Sunday School, January 19, 2020 2 Epiphany A

Sunday School, January 15, 2017                    2 Epiphany  A

Themes

Changes in our lives

When you grow up you some times have to make changes.  You have a different class for first grade than you did in kindergarten.  You have a different teacher every year.  Your interests might change too.  One year you might be interested in dance and another year soccer or gymnastics.

The Gospel lesson is about some changes:

Peter and Andrew were fishermen; that’s what they did for earning a living.

Peter and Andrew had John the Baptist as their teacher.

Andrew and Peter had to make some changes.

Jesus called them to become his followers.  So they had to quit fishing and spend all of their time learning from Jesus as their teacher.

Andrew and Peter also changed teachers;  John the Baptist had been their teacher, but he made Andrew and Peter graduate from his class.  John the Baptist told them that there was another teacher who would teach them new and better things.  That teacher was Jesus.   John the Baptist was happy when his students graduated and became a part of the school of Jesus as his students.

The lesson for us is this:  Sometimes we don’t like to make changes.  Sometimes we might be afraid of learning new things or having a new teacher.  But learning in life means we need to accept change when new and better things are offered to us.  Sometimes we need to accept new teachers for our learning because they can teach us new things.

We can learn from Jesus as our teacher.  And we are lucky to have many people in our lives teach us about Jesus and what Jesus taught his students.  We have parents, grandparents, friends, pastors, priests and Sunday School teachers who teach us about Jesus.

Let us be excited about the new changes that will happen in our lives as we learn to become better students of Jesus Christ.

Sermon

What do you do?  Well you do lots of things don’t you?  What does your mommy and daddy do?  They do lots of things?  And who are you?  What roles do you live in life?

  Mommy, Daddy, son, daughter, baby, boy, girl, husband, wife, grandma, cook, cleaner, student, preschooler, driver, engineer, player, walker, runner, builder, repair person, tax payer, voter, citizen, gardener, shopper….on and on it goes.  We get many roles and jobs and responsibilities in life.

  And in all of our jobs and roles in life we will know happiness and sadness.  Some times we know success and sometimes we know failure.  Sometimes we’re happy with what we are and sometimes we’re sad.

  One day Jesus met a couple of fishermen.  And what do fishermen do?  They catch fish so that people can buy fish to eat.

  Even though Andrew and Peter were fishermen, they had something else that they had to do in their lives.

  They had to become followers of Jesus Christ.

  And you and I, whether we’re old or young, rich or poor, tall or short, whether we’re in high school or preschool, whether we’re doctor or teacher or an engineer, we always have one more thing to do.

  We can always follow Christ.  And if we are always following Christ, we are successful.  Why?

  We follow Christ, because we know that Christ has taught us that we are sons and daughters of God.  And since God is our parent, because God created the world, we know that God loves us.

  And if we know that God loves us, then we can do many things in this life.  And if we have some happiness and success God loves us.  And if we have some sadness and some disappointments, God loves us.

  And so we remember that if we are following Christ and if we are always remembering that we are sons and daughters of God, then we are doing the most important thing in our lives.

  That is what it means to be called by Jesus Christ and to be his follower.  Amen.

Intergenerational Service with Holy Eucharist

January 19, 2020: The Second Sunday after The Epiphany

Gathering Songs: This Little Light of Mine, Lord I Want to be a Christian, Eat This Bread, I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light 

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

People: And Blessed be God’s Kingdom, Now and forever. Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A Reading from the Book of Isaiah

The LORD called me before I was born; while I was in my mother's womb he named me.

formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord.

Peope: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 40

I waited patiently upon the LORD; * he stooped to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; * he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; * many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the LORD.

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 John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."  The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

Children’s Choir:  I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

The Celebrant now praises God for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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 so that we may love God and our neighbor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Eat this Bread (Renew # 228)

Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry. 

Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.

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: I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light (Renew # 152)

I want to walk as a child of the light.  I want to follow Jesus.  God set the stars to give light to the world; the star of my life is Jesus.   

