Sunday School, January 29, 2017 4 Epiphany A

Sunday School, January 29, 2017    4 Epiphany A

Theme:

How do we live in a world that sometimes is not fair?

Jesus lived in a world that was not fair for many people.  So how does a person live when life is not always fair?  Do we respond in a cruel way when we are treated cruelly?  Do we try to fight evil by being evil ourselves?

Jesus had some advice which might seem difficult.  He said to love our enemies.  He said we should not use evil to defeat evil; he said we should overcome evil with good.  Why did he say this?

He said this because he believed that God had made us and this world good.  So goodness is what is normal in life.  When people are bad, they are not acting normal.  So we need people who can act with normal good behavior to be examples of how to live.

The Beatitudes are recommended ways for us to learn how to practice a very good life, a happy life, a blessed life.  What are the secrets to happiness?

1-Not being so proud that one thinks that one does not need God’s Spirit.  If we are poor in spirit we will appreciate God’s Holy Spirit in us.

2-We need to be merciful and forgiving and that will help us to know mercy for ourselves.

3-We need to be peaceful and people who make peace with each other.

4-We need to do everything for the right reasons not for selfish reasons.

5-We need to be humbly patient and learn self-control.

6-We need to be willing to suffer for doing the right thing.

7-We need to desire what is right more than food or drink.

When we learn to live this way, we learn to live by overcoming evil with good behaviors.  When we live this way, we have the following rewards: We know we live in God’s kingdom.  We know that we are God’s children.  We know that we can see God at work in our world.  We know that we are God’s children who have inherited all the beauty of this world.  We know that we will have a future reward.  We know that we will have a good afterlife.  We know that we will be forgiven for not being perfect. 

Sermon:

  How do we live when we discover the world is not perfect?  We need some rules to follow?

  And when do we discover that the world is not perfect?  When we find out we cannot get everything that we want.

  As children, we learn that we cannot have everything that we want.  And we cannot do everything that we want.

  At the playground, there may be only two swings; but there are 10 children who want to swing.  What do we do?  We have to learn to share, right?

  Maybe we’re playing baseball, and we want to be the best hitter, but there might be someone bigger and better at hitting the baseball.  Is that fair that someone is bigger and better?  What do we do?

  Maybe we make a mistake and we push someone out of the way to get to a toy…or maybe someone pushes us.  What do we do?  We have to say, “I’m sorry.”  And when someone says, “I’m sorry to us.”  What do we do?  Do we stay angry or do we forgive?

  Remember we might think that a perfect world is where all of our wishes come true and where we get everything that we want.  But there is no such perfect world.  So, we have to live with the one that we have.  So, Jesus gave us rules on how to be happy in a world that is not perfect.

  Jesus said, we can be happy, if we know that we are poor without God and without each other.  We are rich if we have each other and we have God.  So, I should not pretend to be the only person in the world who can get everything that I want.

  Jesus said we can be happy, if we know that we cannot have everything at once.  If God is our father, then we know that in this life and in the next life we will have time to receive the joy of everything.

  Since we cannot have everything, it means that we will lose some things.  We will lose favorite toys, we will lose our health when we get sick.  We lose important pets and people in our lives when they die.  And when we lose, we can learn to be happy when we are able to help other people when they lose things and when they are sad.  There is a joy that comes when we help others.

  Since this world is not perfect and since you and I are not perfect boys and girls or men and women, we must learn how to live with our not being perfect.  So, Jesus said that to be happy we have to forgive and be forgiven.  We have to have mercy.  That means saying, “I’m sorry” when I hurt someone or make a mistake.  That means I don’t stay mad at someone when they hurt me and when they say that they are sorry.

  Since there are so many different people.  And many people want the very same things, and we all believe different things; we can either fight or argue with people.  Or we can be people who make peace.  We make peace by sharing and by being fair.  Jesus said that we will be happy as children of God, if we learn how to make peace.

  Jesus said we will be happy if we have pure hearts.  What does not mean?  I think it means learning to want things in life for the right reasons.  Wanting to be strong to help the weak.  Wanting to be rich to help the poor.  And if we learn to do all things because we care for others, we will see God because that is how God is.  God is loving and caring.

