how John's Gospel intertwines the realization of Christly presence with all the circumstances of life, which includes death.

The Gospel of John was written for a minority community in the Roman Empire who had members suffering, and members who were dying.  What kind of life is compatible with all that humans have to face?  Resurrection life.  Resurrection life while we are living.  Holy Spirit continuous life even across the portal of death.

Today, we are ask to be humble about certainty of the continuity of any specific state of our existence, given the reality of changes in life.  The probable conditions which can happen to any of us at anytime are numerous and confronted with the uncertainty of what might happen to us, how do we live on the quicksand of such tentativeness?  We embrace resurrection as what continues within every change.

Resurrection is the continuity under the changing apparent conditions of our life.  And John's Gospel tells us to embrace this resurrection as the anchor for the roller coaster of our changing lives.

John's Gospel super-imposes the life of the Risen Christ upon the presentation of a life of Jesus.   The Gospel for us is for us to super-impose the Risen Christ upon the circumstances of our lives because as Jesus going to grave of Lazarus says, "I am Resurrection, I am Life."  You and I need to let resurrection be more than getting to some heavenly place in the future to be "saved"; we need to embrace it as the preserving continuity within the changes of our life.  John's Gospel invites us to embrace resurrection as life, even in Lent before Easter.  Amen.

Sunday School, March 26, 2020 5 Lent A

 Sunday School, March 26, 2020 5 Lent A

Theme:

Stories and Babushka dolls

Babushka dolls are like an onion.  They have layers.  They are a way of showing how things grow.  The way that you and I appear today includes all of the layers of stories about us before we became who we are.

The Gospel stories can be seen like babushka dolls; they are layers of story and sometimes bigger story includes a smaller story that came before the bigger story.

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus told a story about a beggar who was very sick who lived at the gate of a wealthy man and the wealthy man ignored beggar and did nothing to help him.  The beggar’s name of Lazarus and we don’t know the name of the wealthy man.  Both Lazarus and the wealthy man died.  The wealthy man after death went to a place of discomfort; but Lazarus went to a place of pleasure to live with the great Abraham.  In death, Lazarus and the wealthy man lived on the opposite sides and there was a big canyon between them that could not be cross.  The wealthy man was sad about being in a bad place.  He yelled across the canyon and asked that Abraham would send Lazarus back to life again to warn his family who had not yet died to live better lives so that when they died they would not have to suffer.  Abraham said that even if Lazarus came back to life and spoke to the wealthy man’s family, his family would not believe.  Why?  If they don’t listen to what Moses and the prophets taught them, then they would not even believe a man who returned from the dead.

The writer of John wrote about a man name Lazarus who died.  The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha were very sad and when Jesus saw their sadness, he cried.  Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and he called Lazarus back to life again.  But did everyone believe in Jesus after this happened?  No.  People still did not believe that Jesus was the Resurrection and the life.

So do you see how the later story about Lazarus who died was like another layer of the story that Jesus told about Lazarus and the wealthy man.

Remember you and I are in the outer layer of another babushka doll about Jesus and the Resurrection.  How are you and I making the resurrection of Christ appear in our lives today?  Are we doing it with love, kindness, hope and justice?  What will people in the next layer of life and history say about how we believed in the resurrection of Christ?

Sermon:

Do a Lazarus “mummy” sermon with strips of cloth.  Get a child to be “mummy” Lazarus and other children to help bind the mummy and then unbind him as you retell the Lazarus story.

When the pyramids of Egypt were opened, they were found to be burial chambers for the kings of Egypt.

  And when they took the dead bodies out of the wooden caskets what did they call them. Mummies.

  So when people died they wrapped their bodies in cloth.

  I need a volunteer mummy today.  Would someone like to volunteer?

And so we are going to wrap up our volunteer to look like a mummy.

  We read the story about the death of Lazarus.

  Jesus came to see Mary and Martha after their brother had been wrapped and buried.

  And Jesus cried when he saw the sadness of everyone.

  So Jesus went to the tomb and he said, Lazarus, come out!

And Lazarus came out.

  And Jesus said, “Unbind the man.”

  So let us unbind our mummy and let him free.

  Jesus wanted to teach people that God is stronger than death.  But death is very strong.  It can make us have worry and fear.  And these worries and fear can be like that clothes that wrap up the mummy.