Refrain:  In him there is no darkness at all; the night and the day are both alike.  The Lamb is the light of the city of God: Shine in my heart Lord Jesus.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  

Baptism of Jesus, An Event in the Hominization of God

1 Epiphany A      January  12, 2020

Is.42:1-9         Ps. 89:20-29

Acts 10:34-38     Matt. 3:13-17

Lectionary Link

     Do you think that we communicate with animals?  Do you communicate with your pet dog or cat?  Do you have special communication skills with your pet dog?  Are you a dog whisperer?  How is it that we can presume that authentic and understandable communication happens between us and say our pet dog?  We can only observe a dog from the human point of view.  So how can we say that we understand a dog from a dog's point of view?    While we may be saying that a dog is our comfort, service and assistance animal, a dog may be saying this is my comfort, service and assistance person, in short, someone whom I've got wrapped around my little paws.  In short, I can get my assistance and service person do tricks for me, like get me food when I want it.

     Why do we assume the validity of such inter-specie communication?  Because we assume that we share something of a sentient nature with our pet friends, but still we cannot  have a complete identity with them because we remain different.

     Let now ponder the possibility of the inter-specie communication between God and humanity.  How is such possible?  How could it even happen?  And if it can happen what would be the nature and purpose of such communication?

     The witness of the Hebrew Scripture is that God is so special, so different, called the difference of holiness that God is humanly unapproachable. (No one has ever seen God).   If God is such a specie of a different order how is communication possible?

      We believe communication with God happens because of some basic assumptions.   We believe that God is enough like us and we enough like God in being personality that we have a meeting point for communication.  In the creation story, it is stated that human being are made in God's image, and so that likeness is the starting point for the possibility of communication.

     On the other hand, we are also faced with the reality that you and I are prisoners of human experience.  We have human experiences of trees and plants, we have human experiences of animals and pets, and we can only have human experiences of the life of God.  What does this mean then?  It means that there has to be some way to confer validity upon human experience as a way to know God.

    This is what underpins our confession of Jesus as Son of God and son of humanity.  We confess Jesus as the divine life becoming fully bi-lingual with human experience so that the divine life could be interpreted into adequate human terms to make a difference in elevating human life to its highest excellence.

    The Gospel story of Jesus is a story of God learning completely the human language and using the language of human experience to show what God is like and how God wants us to live best.

    In Pauline mysticism, this emptying of the divine life into human experience is called "kenosis."  This is the humility of God implying that humanity is like deeply loved and cherished pets, so cherish that God is willing to embrace a complete coincidence with human experience.

    And one such emptying experience of God into human experience was the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.  In the baptism of Jesus by John, Jesus is expressing a complete solidarity with human community, a specific human community, the community of John the Baptist.  In the mysticism of St. Paul's poetry about Christ, he wrote that in Jesus equality with God was not something to be grasped; but he emptied himself taking the form of a human person.  The baptism of Jesus is an event of divine solidarity with human experience, within a human initiation event.  The baptism of Jesus another event of God in Christ proclaiming, "I am Emmanuel,"  I am with you and I am for you with the purpose of elevating you to be persons of best excellence.

     What does the baptism of Jesus tell us about God?  It tells us that all theology is anthropology.  It tells that all known experience is but human experience, and it is the undeniable affirmation that we cannot help but be anthropomorphic because we are prisoners of human experience.  Even our experience of God is but a human experience, but it is elevated and exalted human experience, particularly if its spiritual identity which propels us to fulfill the practice of love and justice.

    In the baptism of Jesus, we are told it is okay to be human because the best human thing that we can do is to come to know our identity with God.  The Orthodox Church has long called this dynamic process, "theosis" or the divinization of humanity.  God become hominized in Jesus so that humanity might become divinized in Christ.   The life of God became emptied or devolved into human experience so that human life might become evolved into our spiritual or divine natures.  The baptism of Jesus was symbolic of his initiation into human community so that we in our baptism by water and the Holy Spirit might be initiated into the divine community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and with fellow saints as children of God.

