Christ-Identity As Primary Identity

 2 Pentecost, Cp7, June 19, 2022

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a  Psalm 42

Gal. 3:23-29   Luke 8:26-39

 

Lectionary Link

 

Paul wrote some very startling things.  Like in Christ, there is neither Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.

 

It could be that everyone was given a Christ-identity at creation, in that everyone is made in the image of God.  But what has humanity occupied itself with?

 

Taking on identity after identity and regarding them as being more important than the original identity, the original blessing.

 

Our societies and cultures teach us to put on may personae, many layers of identity.  And not just put them on, but idolize them and make them primary.

 

Our lives are full of qualifying adjectives: American, Russian, Californian, Episcopalian, male, female, Gay, Straight, Transitioning, Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Wealthy, poor, Middle Class, educated, uneducated.  On and on, the list of qualifying identities pile up in our lives and we can become like the man wearing a hundred coats, and wondering why he's feeling hot.

 

Was Paul trying to say that being Jew, Greek, slave, free, male or female were unimportant and irrelevant identities?  Was he silly enough to live in such denial?  I don't think so.

 

I think what Paul was trying to teach is that we need to understand and know how to be related to all the identities which we come to have in our life settings and cultures.  How do we moderate between all the identities?

 

We find our Christ-identity, our baptismal identity, our original blessing identity and we make it our primary identity.  And from our Christ-identity we learn to articulate, control, and balance our other identities so that they serve our Christ-identity rather than replace our Christ-identity.

 

One of the purposes of spiritual practice is to learn how to let one's Christ-identity rule our lives.  One of the outcomes of the practice of meditation and contemplation is the silencing of all our identities so that the Christ-identity can come to recognition in the deep silence of peace within us.

 

St. Paul believed that one could find this Christ-identity and be lifted into heavenly places above all principalities and powers, all controlling impulses which can wreck us if we allow them to make our secondary identities our primary identities.

 

St. Paul believed in this mystical experience of being in-Christ.  How did this get presented in the Gospel narratives of Jesus?

 

Jesus was the one who was above all inner principalities and powers; above all demons.  In ancient Greek a daemon in the negative sense was a controlling impulse.  The poor man in the story from the Gerasenes,  and being a place where pigs were raised it was not inhabited by Jews.  Jesus what are you doing there?  The man is not a Jew.  He's is crazy, the kind of crazy that is so deep that we say he has a dirty, impure, unclean spirit.  What is the dirty and unclean animal for Jews?  The swine.  So ,Jesus who is above all principalities and power puts the unclean spirits into the unclean animal and they rush to their elimination.

 

This story is highly parabolic and symbolic.  The man who had a non-Jewish identity and an unclean inner life identity, was brought to his Christ-identity.  Can we understand how the Jesus story exemplified what was happening within the really foreign Gentile peoples who were coming into their Christ-identity and having their lives transformed.

 

What everyone wants in life is their God-identity, their Christ-identity.  The Psalmist said his soul longed for God like a deer panting for the water.

 

Our Christ-identity is something that is both character and situationally active.  By practicing coming to realize over and over our Christ-identity, it becomes our habit and character.

 

Elijah was a prophet, with a practiced God-identity; but he still allowed in a situation his "fearful identity" to assert itself.  He fled in fear from Ahab and Jezebel and went to spend time alone in the mountain cave, there he became re-established in his God-identity as he realized the still small voice of the divine within him.  And he was restored.

 

Let the Scriptures for today teach us that our hearts seek the divine with a profound thirst.  And let us practice the finding of our God-in-Christ identity over and over again so that we can tame and control other potential proudful identity or fearful or tyrannical identities.  Let the Christ-identity become the controlling identity of our lives, and let us not be too proud to admit when in practice we still sometimes forget the Christ-identity and allow a past habitual identity enslave us or bring us to acting out in wrong ways.

