Sunday School, March 20, 2016 Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday C

Sunday School, March 20,  2016   Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday, March 20, 2016

Themes

Explain the two meanings of this day, Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday

The day of two crowds

One crowd of the followers of Jesus who came to Jerusalem perhaps from Galilee and the countryside wanted to make him the king of Jerusalem.

The people in Jerusalem who received most of their jobs by being employed in the building projects of the Roman government, were worried about the people who wanted to make Jesus a king.  The people in Jerusalem were worried about the Roman soldiers punishing them because of the popularity of Jesus.

During the day time the crowd with Jesus had their parade.  They put him on a donkey and celebrated him as their king.

At night Jesus was taken by the authorities and arrested and put on trial.  The crowd who went to the trial were a different crowd.  And they wanted to get rid of Jesus and so they told the Roman governor that Jesus was trying to be a rival king to Caesar, the Emperor in Rome.

The Roman government put people on a Cross to die in public so all people would be reminded not to rebel against the Roman government.

Jesus really did not want to be a rival king to the Caesar, he wanted to become a “king of hearts.”  He wanted to be someone who ruled the thoughts and feelings of all people with love and kindness.

Let us wave palm branches today to remind ourselves that Jesus is the king of our hearts.

A Palm Sunday Story

Once upon a time in a village near the city of Jerusalem, the village of Bethphage; a little donkey was born in the pasture.  And that donkey was called by his owner, Shorty, because he was so tiny when he was born.

  But the donkey’s mom, called him Christopher.  When Christopher became old enough to talk to his mom, he asked her, "Why does my owner call me Shorty, even now when I've grown to be a tall and strong donkey?"  Christopher's mom said, "Well once you get a name, it sometimes just sticks and people won't let you be anything else."

  Christopher asked his mom, "Then why do you call me Christopher?"  His mom said, "Well, I'm not sure but I just had this feeling that it was the right name for you."

  Christopher looked in the other pasture and he saw a beautiful big stallion prancing around.  He saw important Roman Generals ride this beautiful horse.  And Christopher thought, "I wish that someone important would ride on my back some day.  And Christopher was a little jealous of the stallion.

  But one day something exciting happened to Christopher.  Two visitors came to the farm where Christopher was kept.  They called themselves disciples of Jesus, and they said there was going to be a parade into the great city of Jerusalem.  They also said that they needed a donkey to carry their king.  Christopher's owner Farmer Jacob, said, "I've got two donkeys, that jennet over there and her colt that I call "Shorty."  If Jesus needs the donkeys, take them.  Jesus is my friend, he healed my son, and I owe him everything I have."

  So the two disciples took Christopher and his mom with them and they went to a place just in front of the sheep gate in Jerusalem.  There was a large crowd gathered who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Holiday.  After waiting for about an hour, the crowd soon got excited.  Jesus arrived and it was time for the parade to start.  The people put some robes on Christopher to make a saddle for Jesus.  Christopher had never been ridden before, and he was nervous.  But Christopher's mom said, "Calm down, Jesus is the nicest man in the world.  You don't need to buck him off."

  Jesus Climbed up on the back of Christopher and the parade started.  The people took some branches from some palm trees and they began to wave and shout and scream, because their superstar was there.  They followed Jesus as he was riding Christopher into the city of Jerusalem and Christopher trotted proudly through the streets.  This was the happiest day of his life.  At night, he and his mom were tied up at the house of one of the disciples in Jerusalem.  Christopher's mom was proud of him and she said, "Well now I know why I named you Christopher.  "Christopher" means, "the one who carries Christ."  And today you have carried Christ on your back, so today you have lived up to your name."  Christopher was so happy he wanted hee haw with joy.  But his happiness didn't last too long.

  He looked out on the street and he saw another parade.  In the darkness he saw a tired and naked Jesus walking with soldiers.  And the soldiers were forcing him to carry this large wooden cross on his back.  He was bleeding and he was too weak to carry the cross, so at one place they forced a man named Simon to carry the cross for Jesus.  The people who were following the soldiers were laughing and making fun of Jesus.  They were saying, "you're going to die Jesus.  You were just pretending to be a king, but you don't have any power, you're going to die Jesus."

  Christopher ran to his mom and said, "If I had known that this would happen to Jesus, I would not have brought him to Jerusalem."

  Christopher's mom said, "It is a terrible, terrible thing, but we must trust God.  Jesus is the best and nicest person who ever lived and God will take care of him.

