Quiz of the Day, January 2018

Quiz of the Day, January 31, 2018

Which of the following is not true about Abraham?

a. his original name was Abram
b. he heard God tell him to sacrifice his son
c. he present his wife to the Pharaoh and his sister
d. he was the first Jewish person in the Bible
e. circumcision originated with him

Quiz of the Day, January 30, 2018

Of the following which pairs were not brothers?

a. Isaac and Ishmael
b. Jacob and Esau
c. Joseph and Benjamin
d. Manasseh and Reuben

Quiz of the Day, January 29, 2018

What biblical figure turned into a pillar of salt?

a. Ramses the Pharaoh in one of the plagues
b. Korah
c. Lot's wife
d. the prophet of Baal who opposed Elijah

Quiz of the Day, January 28, 2018

Why did Abraham want God to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah?

a. his nephew Lot and family lived there
b. it was part of the land that God had promise to him
c. Sarah's nephew Lot lived there
d. Abraham sold most of his flock in the markets there


Quiz of the Day, January 27, 2018

What did Abram and Sarai do when God's messengers told them that they were going to have a baby in their advanced age?

a. composed a song of praise
b. told their relatives
c. laughed
d. tried to help by obtaining Hagar as a surrogate mother

Quiz of the Day, January 26, 2018

Who of the following was not a colleague or companion of St. Paul?

a. Silas
b. Barnabas
c. Titus
d. Timothy
e. Nicodemus
f. John Mark

Quiz of the Day, January 25, 2018

The metaphor "Damascus Road Experience" derived from which New Testament personality?

a. Jesus
b. Paul
c. Peter
d. Philip

Quiz of the Day, January 24, 2018

Who was the biblical Hagar?

a. wife of Abram
b. mother of Ishmael
c. recipient of a theophany
d. slave of Sarai who was mistreated by her
e. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, January 23, 2018

Which of the following is not true of Phillips Brooks?

a. he wrote "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
b. he was Bishop of Massachusetts
c. he preached at Abraham Lincoln's funeral in Washington
d. he preached against slavery
e. he preached long sermons which were published

Quiz of the Day, January 22, 2018

In the text of Genesis, Melchizedek, was given a tithe by Abram aka Abraham.  How is the identity of Melchizedek listed in the book of Genesis?

a. High Priest of Salem
b. Judge of Salem
c. King of Salem
d. Patriarch of Salem

Quiz of the Day, January 21, 2018

Why did Paul rebuke Peter?

a. for not accepting the Gentile Mission
b. for hypocrisy in his interaction with Jewish and Gentile Christians
c. for not observing purity rules in Judaism
d. for differences on the circumcision requirement

Quiz of the Day, January 20, 2018

Who was the man who was elected to be the Pope when he was a layman and his selection was partially due to a dove landing on him in the middle of a crowd?

a. Fabian
b. Gregory I
c. Leo I
d. Pius I

Quiz of the Day January 19, 2018

Who was the father of Abra(ha)m?

a. Terah
b. Haran
c. Nahor
d. Melchizedek

Quiz of the Day, January 18, 2018

Peter's confession to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of God" was inspired but what elements in its presentation indicates that Peter needed something more than inspiration?

a. Jesus rebuked him by saying, "Get behind me, Satan"
b. Peter did not understand the kind of Messiah Jesus was going to be
c. Peter wanted a triumphant Davidic King, not a Suffering Servant Messiah
d. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, January 17, 2017

Whom of the following is called the "Father of all Monks?"

a. Anthony of Padua
b. Anthony of the Desert
c. Anthony of Egypt
d. Anthony of Thebes
e. Anthony the Great
f. all of the above except a

Quiz of the Day, January 16, 2018

Whom of the following is most responsible for the revival of Anglican monastic orders?

a. King Henry VIII
b. King Charles I
c. Richard Benson and Charles Gore
d. Joseph Cowley, founder of the "Cowley Fathers"

Quiz of the Day, January 15, 2018

Why is there two possible commemorations for the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Episcopal Calendar of saints?

a. one on his birth date and one on the anniversary of his death
b. one for the national holiday and one on the anniversary of his death
c. one for the national holiday and one on the anniversary of his birth
d. one for the dedication date of his memorial and one for the national holiday