 

The Gospel is that no matter how much we fail to act from our Christ-identity, it is always there for us to return to.  And we come here as a community to say, let the Christ-identity be our identity, again today.  Amen.

Sunday School, June 19, 2022 2 Pentecost C proper 7

 Sunday School, June 19, 2022         2 Pentecost C proper 7

Jesus as a People Whisperer

Some people have special abilities to interact and tame animals.  A person who is very good with horses is often called a "horse whisperer."  A person who can make a dog feel very calm is a "dog whisperer."

Sometimes people are just very good at getting along with animals.

There are time when we need someone to "whisper" us as people or calm us down.  When are those times?  a baby crying.  falling down getting your knee skinned.  waking up in the night because of a bad dream.  whenever we are afraid.   Can you think of some other times when you need someone to comfort you and let you know that everything is going to be fine.  What about when we lose at a game and we are disappointed or sad?  What about when we don't get something which we really wanted?

Jesus was a people whisperer.  He knew how to calm people when they were upset or when they would feel very confused inside.  Jesus would tell people to calm down and be peaceful and they would come to be peaceful.

Jesus was like a doctor of our souls, our emotions, our thoughts and the place inside of us where we decide.

We also need to learn to whisper other people.  The best way to whisper people is by gentleness and kindness and always making other people feel safe and comfortable.  If we can learn to make other people be safe and comfortable, then we can learn to be people whisperers like Jesus.

  Have you ever been to a circus?  Have ever seen someone who works with animals?  With wild animals?  Have you seen a lion tamer?  Or have you seen someone who teach a dog to do amazing tricks?

  Have you ever taught your dog some tricks? Can you get the dog to fetch a ball?  Or roll over?  Or sit?  Or does your dog train you to feed it whenever it wants?

  Some people have a special gift with animals.  A person who can tame a wild horse is sometimes called a horse whisperer.  A horse whisper has such a calming effect upon the horse so that the horse will become very friendly and peaceful.  Sometimes a horse is wild and seems to be angry because the horse has been taught to be fearful and not trust anyone.

  Did you know that as people we can have things that make us wild?  Do you know what can make us wild?  Pain, loss and fear can make us wild.

  Do you ever remember falling and hurting yourself and all you can do is scream in pain; you cannot do anything else.  Pain makes us seems as though we are wild.  Fear also makes us seem like we are wild.  Losing important things and people in our lives makes us have a sadness and this sadness controls our lives.

  Just as a wild horse needs a horse whisperer; we as people need people whisperers.

  When we hurt ourselves, we need our parent or someone with us to hold us and help us, to give us a band aid.  We need someone to calm us down from the wildness caused by pain.

  When we are afraid, we need a people whisperer; we need someone with us to show us that we are safe and that everything is okay.

  Jesus was a wonderful person because he was a people whisperer.  Jesus knew how to calm and tame people from the wildness of pain and fear.  We have many stories of Jesus helping people when they suffered from pain and fear; he gave them hope and encouragement and he made them peaceful and calm just to be with them.

  And Jesus wants us to be people whisperers too.  He wants us to learn how to be with each other when we are hurt by pain and fear.  Everyone has pain and fear at some time in their lives and so it is very important that we learn how to be people whisperers with each other.

  We need to know how to be with each other in pain and fear.  When your friend gets hurt on the playground what do you do?  You try to help them; you run and get help, you call 911 if they are really hurt badly.  When people are in the hospital what do you do?  You visit them, you send them cards or flowers, you pray for them, you let them know that you care.

  Why?  Because Jesus wants us to be people whisperers.  Jesus wants to know how to help each other when we have pain and fear.

  Can you say today, “I will be a people whisperer when people are in pain or fear?”  Because I want to be cared for too when I have pain or fear.  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

June 12, 2022: The Second Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Here I Am Lord; As the Deer; Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart; Oh When the Saints

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: Here I Am, Lord, (Renew!, # 149)

I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry.  All who dwell in dark and sin my hand will save.  I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.  Who will bear my light to them?  Whom shall I send?  Refrain: Here I am, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; 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

I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me.  I said, "Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on my name.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 22

My praise is of him in the great assembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: *
"May your heart live for ever!"

