Sunday School, October 30, 2016 24 Pentecost C proper 26

Sunday School, October 30, 2016     24 Pentecost, C proper 26

Zacchaeus Story, wanting to be good

Zacchaeus was a wealthy man but he was rich because he overcharged people for their taxes.  He worked for the Roman government and he was hired by them to collect taxes from his own people, the Jews.  So, of course he was hated by members of his city and country.

It is not easy to be disliked.  And as long as he was a tax collector he was not going to be liked by his neighbors.

Zacchaeus was trapped and he wanted to find a way to get out of his trouble.  He needed help.  Where could he find help?

He heard about the famous teacher.  So he went to see the famous teacher Jesus.  But he couldn’t get close.  He climbed a tree to see Jesus, but that meant that Jesus saw him too.

Two things about the life of Zacchaeus and us.

We need to always be seeking Jesus.  And we need to know that Jesus is always seeking us.  It takes two sides in a relationship.  We look for the help of Jesus to become better people.  And Jesus is a teacher who wants us to learn more.

How do we know if we have made Jesus our friend?

Our life changes.  Our behaviors change.  We become more honest.  We work to repair relationships that have become unfriendly because of things that we have said and done.

Remember: Let us seek the help of Jesus to become better people.  Let us know that Jesus is also seeking us.  Jesus went to the home of Zacchaeus.  God comes to us and gets very close to us.  Our bodies can become the homes of the Holy Spirit who will help us become better persons.

Sermon

  I have been watching children at our church and preschool for many year.  And do you know the most favorite place of all children who come to St. John’s for church and for preschool?

  It is right outside of this window in this olive tree.  This olive tree is the perfect tree for children to climb in.  It’s not tall; it is easy to get into and it fits several children at the same time.  It has leaves all year round and so you can still have privacy.

  So most children do not want to be in preschool or in church; they want to be outside climbing in this tree.  Maybe we should have school and church in the tree and you would have more fun.

  Why do you like to climb in trees?  Why do people like to build tree houses?  Do you want to be like birds?  Or is it because I feel short and when I climb in a tree, I can feel taller.

  In the Gospel story today, we read about a short man who climbed a tree.  His name was Zacchaeus.  He was not a very popular man because he collected taxes for the Roman government.  And sometimes he would charge too much tax so that he could have more money for himself.

  When people do not like us for something bad that we are doing, what can we do?  We can say, “I want to be liked by other people.  I want to have friends.”  But someone might say to us, “If you want to be like by others and if you want to have friends, you have to learn how to act in friendly ways.  You have learn to act better.”

  That is what Zacchaeus thought.  “I need to be a better a better person.  Who can I see to help me become a better person?”

  Zacchaeus heard about a famous teacher, Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus was teaching and he was doing many good things.  And he was helping people to live better lives.  But wherever he went, there was a crowd of people.  He was popular and so it was very difficult to get close to him.

  Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming to his neighborhood and so he ran to see him, but he could not get close because of the crowd of people.  And Zacchaeus was so short that he could not see over the crowd of people.  So what did he do?  He climbed up a sycamore tree so that he could see and hear Jesus.  And when Zacchaeus was in the tree, he got quite a shock.   Jesus looked at him and said to him, “Come down from the tree, because I’m coming to your house today.”

  Zacchaeus was shocked that Jesus noticed him.  He invited Jesus into his house and became his friend.  And he made his life better; he gave money to help the poor and he promised to return money that he had wrongly charged people in their taxes.

  Zacchaeus wanted to be better, so he went to Jesus.

  We come to church each Sunday, because we want to learn how to be better.  We come to learn about God and Jesus and we come to share friendship together because we want to help each other become better people.

  Zacchaeus had a curiosity to become a better person, so he went to see Jesus.  You and I need to remember to be curious about being better people.  We need to do everything we can, include climbing a tree, to try to be better people.  We need to study about the life of Jesus and the lives of all good people to learn how we can be better.  And just as Zacchaeus had the reward of meeting Jesus, we too can be rewarded with learning how to be better people.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 30, 2016   Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Zacchaeus; O Come Let us Adore Him; Jesus, Stand Among Us; When the Saints Go Marching In  

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: Zacchaeus,   # 252, Christian Children’s Songbook

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, A wee little man was he.  He climbed up in a sycamore tree, For the Lord he wanted to see.  And as the Savior passed that way, He looked up in the tree; And he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!”  For I’m going to your house today, For I’m going to your house today.”