  And then there is a very hard rule.  Jesus said, we are happy if we aren’t the bully.  It is better to be weak than to be strong and hurt other people.  Jesus said that we will find a great reward, if we refuse to be the bully and suffer for doing what is right.

  So, Jesus gave us rules for living in a world that is not perfect.  And we are not perfect either.  But even though we don’t live in a perfect world, we can follow these rules of Jesus and still learn to be happy.

  

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 29, 2017: The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs:

Here  In This Place, Christ Beside Me,  Just a Closer Walk, Peace Before Us

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

People: And Blessed be God’s Kingdom, Now and forever. Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Here In This Place (Renew # 14)

Here in this place new light is streaming, now is the darkness vanished away; see in this space our fears and our dreamings brought here to you in the light of this day.  Gather us in the lost and forsaken, gather us in, the blind and the lame; call to us now, and we shall awaken, we shall arise at the sound of our name.

Here we are young, our lives are a mystery, we are the old who yearn for your face; we have been sung throughout all of history, called to be light to the whole human race.  Gather us in, the rich and the haughty, gather us in, the proud and the strong; give us a heart so meek and so lowly, give us the courage to enter the song.

Here we will take the wine and the water, here we will take the bread of new birth, here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth.  Give us to drink the wine of compassion, give us to eat the bread that is you; nourish us well, and teach us to fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, you are able to rule all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear our prayer requests, and especially in our time grant us your peace; 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: Chant: 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 of Paul to the Corinthians

For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord.

Peope: Thanks be to God

Please read with me from Psalm 139

Put your trust in the LORD and do good; * dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

Take delight in the LORD, * and he shall give you your heart's desire.

Litany of Thanksgiving: Chant: 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 Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Jesus taught his disciples these lessons:  You will be happy in God’s kingdom if realize that you are not the only person in the world, but you are rich with friends and the presence of God.  You are happy and comforted when you help others, because your sad experience now helps you to minister to those who are sad.  You are happy when you don’t hoard the gifts of this earth, since God is your father, you will inherit everything.  You are happy when you desire justice as much as you desire and need food and water, because you will be full of joy.  You are happy when you forgive others because then you will know that God forgives you too. You will be happy when you do everything with the best motive for then you will see God everywhere.  You are happy if you are always making peace, because that proves that you are sons and daughters of God.  You are happy if you are mistreated when you are standing for justice, because doing justice means that you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.  You are happy and can rejoice even when things are said against you because you follow me; remember that you are not alone.  Many great prophets have been mistreated too.

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 of Asking:  Chant: 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 sick. 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 with you always.

People:                        And also with you.

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

 Offertory Song:  Christ Beside Me   (Renew! # 164)

1          Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart;  Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me—never to part.

2            Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand, Christ all around me—shield in the strife:  Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting, Christ in my rising—light of my life

3          Christ be in all hearts, thinking about me, Christ be on all tongues, telling of me; Christ be the vision, in eyes that see me, in ears that hear me, Christ ever be.

4  Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me—King of my heart; Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me—never to part.

Doxology (Stand)

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.

All are born into the family of God by Baptism.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give him 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 may rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

Our Father (Sung): (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 by 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: Just A Closer Walk With Thee (LEVAS # 71)

Chorus: Just a closer walk with thee, Grant it Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak but thou art strong; Jesus keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to thee.

Through this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares?  Who with me my burden shares?  None but thee, dear Lord, none but thee.

When my feeble life is o’er, time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er to Thy kingdom shore, to thy shore.

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: Peace Before Us (Wonder Love and Praise # 791)

1-Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.  Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace.

2-Love before us…. 3-Light before us….4-Christ before….

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  

Call of Christ as Spiritual Mobility

3 Epiphany A      January  22, 2017

Is. 9:1-4         Psalm 27:1, 5-13
1 Cor. 1:10-18    Matt. 4:12-23

Lectionary Link

Imagine Peter in Rome, not yet dead but hanging upside down upon a cross.  What do you think went through his mind?  "I've come a long way from being a fisherman in Galilee."  Peter's brother Andrew supposedly died on an x shaped cross.  What do you think went through his mind?  He too was a long way from the Galilean Sea where he used to fish for a living.  James, son of Zebedee, also was a martyr and only John, son of Zebedee, according to tradition lived and died of old age but he also may have gone through some years of suffering and imprisonment.  Four fishermen in the family business but they were all coaxed out of the business and followed the itinerant Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, the one who succeeded John the Baptist.

