Signs of Christ: Evoking Spiritual Meaning

9 Pentecost cycle b proper 12 July 25, 2021
2 Kings 4:42-44 Psalm 145: 10-19
Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21
Lectionary Link

For today and for the next four Sundays, we will be reading from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John.  This chapter centers around the multiplication of the loaves and fish story, as a set up for a long bread of heaven discourse presented in the voice of Jesus.

John's Gospel has some special features, perhaps due to the fact that it was the last Gospel to come to textual form, so it contains two or three more decades of the Christ-based communities' thinking and presentations of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Gospel of John came about within a community of Christian practice, in discipline, order and liturgy.  The community of John's Gospel was a community with a Eucharistic tradition; they broke bread at the table when they gathered.  Jesus of Nazareth resided within the community meal traditions of Judaism and the Gospel of John writers were interested to present Jesus as the one who originated a bread of heaven tradition which became the Eucharistic practice of the early Christ-based communities.  The community of John's Gospel was also a baptismal community, who believe one was born of water and the Spirit.

John's Gospel is all about language, language users and language products, like speech and writing.  John's Gospel states that Word is from the beginning of human life as we know it, in fact Word co-exists with God, and further, Word is God.   And the Word which is God took human fleshly ideal form in the life of Jesus.

But we can also say that to be humans in the image of God comes from the fact that we are people with word and language.  We are by our natures label makers.  We cannot help but label everything.  We are born into communities which provide us with the labels for everything in our existence, things exterior to us and interior labeling of what is inside us.

Jesus was a special label maker in his word use; he came to correct the mislabeling of human experience by humanity.  In John's Gospel, Jesus said that his words were Spirit and his words were life.  When you think about it, words are the invisible inward mysteries of each of us in how we have come to label everything in our lives, including God and ourselves.

John's Gospel is written to contrast the ways in which we use language.  There is a literal way to use language which pertains to our common sense perceptions.  But the purpose of John's Gospel is to convert us to another use of language, a spiritual use of language, a figurative use, a metaphorical use, a poetic use, an aesthetic use of language.  Why?  The writer of John's Gospel wants to get at the center of our being, at our hearts and at the place where we decide.  The writer of John's Gospel wants us to change our lives and be on a path of transformation.

To do this, the writer of John's Gospel presents stories about the Signs of Jesus.  The signs of Jesus are meant to shock our common sense and scientific understanding of reality and provoke a spiritual understanding of reality.   They are stories about things which cannot be scientifically true.   In John's Gospel, the physical world, a substantial verified world with our five senses, is used to announce that the inward world of words is a substantial world where the transformation of human life takes place.

In John's Gospel, Jesus was presented as mocking those who were limited to literal meanings of language; the signs of Christ in John are a mocking of scientific and literal use of language.  Christ is shown to be one to provoke us to see the literal as a metaphor for the spiritual.

What is the spiritual meaning of walking on water, calming the sea and the multiplication of loaves?  The spiritual meaning is that the Risen Christ is a water man and bread man, in the great labeling tradition found in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Moses was a water man and a bread man.  He interceded, and the waters of the Red Sea were parted.  He interceded, and water came forth from the rock to quench the thirst of the Israelites.  Elisha, the prophet, was a bread and water man.  Elisha multiplied loaves of bread so a hundred could eat.  He also levitated a  lost axe head to the surface of the water.  He cast his mantle on the Jordan River and the waters parted.  The Christ-based communities of the Gospel of John presented Jesus in this bread and water tradition.  Why?

The Christ-based communities of the Gospel of John were baptismal and eucharistic communities, whose practices derived from Jesus.

Baptism is the taming of the waters of death through the re-creation of the Holy Spirit.  Eucharist is the belief that as real as physical bread is, the spiritual bread of heaven of the inward presence of the Risen Christ is just as real and vital for the life of the community.

The warning of the Gospel today is this; too many people want Jesus to be just a baker-king, that is, a king who just supplies the physical needs of humanity in continuous magical supernatural ways.  We can want Jesus to be such an interventionist for our physical needs alone.  But he will not allow himself to be taken to be this kind of king.  Jesus is a spiritual interventionist and this is more life changing than simply getting another meal.

The words of Jesus are spirit and life.  They seek to do an inside job within the words which make up our interior lives and influence how we think and act.  The words of Jesus enter us, like eating the Eucharistic bread from heaven.  The Sign of the multiplication of loaves which takes place in us through the living word of Christ within us, is when are lives are changed so that we share the actual bread of our lives with each other so that all have enough.  

Today, we receive the multiplied bread of heaven again today, symbolic of the words of Jesus which are spirit and life, enough spirit and life to transform us to be people of love, justice, kindness, hope and faith today.  Amen.

Sunday School, July 25, 2021 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, B proper 12

Sunday School, July 25, 2021        Ninth Sunday after Pentecost,  B proper 12

Sunday School Themes

The Next four Sundays will be from the Gospel of John, chapter six

There will be the story of the feeding of the large multitude and an account of Jesus walking on the water.

