The Post-Ascension Church

7 Easter     May 29, 2022

Acts 16:16-34   Psalm 97

Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21 John 17:20-26   

 

Lectionary Link

         

Topography is a geographical term.  But the word topic, is a rhetorical term, referring to common themes of use for argument and dialogue.  Each word is related to a Greek word, "topos",  meaning place.

 

One of Aristotle's works in logic was called The Topics, or commonplaces that are used in arguments to derive the conclusions of the arguments.

 

The Bible is a book of topography and topics.  It is a geography of the outer world and the inner world because language is an inner attribute comprising each person's effort to sew together what is inside us with what is outside.  We use language to name the outer world of our landscape, our geographical topography; we use language to name our interior geography, things like soul, emotions, thinking, memory, volition, heart, and spirit.  The Bible provides a series of topics from which our major faith conclusions are drawn.

 

What is the main conclusion of the New Testament?  The Jesus who died, rose into an ascended state, is now known as the Risen Christ nature within humanity.  What is the whole point of the New Testament?  To get people to realize the Risen Christ nature within themselves.

 

Today's Bible readings gives us topics in various presentations to point to the main conclusion.

 

The geography of Jesus Christ is this:  He was born, he ministered in word and deed and demonstration and friendship, he died, he continued to be known in various ways by his followers who explained such as appearances until such appearances ceased and his absence was explained by his departure in an ascension.  He took a spiritual elevator to an exalted space, and in our modern day, we must confess this exalted space to be an inner space, because we no longer hold to a three-tiered universe of netherworld, flat earth, domed sky with an opening to the highest heaven.

 

How did the writer of John's Gospel understand Christ as exalted to the highest inner space?  He understood that Christ was an intercessor asking that everyone could come to a union with the Great One of heaven and know themselves as child of God, one with the heavenly parent who is the condition of the creation of everything.

 

The topic is the presentation of the prayer of Christ for us to come to know our family oneness with God our heavenly parent.  This is not a Jesus wanting to be God's only child; it is the Risen Christ begging that God might help everyone realize their divine family origin by accessing their spiritual oneness with God.

 

Another topic is the result of the conclusion about experiencing the Risen Christ nature.  It gave Paul and Silas the ability to resist the interior lies that controlled others; and they could people whisper just like Jesus had people whispered.  What happens to those who realize their Risen Christ natures?  The uncanny.  Prison doors are opened, and they know not how; the earthquake seem to cause their release.  And their release was for the purpose of passing on the realization of the Christ nature to their jailor and his family.  The realization of the Risen Christ nature creates for us the sense of the uncanny, the marvelous, the bafflement, and the awe; the sense of our being really small because of God's greatness.  We can experience the sense of wonder of us being touched by that greatness, and known in events of seeming providential care.

 

Realizing the divine presence made the Psalmist a poet.  Poets speak in exaggeration; that's what mystical experience does.  Poetry is a response to the Sublime.  And the sense of the sublime is a topic which points to the conclusion of the realized Risen Christ nature.

 

And for some, the awareness of the sublime Risen Christ nature came in the inscrutable and fluid and plastic imagery like the writings of the Revelation of St. John the Divine.  Do you know how you can offend an artist, a poet, writer, or a painter?  By being very sure that you really know what they meant in their artistic presentation.  Artists and paints and writers can be very glad that their works are appreciated and even forgiving when people presume to know exactly what they meant.  I am very tired of people who think that they know exactly what John the Divine wrote about or exactly what the Bible means.  Why?  The meanings of the Bible are not yet finished, just like the meaning of any work of art is never arrived at.  Let us not offend the Bible by presuming we know precisely what the words mean.  It is a book of artistic presentation of language to inspire us in the art of living well.  It is not a book of dogma to presume that we know so well, that we want to force our meanings on everyone else.

 

Lots of people who think they know what the Book of Revelation is about speak over and over again about the Second Coming.  I don't think the word "second" is ever used to refer to the coming of Christ, because the comings of Christ are more than two.  Just last week we read about how Christ was leaving the disciples but was coming to them again soon in the Advocate Holy Spirit.