  Jesus says, unbind the man.

  Jesus tell us that we don’t have to be tied down because of death, because, there is a new life for us after death.

  After death, our life is preserve by God.

  So we don’t have to live in fear of death during this life, because we believe that God will preserve us forever.

  Let us remember that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  Amen.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 26, 2023: The Fifth Sunday in Lent

Gathering Songs: Dry Bones, Christ Beside Me, There is a Redeemer, I Am the Bread of Life,  

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.

People: God’s mercy endures 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.

Opening Song: Dry Bones

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones, Ezekiel connected dem dry bones. Ezekiel connected dem dry bones. Now hear the word of the Lord. 

The toe bone connected to the foot bone. The foot bone connected to the ankle bone. The ankle bone connected to the leg bone.  The leg bone connected to knee bone. The knee bone connected to the thigh bone. The thigh bone connected to the hip bone. The hip bone connected to the back bone. The back bone connected to the shoulder bone. The shoulder bone connected to the neck bone. The neck bone connected to the head bone. Now hear the word of the Lord.

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around.  Now hear the word of the Lord.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Praise be to God! (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Praise be to God!

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Praise be to God!

Liturgist: A reading from the Prophet Ezekiel

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 130

If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, * O Lord, who could stand?

For there is forgiveness with you; * therefore you shall be feared.

I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; * in his word is my hope.

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.

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."  When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

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: Christ Beside Me   (Renew! # 164)

1          Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart;  Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me—never to part.

2          Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand, Christ all around me—shield in the strife:  Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting, Christ in my rising—light of my life

3          Christ be in all hearts, thinking about me, Christ be on all tongues, telling of me; Christ be the vision, in eyes that see me, in ears that hear me, Christ ever be.

4          Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart; Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me—never to part.

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.

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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: There is a Redeemer (Renew! # 232)

There is a redeemer, Jesus, God own Son, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One.

Refrain: Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son; and leaving your Spirit ‘til the work on earth is done.

Jesus, my Redeemer, name above all name, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, hope for sinners slain.  Refrain

When I stand in glory I will see His face, and there I’ll serve my King forever, in that holy place.  Refrain

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 Am the Bread of Life, Lord (Blue Hymnal, # 335)

1-I am the bread of life; they who come to me shall not hunger; they who believe in me shall not thirst.  No one can come to me unless the Father draw them. 

Refrain: And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day.

4-I am the resurrection, I am the life.  They who believe in me, even if they die, they shall live for ever.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Lord, If You Had Been Here, Coronavirus Would Not Have Happened

5 Lent a        March 29, 2020

Ez. 37:1-14     Ps. 130 

Rom. 6:16-23    John 11:1-44     

Lectionary Link

One of my assumptions about the appearance of the Gospels, is the success of the Jesus Movement.  The Jesus Movement and the early home church social phenomenon was so successful that "institutionalization" began to occur.  Institutionalization happens in any organization that is successful and is comprised of members who really believe in the mission of the organization to the point of perpetuating the message and keeping it alive.

The Gospels were generated because of institutional success.  While the Gospel recount the life of the root event of the Jesus Movement, Jesus Christ, they arose after other writings.  We know that they occurred after the writings of St. Paul.

St. Paul was the chief theologian of the early church.  He wrote letters about church order and discipline, but also about the theological importance of Jesus and the justification of a truly universal church, including of the Gentiles.  St. Paul also generated the most significant poetic metaphors for the mystical experience with the Risen Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  And St. Paul did not ever actually see Jesus of Nazareth

Members of the early church were initiates in a spiritual path of Christians who shared different kinds of experiences of the Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit.  St. Paul and other leaders instructed these Christian initiates into this mystical path.  Paul provided an entire poetry to speak about this experience.  He provided a theological history to connect the Jesus Movement as a significant innovation in the Judaic traditions.  It was so innovative that many in the synagogues believed that went too far abroad from prescribed Judaic ritual practice.

By the time the Gospels were written, the success of the early churches required programmatic teaching of incorporating the mystical teaching, practice and theology of Paul into presentations of the life of Jesus.

John's Gospel was the latest Gospel serving as a hiding of spiritual meaning and practice within the presentation of words, deeds and life example of Jesus of Nazareth.

