Sunday School, August 27, 2017 12 Pentecost, A proper 16

Sunday School, August 27, 2017  12  Pentecost, A proper 16

Theme:

Building a church

How does one build a church building?  From the bottom up.

What is the bottom of the church called?  It is called the foundation.

Old buildings were built with stones, shaped to fit together.

A large anchor stone on the foundation was called a cornerstone.  Other stones were laid next to the corner stone and on top of the cornerstone to build a church building.

But a church is not just a building.  Before we called churches, buildings, the church was the group of people who believed that Jesus was God’s special Son and that he was God’s chosen King for the world.  Another name for God’s chosen King is Messiah or Christ.

Jesus told Peter and the disciples that he would build his church upon a rock.  Peter’s name means rock.  Since he was one of the first followers of Jesus, he was at the foundation of the church.

Jesus is the Big Rock or Cornerstone of the church.  Peter was a smaller rock or stone.  Jesus used people to build the group of people called the church.

Image the church like a great building.  All of us are like stones that fit together to make the large People Church.

How does a building keep standing?  If the bricks and stones are not toppled or pushed off the foundation.

How does the people church keep alive?  By remembering that we are built upon Jesus Christ as our foundation and on Peter and the disciples and on all of the Christians who have come before.  We join with other Christians to form the People Church now that still rests upon the foundation of Jesus and Peter and the apostles.

How do we keep alive and well as the church of people?  We remember that we were founded by Jesus Christ.  We remember to confess him to be the Messiah.  And we remember that Jesus continues to build the church through us as people who share the news about Jesus with other people.

Sermon:

How many of you know about super-heroes?  Does anyone know who Clark Kent is?  Does anyone know who Bruce Wayne is?  Does anyone know who Peter Parker is?

  When Batman does not have his uniform on he is Bruce Wayne.  When Superman is not in his costume he is Clark Kent.  When Spiderman does not have his costume showing, he is Peter Parker.

  Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker.  Who knows that these ordinary people are superheroes?  Only a few special people, and of course, we do when we watch the movie.  But most people do not know the superheroes unless they have their uniforms on.

  Many people who lived during the time of Jesus did not know that he was a special person like a superhero.  Yes, they knew that he could do wonderful things, but they thought that he was just another prophet, teacher and preacher.

  But there were some people who came to know how special Jesus was.   Peter and the disciples who followed Jesus got to know how special Jesus was.  They got know him as a superhero.

  Peter said to Jesus, “You are the messiah, the son of the living God.”  You are the superhero.

  And Jesus said to him, “Not every one knows this Peter, so you are special to know my true identity.”

  The story of Jesus has been written in a book so that readers can read this story too.  And everyone who hears and reads this story can come to know the identity of Jesus of Nazareth.

  We today confess the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth.  We know that he was not just an ordinary person, he was a superhero.  And so we say today about Jesus.  You are the Christ, the Messiah, the son of the living God.

  And you and I today can feel very happy because we are privileged to know the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth.  He is our superhero, and we know that he is the special son of God.  And we know that he has made us sons and daughters of God too.  He has made us know that we are a part of God’s family.

  Let us be thankful that we have come to know our super hero, Jesus Christ.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

August 27, 2017: The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Shine Jesus Shine; Christ Beside Me; Open Our Eyes; Here I Am, Lord

 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: Shine Jesus Shine, (Renew! # 247)

Refrain: Shine, Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory, blaze, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire; Flow, river flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy, send forth Your word, Lord, and let there be light.

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

Lord, I come to your awesome presence from the shadows into your radiance; by the blood I may enter your brightness, search me, try me, consume all my darkness. Shine on me, shine on me.   Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

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 Letter of Paul to the Romans

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 124

Blessed be the LORD! * he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; * the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

Our help is in the Name of the LORD, * the maker of heaven and earth.

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 came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

 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.

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

People:            And also with you.

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

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

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.

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.

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: Open Our Eyes, Lord, (Renew! # 91)

Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him.

Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen, open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus.

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: Here I Am, Lord, (Renew!  #149)

I the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in dark and sin my hand will save.  I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.  Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send? 

Refrain:  Here I am, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.   I will hold your people in my heart.

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

My Parents Said I Was Their Favorite!

11 Pentecost, A p15, August 20, 2017
Isaiah 56:1,6-8  Psalm 67  

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28

Lectionary Link

How many of us are feeling like some hope and optimism today?  The opening of a Dickens' novel, "It was the best of time and the worst of times" is expressive of the reality of life itself all of the time.  Best and worst are determined by the apparent ways in which the best and the worst impinge our individual and community existence.  The best and worst can be happening to all of us, all of the time, even though the severity of the worst and the intensity of the best often speak the loudest in the immediacy of personal experience.