Quiz of the Day, January 14, 2018

In the stable of biblical hothead personalities, which of the twelve disciples were given the nickname by Jesus, "sons of thunder?"

a. Peter and Andrew
b. Philip and Thomas
c. James and John
d. Peter and Thomas

Quiz of the Day, January 13, 2018

Who were the biblical Nephilim?

a. a pre-Flood race of giants born from heavenly beings and women
b. foes of Israel across the Jordon River
c. Cain's descendents
d. foes of Noah's building of the ark

Quiz of the Day, January 12, 2018

Aelred of Rievaulx might be called the saint of which of the following?

a. Gregorian Chant
b. Monastic Rule
c. Holy friendships
d. Monastic theology

Quiz of the Day, January 11, 2018

Nathaniel is often identified as which of the 12 disciples?

a. Thaddaeus
b. Bartholomew
c. Jude
d. Matthew


Quiz of the Day, January 10, 2018

Which of the follow might best characterized William Laud's view of church and state?

a. establishmentarian
b. disestablishmentarian
c. antidisestablishmentarian
d. Arminian Calvinist

Quiz of the Day, January 9, 2018

The statements of belief of which Creed is used in question and answer form for the baptismal vows of the Book of Common Prayer?

a. Nicene Creed
b. Apostles' Creed
c. Chalcedonian Creed
d. Athanasian Creed

Quiz of the Day, January 8, 2018

Who of the following responded to the voice of God in the night, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening?"

a. Moses
b. Paul
c. Jesus
d. Samuel
e. David
f. unknown person in the Psalms

Quiz of the Day, January 7, 2018

What is the meaning of "mikvah?"

a. a Jewish prayer shawl
b. ritual immersion bath in Judaism
c. the Hebrew name of the altar in the tabernacle
d. the name for the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea

Quiz of the Day, January 6, 2017

Which of the following is not a theme of the day and season of the Epiphany?

a. Baptism of Jesus
b. The visit of the Magi
c. The calling of the 12 disciples
d. The changing of water to wine by Jesus at a wedding in Cana

Quiz of the Day, January 5, 2018

Why is January 6th "Christmas" for many Christians in the world?

a. theological disagreement between the Eastern and Western Churches
b. Pope Gregory the Great changed the date
c. the Eastern Church reacted against using the pagan solstice date
d. the retaining of the date in the Julian calendar

Quiz of the Day, January 4, 2018

Whom of the following American Catholic saints has a university named after her/him?

a. Katharine Drexel
b. Elizabeth Ann Seton
c. Dorothy Day
d. Vincent R. Capadanno
e. a and b


Quiz of the Day, January 3, 2018

What biblical figure raised people from the dead, did not die, parted waters and called down fire from the sky to consume animal sacrifices?

a. Jesus
b. Moses
c. Jeremiah
d. Elijah

Quiz of the Day, January 2, 2018

Who issued a personal threat to the life of the prophet Elijah?

a. Ahab
b. Jezebel
c. the priests of Baal
d. the king of Judah

Quiz of the Day, January 1, 2018

What happened to Jesus on the "eighth" day of Christmas?

a. he made the flight to Egypt
b. he returned from the flight to Egypt
c. he was visited by the Magi
d. he was circumcised

The Ministry of Whispering

4 Epiphany B  January 28, 2018
Deut. 18:15-20  Ps. 111
1 Corinthians 8:1-13   Mark 1:21-28
Lectionary Link
In the biblical record, all the entities of existence and their states of being have been categorized as clean or unclean, good or evil, pure or impure.

The mythologies of the Hebrew Scriptures includes unseen heavenly competition between the Supreme God and all of the other gods and as the God El was becoming the Supreme God of the heavenly council, the people of Israel were interacting with the people in Canaan who had other gods as their favorites.  God's will in heaven was becoming God's will on earth as the people of Israel professed their sole allegiance to the One true Supreme God.  This One holy God was holy and special and pure and epitomized cleanliness, even as the other gods and fallen angels were the hidden source of the evil and uncleanliness that had seeped into the world.