The call of Christ can change people's lives and some in very significant ways.  Some people say the call of Christ must have been miraculous since it could change four simple fishermen into the brave and brilliant church leaders and evangelists who they became.

If I were to guess, I bet that each of these fishermen felt rescued by the call of Christ; rescued from having to remain under-developed and unchallenged in their families' fishing businesses.  I imagine sons of fishermen in Galilee at the time of Jesus had very few vocational choices in their lives; if dad was a fisherman then the sons would be obliged to fish as well, and it could be that there were too many brothers to share the family fishing business and so if some of the brothers found other jobs that would be okay.

We take the many vocational choices that we have today for granted.  We can be in our twenties and thirties and still looking for our vocations after trying many different majors at the university.  We can be swamped and paralyzed by having so many choices and we may end up making a vocational choice based mainly on financial reasons rather than genuine sense of personal development doing "people-related" work.  Lots of people are trapped in jobs for making a living and look for relief in hobbies and avocations in their playtime.

I think that the church has gotten locked into lots of clichés about the call of Christ which has made it lose its significance and relevance to lots of people.  For many the call of Christ means being called to the "official" ordained ministries of the church as bishop, priest, deacon, pastor, evangelist or apostle.  Evangelical Christianity has tried to correct this by emphasizing that evangelism is the duty of every Christian, but when you get to know most evangelicals, they mostly just want to convert you to their particular view of God, Jesus and the Bible.  They mostly have changed being a fisher of people into getting people to join their particular religious group.  I think this too is a misrepresentation of what the call of Christ means.  St. Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for dividing themselves into groups that were loyal to various teachers: "I'm Paul's disciple, I'm Cephas' disciple, I'm Apollos' disciple,  and some thought it was a competition by claiming to be the best  of Jesus' disciples."  If we reduce the call of Christ to being Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist or Methodist, then we probably have reduced it to just a different kind of identity politics.

In my own life, the call of Christ has meant many things, and I have been raised in groups that were more concerned how I believed things rather than being concerned about whether I was really a loving and kind person.  Yes, I have heard it said that such a person was a really loving and kind person but they were not "saved."  Such language has lead me to believe that many people believe that being an evangelical is catching and trapping people into one's view about God, Christ and the Bible.

What the call of Christ has come to mean for me is what I would call "spiritual" mobility.  We supposedly pride ourselves in America when say the individual has social, economic and educational mobility.  It may be truer for America than other countries but it may be more of a myth than reality, because people born in disadvantage end up in disadvantage and people born in advantage end up having larger safety nets to help them succeed.

The spiritual mobility of the call of Christ is the "pinch yourself" reality check of what one is able to become because of answering the call of Christ.  The last thing that I ever thought that I would be involved in was the endless production of language through speaking and writing.  As a very average student with more interest in sports, I would have rather had a career in sports, or coaching with some teaching.  I never imagined that I would discover at the center of my being an endless and continuous fountain of words rising to consciousness in word products of speaking and writing, so much so that it does not stop.  I have to stop the inner oracle because I have a continuous compulsion to organize human experience into words in trying to make sense of why my world is and why it is the way it is.

I never imagined myself to be a man of words, and the call of Christ has been an event of spiritual mobility to completely reorder and remake and reconstitute my life.  This call has been a gradual call in how I have understood it and how I have developed it.  The call of Christ, who is the Word of God at the beginning of human life as we know it, is a call always to be reconstituting our lives.  I had the sense the call of Christ long before I became drawn to the ordain ministry of the Episcopal Church and as such I believe the call of Christ is always already being offered to everyone.  It is the call to completely surprise oneself with a "spiritual" mobility.  Spiritual mobility is the invitation to be animated in all directions, body, mind and spirit, vocationally, aesthetically, socially, intellectually and verbally.

As hard as life became and ended for the four fishermen from Galilee, I would bet that they would never want to go back.  As hard as life was for them, their call of Christ left them no regrets.  They totally surprised themselves in travelling far from home delivering a way of life which could help others also discover this life changing call which would initiate a profound spiritual mobility in life.

