Wishful Thinking and Opiate of the People?

14 Pentecost,  A p17, September 3, 2023
Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21  Matthew 16:21-28

Lectionary Link

Two of the most famous Jewish atheists, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud had their critiques of religion.  Religion for Freud was an illusion built mainly on wishful thinking.  For Marx, religion was for oppressed people an opiate to help them bear up and tolerate the actual material condition forced upon by the powerful and wealthy who used religion as a ideology to give poor people a mental analgesic for their pain.  Another philosopher, famous for his atheism, Nietzsche, criticized the beatitudinal message associated with Jesus as a transvaluation of noble values, because the beatitudes turn the values of  human preferred conditions on their head.  Poverty?  Blessed.  Being persecuted.  Blessed.  Mourning?  Blessed.  Giving your coat away.  Blessed.   So one was to regard one's deprived conditions as a blessed and favorable state?  Nietzsche was perhaps suggesting that the values of Jesus were masochistic.  How can one declare negative conditions as being blessed or favorable and be regarded as psychologically sound?

How might we respond to these critiques?  First, we might respond by acknowledging the piercing insights of each of these critiques.  In fact, the encounter presented between Jesus and Peter in our appointed Gospel highlights these issues of the early Jesus Movements particularly for Jews who had preferred notions of what a Messiah should be.  Peter who was congratulated by Jesus for confessing Jesus as the Messiah was immediately rebuked as a messenger of Satan because he could only understand the Messiah to be a triumphant over-powering person who would establish a kingdom with superior power to set Israel free and to place his favorites as leaders in his kingdom.

What was obvious to everyone?  The Caesar of Rome was still the King of this world, so what was Jesus?  If Jesus was not a greater King David who would unseat the Caesar of Rome, could he really be the Messiah?

What was the reality for the early followers of Christ, and what is often the reality for many many people?  Many people are oppressed and beaten down by the people who are powerful and wealthy.  And if we don't realize this, it probably means that we more naturally identify with the people in power than the oppressed and the poor, and we live lives of comfort.

What most Christians in Western Christianity today have not really grasped is that the New Testament is basically written from the conditions of and for people who were oppressed and they did not have much political or economic power in their world.

The New Testament is not a book to give prosperity Christians an affirmation of their right and privilege to be prosperous; rather it is comprised of writings which I might call a program of Christ-recommended martial arts for people without much social or political power.  The New Testament writings were survival manuals for people living under the radar in private communities within the cities of the Roman Empire.

If you are an oppressed people, you have to find ways to act for survival.  Think of the slaves in our America experience or the indigenous people whom we ran off their land; the New Testament was written more for people such as them needing survival than it was for the oppressing people who colonized and who enslaved.  It is quite a travesty to see pompous, prosperity preachers of privilege claiming to own the New Testament as certifying their postures of privilege.

In Paul's letter the Romans, we can find seeds of the beatitudes, which were written over decade before the beatitudes of the Gospel of Matthew came to text.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Paul is writing a program of Christ-like martial arts for persons in Rome who have no political power or public prominence. But Paul believes that they can have the witness of a profound lifestyle which can be winsome to people. How does this profound winsome lifestyle happen? It happens when one's interior life is over-shadowed and remade in such ways as to make kindness natural, when it would seem to be more natural to hate one's oppressors or compromise with their values so as to survive in the situation of being a small minority.

The Gospel dialogue between Jesus and Peter, is the dialogue of the early church for their members. "You are not called to a lifestyle where you will have positions in government on behalf of King Jesus who leads thousands of soldiers; rather you are inwardly overtaken by a Risen Christ in Holy Spirit power to provide you with a way to live like Jesus did. He did not live as one who was to lead an armed revolt against the Romans; he lived as one who modeled what it was like to let an inner God-possession put one on a path of transformation. And in living in this way, you can attract, invite, and see many initiated into this new lifestyle which derives from this inner mystical experience."

The free conditions of our world today renders a field of probable conditions. There are oppressors or seeming respectable people of power who consciously suppress people for their own gain or do it unconsciously because their social training has taught them thus. Frankly, the American Church and the Western Church, has been more on the side of those with power than it has been on the side of the oppressed. We have a cruel history of participation in the slave trade and practice, as well as being horrendous invaders of indigenous people who removed them from their land and living situations. And so we should heed the critiques of people like Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche and seek a just understanding of our relationship to the New Testament, a literature for the oppressed while we occupy our identity with parties of privilege and power.