An entire cosmic universal public health system was devised and promulgated in the writings of the Torah.  Things were clean or unclean, pure and impure, permitted and forbidden.  Human states of holiness and purity were described; human states of unholiness, uncleanness and impurity were described.

Rule of transition from going from an unclean state of being to a clean state of being were specified in purity rules.  The purity rules were devised to keep the people of Israel separate and distinct from those who did not and could not comply to the rules of holiness.

Rules of holiness and cleanliness are easier to maintain if one does not have to live close to people who do not comply with the rules.

In the history of Israel, there were very few years of actual secure borders.  The other peoples of Canaan and their cultural and religious practices continually impinged upon the social and political life of Israel.  Intermarriage occurred and the gods and idols of the foreign brides often came into the lives of those who were supposed to be living lives of unwavering devotion to Yahweh and the Torah.  There arose a class of religious leaders, the prophets, who blamed most of the ills which beset their countries of the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, on the infidelity of people of Israel in "chasing after foreign gods."

In the ancient public health classification one could either be holy and clean or unholy and unclean.  For example, a dead body was unclean and if one contacted a dead body, one had to go through a purification rite to be designated to be in a holy state again.

The conditions of being unholy or unclean were specified in the ritual practice of Judaism.  In a practical sense, it was a religious public health system which derived from long experience of observing outcomes.  In the long history of eating pork, the coincidence of frequent trichinosis was probably observed.  One could see the injunction against eating pork as a rule to protect and prevent illness.  It could also have been an affirmation of the nomadic tribal origins of the people of Israel who were accustomed to herding sheep, goat and cows but not pigs so there could have been economic reasons not to eat pork.

Each human person lives in an outer world and each human being contains within oneself an inner world.  The inner world has its own traditional geography of soul and spirit.  To live a holy life of health and salvation involves the integration of one's inner life with the outer world of our family and social environment.

What happens when the inner world of a person seems disordered to such a degree that behaviors result in causing self-harm or harm to other people in society?

How does one designate an "anti-social" person so the general populace can be "protected" from such a person?  A person who has a disease that seemed to be infectious to others was designated as "unclean" and there were recommendations for quarantine and segregation of such infectious people.  The history of humanity includes all of the ways in which societies have designated persons regarded to harmful to the community and often ignorance of the actual conditions has led to abhorrent discrimination and shunning.  Social fears have created bedlams, asylums, debtors' prisons, sanatoriums,  prison colonies, and all sorts of incarceration.

Strange behaviors frighten people.  Our streets are full of persons with strange behaviors; people regarded as have serious mental health problems.  Much of the violence in our society is attributed to mental health problems.

During the time of Jesus, the religious public health authorities had ways of designating a person who frightened the general populace.  A person was designated as having an unclean spirit.  This meant that such a person was disordered within and could not peaceably negotiate the inner life with the outer world to the satisfaction of his or her society.  Such people were often loved by their families who were at their wits end to know how to help a person who was so disordered.  A leper was a person who was designated as "unclean" because of the visible splotches on the skin.  A person who was wild and uncontrollable in behaviors and speech was designated as one who had an unclean spirit, perhaps because of internal interaction with a fallen angel or demon.

People out of control are frightening to the general populace.  Most societies devise rules and laws and structures for dealing with people who are perceived to be out of control.

In most Episcopal Churches, the liturgies are so solemn that they don't seem to be the place for a two year old who is throwing a fit.  A two year old can really upset Episcopalians in their liturgy; imagine a man out of control attending the synagogue where Jesus was attending.  The frighten congregants wanted to call the 911 authorities of the day and remove this wild man.  As a wild man with an unclean spirit, he was polluting the rest of the community.  The wild man knew enough to know that he wanted to be able to come to inner peace and self control.  The man with the unclean spirit confessed Jesus as the "clean and Holy One."  He regarded Jesus to be a Whisperer who could help him.   Instead of segregation, instead of a strait jacket, instead of handcuffs and restraints, Jesus pierced into the inner life of this person.  He was the ultimate people whisperer.  He did not remove this man as unworthy of being included in humanity; he went to the inner source of the problem.  This story represents the cosmic theology of the early church.