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you have joined together your chosen people into one family of people who enjoy a special friendship as we are gathered as the body of Christ on earth today; Give us grace so to follow the great heroes in good living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. 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

Liturgist: A reading from the Second Letter to the Thessalonian Church

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.  To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

A Reading  from  Psalm 119

 You are righteous, O LORD, *and upright are your judgments.

 You have issued your decrees * with justice and in perfect faithfulness.

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 entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Lesson – Fr. Cooke:  

                                        

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

Song for the Offertory: O Come, Let Us Adore Him (Renew # 1)

O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

We’ll give him all the glory.  We’ll give him all the glory; we’ll give him all the glory, Christ the Lord.

For he alone is worthy.  For he alone is worthy.  For he alone is worthy, Christ the Lord.

We’ll praise his name forever.  We’ll praise his name forever.  We’ll praise his name forever, Christ the Lord.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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 Stand Among Us (Renew # 237)

1-Jesus, stand among us in your risen power; let this time of worship be a hallowed hour.

2-Breathe the Holy Spirit into every heart; bid the fears and sorrows from each soul depart.

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: When The Saints Go Marching In

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

When the girls go marching in…..

When the boys go marching in….

Dismissal

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Archery Anyone?

23 Pentecost, C p 25, October 23, 2016

Joel 2:23-32 Ps. 67

2 Tim. 4:6 8,18    Luke 18:9 14  

 Lectionary Link 


  How does a Gentile group of Christians who do not observe all of the ritual purity rules of Judaism understand Jesus in his own time as an observant Jew and yet find the roots for what eventually happened within Gentile Christianity?  If we can understand the issues of transitioning from the Judaism practiced in the time of Jesus to the Christian practices of the Gentile Christianity, we can understand how the Gospel writer had to deal with this transition.  Why were the Christian churches different from the synagogues?  How did they become this way?  Can we understand that Gospel writers associated Jesus of Nazareth with this great shift from the synagogue to the church?
  This dilemma is illustrated in the parable of Jesus about the Pharisee and the tax-collector.
   The Pharisees were one of the major religious parties within Judaism.  The practices and identity of the Pharisees was a form of Judaism which had developed from the templeless Jews in exile in Babylon and Persia.  Without a Temple the Jews could still "gather" for communal prayers and Beit Kenesset or synagogue was the gathering place for reading of the Torah and communal prayers.  Jesus attended the synagogues and the Temple.  Most of the New Testament derived from the time when the Temple had been destroyed by the Roman armies and so the synagogue as a more portable gathering became one of the models for the "house churches" within early Christianity.
  A Pharisee was an observant Jews.  He or she would have been a person who followed the ritual purity codes of Judaism as it pertained to the application of the rules found in the Torah.
  A publican was person designated from the perspective of observant Jews as one who was defiled.  In Palestine a publican would have been a Jew who collected taxes from his fellow Jews on behalf of the Roman authorities.  The way in which a publican would earn a living would be to add his collection fee to the amount that the Roman authorities wanted him to collect.  So a publican was a person who lived in contact with Roman authorities and who was often hated as one who betrayed and "over-charged" his own people.  In a purity code of the Pharisee a publican would have been a designated defiled sinner.  The lifestyle of the publican who had to live in contact with Roman authorities would make the publican a "defiled person" and not one who could be a ritually observant Jews.  A publican would have been regarded to be a ritually and morally defiled person.  So one definition of sinner was one who was a ritually defiled person.
  Within early Christianity there occurred a subtle rehabilitation of the notion of sinner.  Within the theology of St. Paul, being a sinner was an unavoidable condition of being human.  If one cannot avoid being a sinner, then how can we say that some sinners are better than others?
  In the theology of St. Paul, a Pharisee could not be excluded from the human condition of sin.  Paul, himself was a Pharisee.  For the Pharisee, sin was the condition of living a ritually defiled life, so a person could go in and out of being defiled depending upon the observance of ritual and moral purity.
  St. Paul's theology of sin did not exclude ritually observant people from the human condition of being sinners.  St. Paul wrote that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
  If all Gentiles were ritually non-observant people who lived in a perpetual state of defilement, then Gentiles were born and lived in the condition of sin.
  St. Paul redefined the notion of sin.  He moved the condition of sin from the Jewish context of observing ritual purity into the Greek notion of archery as it was known in Hellenistic Greek usage.  The Greek word for sin was a word from archery.  To sin "hamartia" meant to miss the mark; to miss the target.