Do we allow the New Testament to be an ideology of mere comfort to convince oppressed people to tolerate their conditions of poverty and lack of access to a fair share of the goods and services of our societies?

To Marx, Freud, Nietzsche and skeptics I would assert that it is a best part of human nature to be wishful thinkers. Perhaps within all the woe in life, we have the smiling for no reason infant retained within us as the always already occasion for new birth. We are wishful thinkers and hopeful thinker because we are oriented toward the future of something better. The Bible is part of a program of wishful thinking about our future even while being realistic about our shadow nature and the freedom for lots of bad things to happen. The New Testament happened to develop this wishful thinking program for living among people who had no political power and it became such a successful Christ-martial arts lifestyle that it caught on.

Wishful thinking programs also serve as an analgesic through the visualizations of justice being realized in practice and in punishment. Christian need not apologize for the analgesic literature of the apocalyptic with visualizations of quick and imminent interventions by future rescuing heroes. We should be quite mindful that today the apocalyptic visualization has moved into the general culture in art and cinema. The cinema versions of the future and intervening superheroes reveal that our culture are more apocalyptic in visionary art than the Bible ever was. So wishful thinking and visualization of freedom from pain and oppression is the opiate, the analgesic which all people take for the pain, the pain of knowing lots of bad things are happening to us and world at any given time.

We need not apologize for our wishful thinking or for wanting creative visualization to end pain and suffering and for the establishment of justice. But Bible readers have become a scorn for the skeptics because of their failure to defend their writings consistent with sound anthropology, the soundness of coping with life as it is.

The Gospel for the early community where the Gospel of Matthew was generated was the insight presented using the dialogue of Peter and Jesus. The message to the early church was this: "Jesus was a suffering servant; so too the followers of Jesus will be walking in the path of the suffering servant, and so it must be walked with the Christ-like martial arts of winsome living demonstrating the life of the Risen Christ."

Let us who are not oppressed and who enjoy power, wealth, and privilege not presume to think that our lifestyles instantiate the lifestyles of New Testament suffering peoples. And if we don't consciously go out and seek to suffer, what can we do?

We are obliged by the Gospel of Christ, not to be oppressor when we have power, wealth, and privilege. We are obliged by the Gospel of Christ to care for those who have known the brunt of oppression, suffering, and social persecution.

A Christ-like martial arts for those of us on side of privilege in our society is to live a life of care for those in need through direct active deeds but also in being active citizens influencing programs for the common good of the most possible number of people.

The Gospel challenge for people of privilege is to sell all that we have in terms of our personal power and greed, and use what we have to help those who do not have have access to care, compassion, and social dignity. May God grant us a Gospel path so as not to be embarrassed or ashamed of our lifestyle practices and choices today. Amen.

Sunday School, September 3, 2023 14 Pentecost, A Proper 17

  Sunday School, September 3,  2023     14 Pentecost, A Proper 17

Theme:

Take up your cross and follow me.

This was a saying in the early church.

Jesus died on the cross so that no one else had to.

The Cross of Jesus was made into a symbol for Christians.

We know that the Swoosh is the symbol for the Nike brand

The Cross is the symbol for the Christian brand.  We make the sign of the cross as a marking to indicate that we belong to Christ.

What does belonging to Christ mean?

It means that we live our lives as a sacrifice.

It means we have the power to say no to our selfish self in order to help and serve other people.

When we take up the cross of Jesus, we are asking for the power of God to control and tame our desire to live and do things just for ourselves. 

Think of examples of sacrifice:

Play video games or feed your pets.

Watch television or help mom with home chores.

Swing all the time or share the swing with a friend who also wants to swing.

Eat all your lunch or share some of it with someone who doesn’t have any lunch.

Sacrifice is the power to say no to yourself so that you can help other people.

This is what “taking up your cross and following Christ” means in our lives.

Sermon:

  In baseball, what does sacrifice mean?  What is a sacrifice fly?  What is a sacrifice bunt?  It is when you purposely make an out, so that another player can advance or score.

