Who Is Invited to the Wedding?

20 Pentecost, Cycle A  Proper 23, October 15, 2023
Exodus 32:1-14  Psalm 106
Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14

Lectionary Link

The biblical record is a history of sorts of various people who discover relationship with God.  History is presented in before and after linear ways and in such presentations, one can be left the impression that God becomes something more after than what God was before.  And this may seem true in the progressive understanding of God in human awareness.

The parable of Jesus about the invitation protocols for a great wedding feast illustrates the difference between prior understandings of God and more enlightened understandings of God.

Since the Hebrew Scriptures indicate that a people had a distinct identity built around the story of their discovery of and relationship with a singular unique God, such a storied relationship could give them or any people a sense of being first and favored of all humanity in the eyes of God.

By the time Jesus was telling his teaching stories, much of his crowd were aware of the favored people, such that people believed that God had A listers, B listers, C listers, and outcasts.

We perhaps need to understand the parable in a reverse way.  God is love.  There is and has never been outcasts with God.  Everyone has, always, already been invited to the God wedding, the wedding of divine with the created order by virtue of creation bearing the image of God.

But this divine wedding of God has not always had ideal and universally promulgated invitations.  Israel discovered their invitation in their covenant with God as consummated in their receiving of the laws as their wedding vows with God.

In the record of the people of these covenant vows with God, they are honest about their failure to keep the vows even while maintaining their sense of having an exclusive lock upon who has access to this great on-going wedding feast of God's immanence in the created order.

In a linear presentation of the history of relationships with God, it can seem that many people have not heretofore been invited to the knowledge of this great marriage of God and creation.  The fact that the seeming previously uninvited are finally invited, is not the truth of an always inviting God; it is truth of how people come to the awareness of God.  It is the history of how some people presume to hoard or presume an exclusive relationship with God which is not offered to others.

The parable of Jesus establishes the fact that God invites everyone to the divine presence in the created order.  This universal invitation challenges those who believe that they have some exclusive privilege with God.

The parable also highlights in a rather enigmatic way God's egalitarian and social leveling ways.  In the wedding of God, God provides the dress for all to meet the dress code, the equal grace that is provided for all, irregardless of their ethnic, social, or economic condition.  In the parable one guest treated it as though it were the Met Gala, in wanting to stand out in his unique garb trying to make his statement about being "better dressed" than the others.  The punishment seems harsh but it is only evocative about there being no replacement for the equality of grace in the invitation and the entrance into the realm of God.

We are invited today to regard God, the way that Jesus did, first as the One who has always, already universally invited all to be aware of the divine realm in which we live and move and have our being.  And we are invited to don the social leveling garment of grace which has been provided for us and everyone to meet the appropriate dress code for the perpetual celebration of the marriage of divine with the created order.  May God help each of us know that we and everyone else has been invited to this great event of Love of God for us and our world.  Amen.

Sunday School, October 15, 2023 20 Pentecost, A proper 23

  Sunday School, October 15, 2023  20 Pentecost, A proper 23

Theme:

Being a part of the team.

Jesus told a parable about a person who did not come dressed properly to a wedding.

Should a dancer wear a football uniform to participate in a ballet dance recital?

Should a baseball player wear a football uniform to play baseball.

Should a soccer player play in ballet shoes and wear a tutu?

No.  Why?

There are uniforms appropriate to each occasion.

A person expresses their willingness to be on a team by following the team rules.

In an ancient wedding, the wealthy wedding giver would provide wedding dress for everyone so that no one would look wealthy or poor; everyone would be in the proper wedding uniform to celebrate the people who were getting married.

Jesus told us this parable to show us that we cannot always just do what we want or feel like?  Why?  Because we live with each other.  We have to live for God and for each other.  And this means that we respect the customs and rules as members of the human team and people who accept the same and equal gift of God’s grace.

Sermon:

  How many of you have watch the Disney movies about princes and princesses?  Have you seen Cinderella?

