Called to Oblation on the Sabbath

 11 Pentecost, C p 16,  August 24, 2025

Jer. 1:4-10   Psalm 71:1-6

Hebrews 12:18-19,22-29  Luke 13:10-17

Lectionary Link

 

In our quest for increasing our adequacy for wise living through adding continuous best practices to all phases of our lives, we might ask ourselves about the adequacy of the biblical texts which we read in our faith tradition. What is the use of reading old writings from many years ago?

For operating our cars? Building a website? Medical health? Political organization and labor practices? We certainly find many of the cultural practices of the ancient cultures where biblical texts were generated to be "out of date," and not to be followed for most of the specific tasks of our modern scientific dominated lives, so what can we gain from the Bible and from the appointed reading for our liturgy today?

One ancient posture which is also a modern human posture is that no matter how far we have progressed in our knowledge of the world and how things work and our increasing understanding of causal relationship, we can never escape the poetic posture. There has been, is, and will always be Plenitude beyond our grasp, enough to evoke awe and humble us even in the pride of the knowledge that we think we have obtained.

The biblical readings remind us to honor our poetic calling in attending to the potential of the experience of the sublime.

One such experience of the sublime was written about by the prophet Jeremiah. He had the experience of being called, being known by the towering Plenitude whom he deign to call his Personal God. It is quite natural to resist one's personal significance in the face of Plentitude. Why am I made to feel that the Great Plentitude of the universe is mindful of me? I am but a boy, a child, without adult resume to feel like I have a purposeful vocation except to practice normal self-maintenance within my society. Why is it that I am now feeling impelled to go beyond what I thought my intended purpose of life was?

Jeremiah had the poetic experience of a calling? He probably was surprised that his natural and regularly exercised gifts were being challenged for a specific societal purpose. Jeremiah, like many, had the gift of discernment and insights which gave him the gift of assessing the character of the people around him, and the character of the political and religious leadership of his time. Whether he liked it or not, Jeremiah's character brought him to be a critic of people in his setting. And not everyone likes a critic, especially those in power.

Jeremiah is an example to us of the sublime experience of knowing a purpose, a calling within the Plenitude of Everything. May each us find our purposeful connection in our time and place with people because the experience of having the creative gifts of one's life find outlets is a vital human experience of the sublime.

The Psalmist also expressed the sense of finding a refuge within the great Plenitude. Gratitude is the experience that we can know when we feel as though we are "kept and watched" by the Great Being, even while "being kept and watched" does not mean that we have been exempted from significant events of pain, suffering, trial and the ordeals of living within the many changing in times with natural disasters and community conflicts. As human beings, we can know the experience of finding refuge during crucial times, and such experiences make us like the thankful Psalmist.

The writer of Hebrew refers to the event of the revealing of the holy name of God, as the event of fear, not of some mere phobia, but the fear known as deep reverence. From knowing this awesome reverence, biblical writers wrote visions of possible good outcomes; they wrote about a Plentitude which included having a better future, even one which could integrate the meaning of one's lived life, for the greater picture of fitting into the life of God, the Great Plentitude after our lived lives.

For the Gospel writers, Jesus was the one who best funneled the meaning of the Plentitude of God into human experience. In our Gospel, Jesus as the healer and wisdom teacher challenged the very narrow understanding of how one could honor the meaning of the meaning of the Sabbath. For the legalists, restful prayer on the Sabbath meant the avoidance of work, but Jesus, the wisdom teacher showed the legalists how inconsistent they were in their use of the law as they endeavored to find fault with him.

For the legalist to heal someone on the Sabbath was a violation of the Sabbath work taboo. But he reminded the legalists that they rescued and fed their farm animals on the Sabbath because it would be unkind not to do so. If one could tend to farm animals on the Sabbath, how much more should not sick people be attended to, not just on the Sabbath, but on any day.

Healing the sick does not violate the Sabbath intention. First responders and health care people work on every day because sickness does not obey Sabbath law schedules.

Perhaps the greater lesson which Jesus taught was the validity of the prayer of oblation, not just on the Sabbath but on every day. Oblation is the body language prayer of kindness that we are to offer at all times, and certainly we offer the oblations of kind and careful healing acts on the Sabbath.

Offering kindness toward the health of anyone is the meaning of the Gospel. And when someone experiences a restoration of health, they understand with gratitude a sense of finding a refuge in life and in reverential awe they can replicate in personal ways the words of poetic praise for the sublime sense of being recognized within the Plentitude of everything. Amen.

