Faith as Being Well

21 Pentecost, Cp23, October 9, 2016

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 Ps.66:1-11

2 Tim. 2:8-15   Luke 17:11-19    

Lectionary Link

  The writer of the Gospel of Luke also wrote a companion book, the Acts of the Apostles.  Luke was an educated man and he was a physician.  In the Acts of the Apostles, it is recorded the spread of the Gospel mission into Samaria, so we can assume that there were early Samaritan churches.  Luke as a Gospel writer was one who recorded the message presentation of the early churches to their members.  Luke was one who believed that in Christ, there was no Jew and no Samaritan.  And that was quite a contrary view in first century Palestine.

  The Samaritan religion was a rival faith community to the Jews.  They had their own Torah based religion.  They believed that Mount Gerizim was the holy place and not Jerusalem.  They traced their history to the time of Joshua, Eli the priest and to several of the northern tribes of Israel.  Since they had inter-married with the Assyrians they were not regarded to be pure in their heritage by the Jews.  They had compromised with the Greeks conquerors to survive and the Jewish military leader John Hyrcanus had destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim in 125 BCE.  There was no love lost between the Jews and the Samaritans.  They were enemies with a history even though they shared common roots in the Mosaic tradition.  In 2015, Wikipedia reports that there were still 777 members of the Samaritan community living today. 

  The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots, the Samaritans, the community of John the Baptist and the followers of Jesus of Nazareth had all received the Abrahamic,  Mosaic and prophetic traditions.  But each of these communities were doing something different with the Abrahamic, Mosaic and prophetic traditions.  The Zealots wanted a revolt against the Romans.  The Sadducees wanted to retain the safety of the Temple for the continued offering of the animal sacrifices.  The Pharisees wanted to retain the synagogue traditions which had developed in the Exile with their expanded acceptance of the other writings of the Hebrew Scriptures.  The community of John the Baptist promoted more of an individual experience of Judaism rather than the automatic group identity of simply being born a Jew.  One had to authenticate one's religion by repentance.  After the Roman armies crushed Jerusalem and the surrounding areas in the year 70, all of the groups which inherited the Abrahamic, Mosaic and prophetic traditions had to scramble to maintain their very existence.  The early churches were followers of Jesus who preached Christ-centered  Judaism but adapted it to the acceptance in people who were not members of the synagogues.  Converts to the message of Christ included Samaritans, who were enemies to Judaism and also Gentiles who lived impure lives bereft of the benefit of the ritual purity life style code of Judaism.

  Luke as a physician was interested in health.  But New Testament health is not just about physical health.  Luke as a writer brought to the narrative about Jesus the addition of the reality of the Christian churches in the last quarter of the first century.  What is the reality?  The reality is that Christ-centered Judaism had moved beyond the synagogue and the ritual purity practices of Judaism.  The Christian movement was making an appeal to Samaritans, Pharisees, Sadducees, followers of John the Baptist, Zealots and to Gentiles.  Paul and Peter and other early Christian leaders had to make a decision in the last half of the first century.  They believed that something new had happened which brought about the possibility for people of diverse backgrounds to become members of a new community of faith.  What happens when diversity is embraced?  The groups which cannot tolerate the diversity have to reject the new diversity and inclusive movement.

  This Gospel story today is a mirror of what was happening within the early churches.  The Samaritan, a hated enemy of the Jews is presented as the one who offers thanksgiving to Jesus for his restoration to health.  The other 9 Jews are presented as those who did not offer thanksgiving.

  Jesus is shown to approach lepers in contradiction of the quarantine required by the ritual purity codes of Judaism.  Jesus was shown to be one who could show lepers to be whole and healthy.  Jesus is seen as the one who welcomes the outsider and the quarantined.

What happened in the early churches?  The churches included former enemies of Judaism, the Samaritans and the Gentiles who gave thanks for the salvation, the health of the soul offered by Jesus.

  What was the message of St. Paul?  How was one saved?  In the view of St. Paul, one was not saved by adherence to the Judaic law or the purity code; one was saved by having faith in God's grace.

  How did the message of Paul sound as it was presented by Luke through the words of Jesus?  Jesus said to the thankful Samaritan:  "Your faith has made you well."  Faith is the evidence of one's salvation.

  You and I are the inheritors of this inclusive tradition of Jesus Christ.  It was the presentation of the Risen Christ as including anyone who wanted the salvation of Jesus Christ known through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  We know that in the history of Christianity, many Christian groups have made Christ very exclusive to their own practices.  But let us be reminded today by the thanksgiving and faith of the Samaritan:  It is the inclusive invitation to saving faith which is the genius of the message of Jesus Christ.  Let us be those who offer this saving faith to all.  Amen.

