Quiz of the Day, September 2016

Quiz of the Day, September 30, 2016

Who of the following was not a Bible translator?

a. John Eliot
b. Jerome
c. William Tyndale
d. John Wycliffe
e. Miles Coverdale
f. Edward Sapir
g. Martin Luther
h. Miles Coverdale

Quiz of the Day, September 29, 2016

What is Michaelmas?

a. a feast for non-human beings
b. a feast for Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel
c. a feast for the Archangel Michael
d. sometime a name for the fall term at a seminary or church school
e. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, September 28, 2016

Which of the following mystics wrote "The Scale of Perfection?" (aka "The Ladder of Perfection")

a. St. Teresa of Avila
b. Walter Hilton
c. Margery Kempe
d. Thomas Traherne
e. Richard Rolle
f.  John Climacus

Quiz of the September 27, 2006

Which of the following best describes Thomas Traherne?

a. A supralapsarian
b. A Metaphysical poet
c. A Pelagian
d. A monk of Lindisfarne


Quiz of the Day, September 26, 2016

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."  These words are attributed to Jesus and in what book of the Bible are they found?

a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Luke
d. John
e. Acts of the Apostles

Quiz of the Day, September 25, 2016

The tongue is compared to the rudder of a ship, a fire and a bit of a horse in what book in the Bible?

a. Psalms
b. Proverbs
c. Ecclesiastes
d. James

Quiz of the Day, September 24, 2016

Which prophet to Judah is associated with the reign of King Uzziah?

a. Hosea
b. Amos
c. Jeremiah
d. Isaiah

Quiz of the Day, September 23, 2016

What is the Masoretic Text?

a. a very early text for the New Testament
b. a text of the Bible found among the Masoric people
c. Official Hebrew and Aramaic text of Hebrew Scriptures of Rabbinic Judaism
d. an ancient translation of Hebrew Scripture into Aramaic


Quiz of the Day, September 22, 2016

What record of "book burning/scroll burning" is found in the Bible?

a. the Torah was burned by the Chaldean armies
b. the Book of Maccabees by Antiochus Epiphanes
c. the magic books by Christian converts in Ephesus
d. the writings of Simon Magus

Quiz of the Day, September 21, 2016

In the story of Esther what is the name of the hateful antagonist of Mordecai?

a. Ahasuerus
b. Haman
c. Bigthana
d. Teresh


Quiz of the Day, September 20, 2016

Which of the following is not true of the man Apollos who is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles?

a. He was a Jew
b. He was from Alexandria
c. He had the baptism of John
d. He became a companion of Paul in his mission

Quiz of the Day, September 19, 2016

Which biblical figure said, "If I perish, I perish?"

a. Jesus
b. Paul
c. Esther
d. David

Quiz of the Day, September 18, 2016

Purim is the Jewish holiday which derives from the book of Esther, a story of the saving of the Jewish people from the plot of the wicked Haman.  What does "pur" in Purim refer to?

a. the wicked plot
b. lot or method of selecting the day on the calendar
c. a Persian word for "Queen"
d. gallows, on which the wicked Haman was hung

Quiz of the Day, September 17, 2016

The Bible is a book about the knowledge of God in the experience of humanity.  How many times is the name of God mentioned in the book of Esther?

a. once
b. twice
c. three times
d. nil

Quiz of the Day, September 16, 2016

Why was Queen Vashti replaced with the new Queen Esther?

a. the king preferred Esther's beauty
b. the king wanted to marry a Jew
c. Vashti refused to come to the king when bidden
d. Esther was married for a political alliance

Quiz of the Day, September 15, 2016

Which of the following "heretical" groups used the writings of Cyprian to bolster their position?

a. Peligians
b. Donatists
c. Docetists
d. Arians

Quiz of the Day September 14, 2016

Who built the first temple in Jerusalem?

a. David
b. Moses
c. Melchizedek
d. Solomon

Quiz of the Day, September 13, 2016

Which of the following saint had a surname meaning "golden-tongue?"

a. John of Constantinople 
b. Basil the Great
c. Gregory of Nyssa
d. Gregory Nazianzus



Quiz of the Day, September 12, 2016

What does "Behemoth" refer to in Job?

a. an alligator or crocodile
b. hippopotamus
c. Elephant
d. rhinoceros
e. dinosaur
f. a large animal living in/near water and eats grass

Quiz of the Day, September 11, 2016

Where does one find the phrase, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great?"