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, * and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

For kingship belongs to the LORD; * he rules over the nations.

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!

For our fathers on this father’s day.  Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

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: As the Deer Pants for the Water, (Renew! # 9)

As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after you; you alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.  Refrain: You alone are my strength and shield, to you alone may my spirit yield; you alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you!

I want you more than gold or silver, only you can satisfy; you alone are real joy-giver and the apple of my eye.  Refrain.

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of 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.

(Children may gather around the altar)

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

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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,

(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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Give Thanks, with a Grateful Heart, (Renew! # 266)

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

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

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

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

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: When the Saints Go Marching In (Christian’s Children’s Songbook # 248)

Oh when the saints, go marching in.  Oh when the saints go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.

Oh when the girls go marching in. Oh when the girls go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number when the girls go marching in.

O when the boys go marching in.  O when the boys go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the boys go marching in.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Jezebel, Legion and People Whispering

2 Pentecost, Cp7, June  23, 2019 

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a  Psalm 22:18-27

Gal. 3:23-29   Luke 8:26-39

Lectionary Link

Why don't parents name their daughters Jezebel?  If you say about a woman, "She's a real Jezebel," it's a supreme insult.  Who was Jezebel? Jezebel was the daughter of a Phoenician King who married, Ahab, king of the northern kingdom of Israel.  Jezebel brought her religion with her to Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom.  King Ahab built temples for Jezebel's gods, Baal and Astarte and she perhaps was a royal priestess in one of the temples.  In this political marriage, Ahab perhaps was too drawn to his wife's religious leanings and Jezebel managed to support lots of false prophets who served her gods.  Against this compromise with the foreign gods, the prophet Elijah made a heroic stand; he called down fire from heaven in a showdown with the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and he killed the false prophets with a sword but then he fled in fear of the bounty that Jezebel put on his head.  Jezebel is the patroness for harlots as she is known for dressing up in finery and putting on facial make up.  Jezebel was all painted up, perhaps as a seductress, when Jehu saw her on a balcony and had her thrown down and trampled and left her corpse for the dogs to eat.  (Do you see why we censure portions of the Bible as being X-rated for children?) Elijah, in fear, retreated to a most holy place, Horeb, the Mountain of God, formerly known as Mount Sinai.  Elijah perhaps thought that if he ran away to the Mountain of God, then he could meet God in the same place that Moses did.  Moses had a cloud and light show and shaking and thundering on Mount Sinai, but alas when these happened to Elijah, he could not find God.  He found God in sheer silence when God spoke to the pouting prophet who was so consumed about the persecution and he did not know what God knew the faithful of other people in Israel.  And this is all a prelude to his departure and the finish of his prophetic ministry on earth.
  Jesus of Nazareth did not confront Jezebel; he confronted a configuration of fallen angels or gods who went by the name Legion and who possessed a man. 
  Fallen angels and gods of ancient days had morphed into inward beings who tormented and possessed people and caused them to harm themselves and others.
  The earliest writer of the New Testament, Paul, wrote that we don't fight against flesh and blood; rather we fight against principalities and powers of darkness in heavenly places.  In Paul's spiritual psychology, the heavenly world is an inner world of battle against unseen cosmic forces of darkness.
  The spiritual warfare of St. Paul is instantiated in the ghost busting and people whispering ministry of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.  John does not present Jesus as an exorcist as the other Gospels do.