  The King and Queen had a big party called a Ball, and everyone wanted to be invited.  And remember, Cinderella was sad because she was not allowed to go to party.

  One time, Jesus told a story about King who was having a big party.  He was having a party because his son was getting married.  And so he invited his closest friends to the wedding.  But none of them came to the wedding.  So he sent his servants to his friends and told them that the wedding had started and he wanted them to be there.  But his friends were very rude; they still did not come to the wedding.  They ignored the invitation went on with their regular business, and they even harmed the servants who had invited them.

  So what did the King do?  He punished those people who refused to come to the wedding.   And he then he sent his servants out into all of the streets and he invited everyone to come to the wedding.

  Jesus told this story to teach a lesson.

  If you live in a kingdom, would you ignore the king?  No because in a kingdom, the king is the most important person.

  If God is the creator of the world, and if we live in this world that God created, should we ignore God?

  No, of course not.  When we come to church on Sunday, the bread and the wine is a reminder that God is always inviting us to a party.  In this party each Sunday, we celebrate that God loves us so much that God is with us.  God gave us his Son Jesus to be with us.  God gives us his very life of the Holy Spirit to be close to us.

  When we eat the bread and drink the wine?  How close does that bread and wine get to us?  Very close.  In fact the bread and wine actually becomes a part of us.

  So in this party each Sunday, we celebrate that God has become so close to us that God is a part of us.

  So we should always celebrate the invitation that God gives us to know and to love God.

  And we should not live our lives ignoring God who created us.  We need to learn how to honor God in our lives by learning how to love and obey God.

  Let us always remember to honor and obey God in our lives.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 15, 2023: Twentieth Sunday of Pentecost

Gathering Songs: He’s Got the Whole World, Alleluia, Give Thanks, He is Lord, When the Saints

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: There is One Lord (Renew # 161)

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God who is Father of all.

Sung twice, and between the three solo verses and once after the final verse

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Letter to the Philippians

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 23

1  The LORD is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want.

2  He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.

3  He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

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.

Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, `Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.  "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen.

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.

Offertory Music:  Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks,  (Blue Hymnal, # 178)

Refrain: Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the Risen Lord, Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to his Name.

1-Jesus is Lord of all the earth.  He is the King of creation.  Refrain

2-Spread the good news o’er all the earth: Jesus has died and has risen. Refrain

3-We have been crucified with Christ.  Now we shall live forever. Refrain

4-Come, let us praise the living God, joyfully sing to our Savior. Refrain 

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song : He Is Lord (Renew!  # 29)

1-He is Lord.  He is Lord.  He is risen from the dead and He is Lord.  Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

2-He is King.  He is King.  He will draw all nations to him, He is king.  And the time shall be when the world shall sing that Jesus Christ is King.

3-He is Love.  He is Love.  He has shown us by his life that He is Love.  All his people sing with one voice of joy that Jesus Christ is 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: O When the Saints (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 248).

1-When the saints, go marching in.  O when the saints go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.

2-When the boys go marching in…

3-When the girls go marching in...

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

What Does Being Chosen Mean?

19 Pentecost, Cycle A  Proper 23, October 11, 2020
Exodus 32:1-14  Psalm 106
Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14

Lectionary Link

The presentation of God in the Bible is often frightening.  Like when the people of Israel constructed a golden calf on Moses' extended visit on Mt. Sinai.  So God said Moses, "This is a worthless, faithless people; let me kill them all off and start a new people with you."  And Moses intercedes to placate the wrath of God and reminds God of the divine promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  So, God threatened to wipe out the very people chosen by divine promise.

The biblical presentations of God, often seem to make God like a person with feelings, jealousy, anger, love and kindness.

We believe in God because we take the profound conditions in life personally.  We project divine personal motivation on the things that happen to us.  We project bad and evil on malevalent personal forces.  As persons we cannot help but project personality upon everything that happens to us.  When people did not understand causation like scientists do today, the mystery of causation was easiest to explain in terms of the cosmic being of God and fallen angels.

