Sunday School, February 26, 2017 Last Sunday after the Epiphany A

Sunday School, February 26, 2017    Last Sunday after the Epiphany A

Theme

Comparing the Giving of the Law of Moses to Jesus

How did Israel receive the Law?  Moses went up on Mount Sinai

What was Mount Sinai life when he went there to receive the law?  It was cloudy and had the fiery light of God’s presence.

What happened to Moses face after he received the law on the mountain?  His face was shiny bright.  In fact, it was so shiny that he had to put a veil on his face to keep from blinding the people of Israel.

Mount of the Transfiguration

Who was on the Mount of Transfiguration?  Peter, James, John, Jesus and Moses and Elijah appeared too.  And the voice of God was heard.

What was the Mountain top experience like?  It was covered with clouds.  It had a bright light which was the shiny face of Jesus.

What happened there? Jesus was talking with Elijah and Moses.  Peter was nervous and he wanted to build three tents,booth as worship shrines for Jesus, Elijah and Moses.

What was the most important event on the Mountain?  The voice of God announced that Jesus was God’s Son and that God was pleased with Jesus and the Voice told everyone to listen to Jesus.

What is the meaning of the events of the Mount of Transfiguration?

Peter, James and John who were Jews were to understand that Jesus was a friend of two of the greatest Jewish heroes, Moses and Elijah.  Moses and Elijah had returned to endorse Jesus as their friend and leader.  And the voice of God announced the most important identity of Jesus to be that He was God’s Son.

How can I understand the meaning of transfiguration?

Transfiguration is the word metamorphosis and this refers to the natural process of the cycles of growth in life.  Our lives are in the process of metamorphosis like the larva, caterpillar, and cocoon waiting to become butterflies.  There is a butterfly “spirit” within us that is waiting to break out of us in our resurrection from the dead.  Until then we are being transformed or changed into becoming more like Jesus, who has also called us to be beloved sons and daughters of God.  We have God’s Spirit within us a wonderful Light that helps to change or transform our lives to be more like Jesus.

The story of Jesus tells us that Jesus was God’s special Son and that the Light of the Holy Spirit was in Him.  It also means that we are invited to let the light of the Holy Spirit rise in us to change ourselves to be like our Brother Jesus, who reminds us that we are beloved sons and daughters of God.  And we can know that God loves us and is pleased with us too.

Sermon

Today is the last Sunday of the season of the Epiphany.  Can you tell me what the color is for Epiphany?  Green.  How did you guess?  And what season comes next?  The season of Lent.  And what day does it begin on?  Ash Wednesday.  And why do we call it Ash Wednesday?  We do some face painting on Ash Wednesday.  We draw a black cross on our foreheads to remind ourselves about the parts of our selves that last forever and the parts of our selves that wear out.  Do your clothes wear out?  Do your shoes wear out?  Do cars get old?  Do our bodies wear out?  Our bodies do wear and someday they will just stop working.  And if we wait long enough, they will turn back into dust.  And so on Ash Wednesday, we begin the season of Lent by reminding ourselves that part of our life is going to wear out.

  But you know we have another part of our self that is never going to wear out.  And that part of our self is what we call “Spirit.”  Our spirit is the part of us that will live forever.

  Our spirit is all of that stuff inside of our bodies that we cannot see.  Our spirit is like the light in the light bulb.  On the outside a light bulb is just a piece of glass.  But when you turn the light bulb on it becomes warm and bright.

  You and I have to learn how live our lives like a light bulb that is always turned.  We have to learn to make our spirits light up our bodies?  How do we do this?  We can do this in many ways.  With curiosity.  With learning new things.  With laughter.  With wonder and surprise and excitement.  With kindness and love and care.   In many ways we can make the life of our bodies shine with the life of our spirit.

  Today we read a story about Jesus when his face shone like a very bright light.  You see, Jesus had such a strong and wonderful Spirit, he was able to make his face shine when his friends saw him in a very special way.  Jesus was a very special friend.  His friends called him the Light of the world, because he helped them to learn and live their lives better.  We need to follow Jesus and learn how to be lights in this world for each other.  We need to learn how to make our spirits so strong and so full of knowledge and love and kindness that we become lights in our world for the people in our world.

  Can you learn how to shine like a light today?  Okay let’s turn on our lights…now.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

February 26, 2017: The Last Sunday after The Epiphany

Gathering Songs: I’ll Be a Sunbeam; This Little Light, Climb Climb Up Sunshine Mountain, Shine, Jesus, Shine,

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’ll Be a Sunbeam (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 112)

1-Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, to shine for him each day; in every way try to please him, at home, at school, at place.  Refrain: A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.  A sunbeam, a sunbeam, I’ll be a sunbeam for him.