What did Paul write about us?  He said that we lived within the state of death of sin.  Why?  The wages of sin is death.  No matter how we consider mortality, it is anchored in the reality of death.  Human life comes with the experience of death.  But St. Paul also wrote that we could experience another kind of life even as our physical lives careens towards death.  We could experience the Holy Spirit and the life of Risen Christ, as a down payment or as an assurance of eternal life, or as the writer of John called it, "abundant life."

So, Christians who experienced the premonition of eternal life in the experience of the Holy Spirit still knew that they were going to experience physical death.  How could this ambiguity be presented in a Gospel teaching?

We have the brilliant story of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, one of whom it is said was loved by Jesus.  And Jesus loved and was loved by the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha of Bethany.

Lazarus is the one who died but who is brought to life again by Jesus Christ.  But Lazarus would die again.  Of course.  So,  what is the teaching purpose of the Lazarus story?

Each of us is like Lazarus.  We live under the basic human condition of sin and what is that?  It is knowing that we will physically die.  Yet even in this state of being defined by life's duration ending in death, we can experience another kind of life, resurrection life, eternal life, Holy Spirit life.  And experiencing this resurrection life does not exempt our bodies from physical death.

This is brute Christian realism.  The experience of the Holy Spirit, the mystical experience with the Risen Christ as our spiritual identity does not deny or exempt our bodies from death.  But it means that physical death will not define us as a final boundary of our life.  Why? Because while we live in our bodies we can know Jesus Christ, the Risen Christ as the Resurrection and the life.

We can know that Jesus is weeping at how profound we experience the loss of life of each person in our cherished lives within our bodies.  But we, in our state of death, can experience this inner assurance of living beyond our bodily life.  And this is the narrative for the eternal image of hope that is within every person in this world.  This eternal image of hope within us needs the narrative of the resurrection to release it into the hopeful practice of faithful lives.

Can we appreciate the sheer genius of how this story of Lazarus encapsulates the profound mystical theology and practice of St. Paul?

The coronavirus has brought into focus the state of death which we all live in.  It heightens our sense of mortality.  It results in our mourning of the death of people.  And so, we today affirm that Jesus is resurrection and life; Jesus affirms personal continuity beyond our deaths.  And knowing this, we can live differently.

We today can know ourselves to be like Lazarus, friend of Jesus, loved by Jesus, but living in the state of the death of sin.   We can know the apparent delays of Jesus, which represent the probable conditions of freedom in our world.  "Jesus, if you had been here, the coronavirus would not have occurred."  The conditions of freedom means that often good things, health and resolution are delayed because not everything runs according to our own desired personal schedules.

But you and I, living within the state of the death of sin, with many apparent delays in positive outcomes; we can know resurrection life because of the encounter with the Risen Christ who says to us like Martha of old, "I am resurrection, and I am life."  Within each of us, we can know this abundant life.  So while we live on perpetual delay of the perfection that we so desire for everything, we can experience the totally compensating resurrection life of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And if you and I can pierce the inner meaning of the Lazarus story; we have been initiated into the spiritual mystical program of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Sunday School, March 29, 2020 5 Lent A

Sunday School, March 29, 2020 5 Lent A

Theme:

Stories and Babushka dolls

Babushka dolls are like an onion.  They have layers.  They are a way of showing how things grow.  The way that you and I appear today includes all of the layers of stories about us before we became who we are.

The Gospel stories can be seen like babushka dolls; they are layers of story and sometimes bigger story includes a smaller story that came before the bigger story.

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus told a story about a beggar who was very sick who lived at the gate of a wealthy man and the wealthy man ignored beggar and did nothing to help him.  The beggar’s name of Lazarus and we don’t know the name of the wealthy man.  Both Lazarus and the wealthy man died.  The wealthy man after death went to a place of discomfort; but Lazarus went to a place of pleasure to live with the great Abraham.  In death, Lazarus and the wealthy man lived on the opposite sides and there was a big canyon between them that could not be cross.  The wealthy man was sad about being in a bad place.  He yelled across the canyon and asked that Abraham would send Lazarus back to life again to warn his family who had not yet died to live better lives so that when they died they would not have to suffer.  Abraham said that even if Lazarus came back to life and spoke to the wealthy man’s family, his family would not believe.  Why?  If they don’t listen to what Moses and the prophets taught them, then they would not even believe a man who returned from the dead.