And as much as science has helped us to achieve, science cannot give complete precise answers to causation, particularly in how events feel to us when they happen.  And because science does not eliminate feeling, we resort to art, spiritual art, inner meaning art to deal with what happens to us.  We are not just machine bodies obeying the laws of physics; we are inner spiritual beings with souls thoroughly endowed with language.  And in using language we cannot avoid being seekers of meaning of everything that happens to us.

The favor of God in biblical language is often expressed as being chosen.  And sometimes we might regard this to be like the winning of the lottery.  But it is not like God drew Israel name out of the big hopper and they won the lottery; to be chosen is to experience being in relationship.  To experience a relationship and then violate the vows of the relationship is what characterizes sin.  The golden calf event was a rejection of a relationship because of unfaithfulness.

In the Gospel parable of Jesus, God is presented as a unrequited party giver, because the A, B, C list of invitees decide not to come to the wedding feast.

In wedding planning with brides and groom, I often find them very over optimistic about how many people will be present at their weddings.  And it can be quite a blow when the schedules or the interest of the invited do not get them to the church.  And bridal families can feel quite unrequited to experience a smaller than expected crowd.

God as the one throwing a big wedding party is excited to invite those who would seem to be in an obvious relationship with God.  But alas, the RSVP regrets from the A list, B list and C list of guests indicate the obvious people who were supposed to be friends of God, turn out not to be interested in the big event.  They have lost their relationship with God to the point of not being able to value what is important to God, namely celebrating relationship, friendship, love and union.  When the seeming preferred lists of guests sent their regrets, then agents are sent to extend a invitation to those people who seemed to be unchosen.

What is the insight of this riddle parable?  It turns out those who were regarded to be the preferred and chosen, didn't really know what it meant to be in right relationship to God.   And those who regarded to be unchosen, were those who were flattered to know that the invitation from God was offered to them too.

And when we're all excited that the wedding feast has these new guest, we're shocked to find out a guest is condemned to outer darkness because he is dressed inappropriately.  And we wonder, why so severe punishment for a minor dress code offense?  Doesn't God honor California casual?

And of course, we cannot take a parable literal; we have to crack the riddle code.  God indeed, has a generous invitation to the great feast, but attending the feast still has the vows of relationship.  And what is our vow of relationship?  We don't have to be perfect.  And we are provided with the garments of graceful righteousness by God.  But we still have to put on these graceful clothes.  As great as God grace it, it does not mean that we can "do" our own thing.  It means we have to embrace the path of repentance, or a Paul writes, a path of intentional excellence.  St. Paul warned about not misunderstanding God's grace.  "Where sin abound, there did grace much more abound....shall we continue to sin so that grace may abound?"  Whoopee, since I've got a "get out of jail card" for everything, I'll just keep doing whatever I want.

The grace of an invitation to the feast is offered to all, and the Host for purposes of social leveling provides graceful clothing as a gift to everyone, a uniform as it were.  Accept the gift; and don't do your own thing.  Don't be like a single solder or band member who decides to wear pink spats to "stick out" among the battalion or band.

What is the Gospel for you and me today?  God wants to be in relationship with us.  We're all invited to the feast.  To make the vow of relationship is to enter the experience of being chosen.  So we don't try to do our own thing; we accept the vows of our relationship with God.  We don the garments of righteousness provided for us by the great host of the feasts.

And we avoid the false sense of being chosen.  How can we be chosen if the invitation to the great feast is not important to us?  Lots of people can live in this sense of "false choseness" and not regard the invitation to the feast of God as important to respond to.  Let us not miss the invitation.  Let us not use God as a rubber stamp to "do our own thing."  The feast of God is a feast of communion and fellowship where love and justice is the profound experience.

Do not send your RSVP regrets to God today.  Attend the feast and accept the lovely protocols of grace.  Amen.

Sunday School, October 11, 2020 19 Pentecost, A proper 23

 

Sunday School, October 11, 2020  19 Pentecost, A proper 23

Theme:

Being a part of the team.