 

While some people are just waiting for the "big one," the big coming, I believe the witness of John the Divine to you and me is found in one word that should always be on our lips and in our hearts.

 

That word: "Come!"  Come Lord Jesus!  Come again, now, and later.  Come Lord Jesus in these Eucharistic gifts.  Come within the gathered people.  Come within the crazy terror of gun slayings aftermaths and come within the lingering dreadful war in Ukraine.

 

What is in this word "come?"  It is a request from hearts won by the hospitality of Christ, and it is being converted to being hospitable?  And what do hospitable people say?  Come!

 

Come, Lord Jesus.  Amen

Sunday School, May 29, 2022 7 Easter C Ascension Sunday

 

Sunday School, May 29, 2022     7 Easter C  Ascension Sunday

Themes of the Day

The Ascension of Christ

Question:

What happened to Jesus after he rose from the dead and appeared to his friends, but then left this world?

The early Christian believed that Jesus left this world to be with his Father.

What does Christ do now that we can no longer see him?

One of the things that Jesus does is to pray and he asks him friends to pray.  When you’re mom and dad are not with you, they have feelings of hope and love for you and they say prayers for you.  And even though they do see you all of the time they feel connected with you.

And your parents want you to feel connected with them even when you are not with them and don’t see them.  And they want you to pray for them.

Today we read a prayer that Jesus made with his Father.  And in his prayer he was asking that his friends could know the same Father that he knew.  He was wanting his friends to know that they were sons and daughters of God.

And he wanted his friends to know that they could be connected to God when they talked to God and when they prayed.  Our prayers with our thoughts and our spoken words come from an place within us and they connect us to God the Father and with Jesus even when we do not see them.

Jesus left with his friends the gift of prayer.  It is a way to talk to God and to know God even when we don’t see him.  And if we practice prayer enough, we will teach ourselves to know how close God is to us.  If we avoid God, then we will not know how close God is to us.  Jesus said that if we wanted to have a relationship with God as our Father, then we need to talk to God.

When Jesus ascended and was no longer seen, we believe that he has God to be with God the Father and he continues to pray for us.

Children’s Sermon

What do we call talking to God?  We call it prayer don’t we?

  And when do we pray?  Do we pray when we come to church on Sunday?  Yes, we pray when we gather together.

  Do we pray before we eat?  We say table grace.  Do you have favorite table grace?  Why do we say table grace?  Because we are very thankful for our food.  We know that there are many people who don’t have enough to eat.

  Do you pray when you go to bed at night?  Yes, because we want to sleep well.  We don’t want to be frightened by our dreams.  And we don’t want to be frightened by imaginary things that can come into our mind.  So we pray and ask God to keep us safe.  And we pray for our family and friends too.

  Why do we pray?    Why do you talk to someone?  You want to get to know them don’t you?  Or you talk to someone because you need something, so you ask them to help you get what you need.

  Who are the people that you talk to the most?  You’re your mom and your dad and your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, your brothers and sisters and your friend.  Why do you talk to them?  Because you like them and also you need them sometimes to help you with important things in your life.

  Today, we heard a prayer that Jesus said to his father.  Jesus believed that God was so close to him that he could talk to him just as he would his father.

  And when Jesus prayed to his father, he asked for some things.  He asked that his friends would do well.  And you know what else he asked?  He asked that his friends might know God to be their father too.  He wanted his friends to know that God was close to them and that they could pray to God as their father in heaven.  And they could talk to God, just like they talked to their own fathers or their mothers or their own best friends.

  And so that is what Jesus wants us to do.  He wants us to practice our prayer and to talk to God as the father of the entire world.  Jesus wants us to know God as a great but very friendly father, who cares about our lives.

  You are never too young to learn how to practice to pray.  And if you learn to pray as a young child, it will carry all through your life.

  How you pray?  Well, you pray by talking to God.  But you don’t even have to talk.  You can think prayers as well, because God is so close to us, God can read our minds.  That’s a good reason for always thinking good thoughts.

