Imagine

23 Pentecost, Cp28, November 16, 2025
Isaiah 65:17-25 Ps. 98:
2 Thes. 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19

Lectionary Link

John Lennon wrote and sang a song entitled, Imagine, which is sheer utopian thinking.  And it was a popular song, and it remains a sentimental popular song because to be human is somehow to have the proclivity we call hope be the perpetual carrot in front of our life to motivate us in our work burdened and hungry lives.

And we might blame God for taunting us with the hope for things which are impossible and that can never become actual, that is, in the sense of everything, already, all at once becoming completely harmonized without any harm being done.

To live is to be haunted by utopia.  Utopia really means "no such place," but it still functions for us to chart a preferred direction in life.  How many spa and work out places are called "utopia," and it really means "no such possible bodies," but you should really still to practice and train in the direction of getting better even if you can never be perfect.

The "imagined life," the utopian life is as ancient as human language users.  It is found in Plato's Ideals; it is the parallel existing inner world to the actual world that includes the full range of probable outcomes and happenings from the agony to the ecstatic, and lots of just plain drudgery.

We moderns can be very partial and permissive of John Lennon's Imagine, even though it is quite pollyannish and naive, while being very critical of religious people, biblical people whose very way of life might be called utopian or hopeful imagining.

Do we permit secular imagining while eschewing biblical imagining because it seems to be of a different order?

Our readings from Scripture today are about the Bible being a book whose alternate title might be called, Imagine.

None of us think that the words of John Lennon's song are going to become literally true, and yet they function for us in a profoundly sentimental way because of a naive painful nostalgia for a perfect life that never was.  Hope can make us think that we once partook of the perfect which has somehow been lost forever, the paradise forever lost.

We can mock the Isaian utopian writer who writes that God is going to create a new heaven and a new earth.  Why does the writer need this new heaven and new earth?  Because of infant mortality, human mortality, exile and loss of homes, and because of the predator-prey relationships which characterizes the animal world, and the seeming social Darwinism of the strong and fit dominating the weak and vulnerable.  The Isaian writer wrote his "Imagine" poetic song long before John Lennon wrote his, bespeaking that it must be very human for people to continuously write their own "imagine" scenarios.  From the experience of hope, humanity is impelled to write their own "imagine" scenarios, not because they think that such impossible utopias will ever be widespread, but because the impossible perfect can inspire the temporal sporadic, serendipitous, and even the intentionally labored for better outcomes.

After the pre-exilic utopian writings of Isaiah, a different kind of literature of imagination came to be.  In the post-exilic period with influence from the Persian environment, what scholar call the apocalyptic genre of writing come to be.  It is found in the post-exilic prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, it is found in the intertestamental writings of the Apocrypha, such as in the book of Enoch, and it is found in many other writings which John the Baptist, Jesus, and those with access to literature knew about.  Living under the Roman conquest created a hopeful desire for imagining a different world.  There were imagined heroic messianic figures who could intervene and deliver people from oppression.  Imagine that there could be judgment and punishment exacted for those who were the oppressor.  Imagine that faithful people could still hold their beliefs in a God of justice.  Imagine believing in a God who had imminent active love toward us.  Imagine a way to make the actual world of pain and injustice be dealt with in a resurrection afterlife where wrongs could be made right.

Different apocalyptic preachers and prophets acted in literal ways about their discourses of imagining a soon apocalyptic end with the arrival of new kings within the Empire which knew the Caesar to the only king.  Many of these apocalyptic zealots were crushed by the Roman armies as well as their social movements in the various Jewish Wars.

Many Christians who had their apocalyptic Imagine stories, had to adjust them to a continual delay for actual fulfillment even while proclaiming the kingdom of God as already being realized by the experience of the Holy Spirit, namely the parallel inner reign of Christ the King within the lives of those who were privileged with the revelation of this new version of the song, "Imagine."  "If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have come and fight."  This phrase from the Gospel of John's Jesus on trial is an acknowledgment of the lack of a complete over lap of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this actual world.  God did not nor does not have and will not have an earthly Empire.

Today, many Christians still resort to the "Imagine," aspect of their stories of hope. It is natural to do so even while popular entertainment culture is completely dominated by "imagined" better worlds.   Some biblical interpreters try to work out in literal ways the impending apocalyptic events within our world events in a one to one correspondences as if ancient writers had prescience insights like some Nostradamus on current events.  Such literal interpretations have always proven to be wrong, meaning that they have misinterpreted the functional meaning of hope which come to our language products.  Others are content to acknowledge the incredible diversity which the phenomenon of hope inspires in visions of utopia.