  Well, Jesus went on to die on the cross.  And he was buried in a grave.  But does the story does not end here.  Come back next week and we will tell you the end of the story.  What happened to Jesus after he died and was put in the grave?

  What was the donkey's name?  Christopher.  What does Christopher mean?  It means "The one who carries Christ."  In a way, every Christian could be called Christopher.  Because you and I are asked to carry the presence of Christ into this world by being nice and kind.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Holy Eucharist

March 20, 2016: Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday

Gathering Songs: Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest!; The King of Glory Comes, Were You There?; Hosanna! Hosanna!

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.

People: His mercy endures 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.

Opening Song: Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest! (Renew! # 71)

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Hosanna, 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!

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!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Assist us with your mercy and help, O Lord God of our salvation that we may enter with joy as we think about your mighty acts, which have given us life and an everlasting future; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

First Litany of Praise: Hosanna

O God, you are Great!  Hosanna

O God, you have made us! Hosanna

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Hosanna

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

A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 118

On this day the LORD has acted; *we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Hosanna, LORD, Hosanna! *LORD, send us now success.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *we bless you from the house of the LORD.

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.

After telling a parable to the crowd at Jericho, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'" So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They said, "The Lord needs it." Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."

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: The King of Glory, (Renew # 267)

Refrain: The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices. 

            Open the gates before him, lift up your voices.

1          Who is the king of glory; how shall we call him?  He is Emmanuel, the promised of ages. Refrain

2          In all of Galilee, in city or village, he goes among his people curing their illness. Refrain

3          Sing then of David’s son, our Savior and brother; in all of Galilee was never another. 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 the 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 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.

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: Were You There? (#172, blue hymnal)

1. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? …

3. Were you there when they pierced him in the side? …

4. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? …

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! Hosanna, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 102)

Hosanna!  Hosanna!  The little children sing.  Hosanna! Hosanna! For Christ, the Lord, is King. 

Prepare the way, the children sing, Hosanna to our Lord and King. 

Hosanna!  Hosanna! The little children sing.  (repeat)

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Coming Events:

Tonight: Yoga at 5 p.m. 

Mon., March 21, 6:45 p.m.  7:30 p.m.   Bell  choir Rehearsal

Wed., March 23, 7:30 p.m. Directed Meditation

Thurs.,  March 24,  7:30 a.m.  Eucharist,   7 p.m. Maundy Thursday liturgy, 7:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal

Good Friday, March 25, 12 Noon Good Friday Liturgy,  Stations of the Cross on the Labyrinth all day

Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil, March 26, 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m. Family Easter Liturgy, 9:45 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt and first Easter Brunch.  10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, followed by 2nd Easter Brunch.  Bring food items to share at the brunches

Death, Where Now Is Thy Stink?

5 Lent             March 13, 2016     

Is.43:16-21        Ps.126              

Phil.3:8-14        Luke 20:9-19      

Lectionary Link 

  We Americans who pride ourselves, often wrongly, about being a classless society, are uncomfortable with cultural gestures which show unusual deference to people of authority.  We have read the story about Mary of Bethany anointing the feet of Jesus with perfume and wiping them with her hair.  She was criticized for her waste of the costly perfume and she was defended by Jesus.  Jesus declared her to be a prophet because she was actually symbolically preparing his future dead body for burial.

  This can all seem quite macabre to us since we don’t encounter such things in our everyday lives.  I do recall a party game called the “King of Siam.”  Did any of you ever play this game?   In this game, a person is blind folded and brought to have an audience with the King of Siam.  He or she then must bow before the King of Siam and kiss the ring of the King.   Once the initiate has kissed the ring of the King of Siam, the blindfold is removed only to see the ring on the big hairy toe of the King of Siam.  Laughter ensues, until the victim of the humor watches the next victim.  The ringed finger is quickly taken out of sight before the blindfold comes off.  So we feel really yucky about getting our faces close to other people’s feet in showing respect.

  In ancient cultures respect for authority involved having a foot fetish whether you wanted it or not.  Certainly in kissing the Emperor’s feet it symbolized the fact that he could literally walk all over you if he so chose.  Such honorific gestures were adopted by European kings and popes.

   As a Bible reader, I want to ask what does the anointing of the feet of Jesus have to do with me when it seems so culturally distant from my experience.  What function does this story have in the life of the early church, particularly in the community which generated the Gospel of John?  Why is this anointing of the feet of Jesus associated with the inevitable death of Jesus?

