Sunday School, July 22, 2018 9 Pentecost B, proper 11

Sunday School, July 22, 2018   9 Pentecost  B, proper 11

Sunday School Themes

The lesson from 2 Samuel

Remind students that the second book of Samuel is most like the writing which we call history

The most important building in Israel was the Temple

The most important King of Israel David did not build the most important building, the Temple, though in the lesson today, we read that King David notice that he was living in a nice palace home and he thought God should have a good place as well.  But God told David that he would not build the Temple but one of his sons would.  His son Solomon built the first Temple and so it is often called Solomon’s Temple.

What was the traveling “Tent Temple” called?  The tabernacle

Another theme from Jeremiah, Psalm Twenty 23 and the Gospel is the frequent theme of Sheep and Shepherd.

You might let the children know that Psalm 23 is perhaps the best known and use writing in the Bible and it is poem about how someone knew God to be like a very caring shepherd.

Good leaders are like good caring shepherds.

Jesus in his time, noticed that so many people were like sheep who did not have shepherds.  Like children who did not have caring parents.  The mission of the life of Jesus was to help us to bring together the  people who were needy and the people who had the power and strength to take care of the needy.

Today, we need to be shepherds when we are given wealth, power, and education to take care of others.  Why?  Because we are often like sheep who need to be cared for.

Here is a sermon which asks us to play the sheep or shepherd game:

  Today we have read about sheep and shepherds.  In the Psalm we read, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

  So God is a like a good shepherd who takes good care of us.  And sometimes we do need care.  But we also can be shepherds too, because we can give care to others as well.

  Let’s play a game, sheep or shepherd.

  When your mom fixes you dinner, who is the shepherd?  Who is the sheep?

  When you take feed and brush your dog, who is the shepherd?  Who is the sheep?

  When you help your little brother put on his shoes; who is the shepherd?  Who is the sheep?

  When the doctor helps me get better from my sickness; who is the shepherd?  Who is the sheep?

  When the nurse helps the patient; who is the shepherd and who is the sheep?

  When a fireman helps to put out a fire at a family’s house; who is the shepherd?  Who is the sheep?

  So sometimes we get to be the shepherd when we can help others.  And sometimes we get to be sheep when we receive help from others.

  Sheep and shepherd.  Giving care and receiving care.  That is how this world works.

  Why do you think God made the world this way?

  I think God made the world this way to let us know that we need each other.  And the only way that we are going to be successful in life is to be successful together.

  God does not make us perfect alone.  We can only be perfect and complete as we help each other.

  And so God made this world like sheep and shepherds.  If we have strength and power and wealth and knowledge, we need to use it to help others.  And when we need something, we want someone to be like a good shepherd to us and help us.

   When you think about sheep and shepherd, just remember that God has made us to need each other and to help each other.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

July 22, 2018: The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: The Lord is My Shepherd, Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Alleluia, Awesome God

Song: The Lord is my Shepherd, I’ll walk with Him Always.   

The Lord is my Shepherd, I’ll walk with Him always

He leads me by still waters, I’ll walk with Him always

Always, always, I’ll walk with Him always.

Always, always, I’ll walk with Him always.

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

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  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 God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: 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 Ephesians

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

 

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

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.

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. 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. (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.

Song: Michael, Row the Boat Ashore (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 164)

Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.  Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.

Sister help to trim the sail, halleluah.  Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah.

Jordon River is chilly and cold, hallelujah.  Kills the body but not the soul, hallelujah.

River is deep and wide, hallelujah.  Milk and honey on the other side, hallelujah.

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 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.

The Prayer continues with these words

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song:  Alleluia (Renew! # 136)

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.  Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

He’s my savior, alleluia…

He is worthy, alleluia…

I will praise him, alleluia..

Maranatha, Alleluia….

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.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Why attribute personality to God?

Why attribute personality to God?

One could say that if in human language God is "that which none greater can be conceived," then greatness would also be defined by the users of language.  One could posit that God's greatness would be so unsurpassable, that in comparison with human "personality," God's personality would be such a super-personality that God could be an "impersonal" Being, meaning not personal like the limitation of human personality.