Sunday School, October 9, 2016 21 Pentecost c proper 23

Sunday School, October 9, 2016    21 Pentecost  C proper 23

Themes:

Health, Thanksgiving and Inclusion

Health is both about a person and about the community which a person lives in.

We know about infectious diseases.  When one child get a cold or the flu, the virus or the germs spread and sometimes many of the classmates get sick too.   When one is sick, one has to stay at home to get better but also so as not to spread the germs of sickness.

In the time of Jesus, there were people who had a skin disease of leprosy.  Whenever the skin of a person showed the signs of a skin disease, the priests had a system of rules which required them to keep the person with leprosy away healthy people.  So a sick person could be made to feel doubly bad.  He was had a disease but he also was kept about from people who could care for him.  He would have to go live with other sick people until he became better.  And people who were not sick would be afraid of how a person with a skin disease looked.  They would avoid that person.

Jesus was not afraid of people who were sick.  He did not think that they should be separated from people.  He healed 10 men who had leprosy.  He told them to go and show themselves to the priests.

Out of the 10 men who were healed, only one of them returned to say “thank you” to Jesus.  The one who said, “thank you” was a Samaritan.  The Samaritans and the Jews were enemies.  Jesus was a Jew but he did not treat this Samaritan man with leprosy as his enemy.  And this Samaritan did not treat Jesus as his enemy.  He returned to say “thank you.”  Jesus told him that his faith had made him well.

What does it mean to be well?

To be well means to have faith.   In our lives we can get sick many times and there are many people who have very serious illness.   So how can we be well, even when we are sick?  By having faith.  We can also be well as a community of people who care for people who are sick.  Today we have hospitals, doctors and nurses and many others who help people get better.  We as a parish community need to be well; we need to have the kind of faith in the goodness of Christ to take care of each other when we are sick.

Being well is having faith as a person but also as community of people who care for each other and include people who are sick in our prayerful care.

Sermon:

  How many of us like to be left out?

  What if I said today, only the people wearing the color red today can come and receive communion today?  How would you feel?

  What would you think about that kind of rule?

  You would think that rule was unfair.  You would think that rule does not make any sense.

  Some times in our life we get left out.  And one of the times that we get left out, is when we are sick.

  When we’re sick, we can’t go to school or to church.  And so we get left out.  We don’t get to go to public places when we’re sick.

  But when we’re sick, does everyone leave us out?   No, our moms and dad take care of us.  They give us medicine and orange juice.  They take us to the doctor.  They give us special attention to help us get better.  So even though we are left out of school when we’re sick, we’re not left out of the care of our family and friends.

  During the time of Jesus, there were people who had some skin diseases that did not make them look good, and so people were so afraid of them, that even the priests had made rules to make those sick people live outside of the towns and cities.  They had to beg to get food.

  What did Jesus do?  He was not afraid of their skin diseases.  He told them they could be made better and they did not have to be left out.

  So Jesus invited these sick people to receive care.

  And Jesus taught us that God does not leave anyone out.  Everyone is welcome into God’s family.

  And if we feel welcome into God’s family, that will help us to be healthy and well.  Because we become healthy and well because no matter what sickness we have, we are well if we have people to love and care for us.

  So Jesus teaches us to love and care for sick people and for all people who might feel left out.

  This is a very good lesson that we have learned today: To love and care for all people and always welcome them to be with us in our community of prayer and worship.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 9, 2016: The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; O Be Careful; Wait for the Lord; Awesome God

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

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

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 Second Letter to Timothy

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David-- that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 66

Be joyful in God, all you lands; * sing the glory of his Name; sing the glory of his praise.

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! * because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down before you, * sings to you, sings out your Name."

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.

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

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.

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: O Be Careful (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 180)

O be careful little hands what you do.  O be careful little hands what you do.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little hands what you do.

O be careful little feet where you go.  O be careful little feet where you go.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love so be careful little feet where you go.

O be careful little lips what you say.  O be careful little lips what you say.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little lips what you say.

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.

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.

The Prayer continues with these words

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 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,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments) 

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: Wait for the Lord (Renew! # 278)

Wait for the Lord, his day is near. 

Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart

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: Awesome God (Renew! # 245)

Our God is an awesome God.  He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love. 

Our God is an awesome God.

