Faithful Investment and the Law of Atrophy

24 Pentecost A p. 28 November 19, 2017
Judges 4:1-7    Psalm 123     
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  Matthew 25:14-30

Lectionary Link

The parable of the talents includes some interesting insights about life and it is not without irony either.

There is fact that it doesn't translate exactly to the justice sensitivities of our time.  None us believe that Jesus would tell stories about slaves if he were with us today.  The stories of Jesus were told in a time when slavery was a social and economic reality.

The metaphor of slavery was used in early Christianity.  Followers of Jesus called themselves servants or slaves of Christ.  They regarded themselves to be branded with sign of the cross, a brand indicating to whom they belonged.  St. Paul further articulated, "You are not your own for you have been bought with a price."

The insight of the slave metaphor is that the one who creates all and who outlives everyone, is the legitimate owner of all things and all people.  We are all born with no choice about the great Plentitude in which we are born and with no choice about the great Plenitude which will survive us.  Limited people have limited freedom in the face of great Plenitude.

However a profound limitation of the "slave" metaphor is that it can imply a diminished significance of human freedom.  Instead of slaves, we today would prefer the terms managers or stewards or God's associates.   These are terms which imply a greater sense of creative freedom.

Beyond the slave metaphor, we have the insight about human life; people are gifted in diversity of quantity and quality of gifts.  That is a fact of the life.

The assumption of this parable is that God gives gifts.  And God expects the development and the investments of the gifts of one's life.

The assumption of this parable is that like in farming, growth is expected by the farmer.  A farmer who merely collects seeds without planting them is not a farmer but just a seed collector.  And God is not a seed collector; God is more like a farmer.  God expects growth.

Growth is a natural process in all phases of life; some growth is automatic and accidental but there is a significant amount of growth that happens because of willful and determining human efforts. 

We find in the Plenitude of Life, gifts come to people in diverse measures; God does not require the same measureable results from everyone.  Why?  God tailors investment success to the gifts, experiences and circumstances of each individual.

God's great investment strategy for humanity is to give us the potential of perfectability.  But God only makes judgments based upon whether one has surpassed oneself in a future state.

God's belief in human perfectability and fruitfulness does not mean that one-size fits all.  A person is only compared with himself or herself in a future state.

This means that in our own freedom, faith, creativity and efforts that we are judged.  We are judged by our own performance relative to our own situation.

The parable also includes a harsh reality of both personal and community life.  Atrophy is a cruel reality with cruel consequences.  "Use it or lose it" is a harsh reality of life.  And to add insult to injury, what one loses ends up becoming the resumes of people who are faithful, diligent and creative.   In lot of volunteer organizations, the 80/20 rule is often a reality: 20 percent of the members end up doing and giving 80 percent of ministry and the money.  In the ministry that needs to be done, that which is not taken up by the slackers ends up being performed by those who make themselves available for ministry and generosity.  People who are faithful get the joys of the outcomes simply because they made themselves available and were willing to accept the ministry.

What insights can you and I take from this parable today?

First, God has given everyone gifts and they are different gifts.  God only asks that we thankfully accept the gifts of our lives, even as they may be in seed form.  We are responsible for the planting, the cultivating and the harvest of what is given to us.  We are very important stewards in the gifts that God has given us.  We need not compare ourselves with each other; we need only to compare our current self with what we are yet called to be in the development of our gifts and ministry.  Yes, in our faithful development of our gifts we will find joy in doing more than we ever thought we could do, because we will end up doing what others refused to do.  And it is only great joy to be excessive in generosity.

Along with the great invitation that we have for investment, growth and creativity, there is also a frightful warning.  Atrophy, FEAR IT.  The most literal meaning of hell in the Bible refers to the garbage dump near Jerusalem.  Hell is the waste  of one's life for both personal and community benefit.  The parable indicates that the slave with one talent did not invest it because he was afraid of losing it.  Fear is the opposite of faith.  Many people act out of a fear of God and are paralyzed to act.  Creative faith is the basic gift that God gives to everyone and even though it is given, we still have to exercise it.

Today, you and I are invited to be stewards of God, following the life of Jesus who loved us and has given us the direction of perfection for each of our lives.  We are always forgiven for not yet being perfect, but we are always accountable for placing ourselves on the forward road of perfection.

Let us embrace our identity as investing creative stewards of the gifts of God today.  Amen.

Sunday School, November 19, 2017 24 Pentecost, A proper 28

Sunday School, November 19, 2017    24 Pentecost, A proper 28

Theme:  Use it or lose it

The Parable of the talents

Jesus told a story about people who were given money.

Some invested their money and received more money.