The reason God attains a personality for human beings is that we have language.  Human beings have language and language is the essence of inter-connection and inter-relationship and this essence of inter-relationship comes to be defined as having personality.  Einstein said the greatest question was to whether the universe was a "friendly" place.  If what we call enjoyment is evidence of friendly regard, then the friendliness of the universe expresses something of the meaning of a Personality for human beings.

Any thing that comes to language is colored with personality since having language expresses the most personal aspect of anthropomorphizing projection.  Perhaps the chief principle of the belief in the incarnation is that emptying of the divine into a divinely human person.  This, in fact, expresses the human situation of being merely human, but with the freedom to anthropomorphize about what is not human, e.g.,  animal beings, plant beings, unseen beings and the Great Being of God.  In actual practice, animals, plants, angels and the divine become the human versions of them, even while we in this mutually reflexive process of inter-relations, we confess it to be the participation with a Higher Personal Being.

Because we have language, we assume a Greater linguistic personal Being who is Word and the origin of being able to know ourselves as those who use language. We have happened onto believing some greater Language User made us personally in such a way because Communication conducted between beings is the chief attribute of being human.  Word is Spirit and Spirit is Word.  Word implies personality because Word implies the Connectedness which defines the meaning of personality.

Eulogy/Obituary for John the Baptist

8 Pentecost Cycle b proper 10     July 15, 2018

Amos 7:7-15   Psalm 85:8-13

Ephesians 1:3-14  Mark 6:14-29

Lectionary Link

Perhaps it is time to offer a eulogy and obituary for John the Baptist since we have read the account of his death today from the appointed Gospel.  John was in the lineage of those "plumb" crazy prophets like Amos; those prophets had a vision of what was plumb or perfectly upright for their worlds and they spoke about everything which did not line up with their vision of what was "plumb" in what they believed God ask for people in their behaviors.

I would like to offer these words of thanksgiving and celebratory remembrance for the life of John the Baptist.  In his life, one might say that even though he was not a Christian, he was proto-Christian and his ministry resulted in the arising of a community of followers which might be called the "proto-church."

Our dear John, has been extolled widely in the main text books of the church, in the Gospels.  The Gospels are the good news about Jesus, but they also include lots of news about the life of John the Baptist.  For good portions of the Gospel writing John is given almost a parallel status with the surpassing figure, Jesus Christ.

What kind of birth did John the Baptist have?  In the biblical birth traditions John the Baptist had  a marvelous birth.  His birth was like the births of Isaac and Samuel, in that he was conceived in a woman of elder age or who was declared barren, certainly of post-menopausal age.  The birth of Jesus is called miraculous because his conception is attributed to his Mother Mary being over-shadowed by the Holy Spirit.

John was probably six months older than Jesus.  When Mary visited her relative Elizabeth,  during their pregnancies, we are told that the gestational John did some flips in his mother's womb signifying in the early church that John recognized Jesus the Messiah even when he was in still his mother's womb.

John was born to the elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Zechariah was a priest, meaning that he was probably a Levite and a Sadducee.  John the Baptist had priestly lineage but the rite that John is most associated with is baptism.  John did not follow in the profession of his father.

John was likely one who was committed by his parents to the vow of the nazirite, like the famous Judge Samuel.  A nazirite drank no wine and did not cut his hair as signs of  his vows.  John's camel hair tunic and belt did not make him a GQ man, and with his diet of grasshoppers and honey, he was more of a wild man spectacle.  When a child was such an unexpected marvelous gift of God, the parent reciprocated by giving their child to God's special calling for his life.  However, John apparently did not study in the Vatican equivalent in the Jerusalem Temple.  He spent time in the wilderness and perhaps learned from the semi-monastic Essenes who inhabited the Jordanian wilderness.  They were a sect of Judaism with apocalyptic beliefs about divine intervention to end life as it was known.  John, in his ministry, warned his audience about fleeing from the wrath to come.  A big wrath hung over all of Palestine in the form of the Roman Empire.  The oppressed Jewish people in Palestine had developed some political structures to negotiate a way to survive the occupation of their land.  So rightly frightened they were about assimilation through compromise with the Gentiles, they had to double-down on their purity codes to keep themselves distinct.  But in making the purity code so rigid, they left lots of Jews who were condemned by not being properly observant Jews.  And if you weren't a completely observant Jew, you were a defiled sinner.  John the Baptist and Jesus tried to straddle the border between observant Judaism and the Jews who were not observant; they appealed to both classes of people.