a. Daniel
b. Ezekiel
c. Maccabees
d. Revelation

Quiz of the Day, September 10, 2016

What does the Gospel of John record the High Priest Caiphas as predicting about Jesus?

a. he must be turned over to the Romans
b. he must die for the nation of Israel
c. he must be punished for blasphemy
d. he must by punished for misrepresenting Judaism

Quiz of the Day, September 9, 2016

At the Council of Jerusalem where the validity of the innovation of the mission to the Gentiles was confirmed, who spoke the definitive statement of confirmation?

a. Simon Peter
b. James of Jerusalem
c. Paul
d. Barnabas

Quiz of the Day, September 8, 2016

Which of the following was the "earliest" Church Council?

a. Nicaea
b. Constantinople
c. Jerusalem
d. Ephesus
e. Chalcedon

Quiz of the Day, September 7, 2016

Spirit, Bride, Alpha, Omega, Bright Morning Star are found in a canticle from what book of the Bible?

a. Daniel
b. John
c. Ezekiel
d. Revelation

Quiz of the Day, September 6, 2016

In John's Gospel, the discussion about Jesus being "Son of God," Jesus responds to his shocked interlocutors by quoting a Hebrew Scripture about humans being "gods and sons of the Most High."  What Hebrew Scripture did Jesus quote?

a. Genesis
b. Isaiah
c. Psalms
d. Job

Quiz of the Day, September 5, 2016

Albert Schweitzer, organist, physician, humanitarian and theologian wrote a book, "The Quest for the Historical Jesus."  In this book, he argues that Jesus should be primarily seen as

a. an apocalyptic prophet
b. a wisdom teacher
c. a wonder working healer
d. a rabbi founding another rabbinical school of thought

Quiz of the Day, September 4, 2016

Which of the following is not a metaphor for Jesus in the Gospel of John?

a. gate
b. shepherd
c. Good Shepherd
d. Way
e. Truth
f. Word
g. Letter

Quiz of the Day, September 3, 2106

Who is Prudence Crandall?

a. A Quaker saint on the Episcopal calendar of saints
b. A founder of a school which admitted a black child in 1831 in Connecticut
c. A person who closed her school because of fear for safety of her children
d. All of the above

Quiz of the Day, September 2, 2016

Which of the following biblical character says, "I have escaped by the skin of my teeth?"

a. David
b. The Psalmist
c. Jeremiah
d. Job

Quiz of the Day, September 1, 2016

A recent liturgical observance for the time September 1st through October 4th is called what?

a. Holy Cross Month
b. Rogation
c. Season of Creation
d. Harvest Festival

The Character We Take to the Grave

19 Pentecost, Cp21, September 25, 2016 
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
1 Timothy 6: 11-19  Luke 16:19-31

Lectionary Link

  How did the Grand Canyon form?  Millions of years of water and wind erosion formed a great gap.

  Today's Gospel includes a parable about a grand canyon in the afterlife.  On one side of the canyon is a rich man; on the other side is a poor man named Lazarus.   In the afterlife, justice is shown to be a reversal of roles for the two parties.  The rich man is in torment and the poor man is in bliss.

  This parable presents to us a major problem in life.  The Grand Canyon at a future point in everlasting life represents the great divisions in life which have formed through the gradual erosion of people living on the flat and equal ground of mutual care.  As people neglect each other and as it becomes their regular habit, it becomes the character of their lives.

  What are some of the grand canyons of our lives?  Rich, poor, white, black, Christian, non-Christian, North, South, Republican, Democrats, citizens, immigrants.  We are threatened today by the great divisions of our lives.  The divisions may have group or mob elements about them, but they also have individual elements.

  The message of Jesus Christ in the early churches was a message of liberation for the individual to gain freedom from being dominated by the great group divisions of their time.  St. Paul proclaimed that in Christ, there was no Jews, no Gentiles, no male, no female, no slave, no free, no rich, no poor.  In Christ there was a new creation.    What did that new creation mean?  Did it that there were no longer Jews and Gentiles?  Did it mean there were no longer male and females?  Did it mean that there were no longer slaves and persons who weren't slaves?   Did it mean that there were no longer rich people and poor people?

  The new creation proclaimed by Paul was what he also called being a citizen of heaven.  And each citizen of heaven had the equal presence of God's Holy Spirit.  This equality of the presence of the Holy Spirit is the new creation which St. Paul spoke about.