(Sing three times)

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

The Invitation of Jesus Overcomes Wellism and Discrimination

21 Pentecost, Cp23, October 13, 2013

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c   Ps.66:1-11

2 Tim. 2:8-15   Luke 17:11-19    

Lectionary Link

  Today I would like for us to consider how differences amongst people have been the occasion for great human failure.

  I say this because the fearful ways in which we often experience differences, lead us to practice victimization.  Victimization creates oppression and oppression is not just an external force, it is also an attitude that we can take on ourselves and use against ourselves.  The forces of victimization are quite damaging.  Habits of victimization can even get embedded in our institutional and cultural life in blatant or subtle forms of discrimination.

  We know that victimization can start early on the playground when children make fun of the way someone looks, their size or how they are dressed. It can be institutionalized in slavery and sexism and many other cultural forms of discrimination.  We know that it can become institutionalized even in religious practices.  History reveals many examples where religious laws and practices reinforced and solidified discriminatory practices.

  During the time of Jesus and during the period of the early church there were questions that were being addressed in the religious communities.  Did God’s grace and favor and healing extend to people outside of the official religious communities of Judaism?  And would people outside of the communities of Judaism even know how to respond to God grace and favor if they received it?

  If you understand these two questions, perhaps you can understand how the Gospel story functioned when it was told and read in the early Christian communities.

  What Jesus found in the religion of his time was a religion that discriminated against people who were “sick” as designated by religious establishment that dabbled in medical definitions of disease in a way that Jesus found unacceptable.  The official religion of his time also excluded poor countryside folk and foreigners.

  Within the Judaism of his time there was a very well defined purity code that was practiced for the “safety” of the community.  People who had certain diseases were quarantined from their communities until they could be ritually cleared to be safe to appear in the general public.  The lepers suffered from what we know today as psoriasis or eczema and yet because of their appearance they were deemed unworthy or infectious to the general community.  One of the ten   lepers who approached Jesus had a second strike against him; he was also a Samaritan.  A Samaritan was something of a “mongrel” Israelite; Samaritans were northern tribal Israelites who had entered into marriages with the Assyrians, a conquering nation.  They had even retained a Torah based religion but they were not a pure ethnic group.

  It is interesting to note that the Samaritan leper was traveling with nine lepers from Judea.  When one shares a common crisis with other people, perhaps in a dire situation, one is willing to forgo some basic biases and prejudices because one understands that the hatred, fear and ignorance that drives victimization is essentially the same whether one is talking about ethnic prejudice, prejudice against the impaired or ill, or any other social group.

  In this Gospel story Jesus stands as the one who countered the religious authorities who were upholding the rather irrational purity codes.  Jesus gave permission to the stranger and the social outcast to re-enter the common community.  Health is not just about being cured of a disease; health is about having access to a significant community of support and care.

   There are non-believers and skeptics today who will tell us that they are not Christians, because they have found religious people and religious authority to be creating victims rather than inviting people to the church as a significant community of support.  And that criticism should cause all of us some soul searching about the openness of our own hearts.

  The nature of Christ is to invite all people to fellowship and community.  Many people understand religion to be like a club that has rules to tell us who belongs and who doesn’t belong.

  The Gospel of Christ is preached today to tell us that all people belong equally in the dignity of God.  The Gospel is preached so that the response of the Samaritan leper can be the true religious act of all people.

  The true religious act of all people is to take time to say thanks to God for being included in the wonderful family of God as sons and daughters of God and as brothers and sisters of Christ.

  We have accrued so much baggage in how Christianity is practiced that we can easily forget how simple and basic the Gospel is:  Wherever we are made to feel quarantined or isolated from community, Jesus stands as the gate and the door to invite us to the community of God and to the community of people who practice this ever generous invitation.

  I do hope that we will understand the mission of our parish is to practice this ever-generous invitation of Christ to all persons into our midst.

  If we can agree on this, then all of the other details that constitute what it is to live together in community will take secondary priority.

  The generous invitation of Jesus Christ should help us to give up all of the little purity codes that we have learned in our society that keep us from offering friendship to all people.

  Let us be thankful today that God is a God who invites all persons to know that they are in the family of God.

  And let us be a friendly people who are committed to let everyone know about the generous, winsome and loving invitation of God in Christ.  With the love of Christ we can celebrate our differences and overcome the habits of victimization.  By welcoming all to the love of God, we can encourage all people to make the most authentic religious act of worship of all, which is saying, “Thank you God.”  By the way, you do know what Eucharist means?  It means “Thanksgiving.”   Amen.