4-I’ll be a sunbeam  for Jesus, I can if I but try; serving him moment by moment, then live with him on high.  Refrain: A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.  A sunbeam, a sunbeam, I’ll be a sunbeam for him.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, who before the passion of your only­ begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; 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 Book of Exodus

Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 99

The LORD is great in Zion; * he is high above all peoples.

Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; * he is the Holy One.

"O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; * you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

 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.

Six days after Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

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

Song: This Little Light of Mine (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 234)

1-This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.  This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

2-Hide it under a bushel, No!  I’m going to let it shine.  Hide it under a bushel, No!  I’m going let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

3-Don’t let anyone, blow it out.  I’m going to let it shine.  Don’t let anyone blow it out.  I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

4-Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.  Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

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:   Climb Up Sunshine Mountain, (The Christian’s Children Song Book # 1)

            Climb, climb up sunshine mountain, heavenly breezes blow,

            Climb, climb up sunshine mountain, faces all aglow. 

            Turn, turn from sin and doubting, look to God on high;

            Climb, climb up sunshine mountain, you and I.

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: Shine, Jesus Shine  (Renew! # 247)

Lord the light of your love is shining, in the midst of the darkness shining. Jesus, light of the world, shine upon us. Set us free by the truth you now bring us. Shine on me.  Shine on me.

Refrain: Shine Jesus Shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory.  Blaze, Spirit, blaze set our hearts on fire.  Flow, rivers, flow, fill the nations with thy grace and mercy.  Send forth your word, Lord, and let there be light.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The removal of “alleluia” until Easter

Announcements, Snack and Fellowship

Sermon on the Mount as Christian Martial Arts

7 Epiphany A, February 19, 2017
Leviticus 19:1-2,9-18 Psalm 119:33-40
1 Corinthians 3:10-11,16-23 Matthew 5:38-48

Lectionary Link
People who are serious in their practice one of the various forms of martial arts know that martial arts in their origin are not just for exercise or self defense.  They certainly are not for aggressive behaviors.  Martial arts at their best are  holistic ways of life requiring a discipline to discover a life force, a "chi," and to channel this life force in practice into everything that one does in life.  The life of martial arts is a life of discipline and like many spiritual traditions, they were developed in times when people needed a special art of living within some very difficult situations of life.

Using the martial arts ideals as a model, I believe that the Sermon on the Mount teaching of Jesus Christ could be characterized as its own form of martial arts.

I think Jesus Christ came to restore a holistic martial arts-like tradition into the religion of his time.  Religion that has lost its holistic practice becomes just a bunch of prescribed religious behaviors by the clergy, the religious authorities, in order to corral people into religious social clubs.  And these kind of religious social clubs are fine; they serve a purpose for people to maintain themselves in certain society but what Jesus found in his time is that the religious society of his time and place were mainly constituted for negotiating on behalf of Jews living under Roman control in Palestine.  The religious parties tended to favor the Jews who had more power and prestige and those parties did not want to upset the Roman authorities.  Religion in Palestine involved maintaining a separate identity under Roman rule and so the outer signs of Jewishness were very important to the maintenance of that identity.  The great Law of Judaism had become the legalistic practice for the Jews to maintain their separate identity within the Roman Empire.  By stressing the legalistic practices of separation from the Gentiles, what was lost was the Law as a way of life to convert all people to God's goodness.  What was lost was the desire to convert the Roman overlords to the goodness of the Torah.

The early Christians were those who believed that they had to go beyond the outer signs of Judaism to find a better way to live with the Roman situation.  Rome and the Caesar were not going to go away.  How does one live best within the actual conditions of the Roman Empire?

The early Christians found in the life of Jesus Christ the beginning of a holistic, Holy Spirit martial arts way of living.  I would submit to you that the Sermon on the Mount teaching attributed to the Risen Christ within the churches that wrote the Gospel of Matthew, this Sermon on the Mount, gives the best account of the Christian, Holy Spirit, holistic program of martial art living.

What are some on the insights of the Sermon on the Mount martial arts program?

First, with wisdom use every life situation as the occasion for the experience of blessing.  Jesus listed lots of seemingly hopeless and defeating life situations.  Jesus said to live with an inner wisdom which allows one to transform the negative experiences into a state of blessedness.  The sermon on the mount is the ultimate program of taking the lemons of life and making lemonade.  To be able to do this required a special awareness and attention and the early church had a program of spiritual transformation to teach this martial arts alchemy of transmuting the dull lead of life experience into the golden state of blessedness.