    In our Church liturgical calendar, the death of Jesus is once again inevitable.  Next week we will read the Passion Gospel twice, once in the Passion Sunday liturgy and again on Good Friday.  Since the Passion is in all four Gospels in different edited forms, we know that the Passion was a liturgy which was used in various widespread churches in the six or seven decades after Jesus left this earth.

  We also know that St. Paul wrote his letters before the Gospels were written.  In the writing of St. Paul, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ had become the metaphors of spiritual transformation.  And so the Death of Jesus had become a good thing in that the death of Jesus symbolized a Higher Power to bring to an end all of the unworthy habits and former identities of one’s life.  Then one received the energy of the Higher Power of the resurrection to be re-created, to be made a new creation in Christ.

  The theology of spiritual transformation of St. Paul, became hidden in the Gospel narratives about the life of Jesus.  The Gospels externalized in narrative form the interior spiritual transformation that was found in the writings of St. Paul.  Only the spiritual initiates in the early church understood the spiritual significance of the Gospels.  It is amazing how we from the point of view of empirical verification and eye-witness journalistic writing have managed to make the Gospels into exact accounts of history.  And we have been fooled if we have not come to know the spiritual significance of the Gospel literature.  We have been fooled into making the art of spiritual transformation into exact eye-witness historical accounts of the life of Jesus.

   The Gospel of John from it first page is discourse about how the Death of Jesus is a planned divine event.  In the first chapter, John the Baptist is already declaring Jesus to be the Lamb of God who is and will take away the sin of the world.  This is not subtle writing; this is writing many years after the post-resurrection appearances of Christ recounting the spiritual experience of how one can experience interdiction in one’s life for one’s sinful, unenlightened ways.  In chapter three, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he is going to be lifted up, like the serpent in wilderness and that he would draw all people to himself.   This glorification of the death of Jesus, something in itself which was God-awful,  happened because of the afterlife of Jesus in his resurrection manifestations to his disciples.  The result of the post-resurrection manifestations of Christ for the disciples was the transformation of their lives.  These lives were so transformed that the disciples wanted to share this spiritual method of transformation as a regular practice within their communities and so the Gospels were written to encode the life of transformation within narrative presentations of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

   The placing of perfume by Mary of Bethany on the feet of Jesus comes in this progressive presentation of the inevitable Death of Jesus in the narrative of the Gospel of John.  Human logic would not naturally connect the anointing of feet with perfume as a sign predicting the eventual burial preparations of the body of Jesus.  We are dealing with a spiritual logic of transformation as it was practiced and taught within the community which wrote and read the Gospel of John.

  The writings of St. Paul and the writing of the Gospel of John are written proof that Christianity became a new faith community which was born out of Judaism.  In fact, St. Paul writes that all of his resume of Jewish identity was rubbish compared to his new identity with Jesus Christ.  While this may seem like a harsh separation from his past, it does indicate a confession of the reality of the Christian community moving into the Gentile world.

  The Jews who accepted the spiritual practice of the Gospel had to “die to their Jewishness” in order to accept Gentiles as their spiritual equals.

  We sometimes read the Gospels as somehow telling us why things happened when in fact the Gospels were written after the fact that things had already happened.  The Gospels were written to reveal the new spiritual practice of a Gentile Christianity.

   And so perfume can be placed upon death, because the hope of the message of the resurrection is that death has lost its stink.

   The Death of Jesus in the Gospel of John is presented as having two functions.  It provides us with the power of spiritual transformation in dying to what is unworthy in ourselves.  And since Jesus survived Death in his afterlife, his death and all death are made into but singular events which have to give way to a new future for the afterlife of all.     

  Let us today be like Mary of Bethany; let us start applying the fragrance of perfume on what we anticipate to be passing away.  Let it be an olfactory celebration that abundant life cannot and will not ever end.  Amen.

Sunday School, March 13, 2016 5 Lent C

Sunday School, March 13, 2016    5 Lent C

Themes:

What is good about never being finished?

St. Paul was very successful but he did not think that his success made him finished.  He wrote that he forgot what was past and he would keep pressing on until he died and then after he died he believed that he still had a future in continuing to press on.

So we should remember that our lives of faith, love and kindness are never finished.  We may be happy about our good successes and we may be sad about our failures, but we need to continue to have hope that our lives are never finish.  This means we keep looking to do the next best thing that we need to do in our lives.

