Sunday School Themes
The main theme is Wisdom
Discussion of the difference between knowledge, information and wisdom
Wisdom is knowledge which is used to live well and wisdom is knowledge which includes knowing from the heart with feeling. Wisdom begins with respect and worship of God and from our worship of God we appreciate the people and the things of our world and we make the right decisions in how we manage our lives.
The difference between Regular School and Sunday School is the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
In Sunday School we seek wisdom as a way of knowing and learning with our hearts and this is a different kind of learning that we learn in our schools.
So you can compare how ways of knowledge and wisdom are different.
In biology you might study the names of animals and all about the body parts of people.
In Sunday School, you study how each person is more than just body parts, they are hearts and souls and spirits with feelings. So in Sunday School we learn about how we live with other with kindness and love because we know that God loves us.
The world is made with wisdom because God made the world. And so by looking really carefully and from our hearts at all of the wonderful things in this world we can come to appreciate our Wise Creator God. And in our prayers we ask that we might learn to be wise too.
Jesus told a parable about some bridesmaids who were wise and prepared and some bridesmaids who were foolish and unprepared.
Discuss the difference between being wise or foolish regarding an upcoming exam at school, or a soccer game or dance performance. Foolishness means that we do not prepare to be ready to do the things we need to do. And if we are not prepared, we miss out on some important things in life.
Puppet Show:
Jacob: Joseph, why are you so sad today?
Joseph: Because all of my sheep ran away.
Jacob: Why did they run away?
Joseph: They got out of the sheepfold.
Jacob: How did that happen?
Joseph: I left the gate open last night.
Jacob: Well, that was not very wise was it?
Joseph: No, it was rather foolish. But I learned my lesson.
Jacob: What did you learn?
Joseph: I learned that I am don't take care to do my chore correctly then I get distracted and I forget to do some very important things.
Jacob: Like what?
Joseph: Like shutting the gate to the sheepfold.
Jacob: What did you learn?
Joseph: I learned that my foolishness cost us the lives of three lost sheep. And I had to search for almost a half a day to find the other sheep. And those three lost sheep probably got taken by the wolves.
Jacob: So wisdom is important isn't it.
Joseph: If I had been wise, I would have obey the instruction that you gave me about taking care of the sheep but now my foolishness has caused the loss of the lives of three sheep and it has taken me much more time to take care of the sheep. I am really sorry.
Jacob: Joseph, you know one of the most important lessons in wisdom?
Joseph: No, what?
Jacob: One of the ways that we learn to be wise is to learn from our mistakes and not make the same mistake twice because we learn to be prepared.
Joseph: Well, I've learned my lesson. I will never leave the sheepfold gate open. It cause too much trouble to be foolish.
Jacob: Good lesson Joseph. And God is wise and as a wise God, God forgives us because God knows that we can get better and learn how to be wise too. I forgive you Joseph. I know that you will not make that mistake again.
Joseph: Thank you and I want to be wise and prepared.
Jacob: Well, you have the rest of your life to continue to learn wisdom.
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan
Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with
Holy Eucharist
November 9,
2014: The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Gathering Songs: Give Me Oil in My Lamp, The Butterfly Song, Alleluia,
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: Give Me Oil in My Lamp
(Christian Children’s Songbook, # 53)
1.
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning.
Give me oil in my lamp I pray.
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, keep me burning ‘til the break
of day.
Refrain: Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to
the King of kings. Sing hosanna, sing
hosanna, sing hosanna to the king.
2.
Give me joy in my heart, keep me shining.
Give me joy in my heart, I pray.
Give me joy in my heart keep me shining.
Keep me shining ‘til the break of day.
Refrain
Liturgist: The
Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Liturgist: Let us pray
O God, whose blessed Son came into the
world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God
and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify
ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory,
we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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 Wisdom of Solomon
Wisdom is radiant and
unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by
those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire
her. One who rises early to seek her
will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate. To fix
one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, And one who is vigilant on her
account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those
worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets
them in every thought.
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy
deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful works he has done.
and the wonderful works he has done.
He gave his decrees to Jacob and
established a law for Israel,
* which he commanded them to teach their children;
That the generations to come might
know,
and the children yet unborn; * that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
and the children yet unborn; * that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
Litany Phrase: Thanks
be to God! (chanted)
Liturgist:
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 Matthew
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus said,
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their
lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were
wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the
wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of
them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, `Look! Here is
the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and
trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, `No! there will not be
enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for
yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who
were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later
the other bridesmaids came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' But he
replied, `Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you
know neither the day nor the hour."
Liturgist: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you,
Lord Christ.
Sermon – Father Phil
We did not make
ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great
and we are so small,
We believe God came
into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help
and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God
is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we
are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
welcome.
We believe that
Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we
have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must
die, we believe that God will preserve us forever. Amen.
Litany Phrase: Christ,
have mercy. (chanted)
For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in
our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.
Liturgist: The
Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving
of an offering.
Offertory
Music: The Butterfly Song (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 9)
1. If I were a butterfly, I’d thank you Lord for
giving me wings. If I were a robin in
the tree, I’d thank you Lord that I could sing.
If I were a fish in the sea, I’d wiggle my tail and I’d giggle with
glee, but I just thank you Father for making me, me.
Refrain: For you gave me a heart and you gave me a
smile. You gave me Jesus and you made me
your child and I just thank you Father for making me, me.
2.
If I were an elephant, I’d thank you Lord by raising my
trunk. If I were a kangaroo, you know
I’d hop right up to you. If I were an
octopus, I’d thank you Lord for my fine looks and I just thank you Father for
making me, me. Refrain
3.
If I were a wiggly worm, I’d thank you Lord that I
could squirm. If I were a Billy goat,
I’d thank you Lord for my strong throat.
If I were a fuzzy-wuzzy bear, I’d thank you Lord for my fuzzy-wuzzy
hair, and I just thank you Father for making me, me. 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 our 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 up 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.
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 he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better
lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
the bread and drink
the wine, we can know that the Presence
of Christ is as near to us as
this food and
drink that becomes a part of us.
And so, Father, we bring
you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit
to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so
that we can we 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:
Alleluia, (Renew! # 136)
1.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
2.
He’s my Savior, alleluia….
3.
He is worthy, alleluia….
4.
I will praise him, alleluia…
Post-Communion
Prayer
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.