The call Christ may have milestone markers which can have anniversaries like baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, matrimony, graduation ceremonies, but the milestone markers are only moments within this wonderful invitation to spiritual "mobility" of Christ.  This spiritual mobility is continuous and always being offered to us in different ways with different challenges.  People who live in skilled nursing centers and in assisted living residences need this call of spiritual mobility of Christ.  Why?  The call of Christ as spiritual mobility helps to adjust each of us to the current life circumstances even while inspiring us to exercise significant creativity given the limitation of any situation.

Jesus Christ was a fisher of persons.  He caught Andrew, Peter, James and John.  He did not get out his ruler and measure them to determine whether he should throw them back into their fishing vocation.  They were caught by Christ; they were keepers; he did not throw them back ever.  This is the nature of being caught by the call of Christ; it is an invitation to such personal spiritual mobility that one never wants to go back.  It is a call that is always renewing itself if we are willing to keep listening and responding.

What is the nature of your call of Christ today?  Do you know the joy of this spiritual "mobility" to surprise yourself with the experience of becoming someone completely different that you thought you would ever be?  Are you willing to accept the fact that you've been caught by Christ and he is never going to throw you back, because you are a keeper?

When you and I discover this wonderful "spiritual" mobility of the call of Christ to become self-surpassing people in future states, we can become people who carry and bear the excitement of the call of Christ to others.  We can live infectious lives as we invite others to find this joy of "spiritual" mobility.

The call of Christ is "spiritual" mobility.  It is a lure with attractive energy to us to want to be different in the future improvement of our lives.  And it is always and already and it is current to us now because it is never finished.

Let us make the effort to become intentionally aware of how we have been called by Christ and let us be attentive to new deliberate opportunities for "spiritual" mobility to surprise ourselves with what we can yet become.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 22, 2017 3 Epiphany A

Sunday School, January 22, 2017    3 Epiphany A

Theme:  Speaking the language of fishermen

When Jesus taught people he used language that they could understand.  With farmers he spoke about sowing seeds and about grapevines.  With shepherds he spoke about raising sheep. With fishermen, he spoke about fishing.  Jesus told them that he was a fisherman and he did not fish for fish, he fished for people.  Fishing might be fun to do for recreation but if it is your every day job, it might not always be so fun, especially if the fish are not biting.  Jesus told Peter, Andrew, James and John that he could teach them how to fish for people.  What did he mean by this?  It meant that he would teach them how to make friends in a special way by teaching them how to bring good news to the lives of other people.  Jesus told people God love them and forgave them.  He told them they did not have to fear death because God would preserve their lives after death.  He taught people.  Teaching people makes their lives better.  When we learn new things, we can do new things and it is like light comes on.  Jesus was a teacher and he brought light to James, John, Peter and Andrew.  They saw that Jesus was such a good teacher for them, they wanted to learn how to teach and help others.  So that is how Jesus taught them to fish for other people.

How can you fish for other people?  How can you make friends?  How can you help other people learn about God?

Learning how to be friends with others is learning how we can share good news about God’s love and care.

Sermon

What is the biggest light in our life?  We see it every day unless it is covered by clouds.  What do we call that big light in the sky?  It is the sun.  The sun is really a star that is just close to us than the other stars.  What do we need the sun for?  Many things: heat, light, growing our plants.  If we did not have the sunlight, we could not live. So it is very important.

  Today we have read from the Psalm that God, the Lord is our Light.  And we read in our Gospel story how people called Jesus as great light. 

  How can God and How can people be like a light?

  A light allows us to see things that we cannot see if we don’t have a light.  A light allows us to see things differently.

  When it is dark in your bedroom sometimes a shadow can look like a big tree or something else?  But when you turn on the light you find out it was just a shadow of the curtain.

   God helps us to see things differently.  God’s light is shared with people.  God’s light was in Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is light because he showed us how to live better lives.  His life was like a light because he taught people and he healed people and he helped people.

   So you have people who are like lights in your life?  When you lose your toys, your mom says, did you look under your bed?  And her words are like a light shining to help you find your toys.  Your parents are like lights for you because they care for you and teach you new things.  Your teachers are like lights for you because they teach you new things.