Remember our lives are never finished because we have hope for a future.  And the future is calling us to be better than we have been in the past.

The Themes for the readings from Isaiah and the Psalms show us how God’s people still had hope in some very difficult times.  Even when they did not have a place to settle and live they had hope that God would help them find a home.  Even when their homes had been taken away and when they had been carried away into captivity, they still had hope that their homes, their temple and their special city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt for them to return to.

So when things are not going well, it is hope and thinking about how God will make things better which inspires us to keep going.

The Gospel Lesson

Sometimes when we are really thankful, we want to do something special for something special that someone did for us.

Mary of Bethany lost her brother Lazarus when he died.  But her friend and teacher, Jesus healed her brother’s death and made him to live again.  Mary was very thankful to Jesus for his special gift to her.  She invited Jesus to dinner and in front of everyone she wanted to honor Jesus, so she poured perfume on his feet.  Usually, they just used water to wash the dusty feet of guests, but Mary used more than water, she put perfume on the feet of Jesus as way of honoring Jesus.  Judas did not understand Mary’s love of Jesus and he told her that she used her money wrongly by buying such an expensive gift.  But Jesus defended Mary.  Jesus understood how much Mary appreciated what he had done for her and her family and so he accepted her gift.

Sometimes when you do something nice for someone, you too, need to know how to receive the thanksgiving from others.  When we offer thanksgiving and when we receive thanksgiving we are celebrating what is very best about friendship, family and living in community.

Sermon

  What if you only had the end of a story and not the beginning?  Would it make the story harder to understand?

  You remember the story of Cinderella.  What if you had only the part of the story of the prince’s helpers coming to Cinderella’s home with a glass slipper.  If you didn’t know the beginning of the story, how would you know the meaning of the glass slipper.

  Today, we have read in the Gospel the end of a story.  Jesus was at the home of his friend Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha.  And Mary does a very strange thing.  She puts expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus and then wipes his feet with her hair.  Back in the time of Jesus, that is how she showed Jesus that she was really, really, really thankful for some thing special that he had done for her.

  And what had Jesus done for Mary, Martha and Lazarus?  If we read the chapter before the chapter that we read today, we know what Jesus did for Lazarus, Mary and Martha.  Jesus had brought Lazarus back to life after he had died.  So now we know why Mary wanted to show Jesus how thankful she was.

  This Gospel story is important for us because it teaches us something that we believe as Christians.  We believe that after we die that God will do some thing wonderful so that we can live on in another way.  And if we know that God is stronger than death, we know that we don’t have to live in fear.  We can live in hope, because whatever bad that can happen, God can do something better.

  And so like Mary, we try to find some very special ways to thank Jesus for bringing us this wonderful news about our after lives.  We come to church to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving.  We worship God and this worship is a way of honoring God and respecting God.  When we worship God, we are telling Jesus thank you for the wonderful news that he has brought us about the resurrection.

  And since we have this good news, we know that it is greater than our fears.  And this good news helps us to have hope and faith and love in our lives.

  I don’t recommend that you get perfume and put it on some one’s foot.  I don’t recommend wiping feet with your hair.  But in our way and in our time you and I can find special ways to honor God and show Jesus that we love him for the special things that he has done for us.

  So I want you to think about some special things that you can do for Jesus today, to thank him.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 13,  2016: The Fifth Sunday in Lent

Gathering Songs: Only a Boy Named David,  I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,  Let Us Break Bread Together, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Three

Song: Only a Boy Named David (All the Best Songs for Kids,  # 112)

Only a boy named David, only a little sling. Only a boy named David.  But he could pray and sing.  Only a boy named David, only a rippling brook.  Only a boy named David and five little stones he took.  And one little stone went in the sling, and the sling went round and round.  And one little stone went in the sling, and the sling went round and round.  And!   Round and round and round and round and round and round and round.  And one little stone went up in the air and the the giant came tumbling down.

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.

People: God’s mercy endures 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.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: Praise be to God!

O God, you are Great!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Praise be to God!

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Praise be to God!

Liturgist: A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Phillipians

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 126

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, * then were we like those who dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, * and our tongue with shouts of joy.

Then they said among the nations, * "The LORD has done great things for them."

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

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 John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

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 Hymn: I Decided to Follow Jesus (All the Best Songs for Kids,  # 130)

1-I have decided to follow Jesus;  I have decided to follow Jesus;  I have decided to follow Jesus.  No turning back, no turning back.