  Prayers can be short or they can be long.  My most-used prayer is very short.  I just say, “Help!”

  Remember when you pray, you are believing in God and believing that God is close to you.  And remember you don’t have to always be asking for things from God.  You don’t always want your friends to be asking to play with your toys.  You like them to say other things as well.  So, you can say other things to God like, “How are you doing today, God and what can I do for you to make you happy?” 

  I believe all of your prayers will make God happy.  Remember Jesus prayed to God whom he believed to be his father.  And he taught us to pray too.  Can you remember to pray?

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

May 29, 2022: The Seventh Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; Seek Ye First; Come My Way; Sing a New Song

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: 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 Hallujah. 

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. 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 Revelation to John

And let everyone who hears say, "Come."  And let everyone who is thirsty come.  Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 97

The LORD is King; let the earth rejoice; * let the multitude of the isles be glad.

The heavens declare his righteousness, * and all the peoples see his glory.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, * and give thanks to his holy Name.

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 prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

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 Song: Seek Ye First, (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you Allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find.  Knock and the door will be opened unto you; allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

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.  Sanctify us by your Holy Spirit 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,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments) 

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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Come, My Way (Blue Hymnal, # 487)

Come my way, my truth, my life: such a way as gives us breath; such a truth as ends all strife; such a life as killeth death.

Come, my light, my feast, my strength: such a light as shows a feat; such a feast as mends in length; such a strength as makes his guest.

Come, my joy, my love, my heart: such a joy as none can move; such a love as none can part; such a heart as joys in love.

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: Sing A New Song (Renew!  # 21)

Refrain: Sing a new song unto the Lord; let your son be sung from mountains high.  Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing Alleluia.

1-Yahweh’s people dance for joy; O come before the Lord.  And play for him on glad tambourines, and let your trumpet sound.  Refrain

2-Rise, O children, from your sleep; your Savior now has come.  He has turned your sorrow to joy, and filled your soul with song.  Refrain

3-Glad my soul for I have seen the glory of the Lord.  The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised.  I know my Savior lives.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Prayer as Language Laundering

