Quiz of the Day, January 2019

Quiz of the Day, January 31, 2019

Which Greek word is used for "love" in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians?

a. storge
b. phileo
c. eros
d. agape


Quiz of the Day, January 30, 2019

Which is not true about faith, hope and love?

a. they are a trio listed in Paul's 13th chapter of First Corinthians
b. they are Cardinal Virtues
c. They are Theological Virtues
d. they are Fruits of the Spirit
e. all of the above
f. a and c
g. b and d

Quiz of the Day, January 29, 2019

In what town did people try to throw Jesus off a hill?

a. Nazareth
b. Jerusalem
c.  Capernaum
d. Jericho

Quiz of the Day, January 28, 2019

Which philosopher influenced much of the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas?

a. Socrates
b. Plato
c. Aristotle
d. Plotinus

Quiz of the Day, January 27, 2019

What caused the people of Israel to weep in the public gathering led by Ezra and Nehemiah?

a. the start of the rebuilding of the temple
b. the end of the rebuilding of the temple
c. the reading of the Book of the Law
d. the return from captivity

Quiz of the Day, January 26, 2019

The apocryphal book, "Bel and the Dragon" is associated with as an "attached" chapter of what Book of the Bible?

a. Ezekiel
b. Daniel
c. Nehemiah
d. Esther

Quiz of the Day, January 25, 2019

Which of the following is not found in the account of the conversion of St. Paul in the Acts of the Apostles?

a. he was on the road to Damascus
b. he was on a mission to persecute followers of Jesus
c. he fell off his horse
d. he saw a blinding light
e. he heard the voice of God

Quiz of the Day, January 24, 2019

Who was the first woman ordained as a priest in the Anglican Communion?

a. Carter Heyward
b. Alla Bozarth-Campbell
c. Alison Cheek
d. Florence Lee Tim-Oi

Quiz of the Day, January 23, 2019

Where in the Bible is God quoted as saying, "I create weal and woe?"

a. Psalms
b. Romans
c. Isaiah
d. Jeremiah

Quiz of the Day, January 22, 2019

Who is a biblical messiah?

a. David
b. Saul
c. Cyrus the Great
d. Jesus
e. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, January 21, 2019

What was Martin Luther King, Jr.'s father's name at birth?

a. Michael King
b. Joseph King
c. Jeremy King
d. Robert King

Quiz of the Day, January 20, 2019

Who said this to Mary, mother of Jesus: "Woman, what does this have to do with me?"

a. Gabriel
b. Joseph
c. Elizabeth
d. Jesus

Quiz of the Day, January 19, 2019

Who at the Wedding of Cana in Galilee knew the origin of the final wine served besides Jesus?

a. Mary
b. the Steward 
c. the disciples
d. the servants

Quiz of the Day, January 18, 2019

Where did the confession of Peter take place?

a. Jerusalem
b. Capernaum
c. Caesarea Philippi
d. The Mount of Olives

Quiz of the Day, January 17, 2019

Which of the following is not true about the Desert Father, St. Anthony?

a. he was the first Christian ascetic
b. his biography written was written by St. Athanasius
c. he is known for the temptations which faced him
d. he the the Father of Monks

Quiz of the Day, January 16, 2019

When a liturgist refers to the "Venite" what is meant?

a. first word in Latin of an open Psalm for Morning Prayer
b. Psalm 95
c. a Matins canticle
d. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, January 15, 2019

Which of the following is not a traditional theme of the Season of the Epiphany?

a. Changing water to wine in Cana of Galilee
b. the Magi
c. the baptism of Jesus
d. the return of Christ

Quiz of the Day, January 14, 2019

Why would some early Christians have the view that Jesus was the "adopted" Son of God using the Gospel of Mark as their main source?

a. Mark was the earliest written Gospel and closest to what was really known about Jesus
b. Mark does not have the story of the birth of Jesus
c. Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus when a heavenly voice declares the identity of the heavenly Son
d. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, January 13, 2019

Which of the Gospels does not include an account of the baptism of Jesus?

a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Luke
d. John

Quiz of the Day, January 12, 2019

To which of the churches did the author of Revelation hear words "you are neither hot nor cold.  You are lukewarm.  I spit you out?"

a. Thyatira
b. Philadelphia
c. Smryna
d. Ephesus
e. Laodicea
f. Sardis
g. Pergamum