Though the events in Charlottesville and Barcelona have given us examples of the worst of times this past week, especially for the people who were directly affected, I believe that we are called to make a deliberate effort of faith to express our faith, hope and optimism even in the worst of time.

One of the most optimistic passages in Holy Scriptures is found in Psalm 67.  It is one of the recommended Psalms for Holy Matrimony.  Let us read it together again prayerfully.

1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.

2 Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

6 The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

7 May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.

In this prayer, we ask for God's blessing upon us, but we also asked that there be no restriction for everyone on earth to praise God and be glad and sing for joy.  Let all the peoples praise you, O God.  Just as we ask for God's blessing upon us as we know that God has let us be glad and sing for joy, so too we acknowledge the general invitation for all people to bless God and to experience the blessing of God.

Today's lessons from Scripture helps us to highlight the tension between the general and the particular.  As Charlie Brown cried, "I love mankind, it's people I can't stand."  It is easy to say in general what we believe but it is very hard to put it into practice particularly when a certain person or neighbor vexes us.

The tension between the general and the particular is a basic tension in life.  And this dynamic tension is something we have to learn to live with.

Imagine the proverbial funeral where dear Mom has passed away and her children rise to share their memories.  And first one says, "I have to apologize to my siblings, but Mom told me that I was her favorite."   And to everyone's surprise each of the other siblings rose and said that Mom told them the very same thing.  So, each child was Mom's favorite.  Had Mom been dishonest?  How could each child have been Mom's favorite?  Well, there is no contradiction in that son John was Mom's favorite son John and daughter Helen was Mom's favorite daughter Helen and so on.  Mom found no contradiction by conferring individual esteem to each of her children.  She was both loving in general and loving in particular.

We can in our religious life and in our lives of faith do something similar.  We in our pulpits and religious practice can openly or subtly proclaim, "I have to apologize to other people of faith, but God has told me that we are God's favorite."

And when we try to elevate our particular experience as the general rule, we end up excommunicating many people from God's favor.

The Hebrew Scriptures, in part, are about how the people of Israel understood themselves to be God's favorite.  But the Hebrew Scriptures are also about how everyone can know themselves to be God's favorite.  Is God's Temple in Jerusalem only for the Jews?  According to the Prophet Isaiah, God invited the foreigners to God's communion and the House of Prayer in Jerusalem was to be a House of Prayer for all people.

The House of Prayer for all people was to be a place where people could pray the universal prayer of blessing as is found in Psalm 67.

The Prophets and Jesus came to criticize people when they made their particular faith habits exclusive and dismissive of the vast majority of people.  The temptation is to make our particular faith habits as the general rule of humanity even when our particular faith habits are inaccessible or not natural cultural habits for others.

Jesus criticized the religious folks who had elevated special purity rituals as the guarantee of true hearts of faith.  So Jesus reminded those who legislated hand-washing piety that outer ritual cleanliness did not guarantee inward cleanliness.  As to our inward lives, we are as Freud said, "polymorphously perverse" and no water rituals can cleanse the seat of desire.

In the story dialogue between Jesus and the Canaanite foreigner, Jesus highlighted the fact that everyone can have faith.  Faith in what?  Faith in the health and salvation which God offers to all.

We might ask, "If God loves everyone, then what is worth or value of God loving me?"  The worth comes when we don't elevate the ways in which we experience personal esteem in God's eye as the only way for God to show esteem.

Imagine if after I came down the aisle today and I stopped and started dismissing people from the church because of the way that I observed you behaving.  "You didn't kneel.  You didn't sing.  You didn't make the sign of the cross at the right place in the liturgy.  You said AAAAAAAAAAAAmen instead of Ahmen.  How can you consider yourself a valid Christian if you haven't followed my legislated piety?  Get out!"

If I elevate my particular rules of piety to be the universal standard for guaranteeing God's love and blessing, then I have misrepresented God.

Jesus came to correct misrepresentation of God by letting us know that we can all know the experience of being God's favorite even as we accept that everyone else can also have that same experience of self esteem.  This is the wonderful contradiction of the general and the particular.

St. Paul criticized his background experience of religion as a Jew as being practiced in a way that did not invite Gentiles to the knowledge of God's blessing and favor which could be known through faith.

So what should we do today?  Should we abandon our own personal rituals and pieties that we have found effective faith expressions of our lives?  Not at all; we can accept our particular faith expression even as we accept the faith expressions of others, even if they meet in different places with different religious names and different denominations.

I leave you with this.  A secret:  God has let you know that you are God's favorite child.  A second secret: Jesus has shown us that God has let everyone know that he or she is a favorite child too.  So let us learn to live with this tension between the general and the particular.  Let us accept the Great Love of God to let everyone know themselves to be God's favorite.  Amen.