Sunday School, August 24, 2025 11 Pentecost, C proper 16

 Sunday School,  August 24, 2025     11 Pentecost, C proper 16

A Good Sabbath Law

The fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy

This was a special rule given to the people of Israel to give a day of worship to God; for them the Sabbath begins on Friday evening

For Christians, the special day of worship is on Sunday because we celebrate Easter on the first day of the week.

What is the meaning of the Sabbath?

It is about changing our lives by spending time with God and designating special time for God.

But Sabbath rules can be used wrongly.

Can doctors and nurses take care of sick people on Sundays, holidays and on Christmas?

Can firefighters put out fires on Sunday?

Can first responders save lives on Sunday?

Why?  Because it is more important to choose to save lives than to take time off to go to church and worship God.

What Jesus taught us about the Sabbath is that it is about honoring God in the all of the times of our lives, not just on Sundays.

When we practice healing, help, kindness and love, we are honoring God with Sabbath time. 

The reason we have a special day of worship on Sunday is to remind ourselves that all of our time belongs to God and so we should use all of the time of our lives for love and kindness and justice.

What happens when we put yeast in bread dough?  It makes it rise.

What happens when we put a sugar cube in a cup of tea?  It dissolves and makes all of the tea sweet.

This is what the Sabbath rule is supposed to do for us.  We are supposed to make a special time for God each week so that we can have the practice of remembering God in all of the times of our lives.  Just like the little yeast spread to the entire dough, Sabbath time spreads to and influences all of the time of our lives.

Sermon:

  How many of you have rules in your family?

  Do your rules ever get broken?

  Do your parent want you to eat the food that is put on your plate?

  But do they make you eat food if you have a tummy ache or if you are sick?  Why not?  If you are sick, then rules about eating change.  Why?  Because the rules have to change to help a person when they are sick. Right.

  Do your parents make you take a bath?  Do you have to take a bath if you are sick?  No.  Again the rules change when you are sick.

  Does a police car have to stop at a red light if they have turned on their flashing lights and sirens and if the police car is rushing to an accident?

No, the police get to break the law.  The same is true for fire trucks and for ambulances.  So there are special situations in life that make us change or adjust the rules.

  In the time of Jesus there was a law about the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was a day of rest, a day of worship.  And no one was supposed to work on the Sabbath.  But what did Jesus do?  He healed a sick woman on the Sabbath.  And the religious leader got mad at him for breaking the rule.  And Jesus told the religious leader that he was being silly about the rule of the Sabbath.  You give water to your animals on the Sabbath and that is work but you still do it.  So why is it wrong to heal a sick woman on the Sabbath?

  Jesus showed that laws are good, but they still have to used in the right ways so that they truly help people.

  What if I am playing soccer with you and there is only one soccer ball and it is mine.  So, when we play soccer, I get to touch the soccer ball with my hands.  And you say, “That’s not fair.”  And I say, “Too bad.  If you don’t want to follow my rules, then I am going to take my ball and go home.”

  What kind of rule would that be?  It would be a selfish rule that served only me.  And because I owned the only soccer ball, I controlled the game.”  That would not be a fair rule, would it?

  Jesus said that the leaders were not fair in their rules.  They made rules that were good for them and their jobs, but not good for ordinary people who wanted to know that God loved and care for them.

  So you and I need to remember that laws and rules are good, but we have to know how to use them so that they truly help us to love God and help us to love and help other people.  That is what Jesus taught us about the law.Amen

  

August 24, 2025: The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 

An intergenerational Eucharist written to include young children

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, The Wise Man, Eat This Bread, Soon and Very Soon

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

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

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Song: Hallelu, Hallelujah, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 84)

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord!

Liturgist: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist: Let us pray

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Alleluia

O God, you are Great! Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins! Alleluia

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

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah

If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 103

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, * and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, * and forget not all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your sins * and heals all your infirmities;.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!

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 Luke

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Liturgist: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon –

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People: And also with you.

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

Offertory Song: The Wise Man, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 250)

1. The foolish man built his house upon the sand. The foolish man built his house upon the sand. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down

and the floods came up. The rains came down and the floods came up. The rains came down and the floods came up. And the house on the sand went Crash!

2. The wise man built his house upon the rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock. And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down as the floods came up. The rains came down as the floods came up. The rains came down as the floods came up. And the house on the rock stood firm.

3. So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the blessings will come down. The blessings will come down as the prayers go up. The blessings will come down as the prayers go up. The blessings will come down as the prayers go up. So build your house on the Lord.