  When illness of the physical and mental sort occurs, the ancient world had their own public health systems and systems of classification.  The unseen cause of people having unclean spirits within them was an all-embracing diagnosis for all manner of maladies particularly those that show the signs of some severe mental health disorders.
  I have come to favor Jesus as a People Whisperer to best explain the phenomenon of exorcism.  Jesus was such a person of extraordinary internal strength of peace and calm; that the interior lives of other reached out in various ways to him.
   The early church believed Jesus was the name above all other names and that he had authority, inward authority over unseen inner forces, the forces which compelled harmful acting out behaviors.  
  In ancient time as today, people are afraid of the public displays of extremely erratic behaviors, one that can be seen as dangerous to other people.  Today, one of the biggest social issues in our country is that there is not enough treatment for mental health disorders and the panorama of drug and opioid addictions, resulting in unseen inner forces becoming harmful behaviors.  In the ancient system of medical diagnosis, a person's interior force of motivation could be declared as "unclean."  In the Purity Code, something or some state of being was either "clean" or "unclean."  If it was designated as "unclean" it was to be shunned and quarantined so others would not be made unclean through contact with such an agent of defilement.  It was a system of infectious disease control.
  Jesus, the people whisperer, saw the pain and the isolation that such designation brought to the suffering persons and their families.  He had the inner strength to confront the inner forces of other people.  The Gospel narrative the exorcism that we've read today is highly symbolic.  Where were the "unclean" spirits sent?  Into the poor animals designated in Jewish society as being unclean, the swine.  So the unclean spirits enter the unclean swine causing them to kill themselves by drowning.  They jumped into the abyss of the water.  The unclean spirits were sent back to the chaos of the abyss and this indicated how Jesus was the Messiah in the heavenly realms.  Jesus was not yet a king on earth; but he was the king of heavenly and inner forces.
  The church has bishops, priests and deacons, preachers and prophets and all sorts of ministries.  What the church needs and what this world needs are more people whisperers.
Think of all of the times when you and I have needed people whisperers?  When we we infants and children worried about the "boogie men" in our rooms at night.  The horrifying images of a nightmare.  And mom or dad was there to be a people whisperer for us.  And many times, our unseen inner worlds have seemed to be threatened by the forces of accusation, addiction, victimization, fear, anxiety, illnesses of all sorts and we have needed an authoritative people whisperer to say, "now, now, everything is going to be well.  just hold my hand, I'm here with you and for you."
  When you and I don't think that we have any ministry at all, we do have the ministry to be people whisperers to the ones to whom God puts in our way to be present to as those who are willing to be acquainted with the grief and sorrows of others.
  The forces like that  of Ahab and Jezebel are always threatening.  People of power can incite others to do things that an individual would not do on one's own.  Outward events can instill inward fears and disorders.  Who ya' gonna call?  Jesus the ghost buster and people whisperer.
  And if you and I have received the gift of being whispered through some difficult times in our lives; then we too are called to make ourselves available to allow God's Holy Spirit to whisper other people through us.
  May Jesus, the great people whisperer, whisper us; and may we go forth to whisper the people who need to know the inward calm and peace of Christ.  Amen.

Sunday School, June 23, 2019 2 Pentecost C proper 7

Sunday School, June 23, 2019          2 Pentecost C proper 7

Jesus as a People Whisperer

Some people have special abilities to interact and tame animals.  A person who is very good with horses is often called a "horse whisperer."  A person who can make a dog feel very calm is a "dog whisperer."

Sometimes people are just very good at getting along with animals.

There are time when we need someone to "whisper" us as people or calm us down.  When are those times?  a baby crying.  falling down getting your knee skinned.  waking up in the night because of a bad dream.  whenever we are afraid.   Can you think of some other times when you need someone to comfort you and let you know that everything is going to be fine.  What about when we lose at a game and we are disappointed or sad?  What about when we don't get something which we really wanted?

Jesus was a people whisperer.  He knew how to calm people when they were upset or when they would feel very confused inside.  Jesus would tell people to calm down and be peaceful and they would come to be peaceful.

Jesus was like a doctor of our souls, our emotions, our thoughts and the place inside of us where we decide.