Sunday School, August 20, 2017 11 Pentecost, A proper 15

Sunday School, August 20, 2017     11 Pentecost, A proper 15

Theme

Rules of the Game

Inviting more people to the Game

What if there is a game, like soccer, that has rules but the rules for the game includes unattainable rules for everyone to participate.  Like, “girls can’t play soccer.”

For a long time, it might have been accepted that “girls can’t play soccer.”  Yet girls can definitely play soccer and many of them played even when they were allowed to have “official teams and girls’ leagues.”  Eventually girls began to complain about not being able to play “official” soccer and they grew in number and influence.  And girls have come to be able to play soccer in their own leagues even though they don’t play with boys who have their own soccer league too.  Boys and girls can love soccer even though they may not always play together in the same game.

The biggest Game of life is knowing and loving God.  Our religious life is like a “God Game we play and we follow rules.”  But what is the most important rule in the great “God Game?”  God is for everyone, God loves everyone and God wants everyone to be involved in a “God Game.”

But sometimes people can think that they “own” the God Game.  They think that they can restrict people from being a part of the “God Game.”   When Jesus came, he saw that some people were not allowed to play the God game.  The rules were too restrictive and many people who wanted to play the God Game were not allowed to play.

Jesus showed us that all of us have a tendency to sin and break rules, but he also showed that God invites us to be a part of the God Game even though we are not perfect and even though we are different in our experience.

Jesus believed that God show loved to the people of Israel so that it could spread to all people in the world.  Not everyone wanted to the share “their God” with all people.

Jesus showed that if everyone can have faith, they can play in the great God Game of life.

Can girls play soccer?  Yes, they can and they should be invited to play as much and as many ways a possible.  Is everyone able to play in the great God Game of life?  Yes, indeed, because everyone has the ability to have faith.

Let us exercise our faith in the God Game of life and let us always invite everyone to do the same.

Sermon

How many of you like play games?  What does every game need?  Every game needs rules, right?

  But have you everr played a game with someone when you didn’t know the rules or when suddenly someone changed the rules.

  When you don’t know the rules or when somebody changes the rules, then you cannot win.  And it is very sad and frustrating when you want to play a game and the rules do not allow you to win.

  Have you ever played the game of tag?  When you run and touch someone, then their It, and they have to run and touch someone else.  And they are only safe when they are “at home base.”

  Well, I remember playing tag with a friend when I was young.  I would run and touch him, and say, “you’re it.”  And he would say, “No, I’m not.”   And I would say why not, I caught you and I tagged you?”  And he would say, “I’m standing on one foot, so that means I’m “on base.”  And I said, “Well, I didn’t know that was a rule; if I had known, I could have used that rule and not gotten tagged.”  And then the next time I tagged my friend, he would have another rule for why he was “not it.”  And so I quit playing the game of tag with him, because there was no way of winning.

  When Jesus came, he found some people who had special rules for playing a religious game.  And because they had special rules about what you had to do to be loved by God, there were many people who did not know the rules, and so they were treated like people who were not loved by God.  And Jesus said this was very wrong.

  What kind of rules did they have?  They had rules about cleanliness.  There were special rules about dishes had to be washed and how you bathed your body and how you prepared your food and what kinds of food you could eat.   And if you didn’t follow these rules, then you were a loser with God and you were a loser according to the rules and you didn’t even know the rules.

  Jesus came correct the rules.  He said that it was not rules about cleanliness that made you a good person.  He said it was the condition of your heart.  Do you have love and faith?  Do you act with faith?  And do you act with love?  That is what the rules of God are.  All of these other rules are the changing rules of men and women.

  So, Jesus said you could not call a person a loser, if he or she was not following some special rules.  A person is a winner in God’s eye when they live with faith and love.  Those are the big and important rules in life.  The little rules often make us disagree with each other and dislike each other.  We can all have some special rules for our lives for our family and our church, but let us remember that Jesus only had the big rules, the rule of love and faith.  Those are the important rules which help us to know that we are winning with God.  And we all want to win with God, don’t we?  And we want everybody to know that with love and faith, they too can win with God. 

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

August 20, 2017: The Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost

Gathering Songs: The Lord Is Present, Hosanna, Ubi Caritas, Awesome God

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:  The Lord Is Present  (Renew!  # 55)

The Lord is present in his sanctuary, let us praise the Lord.  The Lord is present in his people gathered here, let us praise the Lord.  Praise him, praise him, let us praise the Lord.  Praise him, praise him, let us praise Jesus.

The Lord is present in his sanctuary, let us sing to the Lord.  The Lord is present in his people gathered here, let us sing to the Lord.  Sing to him, sing to him!  Let us sing to the Lord.  Sing to him, sing to him!  Let us sing to Jesus.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

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 Letter of Paul to the Romans

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 133

Oh, how good and pleasant it is, * when God’s people live together in unity!