St. Paul, wrote his writings before the Gospels were written.  He said that while he lived he was seated with Christ in the heavenly places above all principalities and powers of darkness.  Christ as being the  interior super-hero was the teaching of St. Paul.  This belief of Christ being above the principalities of darkness came to be presented in the Gospel story of Jesus as one who exorcised unclean spirits and demons.  Jesus was the Ultimate People Whisperer.

To be human is to know at times the experience of a disordered inner state of being.  Situations of sickness, loss, pain, threat, depression, disappointment, addiction, and fear can literally take us over an leave us in a disordered state of chaos.  We can be helpless to ourselves and others when we experience these disordered states.  When we are sick, we want a doctor or hospital care to whisper us and give us hope that we can return to a former state of health.  When we are in an accident or victim of a crime we look for EMT responders and officers of the law to whisper us to the assurance to returning to a state of safety.  When hurricane, fire and landsides reek havoc, we look for responders and outside help to whisper a sense of hope back into us and our community.

Whispering is not an official ministry of the church, but it perhaps one of the most practical ministries that people can do for each other when our lives are put in harms way or when our lives become disordered because of the loss of mental and physical health.

The Whispering ministry of the church is found the passing of the Peace.  It may seem  trivial and routine, a mere liturgical gesture but the theology of the Passing of the Peace, is the theology of mutual Whispering.

The Gospel is that people who wish to live in mutual peace with one another should not be denied the opportunity, no matter what the existing pre-conditions are. 

A humane health care system is based upon both giving care and keeping everyone as safe as possible.  This is the Gospel health care system too.  Jesus was in the center of the synagogue offering spiritual health to all who wanted it.  This is same spiritual program of the church.  We are to offer the hope of Christ to whisper the souls of all people in all conditions back into the inner/outer equilibrium of peace to be able to live with hope in the midst of all of the circumstances of life.

Today you and I are called to go forth and whisper and be whispered by the calming peace of Christ.  A mom who whispers a troubled baby to rest and calmness does the whispering work of the peace of Christ.  Learning how to be with each  other in some of the challenges of life and helping each other maintain hope is the ministry of whispering.

I hope and pray that each one has been able to find the whispering that one has needed in the times of disorder and chaos that has come to our psychological and spiritual lives.  And I pray that each of us are rising to occasion to whisper the people that God sends for us to bring the hopeful message of peace of Christ.

May God help us be whispered by the peace of Christ.  And may we go forth to whisper the peace of Christ to others today.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 28, 2018 4 Epiphany B

Sunday School, January 28, 2018  4 Epiphany B

Theme:

Being a people whisperer.

Have you ever seen a mother calm her crying baby?  How does she do that?

Have you ever seen a dog owner calm a barking dog?  How does a person do that?

Have you ever seen a horse trainer, tame and calm a wild horse?  How does a person do that?

Some one who knows how to calm an animal is called a whisperer.  A dog whisperer is able to be so friendly with a dog that a dog becomes calm, friendly and peaceful with a dog whisperer.  A horse whisperer can be so friendly with a wild horse that they horse calms down and will let the horse whisperer ride without being bucked off.  How does a horse whisperer do that?

It is something that you can learn, but it is also a special gift.

We might call Jesus a people whisperer.  Today we read about Jesus meeting a man who was really upset.  He was like a crying and screaming baby out of control.  But he wanted to be in control.  He wanted to find someone who could calm him.  The people were afraid of this wild acting man and they wanted him removed, but Jesus calm the man down and showed him how he could be friendly and peaceful.  Jesus was a people whisperer.

You and I are supposed to be people whisperers too.  How do we do that?  When people are hurt or in pain or when people are sad and angry, we can help them by being kind and feeling safe.

When we say: The Peace of the Lord be with you, we are accepting our role to be people whisperers.  We are to learn how to make people feel calm and peaceful and we are to learn how we can accept the help of others when we need it to have some calm in our lives.  

Let us remember that Jesus was a people whisperer and he taught us to be people whisperers today.  Remember we exchange the greeting of peace today, we are accepting our role as people whisperers.

Sermon:

Today, we read about when Jesus went to a synagogue.  A synagogue was a place where people in the time of Jesus went to pray and to read their holy book. 