We also need to learn to whisper other people.  The best way to whisper people is by gentleness and kindness and always making other people feel safe and comfortable.  If we can learn to make other people be safe and comfortable, then we can learn to be people whisperers like Jesus.

  Have you ever been to a circus?  Have ever seen someone who works with animals?  With wild animals?  Have you seen a lion tamer?  Or have you seen someone who teach a dog to do amazing tricks?

  Have you ever taught your dog some tricks? Can you get the dog to fetch a ball?  Or roll over?  Or sit?  Or does your dog train you to feed it whenever it wants?

  Some people have a special gift with animals.  A person who can tame a wild horse is sometimes called a horse whisperer.  A horse whisper has such a calming effect upon the horse so that the horse will become very friendly and peaceful.  Sometimes a horse is wild and seems to be angry because the horse has been taught to be fearful and not trust anyone.

  Did you know that as people we can have things that make us wild?  Do you know what can make us wild?  Pain, loss and fear can make us wild.

  Do you ever remember falling and hurting yourself and all you can do is scream in pain; you cannot do anything else.  Pain makes us seems as though we are wild.  Fear also makes us seem like we are wild.  Losing important things and people in our lives makes us have a sadness and this sadness controls our lives.

  Just as a wild horse needs a horse whisperer; we as people need people whisperers.

  When we hurt ourselves, we need our parent or someone with us to hold us and help us, to give us a band aid.  We need someone to calm us down from the wildness caused by pain.

  When we are afraid, we need a people whisperer; we need someone with us to show us that we are safe and that everything is okay.

  Jesus was a wonderful person because he was a people whisperer.  Jesus knew how to calm and tame people from the wildness of pain and fear.  We have many stories of Jesus helping people when they suffered from pain and fear; he gave them hope and encouragement and he made them peaceful and calm just to be with them.

  And Jesus wants us to be people whisperers too.  He wants us to learn how to be with each other when we are hurt by pain and fear.  Everyone has pain and fear at some time in their lives and so it is very important that we learn how to be people whisperers with each other.

  We need to know how to be with each other in pain and fear.  When your friend gets hurt on the playground what do you do?  You try to help them; you run and get help, you call 911 if they are really hurt badly.  When people are in the hospital what do you do?  You visit them, you send them cards or flowers, you pray for them, you let them know that you care.

  Why?  Because Jesus wants us to be people whisperers.  Jesus wants to know how to help each other when we have pain and fear.

  Can you say today, “I will be a people whisperer when people are in pain or fear?”  Because I want to be cared for too when I have pain or fear.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

June 23, 2019: The Second Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Here I Am Lord; As the Deer; Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart; Oh When the Saints

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: Here I Am, Lord, (Renew!, # 149)

I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry.  All who dwell in dark and sin my hand will save.  I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.  Who will bear my light to them?  Whom shall I send?  Refrain: Here I am, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; 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

I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me.  I said, "Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on my name.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 22

My praise is of him in the great assembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: *
"May your heart live for ever!"

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, * and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

For kingship belongs to the LORD; * he rules over the nations.

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!

For our fathers on this father’s day.  Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

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: As the Deer Pants for the Water, (Renew! # 9)

As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after you; you alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.  Refrain: You alone are my strength and shield, to you alone may my spirit yield; you alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you!

I want you more than gold or silver, only you can satisfy; you alone are real joy-giver and the apple of my eye.  Refrain.

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of 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.

(Children may gather around the altar)

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

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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,

(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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Give Thanks, with a Grateful Heart, (Renew! # 266)

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

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

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

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

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: When the Saints Go Marching In (Christian’s Children’s Songbook # 248)

Oh when the saints, go marching in.  Oh when the saints go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.

Oh when the girls go marching in. Oh when the girls go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number when the girls go marching in.

O when the boys go marching in.  O when the boys go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the boys go marching in.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!