It is like fine oil upon the head *  that runs down upon the beard,

Upon the beard of Aaron, * and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

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.

Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon –   

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

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.

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

People:            And also with you.

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

Offertory Song: Hosanna (Renew! # 71)

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

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

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Ubi Caritas (Renew!  # 226)

Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.

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: Awesome God (Renew!  # 245)

Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from heaven above. 

With wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God.

(sing three times)

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

Insurance Theology? Act of God?

10  Pentecost, A p 14, August 13, 2017
1 Kings 19:9-18 Psalm 85:8-13
Romans 10:5-15,  Matthew 14:22-33

Lectionary Link
What does theology have to do with actuarial science in the insurance industry?  The insurance industry relies upon an official definition which encroaches upon theology.  Insurance companies use the phrase "Act of God" to define or classify events in nature when damage is caused because of the uncontrollable forces of nature.

Is it fair to "blame" God for all of the uncontrollable events that occur in nature, especially the ones which cause harm to people and their possessions?

One of the consequences of being called the Creator of the universe means that eventually the "buck stops" at the Creator's door.

How does the buck stop at the door of the Creator?  I would say that Creating is the power of freedom.  Creation as we know it, is the entire possible range of free events that can occur.  The human task is to learn how to live in the very best possible way within the range of free events that can happen to us.  This is both glorious and daunting.  It is glorious to sail in a boat on a lake on a breezy day.  What is more glorious than that?  It is daunting to be caught in a boat on a lake in the midst of a horrifying storm.  How can you and I live effectively with the glorious and the daunting experiences of life and everything in between?

The Gospel appointed for today, gives us in story form insights about the church's teaching on baptism.

What can we learn about the baptismal teaching of the church from this Gospel story?

Christian baptism is a faith lifestyle to live with the free conditions that we must face in life.  Based upon our experience everything in life can be understood as a metaphor of blessing or a metaphor of woe.

Water is a universal substance of life.  Wind and breath are universal signs of outer climate and inner human life. 

Water and Wind, known in the conditions of a storm, can be metaphors for uncontrollable events when people are threatened by these forces of nature.

Water as a cleanser and thirst quencher can be the living metaphor of the positive value of water to life itself.  Wind and breath can be the positive metaphor for the very evidence of a person being alive.

Being a baptized person, does not mean that we are exempt from any of the possible things that can happen in the free condition of life.

Christian baptism teaches us to be honest to the free condition in life, including the conditions of loss and death.

In this Gospel story, we are invited to be identified with the disciples of Jesus and we follow Jesus into the true free conditions of life.  The free conditions of life can be a breezy sail on the lake or being caught in sudden threatening storm.

What is common to all of the free conditions of our lives?

The presence of Christ is common to all conditions of life.  Christ is Emmanuel or God with us, always.

The goal of our lives is to seek the presence of Christ in all of the events of our lives.  And yet we know that we can often be "foxhole" Christians.  When life is a breezy sail on the lake, we can in our comfort see no need to find Christ because Christ seems to be "apparent" in our success and blessing.  One of the collateral benefits of being caught in a storm in life, is the sudden intensity of our prayer to find Christ as one who can rescue us.

In the conditions of ease, faith may seem to easy; when we are caught in the storm of life our faith attains a different kind of authentic value.

Peter in the storm of life had an inadvertent baptism.  He journeyed in excited faith towards Christ, but the threat of the storm took away his focus and then he got "baptized."  He got immersed into the lake.  The end of such an immersion would be a drowning death, but Jesus took his hand and lifted him out of the water.

The early Christians practiced baptism as an immersion in the waters of Jordan.  The immersion aspect of baptism is an identity with the death of Jesus experiencing the power to die to our sins.  Coming up from the waters of baptism is being identified with resurrection of Christ.  It is experience of knowing the hand of Christ lifting us up in the midst of the stormy events of our lives, and especially the final event of our lives, our deaths.

I think that we need to correct the terrible theology of the insurance industry.  In the insurance definitions, "acts of God" are only events of harm and damage which happen because of uncontrollable events in natures.  Are not all of the glorious events that happen in nature also "acts of God?"  Wouldn't it be better to simply call events of harm and danger, "random and accidental" events of freedom in Nature?

This Gospel lesson today teaches us about our baptismal theology.

First, it is honest to the actual conditions of freedom of what might happen in life.
Second, when we find ourselves in harm's way, we are invited to call out for Christ and find his presence.
Third, we need to keep our focus upon Christ even as the tumults of life tempt us to be overwhelmed by the negative of what can go wrong in life.  We need to be delivered from letting sin, harm and loss define our lives.

And let us quit defining the events of harm in life as acts of God; rather let our lives become testimonies for the acts of Christ who is always offering us salvation and rescue.  Amen.