When John came to public attention, he was a wilderness preacher by the Jordan River and his great innovation was the baptism of repentance.  The Jews practiced a water baptism, a mikvah, for non-Jews who wanted to convert to Judaism.  John required baptism in the Jordan River for everyone who wanted to associate with his prophetic perspective; he required observant Jews and non-observant people to undergo the rite of baptism.  John challenged that the Jews could be automatically chosen people of God, just because of their birth.  Every person had to authenticate being chosen by God through repentance. Jesus, his younger relative identified with the message and ministry of John by undergoing the baptism of John in the Jordan.  By so doing, one could note that Jesus had the upmost respect for John and regard for this prophet and rabbi colleague.

John the Baptist had a reputation which rivaled the reputation of Jesus.  Some people speculated that he was the return of Elijah.  Even Jesus said that he had the "spirit" of Elijah, even being a kind of reincarnation of Elijah.  Others said that he was the Messiah.  Herod believed that Jesus was the resurrection of John the Baptist, so even the wicked Herod believed that John and Jesus were very close in their ministries.

John was a hermit and stood aloof from people.  Jesus ate and drank with sinners.  Jesus had many friends.  Jesus had women friends.  John as hermit did not try to please people; he was an unbribed soul.  He was like an uncensored "Tourette syndrome-like" speaker.  He said what came to his mind.  He called the Jewish religious leaders a brood of vipers who were hell bound.  When he criticized King Herod for marrying his brother's wife, John angered Herod and his wife.  He was thrown into jail.  In prison, he still had contact with his disciples and he had some doubts and sent word asking about Jesus and his ministry.  King Herod's wife did not think imprisonment was enough for John's meddling; she tricked her husband to kill John the Baptist, using her daughter Salome as the lure.  The young Salome danced for the party; Herod was pleased and told her to make a wish.  Herodias told Salome told her to ask for John's head.  And Herod was trapped.  He had John decapitated in prison.  John's life was made into a trivial party trick, exemplifying that in freedom, evil wins over and over again in the ascendency of tyrants.

Our eulogy for John should also contain the afterlife of John the Baptist.  The afterlife of John is the same as his former life.  Why?  The afterlife of John is the recorded testimony found in our Gospels.  The Gospels represent the writings of the early church to present the life of Jesus Christ.  They gave context for the life of Jesus and John the Baptist was very important in understanding the context for the life of Jesus.  John the Baptist was a mentor for Jesus who realized that his student had graduated and surpassed him.  So, John the Baptist, graduated his own students and sent them to the post-graduate school of Jesus.  He believed that Jesus could take them further.  John said, "I baptize with water; Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  Jesus was a Trinitarian figure with the Father and the Holy Spirit; he was the one who gave orientation into God as Father and God as Holy Spirit.  About Jesus, John the Baptist said, "He must increase; I must decrease....I am not even worthy to tie the thongs of his sandals."  John was totally self-deprecating when he spoke about Jesus.  He was in total admiration and reverence of Jesus and he recommended all to be the same.  John the Baptist is presented as the ultimate set up person for Jesus Christ.  John's tragic and unfortunate death, became a milestone in the elevation of Jesus to be the sole leader of the former disciples of John the Baptist and the one who would surpass John in his life, death and resurrection.