The writer of John wrote about a man name Lazarus who died.  The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha were very sad and when Jesus saw their sadness, he cried.  Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and he called Lazarus back to life again.  But did everyone believe in Jesus after this happened?  No.  People still did not believe that Jesus was the Resurrection and the life.

So do you see how the later story about Lazarus who died was like another layer of the story that Jesus told about Lazarus and the wealthy man.

Remember you and I are in the outer layer of another babushka doll about Jesus and the Resurrection.  How are you and I making the resurrection of Christ appear in our lives today?  Are we doing it with love, kindness, hope and justice?  What will people in the next layer of life and history say about how we believed in the resurrection of Christ?

Sermon:

Do a Lazarus “mummy” sermon with strips of cloth.  Get a child to be “mummy” Lazarus and other children to help bind the mummy and then unbind him as you retell the Lazarus story.

When the pyramids of Egypt were opened, they were found to be burial chambers for the kings of Egypt.

  And when they took the dead bodies out of the wooden caskets what did they call them. Mummies.

  So when people died they wrapped their bodies in cloth.

  I need a volunteer mummy today.  Would someone like to volunteer?

And so we are going to wrap up our volunteer to look like a mummy.

  We read the story about the death of Lazarus.

  Jesus came to see Mary and Martha after their brother had been wrapped and buried.

  And Jesus cried when he saw the sadness of everyone.

  So Jesus went to the tomb and he said, Lazarus, come out!

And Lazarus came out.

  And Jesus said, “Unbind the man.”

  So let us unbind our mummy and let him free.

  Jesus wanted to teach people that God is stronger than death.  But death is very strong.  It can make us have worry and fear.  And these worries and fear can be like that clothes that wrap up the mummy.

  Jesus says, unbind the man.

  Jesus tell us that we don’t have to be tied down because of death, because, there is a new life for us after death.

  After death, our life is preserve by God.

  So we don’t have to live in fear of death during this life, because we believe that God will preserve us forever.

  Let us remember that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  Amen.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 29, 2020: The Fifth Sunday in Lent

Gathering Songs: Dry Bones, Christ Beside Me, There is a Redeemer, I Am the Bread of Life,  

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.

People: God’s mercy endures 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.

Opening Song: Dry Bones

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones, Ezekiel connected dem dry bones. Ezekiel connected dem dry bones. Now hear the word of the Lord. 

The toe bone connected to the foot bone. The foot bone connected to the ankle bone. The ankle bone connected to the leg bone.  The leg bone connected to knee bone. The knee bone connected to the thigh bone. The thigh bone connected to the hip bone. The hip bone connected to the back bone. The back bone connected to the shoulder bone. The shoulder bone connected to the neck bone. The neck bone connected to the head bone. Now hear the word of the Lord.

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around.  Now hear the word of the Lord.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Praise be to God! (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Praise be to God!

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Praise be to God!

Liturgist: A reading from the Prophet Ezekiel

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 130

If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, * O Lord, who could stand?

For there is forgiveness with you; * therefore you shall be feared.

I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; * in his word is my hope.

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.

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."  When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

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: Christ Beside Me   (Renew! # 164)

1          Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart;  Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me—never to part.

2          Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand, Christ all around me—shield in the strife:  Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting, Christ in my rising—light of my life

3          Christ be in all hearts, thinking about me, Christ be on all tongues, telling of me; Christ be the vision, in eyes that see me, in ears that hear me, Christ ever be.

4          Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart; Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me—never to part.

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.

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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: There is a Redeemer (Renew! # 232)

There is a redeemer, Jesus, God own Son, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One.

Refrain: Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son; and leaving your Spirit ‘til the work on earth is done.

Jesus, my Redeemer, name above all name, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, hope for sinners slain.  Refrain

When I stand in glory I will see His face, and there I’ll serve my King forever, in that holy place.  Refrain

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 Am the Bread of Life, Lord (Blue Hymnal, # 335)

1-I am the bread of life; they who come to me shall not hunger; they who believe in me shall not thirst.  No one can come to me unless the Father draw them. 

Refrain: And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day.

4-I am the resurrection, I am the life.  They who believe in me, even if they die, they shall live for ever.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!