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 God.”

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. - 5 -

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

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

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

Post-Communion Prayer

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

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Closing Song: Soon and Very Soon (Renew!, # 276)

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

2. No more dying there, we are going to see the king; no more dying there, we are going to see the king; no more dying there, we are going to see the king. Alleluia, alleluia, we are going to see the king.

3. Repeat verse 1

Dismissal:

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

People: Thanks be to God!

 .

Does Healing Have a Schedule?

 11 Pentecost, C p 16,  August 21, 2022

Jer. 1:4-10   Psalm 71:1-6

Hebrews 12:18-19,22-29  Luke 13:10-17

Lectionary Link

Today's Gospel reading provides us a lesson regarding the human effort to schedule and to qualify time with calendars and clocks.

We use the phrase, "time management" and of course we do not manage time; time is the continuity of the flow of life.  We try to manages what we do in our lives within the times of our lives.

Every year we go through the "time changes" in switching our clocks by an hour to "save day light."  And this of course, is but an arbitrary decision of the human community to match our living schedule with the natural clock of the amount of sunlight at various times of the year.

Our lives are full of time management strategies as they are known in the pleroma of calendars which purport to schedule our lives.  We have lots of calendars from the main one, our Gregorian one, but also the many specialized calendars for the different areas of our lives.  For elections, for concerts, for sports, for school, and we have the liturgical calendar of the church.

One might make the case, that the Book of Common Prayer is essentially a "prayer calendar," a prayer schedule for invoking the presence of God into our lives in the ways in which we experience time; as chronological time, as sacramental time or life crisis time, rite of passage time, and as special times in the anniversary of telling events which stand out among the mostly quotidian reality of our lives.

Scheduling of time would seem to give us as humans a sense of control within time, but such control may only be anchoring behaviors to prepared us for what does not submit to our control.

In the field of probability of what might happen to us, things arise which we know can happen to us, but what we do not know is "when" they will happen to us.

Chief among these mysterious unplanned happenings are sickness and death.  Sickness and death cannot be scheduled; they do not fit our schedules.

Jesus of Nazareth is one who illuminates this conflict between human schedules and the unplanned probability of sickness and death.

In the great creation story, it is written that God rested on the seventh day from the divine work of creation, and this rest became the exemplar for a day of human rest, known as the sabbath.

And as much as humans may want to schedule perfect days of sabbath rest, when human energy can be rested into contemplative worship of the great One, the work of probable events do not yield to our "sabbath" schedules.

The quotable Jesus in another Gospel offered, "humanity was not made for the sabbath; the sabbath was made for humanity."

Time was changing in the early community of the followers of Christ.  The Roman and Gentile communities did not honor the ancient Hebrew scheduled sabbath time.  How could one be on Roman Empire time and Hebrew sabbath time?  One could not honor both.

But what else in life does not rest and honor sabbath time?  Death and illness does not rest; they do not honor the supposed perfect liturgical time of God for rest.

So what does one do if one is trying to rest on the sabbath when death and illness do not?  Death and illness are very inconvenient for sabbath time and for anytime in our lives.

Those who are sick and those who mourning cannot be denied the healing and comforting energies ever, including on the sabbath.

The voice of Jesus as projected by the writers of the Gospel, insisted that healing time, salvation time cannot take a break, even on the sabbath.

Those who forbid the work of healing at anytime for the pride of maintaining their personal time piety surely misunderstand the God of love who lives with the probabilities of what may happen in time, including illness and death, and this God of love and comfort calls us to heal and comfort within all of the times of our lives, especially when the exigent and inconvenient events of suffering arise.

The long and short of the Gospel is this:  Healing and comfort has no liturgical schedule; it must be done whenever need for it arises.  This is what God of love proposes, and healing and comfort need not be seen as incompatible with our ordinary disciplines to schedule our lives for good strategies of management and discipline.

Just as illness and death upset our preferred lifestyles events, the loving words of Jesus indicate that healing and comfort should always be the recommended response to illness and death.

Comforting and healing have no restrictions in time and to follow Jesus is to be committed to always, already be willing for the work of healing and comfort.  Amen.

Sunday School, August 21, 2022 11 Pentecost, C proper 16

 Sunday School,  August 21, 2022      11 Pentecost, C proper 16

A Good Sabbath Law

The fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy

This was a special rule given to the people of Israel to give a day of worship to God; for them the Sabbath begins on Friday evening

For Christians, the special day of worship is on Sunday because we celebrate Easter on the first day of the week.

What is the meaning of the Sabbath?