The Gospel for us is that we should not be ashamed of hope or of the stories of hope which can profoundly influence the direction of our lives personally and socially toward a better excellence.  For us Jesus Christ is personified hope, who teaches us how to be related to Hope itself, as we try to instantiate in our words and deeds specific acts of love and justice which befit this Christ of Hope.  Amen.

Sunday School, November 16, 2025 23 Pentecost, C proper 28

 Sunday School, November 16, 2025  23 Pentecost, C proper 28

Theme: Buildings and Homes

What is the first question that we ask when a house is destroyed by fire or a flood?

Do we ask first if all of the furniture and the belongings are safe?   No, we ask if all of the family members are safe.

Why?  Because a building can be reconstructed.  Things can be replaced.  But people cannot be replaced.  We know it is a very sad time when someone loses their home, but the loss of lives is even sadder.

There are important buildings in every state, city and country.  In America we think that the Capitol Building and the White House are important building.  If these buildings were destroyed it would be very sad and painful for our country, but if the buildings were destroyed, would our country be destroyed?   Probably, not because our country is not buildings, it is all of us as people and as Americans.  As Americans we could rebuild buildings, even important buildings.  In fact we are building them all of them because we are fixing them up and remodeling them. 

Jesus spoke about the destruction of the most important building in Jerusalem for the Jews.  The most important building was the Temple.  The Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.  But was this the end of God’s people.  No.  God’s people continued to meet in synagogues and the followers of Jesus met in house churches.  The destruction of the Temple did not mean the destruction of God’s people.  In fact, Jesus taught us that God dwells within each person.  St. Paul called the body of each person, the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  So when Christians gather each person is a temple of God’s Holy Spirit.  This means that God can be everywhere people are.  We don’t have to go to Rome or to Jerusalem to meet or to find God.  God is present wherever we are and is especially known when people gather together to form what St. Paul called the body of Christ.  The Body of Christ is the Church, not the temple or any building.  Just as a body has parts which do different things for us, so in the Body of Christ, we are all parts of the body of Christ who do different things but we worked together as we are led by Christ.  St. Paul call Christ, the head of the Body of Christ.

Jesus also said that even though we have some very hard and difficult times in our lives we can still know that God is close to us.  He said that even when people do some bad things to us, we should remain true to what Jesus taught us about love and kindness.  He said that we can endure, we will preserve our souls.

Let us remember even when we lose important things like the Temple, God is still very near to us and in us.  Let us also remember that when people want to hurt us, we cannot become like them and act in hurtful ways as a response.  If we remain strong in goodness, we will prove that our souls will last because of being faithful to goodness and kindness of Christ.

Sermon

One of the nice things about our country is that we have the freedom to worship God.  So when you came to church today, the army or the police did not stop you and say, “You can’t go to church.”

  But did you know that in other places and at different times, people did not always have freedom to worship God in the way that they wanted to?

  Wouldn’t it be frightening if we came to church one day and a big bulldozer was knocking over the church building and we were told that we could not pray here anymore?

  A long time ago, in the land where Jesus was born, the people of his land lost their freedom of worship.  The land of Israel was control by a powerful army of Roman soldiers.  The King of Rome, called a Caesar decided that everyone should worship the Caesar.

  But the followers of Jesus did not want to worship Caesar.

  The armies of Caesar attacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple where Jesus used to go to pray.

  And so the followers of Jesus had to run for their lives and they faced great danger.

  And they became great heroes because they would not worship the Caesar, they continued to worship God and follow Jesus Christ.

  They kept our religion alive because of their faith.

  And so we need to remember to keep our religion alive too.  We do that by coming to church to worship God and following the teaching of Jesus.  And parents teach their children to follow Jesus, so that when they grow up, they can teach their children too.

  So today, we gather today, to keep alive our faith and pass it on for the future.

  Let us be thankful for great heroes who kept our faith alive in some very difficult times.  And let us remember to keep our faith alive when we are given such easy freedom to worship.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

November 16, 2025: The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light; Jesus Stand Among Us, Hosanna

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’s 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

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

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

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people;

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 98

Sing to the LORD with the harp, * with the harp and the voice of song.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn * shout with joy before the King, the LORD.

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, * the lands and those who dwell therein.

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.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!' Do not go after them.  "When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.  "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."

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: I Want to Walk as A Child of the Light (Blue Hymnal # 490)

1-I want to walk as a child of the light, I want to follow Jesus.  God set the stars to give light to the world.  The star of my life is Jesus.