7 Easter         May 8, 2016

Acts 16:16-34   Psalm 97

Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21    John 17:20-26            

 Lectionary Link

  We are told that money laundering is a crime, though we in the church encourage the laundering of money by giving a tithe portion of it to the church as a way of sanctifying all of the money of our lives.  I would like to introduce another kind of laundering today.
   "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.... and the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us."
  The Gospel of John indicates that God is most accessible to us as human beings because God is Word.  And we are caught up within and without in a totally worded existence in active and passive ways; passive ways because our entire existence is structured because we have language ability.  In our seeing, tasting, feeling, touching, intuiting, and hearing we have all this experience funneled through our word ability and we are always reading and interpreting our experience because we cannot help but do so.
  What would God as Word look like if completely manifested in a person?  God as Word would look like Jesus.  Jesus is the flesh and blood person that God as Word came to us.
  Why is word important?  We live and move and have our being in a vast field of words.  And there is lots bad use of words and bad use our language.  We  speak, feel, see, touch, taste and hear in some ways that are unhealthy to our lives and the life of our world.  Our bad use of words shows itself in our sin, the sin of failed stewardship in the gift of words into which we have been born.
  If God is the Word from the Beginning and Jesus is the Word made flesh as exemplary life of our worded existence, how do we look to Jesus to launder or clean up our language?
  In the good ol' days when I was a child my parents had a very literal way of cleansing one of the organs of language.  "Phil, I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap, if you keep saying those bad words."  Back then, I didn't know that I could have a lawyer on retainer to report such extreme threats from my parents.  And it was no threat; I have had my mouth washed out with soap more times than I want to remember.  Did any of you ever have your speech organ laundered with soap?  "I'm sorry mom and dad, such external washing of my mouth with soap did not go deep enough; the real organs of speech are the mind and heart which needed a much deeper cleansing."  And that is no lie, even though the soap was made with lye.  (bad pun groan here).
  So how can Jesus who is the living representative of Word of God help us to launder or clean up our lives of words?
  When the church quit seeing Jesus, where did they believe that he was?  They believed that he had ascended to be seated next to his Father.  And what  is Jesus doing next to his Father in that place of highest elevation?  The early church believed that the Risen Ascended Christ lived with his Father in order to make intercession for us.  Jesus prays for us and as the Risen and Ascended Christ, Christ has the manifold ability to be universally involved with everyone because he has returned from being the particular word made flesh in Jesus Christ to re-assume his association with being the eternal Word as God.
  So what example does Jesus provide for laundering or cleaning up our language?  Jesus gives us the example of prayer.  Jesus, in his life of prayer, invites us to clean up our language by joining him in the life of prayer.  Prayer is the way that you and I can launder the words of our lives, the words of language events, speech and writing; but also the words that are poignantly evident in our body language of deeds and actions.
  We can let prayer take over our lives and launder our language use if we accept that Christ is the Word of God who has given us the worded existence.  Since God has given us the worded existence with manifold language use and abilities, we need to practice the best stewardship our language ability.  How do we launder our language use?
  We do so by emulating Jesus Christ in being committed to the continual life of prayer.  The main task of life is to be at the laundering of our life of words.  And we can do this through the practice of prayer.  Prayer is accepting that our particular words have derived from God who is Word, and as such, we have the obligation to perform our words worthy of God who is the Eternal Word from the beginning?
  How did Jesus show a holy and pure life of words.  He did it in action.  He healed, he comforted, he fed, he encouraged, he taught, he confronted oppressors, he confronted lying with truth, he prayed, and he taught his followers to pray.  If life is relational, then we need to clean up the main way of relating, namely our life of words.  Prayer is the way in which we can launder our words.  In our unhealthy word environments we have learned unhealthy habits of word and we have soiled and stained results in how we use language and how our body language is trapped in some unhealthy repetitions.
  Words, themselves are neutral.  Clothes are neutral but they can be dirty and soiled or they can be laundered.  The example of Jesus praying for us while he lived on earth and the presentation of the Risen and Ascended Christ as one who still prays for us, is an example for us to adopt the life of prayer as a way of living, as the best way to launder our words..
  Today, we believe the Risen and Ascended Christ prays for us.  We accept the dispatch of the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill what Christ desires for us. Jesus desires that we should pray.  And if we believe that Christ prays, we too should commit ourselves to the practice of prayer as the best possible way to work at the endless task of laundering our language:  Our total language repertoire, of words and deeds. You and I are called to life of prayer and our prayer chain spiritual director is always happy to have new intercessors join our prayer chain.  Let us never grow weary in the task of endlessly laundering the language of our lives toward words and deeds which reflect the very best of the love and justice of God.  Amen.

Sunday School, June 2, 2019 7 Easter C Ascension Sunday

Sunday School, June 2, 2019     7 Easter C  Ascension Sunday

Themes of the Day

The Ascension of Christ

Question:

What happened to Jesus after he rose from the dead and appeared to his friends, but then left this world?

The early Christian believed that Jesus left this world to be with his Father.

What does Christ do now that we can no longer see him?

One of the things that Jesus does is to pray and he asks him friends to pray.  When you’re mom and dad are not with you, they have feelings of hope and love for you and they say prayers for you.  And even though they do see you all of the time they feel connected with you.

And your parents want you to feel connected with them even when you are not with them and don’t see them.  And they want you to pray for them.

Today we read a prayer that Jesus made with his Father.  And in his prayer he was asking that his friends could know the same Father that he knew.  He was wanting his friends to know that they were sons and daughters of God.

And he wanted his friends to know that they could be connected to God when they talked to God and when they prayed.  Our prayers with our thoughts and our spoken words come from an place within us and they connect us to God the Father and with Jesus even when we do not see them.

Jesus left with his friends the gift of prayer.  It is a way to talk to God and to know God even when we don’t see him.  And if we practice prayer enough, we will teach ourselves to know how close God is to us.  If we avoid God, then we will not know how close God is to us.  Jesus said that if we wanted to have a relationship with God as our Father, then we need to talk to God.