  St. Paul said that the purpose of the Jewish law was to expose us to the fact that we are always missing the mark.  We cannot help but always miss the mark.  We are shooting arrows and we are missing the target.  Why?  Because the target is the holiness and the perfection of God and such holiness cannot be attained in any final sense;  we can only be in the process of attaining holiness and perfection.  So how do we tolerate ourselves in not yet being perfect.  We ask for a pass.  We ask to borrow or use in the meantime someone else's perfection as our own.  The permission to borrow or use God's perfection temporarily as our own is the experience of mercy or grace.
  So the publican of the parable of Jesus acknowledges his condition.  "God, I am not a ritually observant Jew.  I only know myself as missing the target of moral excellence and perfection in life.  How can I live with myself in knowing that I lack a Pharisee or Sadducee or anyone to declare me pure or clean or perfect?  God, I need your mercy, because I can never have the mercy of the Pharisee or Sadducee."
  And this is where the theology of Paul also is known.  St. Paul wrote that God in Jesus Christ was God's Son giving us the grace and mercy to borrow an identification with God's perfection even while we have not arrived there.
  So our life is a life like the life of publican or the tax collector.  We live in the state of knowing ourselves as sinners.  We are archers shooting our arrows in the right direction toward the bull's eye of God's perfection and yet we always fall short.  But in falling short we receive an identity with God's perfection because we cannot be proud of individual perfection.  We can only be proud of God's perfection which is shared with us through the experience of God's mercy, grace and forgiveness.
  The Gospel of Luke was written from the reality of Gentile Christianity and so there was this need to change the notion of a sinner from being a non-observant person of the Jewish purity code to being the human condition of being born with an unclean heart in the state of sin.  Even when people believe they are not breaking any big laws, they cannot observe perfectly the 10th Commandment.  Thou shalt not covet.  This essentially says, "Thou shall not have any wrong desire."  In order not to have wrong desire, one needs to have a clean heart and a renewed spirit.  And so the Gift of the Holy Spirit gives us the clean heart and renewed Spirit and a participation in perfection without being able to claim perfection as something that derives from us as individuals.
  The Gospel for you and me today is that we can embrace our lives as archers today, metaphorically speaking.  The arrows of our lives which we shoot are the intentions of our thoughts and deeds.  And we need to shoot the arrows of our thoughts and deeds toward what is worthy and excellent and perfect in love and justice.  We never attain finality in perfection because we still live in time.  We are touched by God's perfection through grace and mercy and so we are aided continually to be better today than we were yesterday.
  The Gospel for us today is to look at the contrast in attitude presented by the parable about the proverbial Pharisee and the publican.  The attitude of Pharisee is that "I have arrived at perfection to the point of being able to judge people like this publican.  I have conveniently defined perfection according to the rules that I understand."  The attitude of the tax collector was "God, the perfect one, have mercy upon me who is far from perfect but who still wants to participate in some way with God's perfection."
  You and I are invited to embrace this positive notion of sin; never arriving at perfection because we always have a future towards what is better for us.  And because we know we can always be better, we remain hopeful about that same invitation for others and so we cannot make any final judgments about the sins of others.
  Let us be happy sinners today, happy archers, aiming the arrows of our thoughts and deeds of love, kindness and justice toward the perfect target of God.  And the archery situation will never be finished so let us embrace it.  Amen.

Sunday School, October 23, 2016 C proper 25

Sunday School, October 23, 2016   23 Pentecost, C proper 25

Themes

Comparisons

Sometimes we use differences to say that people are worse than we are.

We might say someone is a bad person because they play on a different team than we do.

We might criticize someone as being unimportant because we are more skillful than other people.

We might think, “I’m glad that I play soccer better than that boy.”  Or “I’m glad that I’m a better dancer than that person.”  Or, “I’m glad that I get better grades than that person.”

Sometimes we use our differences to say that we are better than other people.

Jesus told a story about two men.  One was a religious person who was very proud of his religious behaviors.  When he saw a tax collector, he said, “I thank God that I am not like this tax collector.”  When we think that we are better than other people we commit a greater sin, the sin of pride.

We can be proud of our accomplishment without having the kind of pride which is mean towards other people.

Jesus said the tax collector had the right attitude toward God.  When he prayed he said, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”  The tax collector realized that he needed to be better and so he asked God for mercy to give him time to improve his behavior.  The religious man did not think that he needed to get any better and he was proud about this.  He was so proud that he compared himself to the tax collector and despised this man.