Refrain: In him there is no darkness at all.  The night and the day are both alike.  The Lamb is the light of the city of God.  Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

2-I’m looking for the coming of Christ.  I want to be with Jesus.  When we have run with patience the race, we shall know the joy of Jesus.  Refrain

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

Beaking 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:    Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17

1          Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

2          So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

3          Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

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: Hosanna (Renew! # 71)

1-Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted, Oh Lord my God!  Hosanna in the highest.

2-Glory, Glory, Glory to the King of kings!  Glory, Glory, Glory to the King of kings!  Lord we lift up you name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted, oh Lord my God!  Glory to the King of kings.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

 

Important Edifice and Paradigm Shift

23 Pentecost, Cp28, November 13, 2022
Isaiah 65:17-25 Ps. 98:
2 Thes. 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19

Lectionary Link

In terms of geo-political power, what did the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year seventy mean?

It meant that the Roman had political and military power in Palestine.  They would not tolerate local revolts by zealots who believed that they were called to be in a holy war to rid their homeland and holy city from foreign occupation.

What happens when one loses a holy war?  Lots of forced issues like mourning the loss of life of those who died in battle.  There is the practical issues like fleeing harms way for family, for children and the elderly and without the ability to take much of the familiar things into exile.

Then there is the emotional, the psychological, and the theological.   There is doubt and disillusionment.  Were we wrong to resist the Romans?  Were we wrong to have faith that God would fight for and with us in miraculous ways to save us and our homeland, and especially the holy Temple?

And if God did not intervene to save the divine dwelling place the Temple itself, what does this say about our understanding of God and God's purposes for us?

The retroactive channeling of the words of Christ within a narrative of Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple gives us a picture of the early communities of the Jesus Movement coming to grips with the reality of the destruction of the Temple.

The Jews had before been in exile from their land and Temple in the past and so they had previous dealt with the loss of the Temple as the center of their ritual and liturgical life.  The locus of God's presence had to become understood as decentralized and found in the gathered people who gathered to both collate and read the holy words of divine presence in the texts of the Torah and the writings.  The people in exile had to format their very identity as one that could be known and perpetuated in the Holy Texts, read and continuously commented on within their gatherings, their synagogues.

The presentation of Jewish heritage was taught as once having a traveling tabernacle with a traveling divine presence which went with the ark of the covenant.  And then when Israel got their land and city, the Temple became what was to be the permanent residing place of God's presence.  But what if the Temple lost its permanent status and was destroyed and the people of Israel were carried away from their homeland into exile?  What would that say about their God?  Could their God still be crucial to their very identity?  In exile, would they become assimilated into foreign cultures and religion?  Would they intermarry and lose their ethnic identity.

The Jewish people were kept together in exile by their sacred text tradition; they found the divine presence within the holy writings as they gathered within their foreign setting.  What was born was a new Judaism which could provide people with an identity without being in the homeland with a Temple.  The Jews had been forced into a new paradigm in the time of exile and the loss of their most important architectural symbol, the Temple.

How did the early Jesus Movement then understand the destruction of the Temple?  They understood the time to be a time of crisis.  Crisis time is a time of change.  It can be a time of loss, suffering, pain and community conflict.

The year 70 meant for both synagogue and the Jesus Movement, an exile from Jerusalem and home bases in Palestine.  It meant disagreements among the parties within Judaism, even severe disagreements such as the ones which impelled Saul of Tarsus to persecute the followers of Jesus.

Pain and suffering can make us suffer so much that we use our imaginations to visualize the end of suffering.  In our pain and loss we can generalize the importance of our pain and loss to the entire cosmos.  We can come to believe that all creation is taking note of our suffering and loss.  This generalization is the apocalyptic imagination of visualization comfort and end of suffering.  We should be careful about literalizing a discourse which is essentially an analgesic discourse.

What is the Gospel for us today as we are experiencing the diminished importance of some familiar edifices of identity within our faith communities.

We are encouraged to endure.  We are encouraged to visualize new paradigms of faith strategies to prove that God's omnipresence is adjustable to new situations.  The Gospel today is that temples and holy edifices cannot exhaust God's presence because each person's body is a temple of Holy Spirit.

May God inspire us to derive new strategies and paradigms to bear the winsomeness of the grace, love, and peace of the message of Jesus Christ.  May God give us grace to accept our bodies as dwelling places of God's Spirit.   Amen.

Sunday School, November 13, 2022 23 Pentecost, C proper 28

 Sunday School, November 13, 2022  23 Pentecost, C proper 28

Theme: Buildings and Homes

What is the first question that we ask when a house is destroyed by fire or a flood?