Quiz of the Day, January 11, 2019

Some biblical scholars believe that there is a gospel within a gospel, or there is a "Book of Signs" which was included and integrated into a later redacted Gospel.  Which Gospel includes this "Book of Signs?"

a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Luke
d. John

Quiz of the Day, January 10, 2019

Laudian refers to what?

a. a form of ecstatic utterance
b. in religious parlance it refers to that which is noteworthy to faith
c. refers to things derived from the influence of  Archbishop William Laud and his era
d. refers to anti-Puritan views of the monarchy

Quiz of the Day, January 9, 2019

Who is responsible for the small blue collection boxes of the United Thank Offering?

a. Frances Perkins
b. Mary Daly
c. Julia Chester Emery
d. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Quiz of the Day, January 8, 2019

Which is the transliteration of the New Testament Greek word used in the Gospel of John for the fantastic works of Jesus?

a. ergon
b. terata
c. semeion
d. dunamis

Quiz of the Day, January 7, 2019

What is Cana of Galilee most famous for?

a. place where Jesus healed a blind man
b. place where Jesus made a lame man walk
c. place where Jesus turned water into wine
d. place where the Assumption of Mary took place

Quiz of the Day, January 6, 2019

The understanding of the Magi as Kings, comes from a biblical phrase, "May all the kings of the earth fall before thee."  Where is this found?

a. Isaiah
b. Matthew
c. Revelation
d. Psalms

Quiz of the Day, January 5, 2019

Where is the phrase "cloud of witnesses" found?

a. Hebrews 11
b. Collect for All Saints'
c. Preface for All Saints'
d. a and b
e. a and c

Quiz of the January 4, 2019

The New Testament Greek word for faith (pistos) meant what in the classical Greek of Aristotle?

a. persuasion
b. propriety
c. piety
d. certitude

Quiz of the Day, January 3, 2019]

Hebrews chapter eleven might be called what?

a. the love chapter
b. the faith chapter
c. the fruit of the Spirit chapter
d. the armor of God chapter

Quiz of the Day, January 2, 2019

Of the following, who is responsible for the eventual Church of South India?

a. Sadhu Sindar Singh
b. Francis Xavier
c. Samuel Azariah
d. Roberto Nobilio


Quiz of the Day, January 1, 2019

Which of the following was not a part of the eighth day of the life of Jesus?

a. his circumcision
b. his naming 
c. blessing by Anna the prophetess
d. composing of the hymn by Simeon

Gospel as Propriety

3 Epiphany C          January 27, 2019  
Neh. 8:2-10           Ps. 19      
1 Cor. 12:12-27       Luke 4:14-21    

Lectionary Link

What does good news mean for you and me today?  Good news changes depending upon the needs of the situation for each person in their lives.  Good news thus needs to be adjustable to each human situation.

Gospel is the English word for the Greek word euangellion.  Gospel is the name for a certain type of biblical genre.  The Christian Bible has four Gospels.  These books are writings which basically are narrative presentations of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.  And since they were written later than some of the writings of St. Paul, they are narratives written with theological and teaching purposes within the various early church communities.

Today's Gospel reading indicates to us that the gospel meaning did not originate with Jesus or the New Testament.  In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus was at a synagogue for the Shabbat liturgy.  He read from the scroll of Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor...."  Good News in the Hebrew language is "basar," so long before the Gospel of the New Testament we should appreciate that the Gospel for Jesus derived from the prophet Isaiah.

I would like to present to you my belief that the Gospel is a very adjustable notion.  It is what the people of belles lettres literary movement called propriety.  The Gospel is the word, deed or fortuitous happening that is most appropriate for the situation.

What is the good news for the poor? Having enough for oneself and for the people that one is responsible for taking care of?  What is good news for the oppressed?  To be delivered from the oppressor who uses power to steal the dignity and freedom of people.  What is good news for the prisoner?  To be freed from the confines of wrong imprisonment.  What is good news for the blind?  To be able to see.

Some times we limit the good news simply to the people who have really bad situations in life happening to them.  But what does good news mean to the wealthy?  Good news for the wealthy would be that they have been blessed with the resources to share with the poor.