3-Though none go with me, still I will follow.  Though none go with me.  Still I will follow.  Though none go with me, still I will follow.  No turning back, no turning back.

4-Will you decide now to follow Jesus?  Will you decide now to follow Jesus?  Will you decide now to follow Jesus?  No turning back, no turning back.

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.

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.

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: 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: Let Us Break Break Together,  (Blue Hymnal,  # 325)

1-Let us break bread together on our knees.  Let us break bread together on our knees.  When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun.  O Lord have mercy on me.

2-Let us drink wine together on our knees.  Let us drink wine together on our knees.  When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun.  O Lord have mercy on me.

3-Let us praise God together on our knees.  Let us praise God together on our knees.  When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun.  O Lord, have mercy.

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:   Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Blue Hymnal, # 376)

1-Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God glory, Lord of love.  Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, praising thee, their sun above.  Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of clouds away; giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.

3-Thou are giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest, well-spring of the joy of living, ocean-depth of happy rest!  Thou our Father, Christ our Brother: all who live in love are thine;  teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Loving Father and Birth Order Dynamics?

4 Lent             March 6, 2016     

Joshua 5:9-12          Ps.32           

2 Cor. 5:17-21     Luke 15:11-32     

Lectionary Link

 

Birth order theory is based upon the parenting habits influencing how a child is socially constructed based upon the child's order of birth in family.

  And as we know first time parents invent parenting because no one can be good enough for our first and most precious one.  And because of such measured scrutiny, the first born becomes a natural informer who perpetually tells on the rest of the children.

  And what do older children often tell mom and dad: "You let the younger children get away with murder.  You never let us do what you let them do."

  One might apply birth order theory to the parable of the prodigal son.  The story might be called the parable of the slighted older brother.  "Your mercy towards my little brother really dishonors me and my loyalty and my playing by the rules.  How can you do this?  It is not fair."

  We might try to understand the function of the parable of the prodigal son in the early church.  The Gospel writers believed that members of the main religious parties within Judaism were dismissive of Jesus and the Jesus Movement.  The criticism of Jesus is that he welcomed tax collectors and sinners. 

  By the time the Gospel of Luke was written, what was the make up of the Christian Church?  The churches had essentially become Gentile churches.  The tax collectors and the sinners had become celebrated members of the Christian communities.  And these communities had become separated from synagogues which consisted mainly of members of Pharisee Judaism.  Pharisees and Sadducees were less likely to become followers of Christ than were members of the community of John the Baptist.

  So the competition between church and synagogue and the separation of the church and synagogue was shown by the Gospel writer to be foreshadowed in the life and the teachings of Jesus.

  The parable of the Prodigal Son has three main characters, the Merciful Father, the younger rebellious son and the older stay-at-home brother.

  At the heart of this story is the question who does God belong to?  And who does God love?

  The Father symbolizes God who is the parent of everyone.  But it a fact of the history of humanity that many people have lived without benefit of the laws Moses.  They have  lived as people who have taken their original inheritance and lost connection with God as the original owner and parent of the world.  They have lived on the largesse of God but they lived their lives as though the appearance of "possession is nine tenth of the law."  Without guidance and connection with God, they have wasted their lives.

  The Jews are a people with an ancient written tradition.  They know who they are.  They have the ancient Hebrew Scriptures which gave them a self-understanding as being God's chosen and favorite people.  They were God's first born and as such had special inheritance rights.

  St. Paul came to understand that God belonged to everyone.  He came to understand that the main witness of Jesus Christ was to reconcile all people, not just the Jews to God.  And the main Christian ministry was to be ambassadors of Christ in proclaiming this reconciliation of God and humanity.

  This parable was used by the church to reveal the main difference between the synagogue and the church.  The synagogue was committed to maintain the religious and ritual purity identity of Jews; the church existed to take the message of the love of God in Christ to all people.  Those persons long regarded to be tax collectors and sinners, Gentiles and some Jews without religious status,  and who were regarded to be far from God's love and grace as expressed by ritual conformity, came to be celebrated as the long lost members of God's family who had come to be reconciled to God their original parent.

  One can see in this parable the seeds for what has become a historical reality.  The Christian mission was to the entire world and the Jewish mission has been to a smaller number of people, to those who could commit to the requirements of their ritual purity.

  One of the functions of the New Testament writing was to show how Christianity became significantly different from Judaism while at the same time borrowing and adapting freely from the Judaic tradition.