     Let us today be thankful of the identity that God takes with humanity and how it was expressed in the baptism of Jesus.  God learned the language of humanity in Christ so that the language of God might be taught to humanity.  And what is God's language?  It is mysteriously never finished and always needed to be learned.  It is the language of love, joy, justice, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness and kindness.  Jesus came to teach us these special language features of what the divine language means for human experience.

    At the baptism of Jesus, the heavenly voice declared Jesus to be God's beloved Son.  But what is true about Jesus is that he did not want to be an only child.  An only child might ask mom and dad for a brother and sister.   Jesus asked his parent for many brothers and sisters.  Jesus also gave power to men and women to also become children of God and hear God's voice say, "You are my beloved son.  You are my beloved daughter.  Welcome to the family."

    If Jesus Christ is God emptying the divine self into human experience, then we owe to ourselves to embrace the invitation to ride the elevator of God's Spirit to know and express our higher selves.

    Let us be thankful today that God embraces your experience and my experience as valid ways to come to know how the divine life is a part of our lives and how we are given spiritual energy and grace to live out our heritage as children of God.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 12, 2020 1 Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

Sunday School, January 12, 2020    1 Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

Themes

Baptism

Baptism is a celebration of being in God’s family with others.

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of God’s Son, Jesus into a human family, the family of Mary and Joseph of Nazareth.

When Jesus was born, he was already God’s child, but we celebrate that Jesus was a human child because we believe that God wanted to become so much like one of us to show us how God could be known by human beings.

Jesus as God’s Son, did all the human things that we as humans do.  Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist the Jordan River.  He did this so show us how much God was with us in our human lives.  Jesus was baptized to show us that we could be baptized too as a celebration of being members of God’s family.

Jesus was baptized so that we might follow him and be baptized too.

What is baptism for us?  It is a celebration of being members in God’s family.  So we have two families is our lives; the family of our birth and the family of God.

Jesus came to us as God’s special son to show us that we too can know ourselves as God’s sons and daughters. 

Why is it important?  Because we will live our lives differently if we know and live as a member of God’s family.  We will live with love, kindness and forgiveness.  We know that our human families are not perfect but we know that God is perfect.  Since we know this we can forgive each other for not being perfect.

Sermon:

How did you come into this world?  You were born right?  And you were born into a family, right?

  But did you know that you were born into another family too?

  Who gave birth to this entire world and the sun and the moon and the stars and everything?

  We might say that God gave birth to this entire world.  That’s what it means when we say that God created the world.

  But sometimes we forget that God is the creator of the world.  Sometimes we forget that we are a member of the great world that God gave birth to.

  How do you and I remember that we were born?  We remember that we were born by celebrating our birthdays each year.

  So how do we celebrate that we are also a member of the family of God?

  We celebrate our membership in God’s family by what we call baptism. 

  Jesus Christ came into this world to remind us that we also belong to the family of God.  And Jesus Christ was baptized into the family of men and women, boys and girls, so that he could show us how much God cares for us and how close God is to our lives.  God joined the human family to remind us that we belong to the family of God.

  So as we remember the baptism of Jesus today, we also remember our own baptism too.

  So when you are born into your family, how do you keep alive as a little baby?  Do your mom and dad feed you?  How many of you had a high chair?  Why do we put babies in high chairs?  We do it so when a baby is still young, a baby can still be at the table with us when we eat our meals.  Family meals are important because that is how people in a family get fed; but they are also important because that is when members of a family talk with each other, share stories  and memories.  And each family has special meals at birthdays, at Thanksgiving and at Christmas.  So family meals are very important to us for many reasons.  If your dad does not come home for dinner because he has a business trip, does that mean that your dad does not like you?  No.  Even though dad misses a meal, dad is still with you in his love and his care and his concern.  Even when we don’t see mom or dad at our meal, their love is still present within us.

  Do you see this piece of furniture here?  What do we call it?  An Altar?  But another name for this piece of furniture is the “Lord’s Table.”  What meal do we have on the Lord’s Table?  We call it the Holy Eucharist or our meal of Thanksgiving.