Jesus told a parable about a person who did not come dressed properly to a wedding.

Should a dancer wear a football uniform to participate in a ballet dance recital?

Should a baseball player wear a football uniform to play baseball.

Should a soccer player play in ballet shoes and wear a tutu?

No.  Why?

There are uniforms appropriate to each occasion.

A person expresses their willingness to be on a team by following the team rules.

In an ancient wedding, the wealthy wedding giver would provide wedding dress for everyone so that no one would look wealthy or poor; everyone would be in the proper wedding uniform to celebrate the people who were getting married.

Jesus told us this parable to show us that we cannot always just do what we want or feel like?  Why?  Because we live with each other.  We have to live for God and for each other.  And this means that we respect the customs and rules as members of the human team and people who accept the same and equal gift of God’s grace.

Sermon:

  How many of you have watch the Disney movies about princes and princesses?  Have you seen Cinderella?

  The King and Queen had a big party called a Ball, and everyone wanted to be invited.  And remember, Cinderella was sad because she was not allowed to go to party.

  One time, Jesus told a story about King who was having a big party.  He was having a party because his son was getting married.  And so he invited his closest friends to the wedding.  But none of them came to the wedding.  So he sent his servants to his friends and told them that the wedding had started and he wanted them to be there.  But his friends were very rude; they still did not come to the wedding.  They ignored the invitation went on with their regular business, and they even harmed the servants who had invited them.

  So what did the King do?  He punished those people who refused to come to the wedding.   And he then he sent his servants out into all of the streets and he invited everyone to come to the wedding.

  Jesus told this story to teach a lesson.

  If you live in a kingdom, would you ignore the king?  No because in a kingdom, the king is the most important person.

  If God is the creator of the world, and if we live in this world that God created, should we ignore God?

  No, of course not.  When we come to church on Sunday, the bread and the wine is a reminder that God is always inviting us to a party.  In this party each Sunday, we celebrate that God loves us so much that God is with us.  God gave us his Son Jesus to be with us.  God gives us his very life of the Holy Spirit to be close to us.

  When we eat the bread and drink the wine?  How close does that bread and wine get to us?  Very close.  In fact the bread and wine actually becomes a part of us.

  So in this party each Sunday, we celebrate that God has become so close to us that God is a part of us.

  So we should always celebrate the invitation that God gives us to know and to love God.

  And we should not live our lives ignoring God who created us.  We need to learn how to honor God in our lives by learning how to love and obey God.

  Let us always remember to honor and obey God in our lives.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 11, 2020: Nineteenth Sunday of Pentecost

Gathering Songs: He’s Got the Whole World, Alleluia, Give Thanks, He is Lord, When the Saints

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: There is One Lord (Renew # 161)

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God who is Father of all.

Sung twice, and between the three solo verses and once after the final verse

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Letter to the Philippians

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 23

1  The LORD is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want.

2  He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.

3  He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

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.

Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, `Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.  "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen.

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.

Offertory Music:  Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks,  (Blue Hymnal, # 178)

Refrain: Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the Risen Lord, Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to his Name.

1-Jesus is Lord of all the earth.  He is the King of creation.  Refrain

2-Spread the good news o’er all the earth: Jesus has died and has risen. Refrain

3-We have been crucified with Christ.  Now we shall live forever. Refrain

4-Come, let us praise the living God, joyfully sing to our Savior. Refrain 

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song : He Is Lord (Renew!  # 29)

1-He is Lord.  He is Lord.  He is risen from the dead and He is Lord.  Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

2-He is King.  He is King.  He will draw all nations to him, He is king.  And the time shall be when the world shall sing that Jesus Christ is King.

3-He is Love.  He is Love.  He has shown us by his life that He is Love.  All his people sing with one voice of joy that Jesus Christ is 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: O When the Saints (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 248).

1-When the saints, go marching in.  O when the saints go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.

2-When the boys go marching in…

3-When the girls go marching in...

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God!