Oxfam, the organization that distributes aid throughout the world released a statistic this year.  They said that 26 of the wealthiest people in the world own the equivalent of 3.8 billion people or half of the world population own.  How can this bee good news?  It might be good news that 26 people have been able to be so wealthy because of the free market, but what about some more good news for them?  What if they truly believed that the free market gave them the freedom to make sure that the rest of the world had enough in food, clothing and shelter.  Wouldn't that really be free market good news?

The good news for the oppressors and the captors is that they can use their power to release and free those who are unjustly imprisoned and oppressed.  And those who have the blessing of sight have the freedom to help all who are blind and impaired to get equal opportunity for qualitative life.

The Gospel is good news for those where are sinners and for those who are sinned against.  The Gospel seeks what is appropriate for each situation.

In our lessons, from the Hebrew Scripture, the Gospel was the discovery of the importance of the Law.  The law is the revelation of recommended behaviors which best serve the common good.  When Nehemiah helped his people re-discover the law, it brought great joy.  The Psalmist rejoiced in the law of the God.  The goal of the law was perfection, truth, justice, clarity, purity, righteousness and enlightenment.  For Nehemiah and for the Psalmist the Law was good news.

What did the Good News or Gospel required for the Corinthian Church?  Apparently they had experienced some bad news.  What was their bad news?  It was disharmony.  Some roles and ministries of the contributions of some members were being regarded as inferior and unimportant for the success of the Corinthian church.  When people's worth is discounted it does not result in harmonious community life.

St. Paul wrote to his church about good news.  What was the Good News?  Each person has a worthy and worthwhile gift and value to the community.  It is incumbent on the community to find and to bring to expression the different gifts of everyone within the community.

When the community comes to the harmonious expression of all of the gifts of its members, then the good news of Christ is known.

What does the Gospel mean for you and me right now?  The Gospel is an adjustable propriety to what each of us needs right now.  If we are sinners then the Gospel is forgiveness and amendment of our lives.  If we are those who sinned against or those who suffer from the hardships of life, it is health, deliverance and recovery to a place of having all that we need.

Let us not limit the Gospel to writings in the Bible today.  Let us understand the Gospel as the needed and relevant message of God to each of us, right here, right now.

What do you and I need to restore our lives in the direction of what is perfect, true, right, just, clear, pure and enlightened?  That is the Gospel for us and it is available to us if we will arise to receive it.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 27, 2019 3 Epiphany C

Sunday School, January 27, 2019      3 Epiphany C

Theme: Explore the meaning of Gospel

What does Gospel mean?

Gospel is the name for the type of writing in the first four books of the New Testament:  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?

Gospel is an English word which is a translation of a Greek word found in the New Testament.  The Greek word means, “Good News.”

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are called Gospels, because they are “good news” about the life of Jesus Christ.

The word Gospel was also used in the Prophet Isaiah.  The book of Isaiah is found in the Old Testament, the first part of the Christian Bible.  The Old Testament is the Bible for the Jewish people and for them it is the Hebrew Scriptures.

The prophet Isaiah used the Hebrew word, “basar” which means in English “Good News.”

Jesus used to go to the gathering place of the Jews called a synagogue.  And he read from the Law and the Prophets and the other Hebrew Scriptures.  One day he read in the synagogue this from the Prophet Isaiah:   "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ,because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 

When Jesus read this, he preached a sermon and he told all of his listeners that what he had read from Isaiah was what his work was in this life.  Jesus had the Spirit of God on him in a special way.  He told poor people good news and gave them hope.  He taught people how to get out of the prison of their sins.  He healed the seeing of people by helping them to see good things in their lives.  He came to free people who were mistreated.  He came to tell people that God wanted to do something special for them.

Can you and I be like Jesus?  Can we discover that the purpose of our lives is to learn how to bring good news to people?

Remember the Gospels are not just books in the Bible.  Gospel means good news.  Jesus came to show us how to discover good news for our lives and then we learn how to tell other people good news for their lives.

A Children’s Sermon on Good News.

Are you a person who likes to tell good news?  How would like to be the person who gets to say to someone, “You’ve won a prize!  You’ve won a million dollars!  It is fun to tell the good news.

  How would you like to be a doctor who tells patience:  You’re all better now.   You’re healed!

  How would you like to be the person who goes to a corral of wild horses and opens the gates and lets them go free to run into mountains where they like to run and play?

  How would you like to tell people:  Today is a good time in your life, because God is close to you and wants to bless you?