Second, the Sermon on the Mount involved the art of self control.  This was an art learned through prayer and discovering the power of God's Holy Spirit within oneself.  With prayer one leashed the power of the death of Christ to die to ones own selfish ego state and discover the arising within oneself of the Risen Christ.  If one could find within oneself love, joy, peace, faith, hope, gentleness, goodness, patience, courage and self control, then one could discover the life assets to be able to take on the challenges of living as a religious minority within the Roman Empire.

Third, the Sermon on the Mount was meant to be a martial arts program of evangelism.  The followers of Jesus were not to live as ghetto communities within the Roman Empire; they were constituted to convert the many people of the Roman Empire to Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The old categories of slave/free, Jew/Gentile, male/female, rich/poor, were to be broken down.  The designation of another person as an enemy was to be overcome?  How? By the practice of non-retaliation.  If someone hits you and you don't seek revenge but seek peace.  If you do this, you have a greater occasion to convert them to goodness.  If someone slaps you and you with a martial artistic turning of the cheek to lessen the blow and not responding in kind, your witness of peaceful passive resistance makes them take account of the force of your life which enable such control. 

Roman soldiers had the right to require citizenry to carry about 100 pounds of equipment for one mile.  If you want to thank that soldier for his service and want to convert him to your way of life, it would make sense to walk an extra mile.  In that extra mile you might be able to tell him about the good news in your life.  You are doing more than simply thanking him by doing something akin to giving up your seat on an airplane for a soldier; you are inviting him into your life.  And what about the legal phenomenon of enemies created by lawsuits?  What if you give up the practice of suing and countersuing other people?  What if you look behind a lawsuit against you and see someone in need and help them out by giving them your coat?  What have you done?  You have lived evangelistically.  You have overcome their evil with the good news of the Gospel.  Can we appreciate how the Sermon on the Mount was a Christian martial arts program which was used to convert the people living in the Roman Empire?

Last of all in the Christian martial arts, the law is fulfilled because you have made the goal of your life to discover the perfection of God.  Who is God?  God is perfect.  God is love.  And when Christian martial arts is able to channel and express the love of God in Jesus Christ, one actually participates in the perfection of God.  St. Paul said to love is to fulfill the law.  To love well, and always, is to discover the secret of Christian martial arts.

Let us embrace the Christian martial arts program as prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount today.  It is still relevant.  How do we do it?  We embrace through submissive prayer the power of the death of Jesus to die to selfishness and allow the experience of the rising power of God Spirit in our lives.  With this super "chi" force of the Holy Spirit, we seek to transform every situation of our lives to the state of blessing.  We learn the kind of self control which allows us to adjust into contentment to every situation in life that comes to us.  We learn to overcome the "apparent" enemies of our lives with winsome evangelism.  We learn not to retaliate and react; we refuse to mimic someone's bad behavior towards us with an equally bad behavior of our own.  We overcome ill will against us by sharing good news to win and convert others who are cursed to live in such states of aggression.  And finally, we embrace God's perfection as our goal and our law.  God's perfection is love and when we channel love in our lives we are participating in God's perfection.

Let's all stand now and do a respectful martial bow toward the altar of our Lord and Master.  Let us receive the communion of his presence again within us today and recommit ourselves to this holistic Christian martial arts program that has been given to us by Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Sunday School, February 19, 2017 7 Epiphany A

Sunday School, February 19, 2017   7 Epiphany A

Theme

Who do you choose as your model?  If you want to learn something do you choose someone who knows more or less than you?  If you want to copy someone who is good in sports do you copy the best or someone who not as good as you are?

Jesus taught that we need to be perfect like God is perfect.  And that is impossible.  Why did Jesus tell people that they had to do the impossible?

Jesus found some people who were spending their time telling other people that they were bad.  He saw that people were bragging about their own good behaviors and they were saying to other people, “We’re better than you are.”

So Jesus showed people that we should not compare ourselves with others and say that we’re better than they are.  He said we should always look to the best and perfect.  God is perfect and God does not judge us for not being perfect, God forgives and asks us to work on getting better.

If we want to be perfect as God is perfect, we will learn how to love others and to forgive others.  When we love others and when we forgive other people, we are able to most like God.  God is love.  To be loving is to be perfect.

We will always be imperfect but we can share in God’s perfection when we practice love, kindness and forgiveness.