The message of Jesus is for us to avoid comparisons with each other if we are trying to say that we are better than other people because of who we are and what we do. 

The lesson for us is to avoid the sin of pride.  Since God is perfect, no matter how good we think that we are, we still have a long way to grow to become even better.  And since we have a long way to go to be perfect, we should be accepting and forgiving of people who are different from us in their abilities and in their faults.

Sermon

  If I have am taller than you, does being taller make me a better person than you?

  If you are older than your brother or sister, does that make you better than your brother or sister?

  If you go to church more than another person does that make you a better person?

  If your soccer team wins a game does that make you better boys or girls than the boys or girls on the losing team?

  When we compare ourselves with other people sometimes we make a big mistake.  Sometimes we think that if we are taller, smarter, faster or have read more books than other people that it means we are better people than those who are different.

  Different does not mean better; it only means different.

  Our country has a famous saying, “All people are created equal.”  This means that even though people are different, they are still equal in the eyes of God.

  Who is the only one who can say that “I am the best?”  Only God can say, “I am the best.”  Only Jesus can say, “I am the best.”  But do God and Jesus brag about how much better they are?  No.

  They try to help us be better; they forgive us and they mercy even as they encourage us to be better every day of our lives.

  Jesus told a story about two men.  One man thought that he was better than the other man.  And the other man did not think that he was better, he just knew that he needed God’s mercy, love and forgiveness.

  And Jesus said it is better to know that we need God mercy and forgiveness because then we will always know that we need to work to be better in life.

  The man who thought that he was better should have been saying, “God is much better than me and even though I can never be as perfect as God, at least I should be working to be as good as I can be.  And when I make some mistakes, I hope God will forgive me, so I can continue to try to be the best I can.”

  Remember the message of Jesus today…We are all created equal, because we all need God’s mercy as we try to be better today than we were yesterday.

  Repeat after me: We are different;  but we are equal.  We are equal because God made us.  God loves us all.  And God has mercy on us all.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 23, 2016: The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Standing in the Need of Prayer; We Are Marching; As the Deer, Jesu, Jesu

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: Standing in the Need of Prayer   (Christian Children’s Songbook # 210)

Refrain: It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.  It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O, Lord, standing in the need of prayer.

Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.  Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.  Refrain

Not my neighbor, not my classmate, but it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.  Not my neighbor, not my classmate, but it me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.  Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; 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 Second Letter to Timothy

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 65

You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; * the river of God is full of water.

You prepare the grain, * for so you provide for the earth.

You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; * with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.

You crown the year with your goodness, * and your paths overflow with plenty.

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 told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – 

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Offertory Song: We Are Marching (Renew!,  # 306)

We are marching in the light the Lord, we marching in the light of the Lord.  We are marching in the light of the Lord, we are marching in the light of the Lord.

Refrain: We are marching, marching we are marching, Oh, marching we marching in the light of the Lord, of the Lord.  We are marching, marching, we are marching, Oh, marching we are marching in the light of the Lord.

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.

(Children may gather around the altar)

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

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments) 

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia.

Words of Administration

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

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

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

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: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love (Renew! # 289)

Refrain: Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love, show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

Kneels at the feet of his friends, silently washes their feet, Master we acts as slave to them.  Refrain

Neighbors are rich and poor, neighbors are black and white, neighbors are near and far away.  Refrain

These are ones we should serve, these are the ones we should love all these are neighbors to us and you. Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Having Faith When Life Is Not Fair