One person buried his money in the ground and when he did not invest it, the person who gave him the money took it away and gave it to the one who invested wisely.

This story is about some important things in life:

Everyone is given gifts.  Our gifts are different in what they are and in our ability to use them.

Jesus does not ask that we compare ourselves with each other.  Jesus asks that we compare ourselves with ourselves in the future when we have developed and learned and practiced.

How do you know if you can play soccer, play the piano, dance or sing, or invent things if you never try them or practice?

Practice makes perfect and if we don’t practice, we will never know what gifts we have or how good we can be with our gifts.

Jesus wants us to develop ourselves to max. We are not to hide our gifts but to use them, share them and develop them and perfect them.

Atrophy is the law of nature which says, “Use it or lose it.”   That is the message of the parable of the talents.

Sermon:

  Sometimes it hard to understand things in lives.  And Jesus knew that things were hard to understand, so he told stories to help people understand some of the difficult things in life.

  He told a story about a rich man who gave some money to three of his workers.  He gave five thousand to one, two thousand to another and one thousand to another.  He left town and when he came back he ask his workers what they did with their money.  The one with five thousand earned five thousand more.  The one with two thousand earned two thousand more.  But the one with only one thousand, did not earn anymore.  He simply hid his money so that no one could steal it.

  Jesus told this story to remind us that God is the owner of our lives and that we are all supposed to be working for God.  And God has given us many gifts.  But we still have to find our gifts and practice to use our gifts.

  If I have a gift to run fast, but never practice.  Will my gift be useful?  If I have the gift of singing or dancing or doing mathematics, but never practice, what will happen?

  I am going to teach you a word.  The word is Atrophy.  Atrophy means that if you don’t practice and use your ability, you lose your ability.

  Did you know that if you stay in bed too long without exercise, that your legs will not work?

  Jesus reminds us to work and practice our gifts.  The people who practice their gifts do not lose their gifts and they enjoy their gifts because they help many people.

  So remember today.  God has given you many gifts.  And the fun in your life is discovering your gifts.  But you also must practice your gifts as well.

  Say:  God has given me gifts.  I will practice my gifts.  I will help God and other people with my gifts and abilities.

Liturgy for the Day

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

November 14, 2014: The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: The B-I-B-L-E, I Am the Bread of Life, Peace Before Us

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: The B-I-B-L-E, (All the Best Songs for Kids   # 119)

The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me.  I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.  

The B-I-B-L-E, It is God’s word for me.  I will obey God’s holy word, the B-I-B-L-E.  

The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me.  I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.  

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; 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

Liturgist: A Reading the First Letter to the Thessalonians

For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 123

So our eyes look to the LORD our God, * until he show us his mercy.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy, * for we have had more than enough of contempt,

Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, * and of the derision of the proud.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Liturgist:

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 said, "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, `Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, `Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, `Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master replied, `You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "

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 Music:  For the Beauty of the Earth,    # 416  (blue hymnal)

1-For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies, Refrain: Christ our God to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

2-For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light, 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.

(Alll 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:  Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart   (Renew!,  # 266 )

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son.  (sing twice)

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”; let the poor say “I am rich” because of what the Lord has done for us.  (sing twice)

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the holy one, give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son (sing twice) Give thanks!

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: Peace Before Us, (# 791, Wonder, Love and Praise)

Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.  Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace.

Love before us,…

Light before us…

Christ before….

Dismissal   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

We Are Unevenly Talented People: Problem and Blessing

23 Pentecost A p. 28 November 16, 2014

Judges 4:1-7    Psalm 123      

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  Matthew 25:14-30

Lectionary Link

How many of you when you have gone to Reno or Las Vegas and done some gambling come away telling all of your friends how much money you lost?  No, you tell only about the time you hit the jackpot in the slot machines.  And you conveniently omit to tell the truth about the cumulative total of your losses.  And do you tell everyone about all of the dollars you have spent buying lottery tickets? Or do you only tell about the time you won $50 dollars from a scratch off?  And what about all of the amazing stock investments?  Do you broadcast your losses as much as you broadcast your winning stock investments?

  We conveniently like to accentuate the positive and broadcast our winnings and we don't air our losses in public.  And perhaps that is the psychologically healthy, even though it is the practice of a very selective disclosure.

  Our faith life needs to be encompassing; in our faith we need to embrace all and still live integrated lives in the face of a wide range of uneven and different events which can happen to us.  And this is where the parables of Jesus help us the most; they are wisdom parables which encourage us to understand faith as the ability to integrate everything which happens to us in life and keep us hopeful about life.