  One day Jesus went to the synagogue in his hometown.  Can you say synagogue?  That is the place where people gathered to worship and learn about God.  Jesus read from the Bible.  He read about a person who told good news; he read about a person who healed other people; he read about a person who let people who were locked up, go free.  He read about a person who told people that God was close to them in their lives.

  And when he read those word in the Bible, he knew that is what he was doing this in his own life.

  What does Gospel mean?  It means Good News.

  There are lots of bad things that can happen to us.  There are lots of sad things that can happen to us.  And it is easy for us to just look at bad things and sad things.  And when we do that we can get fearful and we can worry a lot.

  But even when bad things happen and when sad things happen, we need to practice and look at all of the good things in our life.  It is sad to be sick; but it is very good that we have parents and friends and doctors to help us when we get sick.

  So we have to practice looking at the good things in our life.  And what happens when we practice looking at the good things of our lives?  We begin to be able to give people good news.  We help other people look at the good news of their life too.

  Jesus came to tell us Good News about God and God’s love for us.  And Jesus wanted everyone to discover good news in their lives so that they too could tell good news to other people.

  We come here to praise God and thank God, because we are practicing the ability to find and see the good news in our lives.

  And if we can find the good news in our lives, then we will help other people find good news in their lives too.

  Jesus came to bring us good news.  And he wants us to find good news and then share good news with other people.  And you know what?  It really feels good to share the good news with others.  It is like sharing a wonderful secret.  Can you share some good news this week with your family and friends?  Let’s try.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 27, 2019: The Third Sunday 3fter the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: Glory be to God on High, Awesome God, I Come with Joy, May the Lord Bless

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.

Song: Glory Be to God On High (The Christians’ Children Songbook, # 70)

1          Glory be to God on high, alleluia. Glory be to God on high, alleluia.

2          Praise the Father, Spirit, Son, alleluia.  Praise the God Head, Three in One, alleluia.

3          Sing we praises unto Thee, alleluia, for the truth that sets us free, alleluia.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

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

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 19

1  The heavens declare the glory of God, *  and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2  One day tells its tale to another, * and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3  Although they have no words or language, * and their voices are not heard,.

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 Luke  

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.  When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

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 Hymn: Our God is An 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)

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 sanctify us by your Holy Spirit that we may love God and our neighbor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: I Come With Joy   (Renew! # 195)

1.         I come with joy a child of God, forgiven, loved, and free, the life of Jesus to recall, in love laid down for me.

2.         I come with Christians, far and near to find, as all are fed, the new community of love in Christ’s communion bread.

3.         As Christ breaks bread, and bids us share, each proud division ends.  The love that made us makes us one, and strangers now are friends.

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: May the Lord (Sung to the tune of Eidelweiss)

May the Lord, Mighty God, Bless and keep you forever, Grant you peace, perfect peace, Courage in every endeavor.  Lift up your eyes and seek His face, Trust His grace forever.  May the Lord, Mighty God Bless and keep you for ever.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

  

The Signs of Christ

2 Epiphany C          January 20, 2019

Isaiah 62:1-5         Psalm 36:5-10       
1 Cor. 12:1-11      John 2:1-11 

  Lectionary Link

Believe it or not, priests can be mischievous; can you believe it?  I had a priest friend who was mischievous.  But my friend was special.  He was kind and generous and he loved to entertain.  One night he entertained the clergy and others, and at that time Absolut was the vodka of vodkas.  And he ran out of Absolut.  So he took the bottle into the kitchen and got a funnel and took out a plastic jug of cheaper vodka and filled the Absolut bottle and put it back on the bar.  Just a bit later, the bishop's wife fixed herself a vodka drink.  She sipped it and immediately complimented the host for serving her favorite and best vodka.  And of course my friend had a wonderful twinkle in his eyes and kept it a secret.  She believed and confessed it to be Absolut vodka, even when it wasn't.  The sign on the bottle told her what she was drinking and she was thoroughly convinced even to the point of grateful confession.