22  Pentecost, Cp24, October16, 2016

Jeremiah 31:27-34 Psalm 119:97-104

 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5   Luke 18:1-8a

Lectionary Link

  Sometimes when the parables of Jesus are interpreted, we try to make them make them too literal.   The parable about the nagging widow and the heartless judge reveals not the literal condition between actual people, it provides us insights about the conditions that we dealing with in our lives of faith.
  What is one of the greatest human dilemma in life?  How many times do we think, or say or shout, "It's not fair!"  Life is not fair.  Life does not distribute equally the fortunes and misfortunes which can occur to human beings.
  How many of you have ever felt that life is not fair?  The experience of the unfairness of life probably has been blamed for creating agnostics, atheists and people who think the belief in a loving God is just plain silly.
  Let do the logic.  God is loving.  God is all powerful.  Life is unfair especially to the innocent sufferers.   If God is all loving, then it would be God's nature to want to enforce universal fairness.  If God is all powerful then God is able to enforce fairness and justice in life.  But it is the case that unfairness occurs in this life so that means it would be logical to deny the nature of God as either being all loving or all powerful.
  How do we maintain our belief in an all loving God in light of the unfairness in life?  How do we have faith in a God who apparently is not all powerful?
  Jesus posed the wisdom question about faith.  When the Son of Man comes will he find faith?  When the entire history of humanity is taken into account, will faith in God be the significant character of humanity?
  The parable about the widow and the judge hides within it the insights about this dilemma of injustice in life.  How do we continue to have faith in face of this life often being just unfair?
   In the parable, we are told that the judge did not respect God or people?  What does the judge represent in our human experience?  The judge represents the negative probability of what can happen when freedom is genuine.  God as the creator is one who allows genuine freedom, and that freedom is permissive of probable negative outcomes.  The parable personifies negative fate as a judge, because that is how it often feels when bad things happen to us.  We take it personally; we may think someone is punishing us.  In a world of genuine freedom, injustice can happen.  Negative probable outcomes can seem to be like the unyielding judge.  The judge is saying, "Don't hassle me about injustice; I am just the by product of genuine freedom. My position of permitting the negative probable outcomes of injustice is one of the attending results of genuine freedom."
  What do you and I do in face of the truth of negative probable outcomes, including injustice and innocent suffering?
  "That's it, God.  I'm quitting because this whole system is rigged against me.  I'm going to give up and quit.  Or, if it is all "a dog eat dog fight" with such conditions of freedom, I am going to be Darwin's fittest and not just survive but push and shove all weaker free agents out of the way.  If I can be hurt in this system of freedom, then I might as well be a bully and take as much as I can."
  When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith?
  Faith is the secret that Jesus is hinting at.  Don't subscribe to fatalism.  Don't subscribe to the view that everything already predestined.  Have faith.  And if we are faced with the unfairness of life, we are encouraged to have a "nagging" faith.
  "Nagging" is generally considered to a negative persuasive technique.   As parents we know that sometimes it does work.  My baby child wants candy at the store and she screams and nags at the checkout line and I buy her the candy to stop the nagging or keep me from being embarrassed in public.  In marriage we put sweetness on nagging; we call it "honey do."
  The Bible is full of holy nagging.  Why?  Because the Bible deals with lots of people facing misfortune, oppression and injustice.  Re-read the book of Psalms; read the prophets.  These are some of the world most talented holy, nagging complainers.
  Why and when is prayer as holy nagging admirable?  Holy nagging is admirable and permissible when one is faithfully nagging about justice, health, love, kindness and good things.  Why is it admirable?  It is because we believe in a loving and good God and in this belief we believe that goodness, justice, kindness and freedom from pain is what is normal and good.  Whatever deviates from goodness and justice is a deprivation of goodness and justice.  But in the permissiveness of the conditions of genuine freedom, deprivations and injustice occur.
   So what is desirable response?  If the conditions of freedom permit all things, then we as human being need to freely exercise our faith.  If freedom is the dominant condition of life; we need to exercise our freedom of faith as much as we can.  We need to fill up the overall environment of freedom with free acts of faith expressing that our belief in God's love and justice will turn the tide and tip the scales in favor of justice and goodness, health and kindness coming to prevail.
  So what is the message?  We truly have freedom and it is very important that we exercise our freedom.  We need to overcome evil and injustice with the energy of faith driving our strong commitment to God's justice and love.
  Because freedom is genuine, the free exercise of our faith really matters.  If we multiply the total number of faithful acts then we will influence the overall balance in the arena of freedom where both negative and positive outcomes can prevail.
  We should always pray and never lose heart.  When the Son of Man comes will he find faith?
  It is election season and your vote counts.  In our election you can only legally vote once.  But in the life of faith, we need to "vote early and vote often."  We need to flood the ballot box of overall freedom with our nagging prayers of faith toward love and justice.
  Don't give up; on anything in life we need to vote with prayers and deeds of faith.  We may be the vote which tilts the arena of freedom toward a 51% majority and turn the tide toward the good goals of love and justice.  And as we win and the image of God as loving and powerful and the creator of freedom is maintained to characterized the genius of the moral and spiritual miracle of the human experience, not just an experience, but a moral and spiritual adventure.
  The parable of Jesus today reveals to us that you and I are really crucial and significant players in real outcomes in life and so we need to take up holy nagging with new intensity.
  So today, I say, "Holy naggers unite!  Let us keep up our nagging toward tipping the balance in the arena of freedom towards justice and love."  Amen.