  We have often been taught by the interpretative traditions of the church to try to assign certain groups of people to which the judgments in the parable of Jesus are referring.  The Gospels present Jesus in dialogue with the Jewish religious authorities even as the Gospel were mainly written during and after the process of the gradual separation of the Jewish and Christian religious communities from each other.  So, the parables are often used as a polemic against the Jews to imply that "they were wrong about Jesus."

  However in the actual time of Jesus when the parables of Jesus would have been told, such divisions did not yet exist and so it behooves us to recover the original wisdom of the parables of Jesus as being honestly descriptive of the conditions of freedom of life and coming to have faith. Faith involves hope and belief that our lives are still worthwhile, no matter what happens to us.

  The parable of the talents occurs in the middle of Every Member Canvass Season and how convenient is that?  So we may be tempted to expound upon the terrible life principle of atrophy, the use it or lose it reality of life.  The truth of life is that when we choose to develop one gift or aspect of ourselves, some other part of ourselves experiences atrophy through lack of practice.  No one is omni-competent to everything that needs to be done in life and so one is forced to make choices about what skills one wants to develop in one's life.  The skills that we do not have or develop may be the ones which cause us distress.

  We are tempted to think that the Master in the parable of the talents is God and God assigns different measures of talents to different people.  And God requires that each person doubles one's talents.

  I think it is more intuitive and consistent with other words of Jesus to understand that the Master of the parable is the freedom of human conditions in the uneven distribution of the nature and nurture of talents in one's life.

  I think that each person has the five talent experience, the two talent experience but each person also has the one talent experience and the experience of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  There are some things in life which just come easier to us and we discover a gift and we have fulfillment in developing a skill and it pays us with very great reward.  And we are blessed in life if we have found the "five talent" aspect of our personal development.

  We also have the "two talent" aspect of our personal development.  By this I mean that outside of our five talent investment, we have avocations, hobbies, and other personal skills which complement our main life vocation.    A person is blessed in life to find in addition to one's main vocation to have enjoyable avocations where one finds the expression of creativity and joyful rewards.

  Further, each of us finds out that one is not superhuman in all manner of living.  We find that we have the proverbial Achilles' heels; the parts of our selves which are not natural or fun or easy to develop.  We find ourselves in certain areas of our personality paralyzed and unable to perform up to preferred levels.  We experience the weeping and gnashing of teeth in the experience of our own mediocrity and it can be a humbling experience.  It sometimes feels as though we over-compensate in our areas of strength so that we don't let our areas of weakness bother us too much or we hide those areas of weakness from others. 

  The parable of Jesus presents us with an artful understanding of the human experience of encompassing great talent, moderate talent and mediocre talent in the experience of each person.

  The reason that I view the parable in this way is that I think it would be a mistake to live this life believing that God as the Master of life is someone who we would be so afraid of as being so demanding that we cower in fear and not even try to develop our gifts at all.  And if God is not represented as the Master of life to be feared if we don't develop our gifts, who is this master of life who is presented in the parable?

  I believe the master of life represented in the parable is the experience of the conditions of freedom which means that each person has an uneven distribution of talents and levels of personal development.  And in the areas of our strengths and success we can feel proud and affirmed.  But to be honest to the conditions of freedom in life, a real exacting master, we know that we can fail because of our fear.  We may have a personal tendency to fail to develop some important skills in life which frustrates us and makes us feel like life is unfair to us in some regards in not allowing for the development of ourselves into superhuman species.

  So faith and wisdom have to do with recognizing the conditions of freedom which face us.  Let us be wise about having any pretense about being omni-competent in life.  If I can be honest about not being omni-competent in life, then I will not give up because I experience weakness in certain areas of personal development; rather I will let my strengths compensate and carry me, not through denial, but in faith I attempt to weave together the human experience of having strengths and weaknesses.

  Where I am weak, I am complemented and made complete by seeking and receiving the gift of my brother or sister who is strong in the area that I am weak.  The experience of weeping and gnashing of teeth is an important experience for us to know if we are going to gain the ability to have empathy for other people and also have the humility to ask and receive help when we need it.

  This parable of Jesus is also a wisdom parable about the importance of community.  When I am frustrated in the development of a certain talent, I need the supporting gifts and talents of others to make me complete within the community.  But also when I experience the blessing of my own talents, I need to be willing to help and lift up and complement with my strength of gifts the weaknesses of other.

  And so I believe that this parable of the talent exposes the mixed blessing of life in the manifestations of our gifts.  We have great gifts or dominant personal gifts; we have other moderate personal gifts but we also have some areas that for various reasons remain underdeveloped or weak.

  The wisdom for our parish community and families and community at large is to work for the common good.  The common good consists of learning how to put together pieces of the puzzle of effective human community by seeking to find the interlocking fit of our gifts so that the strong and weak get properly matched for a successful community to complete its mission.