At end of our Gospel reading for today, we read, "This was the first of his signs...."  The Gospel of John uses a different word for science defying acts of Jesus; John's Gospel uses the word, "semion" or sign.  Other Gospel writers use the words "dunamis" from which we get the word dynamite signifying the "power" of the deeds of Jesus.  Another word for the fantastic deeds of Jesus is the Greek word, "ergon,"  or works.  We know the English word "ergonomics."  Sign or "semion" fits in with the linguistic basis of John's Gospel.  Semiotics is the study of symbols and symbols are what communicate meanings within language.  Language itself is inseparable from the reality that it stands as a sign for.  Language itself is a metaphor.  Why?  Because we cannot say that we understand anything unless we first admit that we use and know language.  John's Gospel begins, "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God"....and the Word became particular flesh in the life of Jesus.  And this particular Word made flesh, Jesus, performed signs.  Biblical scholars believe that there was another document which they call the "Book of Signs" which has been redacted into the final edition of John's Gospel.

Semion or signs is totally consistent with Word as the foundation of human life as we know it.  A basic message of the Gospel of John is that Jesus is the Sign that God is with us.  The Gospel of John relates a variety of occasions for the signs of the presence of God with us.  The good news of John's Gospel is that no matter what happens to us, no matter what we are experiencing, Christ is with us as the complementing presence of God.  Christ lets us know that we are always, already totally connected with everything else.  And even though we live in the ocean of everything, we still have distinct and particular value to God.

John's Gospel was written very late in comparison to the other writings in the New Testament; some parts of it were redacted 5-6 decades after the early writings of St. Paul.  What we can find in the Gospel of John is a presentation of the spiritual mysticism of Paul in a narrative presentation of the life of Jesus.

In poetic ecstasy, St. Paul wrote, "Christ, is all and in all."  How can this be meaningfully true?  In John's Gospel, Christ is the Word who is God, who creates all and is in all.  If Word is God, then we who use language bear the image of God because we have and use language.  And since we use language we live in a symbolic order.  We give names to things which are not language.  As language users we are sign makers. We make signs which point to the important meanings of our lives.

The Gospel of John preacher believed that Jesus was a "sign maker."  And what does Jesus as the sign maker in the Gospel of John do?  He points to the most important meaning in the early church which was expressed very early by St. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The first sign of Jesus in John's Gospel seems rather trivial in scheme of things.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, was involved in helping to cater the wedding of a friend or family member.  And shock of shock, the wedding party ran out of wine.  What an embarrassment.  Mary couldn't say to Jesus,"Go to the 7-11 and get some more wine."  But mothers can be persuasive, even to make the Son of God begin an aspect of his public ministry before he wanted.  And so Jesus did his first sign.  "Jesus, why did you waste a miracle on something so trivial as wine at a wedding?"  Let's compare this sign to the others signs in John's Gospel.  Walking on water in the storm, helping the lame man, healing a blind man, multiplying the loaves and fish to feed thousands, being clairvoyant with the woman at the well, healing the son of a Royal official and raising Lazarus from the dead.  These other "signs" seem far more important than wine at the wedding.  What is the significance of this water to wine sign at the wedding in Cana of Galilee?

When is Christ with us?  In good times and bad times; in crises and in just everyday trivial matters of life, like running out of wine at the wedding.

What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ?  What about being stuck in a traffic jam on Highway 101?  Will that separate me from the love of God in Christ?  What about all of the frustrating inconvenient events that happen many times, each day in our lives.  Christ is with us before, during and after.

St. Paul wrote that nothing can separated us from the love of God in Christ.  And the Gospel of John presented the story in a format to prove this basic meaning of the Gospel.

Today you and I need to deal with the "signs" of Christ in our lives.  The signs of Christ does not mean that we will have science defying miracles happening around all of the time as proof of God's presence in Christ.  No, the signs of Christ involve accepting the fact that Christ is as present to us as us having language, because Christ is the Word of God from the beginning who accompanies us all of the time.  And with language we are sign makers because we speak our joy, our sorrow, our pain, human suffering and much, much more because the Word hidden within us is the very power of God in Christ working to make meaning of everything that happens to us.

I hope you are excited about the Gospel of John as I am.  I hope that you will embrace the fact that Christ as Word is present in you as you are a worded being, makings signs and creating meaning in everything that happens to you.

We as a parish are called to be at the work of making meaningful signs pointing to both the hidden and obvious presence of Christ in our lives now and in our future.  Let us not ask whether we are a successful parish or a failing parish?  Let us ask ourselves if we are accepting the signs of the Risen Christ in our midst, in the trivial event, in the crises and in the events of celebration.  Amen.