  Holy Eucharist is the Christian family meal and it is a very special meal…we have a special plate and cup and we have nice candles.  And when we have our meals we sing and we share stories about Jesus.  And even though we don’t see Jesus, we know that Jesus is with us in his love and in his promise that he would be with us as we receive the bread and the wine.  When we receive the bread and the wine, we take it into our mouth and it goes into us and it becomes us.  And so the food we eat becomes a part of us.  And that is how close Jesus promises to be with us in our Christian family meal; even though we don’t see him, he is close to us.

  Since this is a special meal, I want you to have some special practices in receiving this meal.  When you come to receive the bread and wine. First we are kneeling as a sign of respect to Christ.  Next we can prepare for receiving the presence of Christ in different ways.  We can whisper some prayers: Be near to me dear Jesus and be near to my friends.  We can make the mark of our Christian family…the sign of the cross.  We put out our hands and when I put the bread on your hand, I say, “The body of Christ the Bread of heaven.”  And when you receive the bread, you say,  “Amen.”  Do you know what Amen means?  It means, “Yes!  I agree.”  And then when you hold your bread to dip into the wine and the cup bearer say, “The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.”  You say again, “Amen.”  And then you carefully dip your bread to just have a little wine in it.  And then you can whisper, “Thank you Jesus for being in me.”  And you can make the sign of the cross again before you go back to your seat.

  You are baptized and so you are in the family of God.  And you receive the bread and the wine because this is our Christian family meal.

  And we remember that we need lots of things for our life that we cannot see.  We need air and we can’t see air, But we also need love, and hope and joy and faith and we can’t see them even though we know that they are real.

  Do you now understand baptism and Holy Eucharist a little better now?  I hope so. 

And Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 12, 2020: The First Sunday After theEpiphany

Gathering Songs:Hallelu, Hallelujah!, Peace Before Us, There is One Lord, I’ve Got Peace Like a River

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: Hallelu, Hallelujah!  (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 84)

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!  Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!  Praise ye the Lord!  Hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!  Hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!  Hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. 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 Prophet Isaiah

Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations..

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 29

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his Name; * worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; * the LORD is upon the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice; *  the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor.

.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

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

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

1-Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.  Peace within us. Peace over us.  Let all around us be peace.

2-Love,  3-Light, 4-Christ

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar.

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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 so that we may love God and our neighbor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: There is One Lord (Renew! # 161)

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.  There is one God who is Father of All. 

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: I’ve Got Peace Like a River (Christian Children’s Songbook # 122)

I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.  I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river.  I’ve got peace like a river in my soul..

Love

Joy

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Magi, Symbolic of Accessible Salvation