  Sacrifice is a word that comes from religion.  It means to offer something to God as an act of respect or worship of God.

  In the ancient time, people thought that God wanted them to sacrifice the life of an animal to help pay for their sins.

  Jesus came to show us the real meaning of sacrifice.

  He lived his life for others.  He gave up a comfortable life so that he could help the poor, the sick, the lonely people, the strangers, the children and the sad.

  So Jesus was a sacrifice for the life of others.  We know that he sacrificed his life for us when he died on the cross.

  And when Jesus said that we are to take up our cross and follow him, he means we are to learn how to live in a sacrificial way.  When we help others we are living in sacrificial way.  That is how we take up the cross of Christ.

  When you pick up your toys, you are helping your mom and dad, because then they don’t have to do it.

  When you help with house work, you are making a sacrifice.

  When you make peace with your brother or sister after you’ve had an argument, you are making a sacrifice.

  When you help others, you are taking up your cross and following Christ.

  Why?  Because God calls us to help each other, and we don’t need to have the attention all of the time, so when we share with others, we are sacrificing.

  A baseball player does not like to make an out.  But sometimes the manager asks a player to make a sacrifice to help the team win.

  Remember that many people make sacrifices for each of us every day:  Soldiers, police, doctors, teachers, moms, dads, grandmothers and grandfathers.  Many people have shared with us to make our lives better.  So too, we need to learn how to share.

  This is a lesson that we can learn from today’s Gospel.  Take up your cross and follow Christ.  And  we can do this by sharing our lives to make the lives of other people better.  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

September 3, 2023: The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Lift High the Cross, He’s Got the Whole World,  Eat This Bread, Soon and Very Soon

 Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And Blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Lift High the Cross (Blue Hymnal # 473)

Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name.

1-Led on their way by this triumphant sign, the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.  Refrain

2-Each newborn servant of the Crucified bears on the brow the seal of him who died.  Refrain

3-O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, as thou hast promised, draw the world to thee.  Refrain

4-So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory.  Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 105

Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; * make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him, * and speak of all his marvelous works.

Glory in his holy Name; * let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

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 Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?  "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

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. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

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

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

Little tiny babies.  3. Brothers and Sister  4. Mommies and Daddies

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

 the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia.  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: Eat This Bread, (Renew! # 228)

Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry. 

Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.

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: Soon and Very Soon, (Renew!  #149)

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.  Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.  Soon and very soon we are going to see the king.  Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the king.

No more dying there, we are going to see the king.  No more dying there, we are going to see the king.  No more dying there we are going to see the king.  Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the king.

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

  

A Caesar Messiah or a Suffering Servant Messiah?

13 Pentecost,  A p17,  August 30, 2020

Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21  Matthew 16:21-28

Lectionary Link

The issues which are found in the Gospel are not limited to the first century; they still are relevant today.

What was a big issue in the first century religious communities of Palestine and beyond?  Was this mythological figure known as the Messiah to be a Caesar Messiah or a Suffering Servant Messiah?

This was one of the crucial issue which led to the separation of the Jesus Movement and the synagogue.

In some ways, the issue has arisen again in the history of the church, based upon the identity which the church has taken with monarchs and other political leaders.

We've been reading the Gospel dialogue between Peter and Jesus.  "Jesus, you are the Messiah, son of the living God."  Well, Peter flesh and blood has not revealed that to you, and on you and this confession the Jesus Movement will be built.  But Peter, let me tell you about the Messiah.  The way in which I will be the Messiah is to suffer, die, and be raised on the third day."  Peter could not accept this; he like many others wanted a Caesar Messiah, not a suffering servant Messiah.  "Jesus, the Messiah does not suffer and die; the Messiah will be great enough to defeat the Caesar, so Jesus, you have to be a Caesar Messiah."  How ironic is this?  Peter telling the Messiah that he does not know the true qualities of the Messiah.   And Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan who inspires this misunderstanding of Peter.  You are thinking in very human ways but not in the ways of God."