  And Jesus surprised the people by how he taught.  Usually, the teachers of his time were taught by a famous teacher or rabbi.  And when a someone graduated from the  school of a famous rabbi, a student’s diploma depended upon the reputation of the teacher whom he studied with.

  So, the people were surprised by the teaching of Jesus.  Because they did not know where he had learned everything that he knew.

  They said that he taught with authority.  What is authority?  Authority is a power and strength and ability.  We say a doctor has authority, because a doctor knows all about medicine.  A doctor can use knowledge of medicine to help patients recover from their illnesses.  So, a good doctor has authority…power and ability to make people better.

  Jesus was a person who had authority.  He had power and ability to make people better.

  How can you and I get the kind of power and authority that Jesus had?  We like powerful people.  We like football heroes, baseball heroes because of their strength and their ability.  We like super heroes because of their power.

  Big muscles may make us strong and powerful, but that does not give us the kind of power and authority that Jesus had.  Jesus wants us to have the same kind of authority and power that he had.

  And how can we have that same authority?  How do you and I get authority in our lives?  We get authority by keeping our word, and by doing the right things that we’re supposed to do.

   Why is it hard to clean your room?  Why is it hard to do your homework?  And why does it look easy when your mom or dad are cleaning your room?  If we do not have practice in cleaning our room, we do not have authority or power.  Mom and dad have cleaned before many times and so they have authority and power to clean.  The same thing with our homework.  Mom and dad can do your homework because they have practiced.  So they have authority and power to do it.

  Jesus wants you and me to have authority.  And how do we get authority?  We get it by practicing.  When we learn how to do something well, then we have authority.  Sometimes practice is very difficult, but we need to remember that with practice we are gaining the power to have authority.  We are gaining the power to do something well.

  Jesus wants each of us to have authority and power today.  He wants us to work hard at practicing how to live good lives, so that we can have power and authority.  Jesus wants each of us to be a superhero of our own lives.  I am powerful.  I have authority.  I can control myself.  I can practice to be better everyday.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Holy Eucharist

January 28, 2018: Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs:

To God Be the Glory, Christ Beside me, Dona Nobis, We Are Marching

Processionial Song: To God be the Glory, Renew! # 258

To God be the glory great things he hath done,

so loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

and opened the lifegate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!

O Come to the Father through Jesus the Son,

and give him the glory, great things he hath done.

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.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First 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 Deuteronomy   

Moses said, The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb…

The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 111

Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, *in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.

Great are the deeds of the LORD! *they are studied by all who delight in them.

His work is full of majesty and splendor, *and his righteousness endures for ever.

He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; *the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

He gives food to those who fear him; *he is ever mindful of his covenant.

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 Mark

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. And Jesus healed a man who was troubled in his heart.  They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. …At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doxology

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.

All are born into the family of God by Baptism.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his 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 neighbors.

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, 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!

Word of Administration.

Communion:  Dona Nobis Pacem, (Renew # 240)

Dona nobis pacem, pacem, dona nobis pacem. 

Dona nobis pacem, dona nobis pacem. 

Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.

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: We are Marching in the Light of the Lord, Renew! # 306

We are marching in the Light of the Lord;

            we are marching in the light of the Lord

            We are marching in the Light of the Lord;

we are marching in the light of the Lord

We are marching in the Light of the Lord;

we are marching in the light of the Lord

We are singing in the Light of the Lord…..

           

Refrain: We are marching, marching, we are marching, oh,

we are marching in the light of the lord.       

We are marching, marching, we are marching, oh,

we are marching in the light of the lord.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Equal Calling, Different callings

3 Epiphany B  January 21, 2018
Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:6-14
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20
Lectionary Link
There was an old man who spent most of the day on the wharf fishing and talking.  And someone one asked him about religion.  And he said, "I guess fishing is my religion, but I have to admit that I'm quite impressed that Jesus was able to get some men to leave their fishing and take up preaching.  He must of been a pretty special guy."

There is some irony in reading about the prophet Jonah and the Gospel call to the fishermen since Jonah was the one who caught by a big fish.

Remember the story of Jonah?  He was told to go preach a message of repentance to the foreign city of Ninevah, but Jonah believed that the message of the Torah only belonged to his own people of Israel.  He knew it to be such a good message, he knew that if God treated the people of Ninevah like God treated obedient people everywhere, they would embrace the good news of God.