Today, we honor John the Baptist with appreciation.  The Gospel witness of John the Baptist is the model for us too.  We need to be set up people for Jesus Christ.  We don't preach ourselves.  We preach Jesus Christ.  We embrace the reality that Christ has been born within us and we have the power to check our egos at the door and let the life of Christ come to the increase in our lives as we pursue lives of peace, love, justice and faith.  Let us mimic John the Baptist in being able to say about the Christ Nature within us: "He must increase; I must decrease."  Amen

Sunday School, July 15, 2018 8 Pentecost, B proper 10

Sunday School, July 15, 2018  8 Pentecost, B proper 10

Sunday School themes

If you use the passage from the prophet Amos, you can use the metaphor of the plumb line.

Bring a plumb line and show how the lowest point of the pendulum swing creates a vertically straight line.  This can be used by brick layers so they can be sure their wall is straight up and down and not leaning.

So God provides us with plumb lines so that we can live lives which do not topple over.

The Plumb lines of our lives are the laws and rules which give us guidance for our very best behaviors.

You might remind them of some of the famous Plumb Line Rules:  10 Commandments, Golden Rule and the Summary of the Law.

The letter to the Ephesians remind us that we are made for a wonderful purpose.  We are created for higher values and we need to learn to find those highest values as we practice our faith within our community.

Amos was a prophet who had to remind his people that their lives had become like a wall that was built crooked.  They needed a plumb line to correct their leaning wall by rebuilding to be straight up and down.  Amos was to remind them to return to the vows of keeping the commandment of God.

People do not always like to be corrected.  The prophets were sometimes attacked and injured when they tried to correct the bad behavior of people.

John the Baptist was a prophet too who was put in to prison and put to death because he tried to instruct all people including King Herod about what the law of God was for their behavior.  We need to stand up for people who are willing to tell us the truth about wrong behaviors.

Sermon:

Does anyone know the name of the cousin of Jesus?  His name was John the Baptist.

  How did John get his name, the Baptist?  We could also say John the Baptizer.

  If his name is John the Baptizer, what do you think John did?  He baptized.

  What is baptism?  Baptism for John was like taking a bath.  Why do we take a bath?  To get clean right?

  Do you really think that John the Baptizer wanted everyone to take a bath to keep clean?  No.  John the Baptizer wanted people to be clean inside.  He wanted people to make a promise to improve their lives.  He wanted people to make a promise to try to get better every day.  And he baptized people who made that promise.

  Today we still baptize.  Jesus asked his disciples to baptize.  Why do we baptize?  Do we do it to get clean?  You know when we baptize we just pour a little bit of water over the head.

  So, we do not baptize to take a bath; we baptize as a way to celebrate our adoption as sons and daughters of God.

  Baptism is a celebration that we belong to two families.  We belong to the family of our birth and we belong to the family God.

  Let us remember John the Baptist today.  And let us remember that we are baptized to celebrate that we are God’s children and that we belong to a wonderful family.  Amen.

Liturgy for the Day

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

July 15, 2018: The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Prepare the Way; Peace Before Us; My Jesus I love Thee; Soon and Very Soon

Song: Prepare the Way of the Lord   (Renew!  # 92)  Sing Four times

Prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of Lord, and all people will see the salvation of our God.

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

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  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

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: 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  to the Ephesians

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Or A reading from the Prophet Amos

This is what the Lord God showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by;

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

 

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 85

Truth shall spring up from the earth, * and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

The LORD will indeed grant prosperity, * and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness shall go before him, * and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.

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.

King Herod heard of the demons cast out and the many who were anointed and cured, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him." But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. 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. (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.

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

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

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

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 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.

The Prayer continues with these words

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: My Jesus, I Love Thee (Renew! # 275)

My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine, for thee all the follies of sin I resign; my gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou; if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.

I love thee because thou hast first loved me, and purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree; I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow; if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight, I’ll ever adore thee in heaven so bright; I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;  If ever I loved thee, my Jesus ‘tis now.

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: Soon and Very Soon (Renew! # 276)

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.  Soon and very soon we are going to see the King.  Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.  Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the King.

No more dying there, we are going to see the King.  No more dying there, we are going to see the King.  No more dying there we are going to see the King.  Alleluia, alleluia, we are going to see the King.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!