  Christians borrowed the universal aspects of Judaism found in the prophets which proclaimed that God's house was a house for all people.  Christians borrowed the tradition of the messiah from Judaism, but not the tradition which regarded the messiah to be a Davidic king who would immediately restore the nation of Israel; the Christian interpretation of the messiah was the suffering servant messiah who died for the sins of the entire world, the world of those who inhabited the Roman Empire.  For Christians, Jesus was the messiah of the world and not just of nation of Israel.  Christianity became a universalization of various strains within Judaism.  The early Christians believed that John the Baptist and Jesus were prophets who came to bring about a world mission to bring about the opportunity of reconciliation between all humanity and God.

  As Gentiles, you and I can be thankful that we have been included in this mission of reconciliation began by Christ.  But you and I can be different than the early Christians.  The early Christians were so dominated by their separation from Judaism that they often presented  the various parties of  Jews in an unfavorable light.  We no longer as Christian need to define ourselves by contrasting ourselves with Jews.  And we can also come to new applications of the parable of the prodigal son.

  Each of us at times have been those who have been like the prodigal son.  We have been those who have used our freedom to squander the divine gifts.  Sometimes we have had to learn that we will not change our losing patterns of life until we come to end of ourselves.  For people who have been successful at recovery from addiction, they confess that they had to come to the end of themselves in reaching the place where their habits ruined their lives and their relationships.  Sometimes we will only change when we hit the bottom.  And when we hit the bottom, we need to know the Higher Power of God's mercy.  God's mercy is expressed as a loving regard for who we were made to be.  God's mercy is expressed as a welcoming grace to give us another opportunity to repent and change our lives to be better.  We also know that all of us can relate to the older brother and his strict sense of justice.  Sometimes in our areas of strength we can be very unforgiving of people who fail in our areas of strength.  We can be hypocrites, in that we often want forgiveness and mercy in our weakness while not offering that same mercy to others.   We sometimes can use our own resume of good deeds as a justification for not being merciful.  "I have played by the rules so I deserve more credit and celebration than those who have just decided to start playing by the rules again."  What we don't realize is that playing by the rules is its own reward.  We don't play by the rules to get a reward; the reward is that we already have the grace to be able to do the right things.  And we should rejoice whenever anyone discovers this wonderful grace of the reward of being able to do what is right and pleasing in God's eyes and for our own benefit and the good of the community.

  So the parable of the prodigal son had a function of explaining the dynamic separation of the church from the synagogue but the parable of prodigal son also has current meanings for us today as we find projected upon the characters aspects of our behavioral tendencies.

  When we have gotten to the very bottom, let us remember God as the original parent is loving, kind and merciful. This God invit Birth order theory is based upon the parenting habits influencing how a child is socially constructed based upon the child's order of birth in family.

  And as we know first time parents invent parenting because no one can be good enough for our first and most precious one.  And because of such measured scrutiny, the first born becomes a natural informer who perpetually tells on the rest of the children.

  And what do older children often tell mom and dad: "You let the younger children get away with murder.  You never let us do what you let them do."

  One might apply birth order theory to the parable of the prodigal son.  The story might be called the parable of the slighted older brother.  "Your mercy towards my little brother really dishonors me and my loyalty and my playing by the rules.  How can you do this?  It is not fair."

  We might try to understand the function of the parable of the prodigal son in the early church.  The Gospel writers believed that members of the main religious parties within Judaism were dismissive of Jesus and the Jesus Movement.  The criticism of Jesus is that he welcomed tax collectors and sinners.  Any one who did not live a ritually pure life was regarded to be a sinner or "unclean."

  By the time the Gospel of Luke was written, what was the make up of the Christian Church?  The churches had essentially become Gentile churches.  The tax collectors and the sinners had become celebrated and welcome members of the Christian communities.  And these communities had become separated from synagogues which consisted mainly of members of Pharisee Judaism.  Pharisees and Sadducees were less likely to become followers of Christ than were members of the community of John the Baptist.

  So the competition between church and synagogue and the separation of the church and synagogue was shown by the Gospel writers to be foreshadowed in the life and the teachings of Jesus.

  The parable of the Prodigal Son has three main characters, the Merciful Father, the younger rebellious son and the older stay-at-home brother.

  At the heart of this story is the question who does God belong to?  And who does God love?