  What good is the presence of the Holy Spirit if the group divisions continue in life?

  I think that the program of the early churches was a pragmatic program.  It was based upon the fact that vast societal changes could not be forced overnight.  Vast changes happening over night occur with dictatorships or revolutions.

  In the Christian program there was the building of micro-communities called churches.  These micro-communities were communities where people of diversity practiced the art of fellowship.  The art of fellowship was when people celebrated the Spirit of God upon their lives and they learn to practice equality within their different life experience.  They did not let their differences hinder the practice of fellowship.  And if these micro-communities of fellowship were successful, they could be a gradual influence upon the society at large.  And what happened?  Eventually these micro-communities influenced the entire Roman Empire.

  On the social level the Christian church is suppose to be people of one equal Holy Spirit living in fellowship with people who have differences of life identities and life situations.

  I would say the one of the greatest influences of the fellowship of the church has been the aspirations expressed in the ideals of the United States of America.  In our Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution we have tried to write into law what group fellowship means in practice.  Group fellowship in society at large means the practice of justice for all.  Our American history shows us that the victory of Christian fellowship has not yet converted our entire system in the complete practice of justice.

  We can be very difficult on ourselves, and we should, even while we should be thankful for what we have achieved in the practice of justice.  We are to very self critical because we cannot be satisfied until the perfect fellowship of justice prevails among everyone.  Our society today experiences the birth pangs for further perfection in our fellowship.  The events which express the failure of love, fellowship and justice show us that our country is not yet living up to its ideals.  People cry out for equal treatment under the law.  We all cry out and pray for the perfection of human fellowship within our country.

  The parable about the rich man and Lazarus means that the practice of division and separation became the everlasting character of the life of the rich man.  The rich man in his afterlife regretted his life when he was shown the logical conclusions of how he had lived his life.

  What you and I need to learn from this involves us to contemplate the everlasting character of our lives which is being formed by our life practice.  Is our life practice evidence that we have begun to form permanent divisions in our attitudes and practice between ourselves and other people?  Do we want our life practice to become the everlasting character of our lives that we will take to our afterlives?

  The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the practice of fellowship in the church means that we are given the opportunity to overcome our divisions with the practice of the fellowship of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are gathered as a parish to practice fellowship;  we want this practice to be evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit for us to practice mutual love.   And from this practice, we want to influence the world that we live in.  We want the fellowship of the love of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit to win our lives, the life of our parish and the life of our world.  And even if others do not agree with us in our faith practices; the practice of love and justice has no religious borders, no socio-economic borders and no ethnic borders.

  Let us open our hearts today to have exposed any areas of division that are subtly becoming the character of our lives, the character that we will take to our graves.   Let us embrace the good news about Jesus Christ to bring peace, love and justice to our world and overcome the deep erosion of divisions forming the grand canyons of separation.

  May we find Christ to be the bridge over every great canyon of separation in our lives.  And may we follow the admonition of the writer of James: Be rich in good works, ready to share and generous. Amen.

Sunday School, September 25, 2016 C proper 21

Sunday School, September 25, 2016   19 Pentecost, C proper 21

Themes

Godliness and contentment

Contentment is about learning how to adjust and feel good in every situation of our lives

Sometimes, we might think contentment is about how many things that we have or how much money we have.  Can we only be happy if we own things or have lots of money.

Does a baby smile because the baby knows how many things he or she has?  No, a baby is content because God made us to be content.  We have to learn how to be unhappy. 

One of the ways in which we become unhappy is to learn that owning things will make us happy.  We can compete to own the most things in life.  And when people own much more than they need and they live with people who do not have enough there is a big difference between rich people and poor people.  Why don’t rich people see and help poor people.

Jesus told a parable about a rich man and poor who lived close to each other and yet the rich man neglected to see the poor man in his lifetime.  After they both were dead, they were separated by a great canyon.  The poor man was in a good place and the rich man in a bad place.  And he wanted to be with the poor man in the good place but could not get there.

This story is about what we call character.  Character is what we become and develop by all of the deeds of our lives.  If a person steals all of the time, he becomes a thief.  Being a thief is his character.

A person who does loving and kind deeds has the character of love and kindness.

What do we want the character of our lives to be?   What kind of character do we want to take into our afterlives?

Jesus reminds us that how we are living now forms the character of our lives.