  The parable of the talents invites us to the puzzle of the work of finding complementary human relationship with our community of faith for the common good.  May God grant us wisdom to discover honesty about the strengths and weaknesses in our gifts and talents.  May God give generous hearts to share our strengths to complement those who are weak..  May God give us humble honesty about our weakness and the vulnerability to confess that we need each other and we need the experience of the grace of God to make us to be a community of people who can do much more together as people who complement each other than we can do as presumed omni-competent Lone Rangers or those who suffer in silence and loneliness.

  Let us pray that God would give us grace and wisdom to be the church as we need God's grace and we need each other here in this place.  Amen. 

November 16, 2014 Sunday School, 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, Cycle A Proper 28

Sunday School Themes

Song: Hosanna, Hosanna, the Little Children Sing

The parable of Jesus is the parable of the talents.  It is a story which illustrates the natural principle of life called "atrophy."  You might explain to students what atrophy means for the physical body.  Discuss why doctors make people get up and exercise immediately after surgery.  The longer a person waits to exercise an inactive limb, the longer it will take to recover the use of the limb.

This is why we practice everything in life.  It is why we keep repeating things.  We do it to keep our muscles in shape and our mind sharp in thinking.

If we don't use our gifts and talents we will lose them, not because God wants us to but because it is a "law of nature."

The lesson we need to learn is to not let our gift and talents be lost or undiscovered because we are lazy or because we refuse to practice.

Puppet Show:

Billy: Mom, do you know what a trophy means?

Mom: Is that a reward that you get if your team wins the championship?

Billy: I don't think so.

Mom: What do you think it means?

Billy: I'm not sure; I heard a teacher say that a student's brain would suffer a trophy if he did not student more.

Mom: Billy, your teacher did not say a tro fee.  You teacher said, AT-tra-feee

Billy: What does AT-tra-fee mean?

Mom: Atrophy means that if you don't exercise something, you may lose the ability to recover the function of a muscle.  Have you heard the expression: "Use it or lose it?"

Billy: Yes, I have.  That's what my coaches tell me.

Mom:  Atrophy is one of the frightening rules of life.  If someone has surgery to repair their knee and if they do not start exercising right away after surgery, it takes them longer to recover.

Billy:  But when you have surgery on your knee it must be very painful to exercise it.

Mom:  It is but doctors have found from testing many patients that the sooner a person begins to exercise the quicker they recover the full ability to use their knee.

Billy:  Does atrophy only affect our bodies?

Mom: No, atrophy affects most everything.  If we want to become good at something we must practice.  And if we don't practice we won't develop a skill.  And if we wait too long, sometimes it is too late to begin or learn.  There are many adults who wished that they had learned another language when they were children because children pick up  new languages quicker than adults.  

Billy:  I know Grandpa always said he wished he had learned to play the piano when he was young.  He said it was very hard for him to learn when he was old and he could never learn to play very well.

Mom: The parable which Jesus told about the talents is about atrophy.  God gives everyone different kinds of gifts but gifts are like little babies...we have to take good care of them and let them grow up.  We have to practice the gifts which God has given to us.

Billy: Okay....he shouts "O Solo Mio..."

Mom: What are you doing?

Billy: Mom, I'm practicing my gift of singing.

Mom: Great, but could you do it in your bedroom for now?

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist

November 14, 2014: The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: The B-I-B-L-E, I Am the Bread of Life, Peace Before Us

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: The B-I-B-L-E, (All the Best Songs for Kids   # 119)

1.      The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me.  I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.  

2.      The B-I-B-L-E, It is God’s word for me.  I will obey God’s holy word, the B-I-B-L-E.  

3.      The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me.  I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.  

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; 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

Liturgist: A Reading the First Letter to the Thessalonians
For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 123

So our eyes look to the LORD our God, * until he show us his mercy.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy, * for we have had more than enough of contempt,
Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, * and of the derision of the proud.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Liturgist:

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 said, "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, `Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, `Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, `Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master replied, `You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "

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 Music:  For the Beauty of the Earth,    # 416  (blue hymnal)

1-For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies, Refrain: Christ our God to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

2-For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light, 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.

(Children may gather around the altar)

The Celebrant now praises God for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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:  Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart   (Renew!,  # 266 )

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son.  (sing twice)

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”; let the poor say “I am rich” because of what the Lord has done for us.  (sing twice)

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the holy one, give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son (sing twice) Give thanks!

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: Peace Before Us, (# 791, Wonder, Love and Praise)

Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.  Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace.

Love before us,…
Light before us…
Christ before….

Dismissal   

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

People:      Thanks be to God!