  The Father symbolizes God who is the parent of everyone.  But it is a fact of the history of humanity that many people have lived without benefit of the laws Moses.  In the biblical narrative they have  lived as people who have taken their original inheritance and lost connection with God as the original owner and parent of the world.  They have lived on the largesse of God but they lived their lives as though the appearance of "possession is nine tenth of the law."  Without guidance and connection with God, they have wasted their lives.

  The Jews have been a people with an ancient written tradition.  They know who they are.  They have the ancient Hebrew Scriptures which gave them a self-understanding as being God's chosen and favorite people.  They were God's first born and as such had special inheritance rights in the biblical narrative.

  St. Paul came to understand that God belonged to everyone.  He came to understand that the main witness of Jesus Christ was to reconcile all people, not just the Jews, to God.  St. Paul believed that  the main Christian ministry was to be ambassadors of Christ in proclaiming this reconciliation of God and humanity.

  This parable was used by the church to reveal the main difference between the synagogue and the church.  The synagogue was committed to maintain the religious and ritual purity identity of Jews; the church existed to take the message of the love of God in Christ to all people.  All people meant that those long regarded to be tax collectors and sinners, Gentiles and some Jews without religious status. People were regarded to be far from God's love and grace because they did not express ritual conformity to Judaism, came to be celebrated as the long lost members of God's family who had come to be reconciled to God their original parent.

  One can see in this parable the seeds for what has become a historical reality.  The Christian mission was to the entire world and the Jewish mission has been to a smaller number of people, to those who could commit to the requirements of their ritual purity.

  One of the functions of the New Testament writingw was to show how Christianity became significantly different from Judaism while at the same time borrowing and adapting freely from the Judaic tradition.

  Christians borrowed the universal aspects of Judaism found in the prophets which proclaimed that God's house was a house of prayer for all people.  Christians borrowed the tradition of the messiah from Judaism, but not the tradition which regarded the messiah to be a Davidic king who would immediately restore the independence of the  nation of Israel; the Christian interpretation of the messiah was the suffering servant messiah who died for the sins of the entire world, the world of all people who inhabited the Roman Empire.  For Christians, Jesus was the messiah of the world and not just messiah of the of nation of Israel.  Christianity became a universalization of various strains within Judaism.  The early Christians believed that John the Baptist and Jesus were prophets who came to bring about a world mission to bring about the opportunity of reconciliation between all humanity and God.

  As Gentiles, you and I can be thankful that we have been included in this mission of reconciliation began by Christ.  But you and I can be different than the early Christians.  The early Christians were so dominated by their separation from Judaism that they often presented  the various parties of  Jews in an unfavorable light.  We no longer as Christians need to define ourselves by contrasting ourselves with Jews.  And we can also come to new applications of the parable of the prodigal son.

  Each of us at times have been those who have been like the prodigal son.  We have been those who have used our freedom to squander the divine gifts.  Sometimes we have had to learn that we will not change our losing patterns of life until we come to end of ourselves.  For people who have been successful at recovery from addiction, they confess that they had to come to the end of themselves in reaching the place where their habits ruined their lives and their relationships.  Sometimes we will only change when we hit the bottom.  And when we hit the bottom, we need to know the Higher Power of God's mercy.  God's mercy is expressed as a loving regard for us to achieve what we were made to be.  God's mercy is expressed as a welcoming grace to give us another opportunity to repent and change our lives to be better. 

  We also know that all of us can relate to the older brother and his strict sense of justice.  Sometimes in our areas of strength we can be very unforgiving of people who fail in our areas of strength.  We can be hypocrites, in that we often want forgiveness and mercy in our weaknesses while not offering that same mercy to others.   We sometimes can use our own resume of good deeds as a justification for not being merciful.  "I have played by the rules so I deserve more credit and celebration than those who have just decided to start playing by the rules again."  What we don't realize is that playing by the rules is its own reward.  We don't play by the rules to get a reward; the reward is that we already have the grace to be able to do the right things.  And we should rejoice whenever anyone discovers this wonderful grace of the reward of being able to do what is right and pleasing in God's eyes and for our own benefit and the good of the community.

  So the parable of the prodigal son had a function of explaining the dynamic separation of the church from the synagogue but the parable of prodigal son also has current meanings for us today as we find projected upon the characters aspects of our behavioral tendencies.

  When we have gotten to the very bottom, let us remember God as the original parent is loving, kind and merciful. This God invites us to repentance and God's mercy is the higher power of loving regard to change our lives.  This parable can also remind us that we can be unforgiving from our areas of strength, just like the older brother in the parable.  But finally, let us know that God is merciful and forgiving and the forgiveness and mercy was expressed in the life of Jesus Christ.