Jesus reminds us to look to the one who is perfect and then we will not be too proud and we will not think that we are better than other people.

Sermon

    How would you feel if your mom and dad: You have to be perfect?  Or what if your teacher said, “You have to be perfect.”  Or your soccer coach said, “You have to be perfect.”

  Well, you might say, “It is impossible to be perfect.”  And you might ask your mom and dad, “Are you perfect.”  You might ask your teacher, “Are you perfect?”  And you might ask your soccer coach, “Are you perfect?”

  Now why would Jesus tell us?  Be perfect as God the Father in heaven is perfect.  Jesus liked to speak in riddles and he used riddled to try to coach people how to behave in the very best way.

  Imagine a big brother looking at his little brother and saying, “I’m taller than you….hah, hah, hah, hah, hah.

  What would say to the older brother?  Don’t be too proud about being taller; you didn’t do anything special to grow tall and someday your little brother may catch up to you.

  Jesus was saying to some people who thought that they were better than others.  “Don’t be too proud about how good you are, because you can still be better in the future.  Look how perfect God is; and if you keep your eyes on God, you will always be trying to be better in the future and you will not think that you are better than other people because you will always know you need to improve.

  So do you understand the riddle of Jesus when he said, you need to be perfect as God the Father in heaven is perfect?

  Jesus reminds us that we can always be better in the future.  And so just as we go to school, each day and each year we get more learning and more knowledge, so too we are supposed to become kinder and more loving in the future too.

  Jesus wants us to always be moving in the direction of being perfect.  And though we will not ever be perfect; we should always be moving in the direction of being perfect.  And if we remember that we will be kind and forgiving to each other when we understand that no one is perfect.  And since none of us is perfect, all of us need mercy and forgiveness.

  And if we practice love and mercy and forgiveness, then we will be learning how to be perfect as God is perfect.

  So let us all share this journey towards perfection; learning to be more perfect in love, kindness and forgiveness.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

February 19, 2017: The Seventh Sunday after The Epiphany

Gathering Songs:

Hosanna, Hosanna, Peace Before Us, Jesus Stand Among Us, Praise Him, Praise Him

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

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted, oh Lord my God! Hosanna in the highest!

Glory, Glory, glory to the King of kings! Glory, Glory, glory to the King of kings! Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted oh Lord my God! Glory to the King of kings!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for 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 Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.  Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God

Please read with me from Psalm 119

Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; * I shall keep it with all my heart.

Make me go in the path of your commandments, * for that is my desire.

Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless; * give me life in your ways.

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.

Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Lesson –  

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

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, 3            Light, 4           Christ

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 God.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his 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: Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17

Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

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: Praise Him, All Ye Little Children  (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 184)

Praise him, praise him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Praise him, praise him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Love him, love him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Love him, love him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Serve him, serve him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Love him love him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  

Exceeding the Clergy in the Practice of the Law

6 Epiphany   A    February 12, 2017   
Deuteronomy 30:15-20  Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9  Matt.5:21-24,27-30,33-37

Lectionary Link

The Beatitudes of Jesus are teachings about our relationship to the law.  In the time of Jesus the law had many of the same complexities that we experience in our world today.  Laws need to have authority behind them.  The greatest authority of the law in the time of Jesus was the Caesar of Rome and the enforcement agencies of the Caesar in Palestine through puppet kings and governors.  They used their legal system, soldiers and police to enforce the law.  Within the Roman control, the Jews had their own practice of law which pertained to social, cultural and religious behaviors.  But the Jewish practice of their laws did not and could not have the same force of law which the Roman law had.  We today often have the conflict of conscience between the laws and practices of religious people and our own American Constitution. 

Jesus told his followers that their righteousness had to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  The words of Jesus called the Beatitudes, are in my mind, are teaching insights about how we are to be related to God's law.

Scribes and Pharisees were the clergy of their time.  What is the relationship of clergy to religious law?  In Christianity, religious law is called canon law.  Canon law is for the church what Sharia law is for the Islamic community and what the Torah is for the Jewish community.  If one's religion dominates an entire group of people then the religious law and the secular laws can seem to be one and the same.

What do clergy do?  They enforce religious laws as administrators and religious legal judges.  In the Episcopal Church we have laws.  The Constitutions and Canons of the Episcopal Church, the Constitutions and canons of the Diocese of El Camino Real and the parish by-laws of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church.  When I was ordained I made a vow to keep church laws and to enforce them.  As an American citizen, I make a pledge of allegiance to our country and our Constitution.