Youth Dialogue Sermon

Connor: I was rather interested to find out in reading today’s Gospel that one of the images of the afterlife fits the biggest attraction in the State of Arizona.

Kalum: Are you speaking about 120 degrees in the shade in the summertime?  And are you implying that parts of Arizona resemble Hades in summertime?

Connor: That is not what I had in mind.  But the New Testament was written in Greek….and so it is all Greek to me but there are two Greek words in our Gospel lesson which refer to the main attraction of Arizona.  Can you say, Mega Chasma.

Kalum: Mega Chasma.  They both are retained in the English…Mega means very big.  Chasma means Chasm.  But how does that refer to Arizona?

Connor: Mega Chasma can mean Grand Canyon.  The image that Jesus uses for the afterlife is a Grand Canyon.

Kalum: Well, the Grand Canyon is a magnificent work of water and wind erosion that has been created over many, many years.  But do you think that this Grand Canyon of the afterlife is an attractive tourist site to visit?

Connor: Well, I think the point of the parable of Jesus is this: The attraction of the Grand Canyon of the afterlife depends upon which side of the Canyon you are stuck on.

Kalum: The good side to be on is with Abraham and Lazarus the leper.

Connor: The bad side to be on is the side of the rich man.

Kalum: This parable uses the story theme of “trading places” as a way for people to learn about empathy; learning how to walk in other people’s shoes.

Connor:  Do you think that this means if we have it good in our current life, then as way of cosmic balance, we will have to have it bad in the afterlife?  Does justice mean that the afterlife is a way of balancing out the experience of good things and bad things among all people?

Kalum: I guess it could mean that.  But the parable is a story about giving insights on how to live now.  It really is not about the afterlife.

Connor: What do you mean?

Kalum: It could be that each of us find ourselves in this life on one side and there are people whom we neglect, don’t see, don’t care about who live on the other side of the canyons of our lives.

Connor: So, like water and wind erode over time, we can with small habits of prejudicial thinking slowly separate people from our lives until we complete ignore them and don’t see them, or worse, mistreat them.

Kalum : Yes, Lazarus was very close to the rich man when they were alive; Lazarus sat out his gate and for the rich man, he was one of those irritating members of the “welfare” class.  The rich man saw Lazarus every day, but he really did not see him in a way that acknowledged his human dignity, his worth and his needs.

Connor: So even though the rich man was close to Lazarus he slowly built a Grand Canyon with his habits of neglect and by the end of his life, the Grand Canyon was what he took with him to the grave.  It became the character of his life.

Kalum: In the parable, the rich man found out too late about this Grand Canyon of separation and he wanted to warn his family not to make the same mistake.

Connor:  In the parable of Jesus, Jesus was not very hopeful about messages from the afterlife.  It is not like Ghosts of Christmas Past can visit Scrooges and frighten them into charity and kindness.   Father Abraham said that if they did not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not even believe a person who came back from the dead.

Kalum: Does this contradict the main teaching of Christianity?

Connor: What do you mean?

Kalum: Well, Christianity is based upon people believing that Jesus came back to life in some significant way to comfort his disciple and give birth to the church. 

Connor: Perhaps, the church was dealing with the fact that many people were not convinced about the resurrection.

Kalum:  The writer of the Gospel of John obviously knew about the parable of Lazarus and the rich man.

Connor: Why do you say that?

Kalum: In the Gospel of John, the story about a man who is brought back to life is about a man named Lazarus.  And we are told that after Lazarus came back to life, many people still did not believe in Christ.  So this story in the Gospel of John complemented the parable told by Jesus that is recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

Connor: I believe the main point of the parable is to warn us about the slow formation of separation between people that can come because of wealth and poverty, race and gender, national origin or any other form of prejudice.

Kalum: Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Connor: What do you mean?

Kalum: Seems like the division between the wealthy and the poor is a very ancient problem.

Connor: It still is a problem today; one wonders if the message of Jesus has been successful at all in this world.

Kalum: Well, one could also say, what would the world be like if we did not have these warnings and the efforts to correct patterns of prejudice?  The world could be a much worse place if we did not have people who reminded us about our responsibility for the care of all people.

Connor: The Gospel is supposed to be good news.  And the poor need good news.  And God has left it up to all of us to learn how to practice good news with each other.

Kalum: Well, we could really be depressed about the poor conditions for many people in this world.

Connor: Or we can know that we still have work to do in learning how to live together.  Good news would cease to be good news if the conditions were perfect, and we are not there yet, so we have lots to do to bring good news to people.