We tell stories about what is great in the present by comparing them with stories of greatness in the past.

If we talk about home run hitters today, we talk about the player who really made homerun hitting great.  We talk about Babe Ruth.

When the Gospel writers were telling the story of Jesus they told about the greatness of Jesus by telling stories which were like the stories which everyone knew about the great lawgiver Moses.

Moses led his people out of slavery in Egypt.  He escaped the Egyptian armies by raising his staff and the waters of the Red Sea were parted and the people walked on dry land over the sea.

The story about Jesus showed that he was like Moses, he had a great water story.  He walked on water to the amazement of his disciples.

When Moses led his people out of Egypt, they had to make a long journey and so they camped in the wilderness.   They were not farmers and they did not have place to buy food.  They were able to grow wheat for bread, so Moses prayed to God and God sent a special bread from heaven, called Manna.  The people of Israel ate the heavenly bread for forty years.

People in the time of Jesus believed that someone great like Moses would come and this great one would provide bread for his people.

So the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand people in a special way in the wilderness is a story to compare Jesus and Moses.

It is presented as a story about eating bread and fish but the story is really going to be a way of teaching a lesson.  In the next three weeks we will be studying the lessons of Jesus about eating bread from heaven.

The Gospel also has a child element.  It has the most famous picnic lunch of history.  A young boy brought his lunch and he gave it to Jesus to share and everyone was fed.  It is a lesson for us to share what we have because when our part is added with what everyone else gives we can experience the miracle of doing some "big" things together.  The Gospel lesson is about Christ blessing what we share and we can have plenty left over to share with others.

A story sermon about Manna

  Did your mom or dad ever serve you some food and you said to them, “What’s this?”  And what if you mom and dad then began to call all of your food, “What’s this?”  We’re going to MacDonald and I’m going to order some “What’s this?”  Tomorrow for breakfast, I’m going to have some “What’s this?”  I see that mom has packed some “What’s this?” in my lunch box today.

  Do you think that we should name our food, “What’s this?”

  We could but, it has already happened.  It happened in a Bible story that was written a long time ago.

  The famous Prince of Egypt, Moses led his people out of Egypt.  He brought them into the desert and they had no food, and so they complained.  Moses prayed to God and asked God to provide some food. And so God had some food fall on the ground like snow flakes.  Moses told the people, “Go and gather the food from the ground and eat it.”  It was a new and strange food for the people, so do you know what they said when they saw it?  They said, “What’s this?”  or in Hebrew they said, Mah Nah?  And that means What’s this?  So do you know what they begin to call their new and strange food?  Manna, which means “What’s this?”  What are going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?  You guessed it, “We’re going to have, “What’s this?”

  The “What’s this” food kept the people alive in their long journey for forty years.

  Some times we may have to try some new food.  And instead of saying, “What’s this?” we should say, Thank you God, thank you mom and dad for another meal that will help me grow strong.

  The next time you think about not eating your food, I want you to remember the “What this?” story.  And when you remember the “What’s this?” story, I want you to remember to be thankful for food, and remember to pray for all of the people in this world who do not have enough food.  Okay…say Mah Nah.  What this?

Intergeneration Family Service with Holy Eucharist
July 25, 2021: The Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

Here in This Place; I Am the Bread of Life; Seek Ye First; We Will Glorify

Song: Here in This Place (Renew! # 14)    Gray Hymnal or song sheet at the back

1-Here is this place new light streaming now is the darkness vanished away; see in this space our fears and our dreamings brought here to you in the light of this day.  Gather us in, the lost and the forsaken, gather us in the proud and the strong; give us a heart, so meek and so lowly, we shall arise at the sound of our name.

4-Not in the dark of buildings confining, not in the some heaven, light years away—here in this place the new light is shining, now is the kingdom and now is the day,  Gather us in and hold us forever, gather us in and make us your own; gather us in, all peoples together, fire of love in our flesh and our bone.

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

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  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.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: 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 Ephesian Church

I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 145

All your works praise you, O LORD, * and your faithful servants bless you.

They make known the glory of your kingdom * and speak of your power;
That the peoples may know of your power *and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; * your dominion endures throughout all ages.
The LORD is faithful in all his words * and merciful in all his deeds.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.  When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. 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.

Song: I Am the Bread of Life, Hymn  # 335   (blue hymnal)

1          I am the bread of life, they who come to me shall not hunger; they who believe in me shall not thirst.  No one can come to  me unless the Father draw them.  And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day.

2          I am the resurrection, I am the life, they who believe in me, even if they die, they shall live forever.  And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day.
3          Yes Lord we believe that you are the Christ, the Son of god who has come into the world. And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as   this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.
And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.
Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.
And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.
Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.
Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, 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:  Seek Ye First  (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

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

Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you; Allelu, alleluia!  Refrain

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
  and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song:  We Will Glorify,  (Renew! # 33 gray hymnal)

1-We will glorify the King of kings, we will glorify the Lamb; we will glorify the Lord of lords, who is the great I Am.