Historically, the Jesus Movement blossomed and took off.  But the Jesus Movement was not an army of people over-throwing the Caesar and the Roman Empire.  Jesus did not have armies to remove the Romans from Palestine.  Jesus was not a Caesar Messiah and the self-understanding of the Jesus Movement was that Jesus represented the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah who spoke about a suffering servant hero Messiah.  The triumph of Jesus, the Messiah,  was an inside job within the hearts of people.  When you control the insides of people, the success eventually becomes a social and external success.

And what happened?  The Jesus Movement eventually became the preferred religion of the Roman Empire after the conversion of the Emperor Constantine.

You and I live in this situation of contradiction.  We believe and confess a suffering servant Messiah even while we have lived as heirs of Empire Christianity.

The Holy Roman Empire and Christendom were essentially expression of Empire Christianity.  When the Church of England separated from the Papal Western Church, it was an Empire Church with the monarch being the head of the church.

The Episcopal Church had to separate itself temporarily from the Empire Church of England during and after the American Revolution.  And even though we supposedly have separation of church and state, all American Christians still live as heir of Empire Christianity.  We have lived as the majority religious group and so the government has functioned more on our behalf than on behalf of people in religious minority groups.

When Empire Christian became colonial Christianity around the world, how ironic that the suffering servant Messiah converted the indigenous people and the natives who were made to be slaves.  What is the result of converting people to the suffering servant Messiah?  Well, the love of God in Christ the Messiah is the offer of equal dignity.  So how can slavery and subjugation be justified in practices of Empire Christianity?  They can't be justified.  Jesus was the suffering servant Messiah so that those who knew his love could walk in wonderful human dignity.

But the power groups of Empire Christianity have not been able to make the adjustment to the true outcome of the suffering servant Messiah.

Today, we live in the aftermath of being Empire Christianity.  We can unwittingly live as though Jesus were a Caesar Messiah.   We assume that we've been on the winning side of history and so it allows a triumphalism which does not really represent the suffering servant Messiah,  Jesus.  

Can you see how the Risen Christ might be repeatedly saying to Empire Christianity, "Get behind me Satan, you are setting your minds on human things, not divine things."

Can you see how we still have before us the issue of the Caesar Messiah and the Suffering Servant Messiah?  In Latin and South American, when priests and nuns were working with the poor, they noted that the official church was actually working on the side of oppressive dictators, keeping people poor.  These priests and nuns read the Gospel and observed that the majority of the Gospel sayings of Jesus were on behalf of the poor, and so they generated what has been called liberation theology. 

In the Manifest Destiny views of the American Colonies, the invaders were Old Testament in their invasion.  They believe America was the new Promised Land.  This is why so many places in America have biblical names.  To achieve Manifest Destiny, indigenous people had to be run off their lands.  To build the colonies, slavery became the main engine of economy and work to help spread their forms of Empire Christianity.  But if you offer slaves and indigenous people the dignity of conversion to Jesus Christ, you have to really mean it to be true to Jesus, the suffering servant.

And for so long, we really did not mean it.  The conquerors tended to believe in a Caesar Messiah, while they were asking the slaves and the native peoples to believe and live the lives of the suffering servant Messiah.  Thus we have been plagued by two classes of Christians, those who inherited the positions of a Caesar Messiah and those who were forced to take the position of the suffering servant Messiah.

And we still live with the consequences of these two types of Christianities in our country today.

But let us be clear:  The true Gospel Jesus Messiah is the suffering servant Messiah.  And this does not mean that we are supposed to just accept servile oppression.  No, Jesus suffered and died in a adequate for us so that we might embrace and offer abundant life to all.   And the abundant life of Christ is the full dignity of the lives of everyone.

The Caesar Messiah and the Suffering Servant Messiah issue is about what is true about freedom.  It is a false hope to wish that some great intervener could end the conditions of freedom and force everyone to become robots of goodness.  And this is why we need to be true to the Messiah as a suffering servant.  We need to be able to live with all the conditions of freedom.  We need to know how to integrate suffering and death into a life of faith of living with the conditions of freedom.

And so what does the suffering servant Jesus the Messiah teach us today?    The power of the suffering and death of Jesus is the mystical power within us to die to ourselves.   And what that mean?  It means that we know that suffering will not go away in the free conditions of life which includes death.  The Suffering Servant Messiah teaches us that God suffers with us.  What else do we learn?  We learn that Christ suffering with us means we do not cause suffering to anyone else.  It is better to suffer that to cause the suffering of others.  And finally how can the suffering servant Messiah be triumphant?  When we use the power of the Spirit to alleviate suffering, when we heal the sick, release the prisoners, feed the hungry, and give the good news of equal worth to every single person.