   We now are ambassadors for the reality of expressed in the parable of the prodigal son.  We are ambassadors for the proclamation the reconciliation of the world to God through Jesus Christ.  We are called to be ambassadors for a loving, merciful and forgiving God. Amen.es us to repentance and God's mercy is the higher power of loving regard to change our lives.  This parable can also remind us that we can be unforgiving from our areas of strength, just like the older brother in the parable.  But finally, let us know that God is merciful and forgiving and the forgiveness and mercy was expressed in the life of Jesus Christ.

   We now are ambassadors for the reality of expressed in the parable of the prodigal son.  We are ambassadors for the proclamation the reconciliation of the world to God through Jesus Christ.  We are called to be ambassadors for a loving, merciful and forgiving God. Amen.

 

 

Puppet Show on Prodigal Son Theme

Gospel Puppet Show

March 10, 2013

Characters:

Roary the Lion

Roary, Jr.

Roary: Boys and girls, I want to introduce you to one of my favorite lions.  It is of course, my son, Roary, Junior.  I just call him Junior.

Can you give Junior a nice welcome.  Thank you for that welcome and because of that welcome, I won’t eat you for lunch,  ha, ha, just kidding.

(Junior appears)

Roary:  Junior can you say hi to all of these children.

Junior:  Hi boys and girls.  Dad you really shouldn’t be making jokes about eating them for lunch.

Roary:  I know but sometimes I like to joke.   But I need to talk to you about something that is not a joke.

Junior: What is that?

Roary:  Your mother told me that the safari ranger said that you were doing some dangerous things.

Junior: Like what?

Roary:  Well, he said that you were jumping out in front of the safari jeeps that were driving real fast.  And the drivers had to swerve to miss you.  Is that true?

Junior:  Well, I wish the ranger hadn’t told on me.  Yes, it’s true.  I was just having fun.

Roary:  Well, you know it would not be fun your mom and me if you got hurt real bad.  If you hit by a jeep that is going real fast, you are going to get hurt badly.

Junior:  But it’s fun to do.

Roary: It is not fun to be hurt so I want you stop doing it and I am not going to allow you to play close to the road anymore.

Junior:  Why not, that is a fun place to play.  I can watch all of the people who come on the safari near the road.

Roary:  I don’t want you to play there anymore.

Junior:  Don’t you like me anymore?  Do you like my sister better?

Roary:  Of course I still like you.  I love you and nothing you do can change my love.

Junior:  But my sister thinks you love her more because she does not get into the same kind of trouble that I do.

Roary:  That’s not true.  My love is the same for both of you.  In fact the way that I love you makes your sister jealous.  She thinks I love you more because I give you special attention.

Junior: I guess you have to give me special attention because I am always getting in more trouble than my sister.

Roary:  Jesus once told a story about a Father who had two sons.  One son wanted to leave home early and take all of the money that he would get from his Dad after his Dad died.  So his Dad gave him lots of money, but the son went away and spent all of his money quickly and soon he had no money and no food.  And he took a job taking care of pigs and he was so hungry that he wanted to eat the pig’s food.

Junior:  O, yuck.  What happened?

Roary:  Well, he thought, even if he could go home and live as his Dad’s farm worker, he would have more to eat than he did feeding the pigs.

Junior: What did he do?

Roary:  He went home.

Junior:  I bet his dad was angry and he grounded him for the rest of his life.

Roary: Nope, his dad was so happy to see him, he gave him a big party.

Junior: Why?

Roary: Because he thought that he had lost his son and would never see him again.  But the other brother was jealous.  He thought that his dad should punish his brother and not give him a party.

Junior:  Well, it doesn’t seem fair to give the bad boy a party and not the good boy.

Roary:  Jesus told the story to remind us about God’s love.  God loves us when we are good and when we are bad. 

Junior: So what are we supposed to do with God’s love.

Roary:  We are supposed to accept God’s love and not run away from it.  And we are always to remember God’s love and share it with others.

Junior:  I’m sorry that I jumped in front of the jeep.  I wont’ do it again.

Roary:  I know.  I love you and I just want to keep you safe.  And I want to remind these boys and girls that their parents love them and God loves them and they should never run away from the love of God.

Junior:  Bye, bye boys and girls.