One relationship with the law might be called the enforcement of prescribed behaviors.  The clergy whether priests, scribes or Pharisees had the duty of enforcing the religious rules for the upkeep of their official religious institutions.  An observant Jew would make every public effort to appear to be in compliance with the religious rules of the Jewish institutions, in order to be in good standing for  participation in the synagogue or Temple rituals.

St. Paul wrote as a rabbi who had been taught to be a fully observant Jew.  He was also a Roman citizen from the city of Tarsus and so he would have also complied to the rules of the Roman authorities.  But St. Paul was one who wrote an entire letter to the Roman church about a different kind of law.  He called it the law of the Spirit.  In the law of the Spirit, he said that love fulfilled the law because from the inner motive of love one would always do what is right.  He said that the law of the Spirit was in contrast to the law of the flesh.

The Beatitudes are actually a presentation of the law of the Spirit within the narrative of the words of Jesus Christ.  The Roman law and the laws of the Temple and synagogue enforced a kind of social engineering of human behaviors.  One purpose of the law is to train people to behave in ways that can keep public order and support the over riding purpose of the community.

Roman laws were for the purpose of maintain allegiance to the Emperor and especially paying taxes.  Synagogue rules were for the purpose of keeping members distinct and separate in their Jewish identity.  What Paul and Jesus both revealed is that people could be observant Roman citizens and observant Jews but still have the wrong motives within their hearts.  People could observe all of the religious rituals but at the same time neglect people who were suffering and in need.

The beatitudes reveal the divide that happens between the practice of rules and the actual law of the heart.  With the exaggerated statements of the beatitudes Jesus was trying to show how the people who practiced religious laws often missed the point of the great laws of the Torah.

What was the point of the great religious law?  Yes, it was to instruct, teach and prescribe right behaviors, but it had a greater purpose.  The greater purpose was to expose the impossibility of keeping the law of God perfectly.  While we may think that we can keep the ten commandments by loving one God, not having idols, keeping Sabbath, honoring family, respecting life,  telling the truth, not stealing or lying, the last commandment of the ten is the impossible one.  Thou shalt not covet.  You shall not have wrong desires.  And that is where we all fail.  We may not murder but we have may have anger and desire of harm toward others.  We may not kill someone but we easily call them a "stupid fool."  We may not commit adultery but we may have the wrong desire of lust for someone.  So while on the outside we can appear to be good and law abiding, on the inside we can be seething cauldrons of contrary desires.

So why are we made in the way that we are made?  Why are we given laws to follow and yet inside of us often have desires that are wildly non-compliant with the laws?  Is not this the great moral dilemma in life?  To be required to be good and perfect even while we don't always actually desire to be so?

The secret of the contradiction between desire and behaviors, is that in the moments of despair, guilt, disillusionment and failure, we are brought to seek to find the perfect Spirit of God within us.  The demand of the law brings us to seek the perfection of knowing God's Spirit within us.

When Jesus reveals the variance between wrong desire and actual behaviors, he is showing us to the redemptive moment when like the Psalmist we cry, "Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me."  Without having our wrong desire exposed, we might just believe that our good public religious behaviors are enough to attain.  Many people attain religious behaviors and in so doing become "holier than thou" people who use their performance to judge others harshly.

But Jesus said that if anyone looks honestly within, they will have to admit that their desires and their behaviors are often in disagreement.  Behaviors are indeed very important, especially in things like murder, lying and stealing, but when Jesus gave us the standard to be perfect like the Father in heaven is perfect, he gave us the true and indeed impossible standard.  And who can keep that standard?  The Holy Spirit.  And Jesus is one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit resides within us and become our perfect heart, even while the rest of us continually is to learn to be better in the direction towards God's perfection.

The words of the beatitudes of Jesus are shocking words because they show that God loves us so much to give us such a high standard.  God wants us to know that only through the grace of God's Spirit within us can we participate in a perfection which is derived from God and not our own.

God wants our relationship with the law to be better than the apparent way in which the clergy practice it.  Clergy have to practice religious laws; it's their job and they are paid to appear to do so.  We have to exceed the righteousness of the clergy; we need to seek the law of the Spirit.  We need to be always seeking to have a clean heart and a renewed right spirit within us.  We need to have the energy of coveting desires converted and transformed to become worship energy toward loving God and our neighbor.

Let us be thankful that Jesus exposes the desires of our hearts because he cares about how the deep energies of our lives become articulated and used for the creative words and deeds of love, kindness and justice.

May God help us to be shocked by the desires of our hearts to seek the clean heart that only God can give us when we discover the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Amen.