May the suffering servant Messiah win our hearts today and help us bring healing triumphant power to lives of people who are suffering the most in our world today.  Amen.

Sunday School, August 30, 2020 13 Pentecost, A Proper 17

 Sunday School, August 30,  2020     13 Pentecost, A Proper 17

Theme:

Take up your cross and follow me.

This was a saying in the early church.

Jesus died on the cross so that no one else had to.

The Cross of Jesus was made into a symbol for Christians.

We know that the Swoosh is the symbol for the Nike brand

The Cross is the symbol for the Christian brand.  We make the sign of the cross as a marking to indicate that we belong to Christ.

What does belonging to Christ mean?

It means that we live our lives as a sacrifice.

It means we have the power to say no to our selfish self in order to help and serve other people.

When we take up the cross of Jesus, we are asking for the power of God to control and tame our desire to live and do things just for ourselves. 

Think of examples of sacrifice:

Play video games or feed your pets.

Watch television or help mom with home chores.

Swing all the time or share the swing with a friend who also wants to swing.

Eat all your lunch or share some of it with someone who doesn’t have any lunch.

Sacrifice is the power to say no to yourself so that you can help other people.

This is what “taking up your cross and following Christ” means in our lives.

Sermon:

  In baseball, what does sacrifice mean?  What is a sacrifice fly?  What is a sacrifice bunt?  It is when you purposely make an out, so that another player can advance or score.

  Sacrifice is a word that comes from religion.  It means to offer something to God as an act of respect or worship of God.

  In the ancient time, people thought that God wanted them to sacrifice the life of an animal to help pay for their sins.

  Jesus came to show us the real meaning of sacrifice.

  He lived his life for others.  He gave up a comfortable life so that he could help the poor, the sick, the lonely people, the strangers, the children and the sad.

  So Jesus was a sacrifice for the life of others.  We know that he sacrificed his life for us when he died on the cross.

  And when Jesus said that we are to take up our cross and follow him, he means we are to learn how to live in a sacrificial way.  When we help others we are living in sacrificial way.  That is how we take up the cross of Christ.

  When you pick up your toys, you are helping your mom and dad, because then they don’t have to do it.

  When you help with house work, you are making a sacrifice.

  When you make peace with your brother or sister after you’ve had an argument, you are making a sacrifice.

  When you help others, you are taking up your cross and following Christ.

  Why?  Because God calls us to help each other, and we don’t need to have the attention all of the time, so when we share with others, we are sacrificing.

  A baseball player does not like to make an out.  But sometimes the manager asks a player to make a sacrifice to help the team win.

  Remember that many people make sacrifices for each of us every day:  Soldiers, police, doctors, teachers, moms, dads, grandmothers and grandfathers.  Many people have shared with us to make our lives better.  So too, we need to learn how to share.

  This is a lesson that we can learn from today’s Gospel.  Take up your cross and follow Christ.  And  we can do this by sharing our lives to make the lives of other people better.  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

September 3, 2014: The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Lift High the Cross, He’s Got the Whole World,  Eat This Bread, Soon and Very Soon

 Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And Blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Lift High the Cross (Blue Hymnal # 473)

Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name.

1-Led on their way by this triumphant sign, the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.  Refrain

2-Each newborn servant of the Crucified bears on the brow the seal of him who died.  Refrain

3-O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, as thou hast promised, draw the world to thee.  Refrain

4-So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory.  Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 105

Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; * make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him, * and speak of all his marvelous works.

Glory in his holy Name; * let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

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 Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?  "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

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. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

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

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

Little tiny babies.  3. Brothers and Sister  4. Mommies and Daddies

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

 the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia.  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: Eat This Bread, (Renew! # 228)

Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry. 

Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.

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: Soon and Very Soon, (Renew!  #149)

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.  Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.  Soon and very soon we are going to see the king.  Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the king.

No more dying there, we are going to see the king.  No more dying there, we are going to see the king.  No more dying there we are going to see the king.  Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the king.

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God!