4-Hallelujah to the King of kings, hallelujah to the Lamb; hallelujah to the Lord of lords, who is the great I Am.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

A Little Boy Began the Domino Effect

10 Pentecost cycle b proper 12     July 29, 2018

2 Kings 4:42-44  Psalm 145: 10-19

Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21

 Lectionary Link

Catherine: Today we have read about the feeding of a large crowd by Jesus in the wilderness.

Caroline: Today, a large multitude of people are being fed garlic products in the Gilroy garlic festival.  Some of our friends are working at this garlic festival at booths for their organizations.

Catherine: We are not here to eat garlic though we can smell it in the air.

Caroline: Jesus fed the multitude with bread and fish and the multitude who were crowded together for this great picnic are probably glad that garlic was not served.  Can you imagine the garlic smog breath in such a large crowd?

Catherine: Since it is youth Sunday, I would like to suggest to you that the Gospel story that we have read is about the youth and the youth contribution to the church, the family, schools and many other places.

Caroline: You mean by being experts in texting, gaming and downloading itunes?

Catherine: No, I mean that when we do something, it can be discounted as something small but something small can really start something big.

Caroline: Like what?

Catherine: It is what is called the domino effect.  You know when you line up dominoes and when you push the first domino, it begins a chain reaction and soon, one by one, all the dominoes fall.  And it is spectacular to watch.

Caroline: But what is the domino effect in our Gospel story?

Catherine: Well, I believe that a little boy and his lunch started everything happening.

Caroline: How so?

Catherine: Jesus saw the crowd and wanted to feed them since they had come out into the wilderness and so he presented the problem to his disciples.

Caroline: The disciples surveyed the situation and said, "We can't feed this large crowd.  We took an inventory and the only food we have is the lunch that has been offered by a young man."

Catherine: And what did Jesus say?  “That's enough.”   And then he made the miracle happen.

Caroline: It is kind of like the parish picnic and the parish brunch.  We look at the list of people who signed up to bring food and it's only a few people.  But when we arrive at the picnic and the brunch we find tons of food and more than enough to eat.

Catherine: It is like the little boy primed the generosity pump.  When he gave his lunch that his mom had packed for him, he became the example for everyone.

Caroline: How so?

Catherine: Well this is what I imagined happened.  I imagine Jesus knew about the crowd.  He knew that the all of the crowd was not without food.  He knew that many people were just like the little boy; they had packed a lunch for themselves, but they kept it hidden.

Caroline: He also knew about kosher laws.  He knew that people would not share food or eating together if they did not know how the food was prepared.  This is why everyone kept food for themselves.

Catherine: The little boy was not concerned about kosher rules; he was ready to share his food with others.

Caroline: So, I can imagine Jesus taking the food given by the little boy.  And he told all  the people to close their eyes because he was going to offer a prayer and blessing.  He raised the boy's lunch up and said, "I thank you Father for the kind heart of this young boy.  He did not just think about his own hunger; he was willing to share all of his lunch with everyone.  Let this be an example to us.  And now Father, when I open my eyes, I would like to see how much food we have for everyone.  Amen."

Catherine: And so what happened when his prayer was finished?

Caroline: When he finished praying, he opened his eyes and suddenly out of those large cloaks with big hidden pockets and from bags that had been carried, there suddenly appeared lots and lots of food.  And there was enough for everyone to eat and even left overs to gather to hand out to the hungry on the way home.

Catherine: And the little boy started it all.  How?

Caroline: He simply offered his lunch.  He shared a little and the result was abundance.  His example of sharing inspired the entire crowd.

Catherine: And this is an important lesson.

Caroline: What's that?

Catherine: It is a stewardship lesson.  When we share a little and invite others to share, we can gather an abundance for our own needs and also have plenty left over to help those in need.

Caroline: The church works in the same way.  We need people to start the domino effect.  It can be young people or older people; anyone with generosity can start the domino effect and see abundance happen.

Catherine: We are young, and we offer our time and talent to the parish and we hope that it will inspire you to offer your time, talent and treasure to our parish for our mission to proclaim and live the Gospel here in Morgan Hill.

Caroline: If we hide and hoard, then abundance cannot happen.  Remember the small giving of the young boy started the experience of abundance for all.

Catherine: At St. John's, we need the generosity of lots of people to become the abundance to sustain our community and also help those in our community who have greater needs than we do.

Caroline: So, just as the little boy who shared his lunch began the work of Christ to make abundance happen, let each of us ask what we need to do to make abundance happen in our parish and for the needs people of our world.

Catherine: The little boys first thought was to share his lunch with all.  And Jesus blessed his sharing with abundance.

Caroline: Let our first thought be sharing our gifts with all too.  And Jesus will bless our sharing with abundance too.  Amen.