When Jesus ascended and was no longer seen, we believe that he has God to be with God the Father and he continues to pray for us.

Children’s Sermon

What do we call talking to God?  We call it prayer don’t we?

  And when do we pray?  Do we pray when we come to church on Sunday?  Yes, we pray when we gather together.

  Do we pray before we eat?  We say table grace.  Do you have favorite table grace?  Why do we say table grace?  Because we are very thankful for our food.  We know that there are many people who don’t have enough to eat.

  Do you pray when you go to bed at night?  Yes, because we want to sleep well.  We don’t want to be frightened by our dreams.  And we don’t want to be frightened by imaginary things that can come into our mind.  So we pray and ask God to keep us safe.  And we pray for our family and friends too.

  Why do we pray?    Why do you talk to someone?  You want to get to know them don’t you?  Or you talk to someone because you need something, so you ask them to help you get what you need.

  Who are the people that you talk to the most?  You’re your mom and your dad and your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, your brothers and sisters and your friend.  Why do you talk to them?  Because you like them and also you need them sometimes to help you with important things in your life.

  Today, we heard a prayer that Jesus said to his father.  Jesus believed that God was so close to him that he could talk to him just as he would his father.

  And when Jesus prayed to his father, he asked for some things.  He asked that his friends would do well.  And you know what else he asked?  He asked that his friends might know God to be their father too.  He wanted his friends to know that God was close to them and that they could pray to God as their father in heaven.  And they could talk to God, just like they talked to their own fathers or their mothers or their own best friends.

  And so that is what Jesus wants us to do.  He wants us to practice our prayer and to talk to God as the father of the entire world.  Jesus wants us to know God as a great but very friendly father, who cares about our lives.

  You are never too young to learn how to practice to pray.  And if you learn to pray as a young child, it will carry all through your life.

  How you pray?  Well, you pray by talking to God.  But you don’t even have to talk.  You can think prayers as well, because God is so close to us, God can read our minds.  That’s a good reason for always thinking good thoughts.

  Prayers can be short or they can be long.  My most-used prayer is very short.  I just say, “Help!”

  Remember when you pray, you are believing in God and believing that God is close to you.  And remember you don’t have to always be asking for things from God.  You don’t always want your friends to be asking to play with your toys.  You like them to say other things as well.  So, you can say other things to God like, “How are you doing today, God and what can I do for you to make you happy?” 

  I believe all of your prayers will make God happy.  Remember Jesus prayed to God whom he believed to be his father.  And he taught us to pray too.  Can you remember to pray?

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

June 2, 2019: The Seventh Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; Seek Ye First; Come My Way; Sing a New Song

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: 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 Hallujah. 

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. 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 Revelation to John

And let everyone who hears say, "Come."  And let everyone who is thirsty come.  Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 97

The LORD is King; let the earth rejoice; * let the multitude of the isles be glad.

The heavens declare his righteousness, * and all the peoples see his glory.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, * and give thanks to his holy Name.

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 prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

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 Song: Seek Ye First, (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you Allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find.  Knock and the door will be opened unto you; allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

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.  Sanctify us by your Holy Spirit 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,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments) 

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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Come, My Way (Blue Hymnal, # 487)

Come my way, my truth, my life: such a way as gives us breath; such a truth as ends all strife; such a life as killeth death.

Come, my light, my feast, my strength: such a light as shows a feat; such a feast as mends in length; such a strength as makes his guest.

Come, my joy, my love, my heart: such a joy as none can move; such a love as none can part; such a heart as joys in love.

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: Sing A New Song (Renew!  # 21)

Refrain: Sing a new song unto the Lord; let your son be sung from mountains high.  Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing Alleluia.

1-Yahweh’s people dance for joy; O come before the Lord.  And play for him on glad tambourines, and let your trumpet sound.  Refrain

2-Rise, O children, from your sleep; your Savior now has come.  He has turned your sorrow to joy, and filled your soul with song.  Refrain

3-Glad my soul for I have seen the glory of the Lord.  The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised.  I know my Savior lives.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!