What did Jonah do when he was first called?  He ran away and took a slow boat in the opposite direction.  And nature was used by God to perform an intervention in the flight of the disobedient prophet.  A storm arose and threated the life of all on the ship; and finally Jonah confessed about how his disobedience was the cause of the storm.  So, he convinced them to throw him overboard to make the storm cease.  And what happened to Jonah?

He was swallowed by a big fish.  He spent three nights in the belly of the big fish and he prayed while in the belly of the big fish.  He made the big fish sick that the big fish spit him upon the beach.  And Jonah received a second call to go to Ninevah and he obeyed and sure enough Ninevah received and obeyed his message.

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen who got caught.  They were not caught and swallowed by a big fish; they were caught by this charismatic rabbi Jesus who was preaching on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

They liked the dynamic of being "caught" by Christ; finding the best teacher of their lives must have been exciting.  And Jesus told them that he would help them catch others in a similar way.  They became his students in his school of discipleship.  They wanted to learn from Jesus how to activate their wisdom and their personal charisma in a way that would help them to reach other people.  The call of Christ involves each of us learning how to help people activate their call to the goodness of God.

The Call of God is a multi-faceted; it involves how each human being can understand the purpose of his or her life.

The Call of God needs to be understood in its fullness. 1-the Pre-Christian Cosmic Call.  2-The personal call by Jesus.  3-The institutionalization of call in baptismal practice and ordination.  And 4-Call as the complementing vocation in everything that we do.

The PreChristian Call is articulated in our Creation belief that we are made in the image of God and so the homing device of God's image within us is always already trying to lead us back to God.  The law, the sages, the prophets all came as ways to assist us in restoring the best performance of the image of God in our lives.  The limitation of the call to just the people of Israel and to certain religious parties, such as happened in the life of Jonah, meant that a new call had to be made explicit. And so we have the personal call of God to humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus came to be the Image of God in a human person to model how the image of God on humanity is to be lived out.  And God became known as a specific person in Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus of Nazareth attracted people to find their purpose of life.  He built a Movement and a community to gather to model and live out these behaviors of good news, the good news of love and kindness and justice.  And this message of Jesus became so successful that it caught on, not only with Jews but with Gentiles.

And when something is a really successful social phenomenon what has to happen?  Organization has to arise to help to consolidate people in the message.  Christianity went  from being a small charismatic movement meeting in private homes with very informal structures and it became a massive cultural force taking over the Roman Empire and so it needed the same structures of law and order found in the Roman government and military.  The call of God in Christ received institutional meaning and definition.  The informal and personal charismatic gifts of the church become regularized in structure of ministry in the four orders: Lay, diaconal, priestly and episcopal.  The main call of God is regularized in baptism.  The Lay order is the main order of ministry shared by all Christ.  Baptism is an event which expresses that God's grace calls all us at all ages to activate God's image in our lives and accept ourselves as God's children.  This is the basic call and it makes us all equal in grace.  The orders of ministries as deacons, priests and bishop are callings for some as specific ways to articulate baptismal grace and calling.  A baby is equal in grace to a bishop, priest or deacon.  And that brings us to the call as the complementing vocation of everything that we do.  If you are baptized and you are a lawyer, you have the call of Christ.  If you are a doctor, teacher, mother, father, engineer, business person, landscaper, you have the para-calling of Christ that means you bring the values of Christ into all of the behaviors within one's career.  The call of Christ is alongside everything else that we do in our lives.

So, where does that leave us today?  Don't be like Jonah.  Don't try to avoid the particular call of Christ upon your live to express and live out the good news about God's love.  You cannot use the busy-ness of your career as being an excuse to say, "I am not called because I have never been ordained."

Do not let the church uphold bishops, priests and deacons as being the main persons called in the church.  The ordained ministries are only particular kinds of baptismal calling.  We have bishops, priests and deacon as signs and symbols within church announcing that all people are called by Christ.  All people are ordained in their baptisms to share the message and life of Christ in all that they do.

The call of Christ is equally given to us of us in our different life circumstances.  May God help each of us to honor the call of Christ in our lives.  Amen.