  Do you know what Jesus said to his friends?  He said, “You are the lights of this world.”  What did he mean by that?

  He meant that we all have to live in a way to show others how to live better lives.  How do we live our lives to be like lights?  By loving and caring for one another and by making friends.  Jesus told his friends who were fishermen that they should fish for people.  What does that mean?  Does it mean we should try to catch people with a net or try to get them to swallow a fish hook?  No.  Jesus liked to speak in riddles; to fish for people was his way of saying, they needed to become very good at making friends.  How do we make friends?  By loving and caring for them, by helping them,

  Today we have learned how our lives can be like a light.  By teaching others.  And we’ve learn how to fish for people.  By learning how to make friends.

  Okay let turn on our lights now.  Let me see you shine.  And lets go fishing.  Let go and make some friends.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 22, 2017: The Third Sunday after The Epiphany

Gathering Songs:

I Will Make You Good Fisher Folk; Seek Ye First, Glorify Your Name; Dona Nobis Pacem

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: I Will Make You Good Fisher Folk (Christian Children Songbook # 58)

I will make you good fisher folk, good fisher folk, good fisher folk.  I will make you good fisher folk, if you follow me.  If you follow me, if you follow me.  I will make you good fisher folk, if you follow me.

Hear God calling, come unto me, come unto me, come unto me.  Hear God calling come unto me, I will give you rest.  I will give you rest.  I will give you rest.  Hear God calling come unto me, I will give you rest.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: 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 of Paul to the Corinthians

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord.

Peope: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 27

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?

One thing have I asked of the LORD; one thing I seek; * that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;

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 Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Lesson – 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.

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

Seek Ye First  (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

1                 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you; Allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

2          Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you; Allelu, alleluia!  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.

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:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Glorify Your Name (Renew! #37)

Father we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

Jesus we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

Spirit we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth. Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

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: Dona Nobis Pacem (Blue Hymnal # 712)

Dona nobis pacem, pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!   

Evangelism: Recommending Jesus

2 Epiphany A January 15, 2017   
Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-12
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42

Lectionary Link
Why is there so much translation in the Gospel of John?  The writers of the Gospel of John translate Hebrew and Aramaic words into Greek for their readers.  Why do they have to do this?  We can assume that many of the readers did not understand the Hebraic and Judaic background of the life of Jesus.  We can assume that the readers of Gospel of John did not have a background in the Hebrew Scriptures or the life of the synagogue.  One would not have to translate the words Rabbi and Messiah for those who attended the synagogue.

I think that translation is the fitting word for the Gospel of John.  In some ways, all of human life is about translation.  Translation in language means that one tries to put in words of another language and culture words that are not necessarily known or familiar to the other party.

Rabbi, which means teacher.  The Messiah, which means, the anointed.  Cephas, which means Peter.

The Gospel of John is about an expanded notion of translation.  The Gospel of John starts with "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."  But for two sides to be able to communicate, one party has to be bilingual.  And so who would be able to translate the meaning of God, a foreign Being, into human terms and language?  What does John's Gospel say? "And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us."

Jesus was God becoming fully "bilingual" so that the life of God could be translated into human terms.  The translation of the life of God into human terms began with the Hebrew Scripture traditions.  And in the time of Jesus there were different religious parties which had teachers who were trying to translate the meaning of the life of God into human language and experience.  There were the rabbinical schools of Hillel, Shammai and Gamaliel.  There were resistance groups like the Zealots.  There were Pharisees and Sadducees. There were monastic communities in the desert, like the place near where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  One such known group was the Essenes.   But to understand how the churches in the cities of the Roman Empire came to be, there had to be some knowledge of how the ministry of Jesus happened and developed.  The ministry of Jesus derived and happened within Judaism but also within and growing out of the ministry and movement of John the Baptist. 

The community of John the Baptist could be called the "proto-church" because some of the chief followers of Jesus were first followers of John the Baptist. In today's Gospel we have read that Andrew was with John the Baptist and through John the Baptist, Andrew was introduced to Jesus.  And then Andrew went home and told his brother Simon.  And when Simon encountered Jesus, he was given a new name, Cephas and translated into Greek, it was Petros or Peter.