Do we ask first if all of the furniture and the belongings are safe?   No, we ask if all of the family members are safe.

Why?  Because a building can be reconstructed.  Things can be replaced.  But people cannot be replaced.  We know it is a very sad time when someone loses their home, but the loss of lives is even sadder.

There are important buildings in every state, city and country.  In America we think that the Capitol Building and the White House are important building.  If these buildings were destroyed it would be very sad and painful for our country, but if the buildings were destroyed, would our country be destroyed?   Probably, not because our country is not buildings, it is all of us as people and as Americans.  As Americans we could rebuild buildings, even important buildings.  In fact we are building them all of them because we are fixing them up and remodeling them. 

Jesus spoke about the destruction of the most important building in Jerusalem for the Jews.  The most important building was the Temple.  The Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.  But was this the end of God’s people.  No.  God’s people continued to meet in synagogues and the followers of Jesus met in house churches.  The destruction of the Temple did not mean the destruction of God’s people.  In fact, Jesus taught us that God dwells within each person.  St. Paul called the body of each person, the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  So when Christians gather each person is a temple of God’s Holy Spirit.  This means that God can be everywhere people are.  We don’t have to go to Rome or to Jerusalem to meet or to find God.  God is present wherever we are and is especially known when people gather together to form what St. Paul called the body of Christ.  The Body of Christ is the Church, not the temple or any building.  Just as a body has parts which do different things for us, so in the Body of Christ, we are all parts of the body of Christ who do different things but we worked together as we are led by Christ.  St. Paul call Christ, the head of the Body of Christ.

Jesus also said that even though we have some very hard and difficult times in our lives we can still know that God is close to us.  He said that even when people do some bad things to us, we should remain true to what Jesus taught us about love and kindness.  He said that we can endure, we will preserve our souls.

Let us remember even when we lose important things like the Temple, God is still very near to us and in us.  Let us also remember that when people want to hurt us, we cannot become like them and act in hurtful ways as a response.  If we remain strong in goodness, we will prove that our souls will last because of being faithful to goodness and kindness of Christ.

Sermon

One of the nice things about our country is that we have the freedom to worship God.  So when you came to church today, the army or the police did not stop you and say, “You can’t go to church.”

  But did you know that in other places and at different times, people did not always have freedom to worship God in the way that they wanted to?

  Wouldn’t it be frightening if we came to church one day and a big bulldozer was knocking over the church building and we were told that we could not pray here anymore?

  A long time ago, in the land where Jesus was born, the people of his land lost their freedom of worship.  The land of Israel was control by a powerful army of Roman soldiers.  The King of Rome, called a Caesar decided that everyone should worship the Caesar.

  But the followers of Jesus did not want to worship Caesar.

  The armies of Caesar attacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple where Jesus used to go to pray.

  And so the followers of Jesus had to run for their lives and they faced great danger.

  And they became great heroes because they would not worship the Caesar, they continued to worship God and follow Jesus Christ.

  They kept our religion alive because of their faith.

  And so we need to remember to keep our religion alive too.  We do that by coming to church to worship God and following the teaching of Jesus.  And parents teach their children to follow Jesus, so that when they grow up, they can teach their children too.

  So today, we gather today, to keep alive our faith and pass it on for the future.

  Let us be thankful for great heroes who kept our faith alive in some very difficult times.  And let us remember to keep our faith alive when we are given such easy freedom to worship.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

November 13, 2019: The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light; Jesus Stand Among Us, Hosanna

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’s 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

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

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

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people;

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 98

Sing to the LORD with the harp, * with the harp and the voice of song.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn * shout with joy before the King, the LORD.

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, * the lands and those who dwell therein.

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.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!' Do not go after them.  "When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.  "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."

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: I Want to Walk as A Child of the Light (Blue Hymnal # 490)

1-I want to walk as a child of the light, I want to follow Jesus.  God set the stars to give light to the world.  The star of my life is Jesus.

Refrain: In him there is no darkness at all.  The night and the day are both alike.  The Lamb is the light of the city of God.  Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

2-I’m looking for the coming of Christ.  I want to be with Jesus.  When we have run with patience the race, we shall know the joy of Jesus.  Refrain

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

Beaking 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:    Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17

1          Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

2          So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

3          Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

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: Hosanna (Renew! # 71)

1-Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted, Oh Lord my God!  Hosanna in the highest.

2-Glory, Glory, Glory to the King of kings!  Glory, Glory, Glory to the King of kings!  Lord we lift up you name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted, oh Lord my God!  Glory to the King of kings.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!