2 Christmas A January 5, 2020

Jeremiah 31:7-14   Ps 84:1-8

Eph. 1:3-6,15-19a Matthew 2:1-12

Lectionary Link

     Today is the last day of Christmas and tomorrow is the Feast of the Epiphany.  And on the twelfth day, according to the song, your true love gave to you twelve Lords a leapin’.  If you’ve ever watched the House of Lords in session on the telly, you would find that hard to believe.  It’s more like twelve Lords a sleepin’.
      Do you think that the entire world has the right of access to chocolate?  Well, no, it should belong to us; it should be our secret so that we don't have to share it.  Spoken like a true hoarder of chocolate.
     Do you think all of the people of the world have the right of access to water?  Well, yes because it is necessity of life.
     Do you think that everyone in the world has the right of access to good health care?  Well, yes and the question remains how to make that happen everywhere.
     Do you think all people in our world should have access to spiritual health?  The biblical word for spiritual health is salvation.  The Hebrew word is "yeshua."  It means deliverance, which would imply the rescue from the threats to personal well-being.  When "yeshua" is translated into English, how do we say it?  Jesus.
      One could call the Bible a record of salvation history.  The creation story would imply that God desired health and salvation for everyone.  The history of humanity is how we have gone from innocence to ignorance about our own spiritual well-being and so we needed divine events to help us find salvation or spiritual health.  The Hebrew Scriptures is the story about how salvation could come to a specific group of people so that its effects could be shared with the rest of the world.  It's like Israel had to be the sugar cube of sweetness in the tea cup to bring sweetness to the entire drink.  But like chocolate hoarders, many people in Israel treated salvation as evidence of their own superiority and so why should their secret be shared.  The entire book of Jonah is message to those who did not think foreigners deserved the message of salvation.
     When Jesus came into his ministry, the Judaism of his day believed that salvation was an exclusive purity program to keep the Jews free from as much Gentile influence in their religion as possible.  They rightly were fearful about being swallowed up by the Romans who surrounded them and controlled the politics.  They were consumed with salvation meaning the saving of themselves as a distinct people in a very threatening world.
     The early church believe that Jesus was spiritual health and salvation offered to all the people in the world.  The early church believed like the author of the book of Jonah, that Jesus was a theological correction to the short-sighted and exclusive practice of Judaism.  How did the early church come to believe this?  They observed the Jesus-effect happening within the lives of Gentiles who experienced the Risen Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.   They regarded these Gentiles to be wise people.  They made a journey from deity religion of the Emperor, and from the Mystery religion practices in the Temples to the place of the birth of Christ within themselves.  They did so at great sacrifice and great social and religious change.  They attended to the birth of Christ within their lives with the very best gifts of their lives.
     The wise Gentile followers of Christ gave up much, and some visionary early Jewish Christian leaders did not make them comply to the ritual purity practices of Judaism.  They did not have to observe Jewish feasts, they did not have to keep the dietary requirements of Judaism, the men did not have to undergo the practice of circumcision.  Jesus was offered as salvation to the Gentiles who were wise enough to embrace it and make a significant cultural journey to embrace Christian practice, but they did not have to become those who observed the ritual purity rituals of Judaism.
     The early church believed salvation was available to all.  They believed that this was the original intention.  They believed that Abraham had valid faith before he was circumcised.  They believed valid faith existed before Moses and Judaism was even born.
    So wise Gentiles were faithful people like Abraham.  They could travel to the place of experiencing the birth of Christ.  This reality of the manifestation of Christ to the Gentile is encoded in the story of the Magi, which is the theme of the season of the Epiphany which begins tomorrow.
    For the Jews who remained in the synagogue and excommunicated the followers of Jesus, they had significant non-negotiables which would not allow them to make the ritual compromises to the Gentiles which the members of the Jewish Movement allowed.
    The Jesus Movement was a Christ-centered Judaism which compromised the ritual purity requirements to allow the wise and willing Gentiles full membership into the fellowship of Christ.
     The church still lives in the spirit of the Epiphany; the belief that the birth of Christ is available and accessible to all wise persons who want to make the journey and bring the best gifts of their lives to witness it in their own lives.
     If we understand the theological meaning of the Epiphany, then we understand the function of the story of the Magi within the early churches which had become populated by wise Gentiles who had made the journey to realize the birth of Christ within their lives.
    The Epiphany is still a reality for us today.  Our empty churches might make us ponder whether we a truly offering the universal message of salvation in accessible ways to everyone today?   It is true that not any one parish or denomination can be omni-competent to the faith and salvation needs all people.  But we in our situation still have the responsibility to make the appeal to the people we can in accessible ways. 
    We have to ask ourselves if we have too many non-negotiables for people to feel at home in our midst.  Are we too focused on our own comfortable practices such that an "outsider" might not feel they could feel at home here?   We always need to be assessing the welcome to Jesus as our salvation which we are offering in the witness of our parish.  Do we have some precious exclusive practices that in some ways make us a closed group?
    The magi story reminds us that there are always wise foreigners who are willing to make the trip and sacrifice to experience the salvation of Jesus who is born in us and who can be known to be born in any honest seeker.  
    May God's Holy Spirit help us to live up to the Spirit of the Epiphany as we seek to make Christ manifest to as many who want to know salvation of the birth of Christ in their lives.  Amen.