Do we understand what the writer of this Gospel was doing?  The writer was providing us with the lineage and genealogy of the church.  Matthew and Luke provided the genealogy of Jesus and included his birth story.  The writer of the Gospel of John was more interested in the spiritual lineage of the church.  While Joseph is seen to be the earthly father of Jesus, John the Baptist was like the mentor or faith father of Jesus, who in turn succeeded John gaining the following of the disciples of John including Andrew and Peter and many other disciples.

How did and does the church happen?  It happens through translation.  It happens when people come to have the meaning of God in their lives translated into words which they understand.  And words are creative; words renew and remake our lives if they are words that come from lives that live the truth of these words in charismatic and dynamic ways.  People saw the life of John the Baptist; they listened to his words.  They followed him.  And because they believed him, they also believed that he was a worthy witness for the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist and Jesus had very special callings from God.  They were called to translate the meaning of God into words which could be so understood by other people that those people would feel moved and called to commit their lives to understanding the meaning of the life of God, but also become people who were willing to share their faith and build communities of faith.

Today, we are welcoming the 7th Decade of the Mission of St. John the Divine in Morgan Hill.  Instead of celebrating 60 years as being the Episcopal Church in Morgan Hill, we are welcoming the 7th Decade of ministry.  This is partly due to the fact that there are no longer any charter members of St. John the Divine who are with us.  We stand on the shoulders of people who started and kept our parish going for many years.  But we need to be like John the Baptist, Jesus and the disciples of Jesus.  How so?  We need to be concerned about our successors in the future.  John the Baptist handed off his ministry to Jesus and he asked his followers to follow Jesus.  Jesus called and eventually handed off the ministry of the church to his disciples.   And they called others to follow Jesus.  They went throughout the world and made disciples and baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And we are part of this succession of ministry here and now at St. John's.  We are the link in the chain between what came before us and what will come after us.  How do we do this in the best possible way?

We can follow the evangelism of John the Baptist.  John the Baptist was one who said, "I'm not the main man, it's Jesus."  The evangelism of John the Baptist was to refer people to Jesus.  And that is our evangelism today.  Why?  Because Jesus is the one who deals with our sin.  Jesus is the link between God and humanity and allowed us to share in God's perfection, so that we can tolerate our imperfections.  The Lamb of God was reference to the Passover Lamb a symbol of substitutionary innocence.  Jesus declared that God would take all of our efforts of failure at trying to live well and he would let us assume his resume as our own.  We have not arrived yet, but Jesus has and he is carrying us on his coat tails.  This is how he "takes away" the sins of the world.

We welcome the 7th decade of our parish's existence with hope that we can extend the mission of our parish into the future.  We embrace the hope of the future with present faith and how are we going to survive and thrive in the future?  We are going to be like John the Baptist.  We are just going to keep referring people to Jesus Christ as the one who can help them deal with their sins.  John the Baptist said that he baptized with water but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is the one who announced the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives.  From the Holy Spirit we attain God's perfection while still being vulnerable to all of the conditions of our imperfect lives.  We can recommend and refer to Jesus because we believe that he is the one who does not just help us tolerate our lives with all of its vulnerable conditions, he helps us to grow in holiness.  Jesus has shown us a path of perfectability to walk on.

So we gather here today to welcome the 7th Decade of our ministry and mission.  And thank God, we will be aided greatly in propelling this parish church into the future.  But we have a very important role.  We need to be like John the Baptist and continue to refer people to Jesus because Jesus will do the inside job of the Holy Spirit upon the lives of people.  Can you commit with me now to do your part to propel this parish into its 7th decade?

Will we continue to recommend Jesus Christ to all?  Will we continue to gather to keep the meal Jesus asked us to keep?  Will we continue to pray for the sick?  Will we continue to practice and declare the forgiveness of sins?  Will we continue to promote the commitment of loving relationships?  Will we continue to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and thus ordain people to their ministries in this parish?

To all of these let us answer: We will, with God's help.

May God's grace help us to fulfill our baptismal promises and so keep our parish alive and faithful in the work of recommending Jesus Christ to all.  Amen.