Kalum: We begin by not letting Grand Canyon of separation build between us and other people.

Connor: The Gospel of Jesus encourages us to accept love and empathy as the greatest calling in our lives, no matter how we earn our living.

Kalum: And if we recognize that Grand Canyons exist between people in this life; if we have inherited Grand Canyons of separation then we have another calling to do some major engineering.

Connor: What kind of engineering?

Kalum: Bridge building.  We need to join people who are separated by building bridges of contact and recognition and empathy.

Connor: So we have lots of work to do.

Kalum: We have preventive work to do.  We need to respect the dignity of each person so that we don’t get separated from each other.

Connor: But we also have to be bridge builders.  We need to be honest about the Grand Canyons that exist between people.  And from honesty we need to build bridges of connection.

Kalum: There’s lots of work to do and I’m tired already.

Connor: But there is good news?

Kalum: What’s the good news?

Connor: The good news is that the Gospel is never going to leave us unemployed.  So let’s get to work.  Let’s work to prevent separation among people.  And where separation exists between people, let us build bridges of connection.

Kalum: Let’s make sure that the Grand Canyon is  but a beautiful place to visit  in Arizona and   not a Grand Canyon of separation that we take to our afterlife.   Let us learn from Christ to build bridges with each other in this life.  Amen.

  When we come to a river, how do we get across a river if the water is too deep?

  When we come to a deep and narrow valley how do we get from one side to the other?

  We build a bridge, don’t we?

  Has anyone heard about a place called the Grand Canyon?

  What is a canyon?

   It is a big and long hole in the earth that is caused by flooding water and by strong winds that dig and carry away the soil.

  Just imagine if you were standing on one side of the Grand Canyon and you saw someone on the other side of the Grand Canyon, and you wanted to be with them, but you couldn’t jump across.  That would be sad wouldn’t it?

  Jesus told a story about a Grand Canyon.  On one side of the Canyon, there was a poor man name Lazarus who was living with the great man Abraham.  On the other side of the Canyon, there was a very rich man who wanted to get to the other side and be with Abraham and the poor man Lazarus.

   Jesus told this story to remind us that it is better to build bridges in our life than to make big canyons of separation.

  By building bridges, I mean that we should learn how to love everyone.  We should treat everyone with kindness.  And we should not shun or separate ourselves from people who are different that we are.

  There are many differences in life: Rich and poor.  Hungry and fed.  Short and Tall.  Big and small.  Old and young.  Black and white.  Sick and healthy.  And when we separate ourselves from people we begin to build a grand canyon….we begin to push people far away from us.  So at the end of our lives, we might find our selves on the wrong side of the grand canyon of separation that we built in our lives.

  That is why Jesus wants us to build bridges of friendship, not canyons of separation.  God made the people of this world a little bit different so that we could be together and be beautiful like the different colors of the rainbow.

  So let us be bridge builders today.  And we do this by learning how to make friends with as many people as we can.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

September 25, 2016: The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: On Eagle’s Wings; Rock-A-My Soul; Jesus Remember Me; Shalom, My Friends

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: On Eagle’s Wings   (Renew! # 112)

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, who abide in his shadow for life, say to the Lord, My refuge, my rock in whom I trust. 

Refrain: And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath on dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand.

The snare of the fowler will never capture you, and famine will bring you no fear: under his wings your refuge, his faithfulness your shield.  Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; 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 First Letter to Timothy

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time-- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, * abides under the shadow of the Almighty.

He shall say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my stronghold, * my God in whom I put my trust."

He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter * and from the deadly pestilence.

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.

Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

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: Rock-A- My Soul (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 200)

Refrain: Oh Rock-a-my soul in the bosom of Abraham, rock-a-my soul in the bosom of Abraham, rock-a-my soul in the bosom of Abraham, oh, rock-a-my soul.

So high you can’t get over it, so low, you can’t get under it.  So wide you can’t get around it, Oh, rock-a-my soul.   Refrain

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

(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: Jesus Remember Me (Renew! # 227)

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom

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: Shalom, My Friends, Shalom (Renew! # 294)

Shalom, my friends, shalom, my friends, shalom, shalom.  Shalom, my friends, shalom, my friends, shalom, shalom.

Share peace, dear friends, share peace dear friends, God’s peace, God’s peace.  Share peace, dear friends, share peace, dear friends, God’s peace, God’s peace.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!