It is about changing our lives by spending time with God and designating special time for God.

But Sabbath rules can be used wrongly.

Can doctors and nurses take care of sick people on Sundays, holidays and on Christmas?

Can firefighters put out fires on Sunday?

Can first responders save lives on Sunday?

Why?  Because it is more important to choose to save lives than to take time off to go to church and worship God.

What Jesus taught us about the Sabbath is that it is about honoring God in the all of the times of our lives, not just on Sundays.

When we practice healing, help, kindness and love, we are honoring God with Sabbath time. 

The reason we have a special day of worship on Sunday is to remind ourselves that all of our time belongs to God and so we should use all of the time of our lives for love and kindness and justice.

What happens when we put yeast in bread dough?  It makes it rise.

What happens when we put a sugar cube in a cup of tea?  It dissolves and makes all of the tea sweet.

This is what the Sabbath rule is supposed to do for us.  We are supposed to make a special time for God each week so that we can have the practice of remembering God in all of the times of our lives.  Just like the little yeast spread to the entire dough, Sabbath time spreads to and influences all of the time of our lives.

Sermon:

  How many of you have rules in your family?

  Do your rules ever get broken?

  Do your parent want you to eat the food that is put on your plate?

  But do they make you eat food if you have a tummy ache or if you are sick?  Why not?  If you are sick, then rules about eating change.  Why?  Because the rules have to change to help a person when they are sick. Right.

  Do your parents make you take a bath?  Do you have to take a bath if you are sick?  No.  Again the rules change when you are sick.

  Does a police car have to stop at a red light if they have turned on their flashing lights and sirens and if the police car is rushing to an accident?

No, the police get to break the law.  The same is true for fire trucks and for ambulances.  So there are special situations in life that make us change or adjust the rules.

  In the time of Jesus there was a law about the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was a day of rest, a day of worship.  And no one was supposed to work on the Sabbath.  But what did Jesus do?  He healed a sick woman on the Sabbath.  And the religious leader got mad at him for breaking the rule.  And Jesus told the religious leader that he was being silly about the rule of the Sabbath.  You give water to your animals on the Sabbath and that is work but you still do it.  So why is it wrong to heal a sick woman on the Sabbath?

  Jesus showed that laws are good, but they still have to used in the right ways so that they truly help people.

  What if I am playing soccer with you and there is only one soccer ball and it is mine.  So, when we play soccer, I get to touch the soccer ball with my hands.  And you say, “That’s not fair.”  And I say, “Too bad.  If you don’t want to follow my rules, then I am going to take my ball and go home.”

  What kind of rule would that be?  It would be a selfish rule that served only me.  And because I owned the only soccer ball, I controlled the game.”  That would not be a fair rule, would it?

  Jesus said that the leaders were not fair in their rules.  They made rules that were good for them and their jobs, but not good for ordinary people who wanted to know that God loved and care for them.

  So you and I need to remember that laws and rules are good, but we have to know how to use them so that they truly help us to love God and help us to love and help other people.  That is what Jesus taught us about the law.Amen

  

August 21, 2022: The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 

An intergenerational Eucharist written to include young children

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, The Wise Man, Eat This Bread, Soon and Very Soon

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

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

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Song: Hallelu, Hallelujah, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 84)

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord!

Liturgist: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist: Let us pray

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Alleluia

O God, you are Great! Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins! Alleluia

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

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah

If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 103

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, * and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, * and forget not all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your sins * and heals all your infirmities;.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!

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 Luke

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Liturgist: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon –

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People: And also with you.

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

Offertory Song: The Wise Man, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 250)

1. The foolish man built his house upon the sand. The foolish man built his house upon the sand. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down

and the floods came up. The rains came down and the floods came up. The rains came down and the floods came up. And the house on the sand went Crash!

2. The wise man built his house upon the rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock. And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down as the floods came up. The rains came down as the floods came up. The rains came down as the floods came up. And the house on the rock stood firm.

3. So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the blessings will come down. The blessings will come down as the prayers go up. The blessings will come down as the prayers go up. The blessings will come down as the prayers go up. So build your house on the Lord.

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 God.”

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. - 5 -

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

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

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

Post-Communion Prayer

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

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Closing Song: Soon and Very Soon (Renew!, # 276)

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

2. No more dying there, we are going to see the king; no more dying there, we are going to see the king; no more dying there, we are going to see the king. Alleluia, alleluia, we are going to see the king.

3. Repeat verse 1

Dismissal:

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

People: Thanks be to God!

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