Sunday School, March 22, 2020 4 Lent A

Sunday School, March 22, 2020   4 Lent A

Theme:

Seeing

What kind of vision did Superman have?

He had X-ray vision.

What could he see with X-ray vision?  He could see the what was behind a wall.  He could see a hidden gun in a pocket.  He could see through things.

Before David was chosen to be king, a Judge named Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to look for the next king.  David had many bigger and stronger older brothers, but God did not tell Samuel to choose any of the older brothers.  God told Samuel to choose the youngest boy, a shepherd boy named David.  And Samuel ask God, “Why should I choose David when there are so many other stronger brothers?”  And God told Samuel, “I don’t choose like people choose; people look at things on the outside like muscles and appearance, but I choose because I see inside a person.  I see their hearts.  And so I choose David to be the next king.”

Jesus healed a blind man and when the blind man could see he learned to see that Jesus was the Messiah.  Many religious people could not see that Jesus was the Messiah but this blind man learned to see that Jesus was the Messiah.

We have to be changed inside of our hearts through learning and through prayer to learn to have God’s X-ray vision and see what is in the hearts of other people.

There are many people who do not “look pretty, or strong or successful” but inside they are really good and kind people.  And we need to learn how to have this kind of X-ray vision to learn how to see and honor true goodness.  The most popular people are not always “good” people in kindness and love.  We need to learn to find God’s X-ray vision which helps us see goodness.

If we practice looking at Jesus by reading and studying his life and by prayer, we can learn to receive the X-ray seeing and vision of God that helps us find true goodness.

Sermon:

Could you close your eyes for a moment and pretend that you cannot see.

  And imagine that you could never see.  And try to imagine sitting on the street and asking people for money to help you live.

  That would be a really difficult life wouldn’t it.

  That is what people who were blind used to have to do.

  Today, we know that a person who is born blind can do many things that seeing people do and they also do many things better than seeing people do.

  Jesus met a blind man and he made the blind man to see.  But he also taught people a very important lesson about blindness.

  You and I can see, but that doesn’t mean that we always see everything.  We miss seeing lots of things.

  What about when your mom asks you to clean your room and pick up all of your toys?  And you finish and you say,”I’m done Mom.”  And then Mom comes in your room, and she sees some clothes on the floor and toys.  And she says, “Didn’t you see these toys?  How could you miss seeing these toys?”

  Sometimes we miss seeing things don’t we?  Why?  Because we’re not paying attention.  Or we forget.  Or we’re in a hurry.  Or we just don’t think it’s important.

  When Jesus helped the blind man to see, he also said that there were many people who could see, and yet they acted as though they were blind.

  They missed seeing this blind man; for them he was just a beggar sitting on the street.

  If they truly saw the blind man they would have helped him and taken care of him so he wouldn’t have to beg.

  And we too, even with good eyesight, we can miss seeing some important things in this life.

  Jesus said that misfortune and bad luck was just an opportunity for God’s work to be done.   And so we have to have our eyes open to the people whom God wants us to care for.

  If we care for the people who need our care, then we will not miss the good work that God wants us to do in our lives.  Amen.

Intergeneration Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 22, 2020: The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Gathering Songs: Only a Boy Named David; Have Thine Own Way,  The Lord is My Light;  May the Lord

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.

People: God’s mercy endures 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: Only a Boy Named David (All the Best Songs for Kids:  # 112)

Only a boy named David, only a little sling.  Only a boy named David, but he could pray and sing.  Only a boy named David, only a rippling brook.  Only a boy named David and five little stones he took.  And one little stone went in the sling and the sling went round and round.  And one little stone went in the sling and the sling went round and round.  And, round and round and round and round and round and round and round.  And one little stone went up in the air, and the giant came tumbling down.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Praise be to God! (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Praise be to God!

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Praise be to God!

Liturgist: A reading from the First Book of Samuel

Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

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 John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, `Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."  They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet."

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:  Have Thine Own Way Lord  (LEVAS, # 145)

1-Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way.  Thou art the potter, I am the clay.  Mold me and make me, after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.

2-Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way.  Search me and try me, Master, today.  Purer than snow, Lord, wash me just now, as in thy presence humbly I bow.

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.

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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: The Lord Is My Light (Renew! # 102)

The Lord is my light, my light and salvation: in Him I trust, in Him I trust.

The Lord is my light, my light and salvation: in him I trust, in him I trust.

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! 

Worship in Spirit and Truth

3 Lent  A              March 15, 2020

Ex.17:1-17           Ps.95:6-11     

Roman 5:1-11         John 4:5-42

Lectionary Link

The Gospel communities of Jesus Christ developed community beliefs and practices during the decades which followed the life of Jesus of Nazareth.  They were communities found in the cities of the Roman Empire which were experiencing urbanization and so the home churches proved to be inviting extended family for persons arriving into cities.   The churches found that their message of the Risen Christ replicated itself in spiritual experience and this spiritual experience became the new citizenship expression of the churches.  And Jews, Gentiles, men, women, slaves and their owners, Samaritans, zealots, Pharisees, Saduccees, members of the community of John the Baptist began to comprise the membership of the churches.

The early churches practiced an inclusive diversity; this practice of diversity did not characterize the former practice of the synagogue and the Temple for Jews during the actual time of Jesus.

So the early church needed to present the origin of the practice of diversity of membership within the life of Jesus.  And so we have this discourse of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well.

The story highlights the long history of divisions even within the ancient territory that once made up Israel.  Long ago, the land of Israel became divided between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.  They had separate lines of monarchs.  The Northern kingdom was overrun by the Assyrians and many inter-married with the conquerors thus assimilating with their captors.  The religious people of the kingdom of Judah, maintained their ethnic purity and the people of the northern kingdom became "enemies," even though these enemies had their own form of Torah religion.  Their Torah indicated that Mount Gerizim would be the holy place for their Temple.  So there was a division between Gerizim and Jerusalem.

But what had happened by the time the churches were flourishing in the cities of the Roman Empire? Mount Gerizim shrines were destroyed in the year 67 and Jerusalem and the Temple in the year 70.  The Holy Places for the Samaritans and the Jews had been destroyed and their populace had become scattered.

The early churches were proof that former enemies were now loving friends in Christian fellowship.  The identities which previously divided people were now longer divisive.  Why?  The Temple, the Torah, the Temple of Mt. Gerizim were no longer to be reason for division.  Why?  Because  it was the Holy Spirit who created Holy Places.  And the Holy Spirit was not limited to the Temple in Jerusalem or on Mt. Gerizim.  The Holy Spirit is nomadic and omni-present and the Holy Spirit is able to become in each person like a gushing spring of water always baptizing us from within.  God is Spirit and those who worship God must worship God in Spirit and in Truth.

The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion of Spirit and through this Spirit we share membership in God's kingdom.  And people of all tongues and races and previous backgrounds had come to know this Universal Holy Spirit of God.

This remains the truth for us today; the church is a church of worshipping God in Holy Spirit and Truth.  We can be like the disciples who did not think Jesus should engage this foreign woman and we can be like the Samaritan woman who was very certain of her exclusive Samaritan heritage.  Or, we can submit to the Holy Spirit who transcends differences and indwells anyone who wants to know and express of the love of God.

We in the Episcopal Church are not so popular today.  Why?  Because we believe in the inclusive Holy Spirit of God who inhabits all kinds of people who are not even accepted as valid members of other churches.

Let us hold on to this inclusive Holy Spirit who is willing to be present in the lives of all.   May this expansive Holy Spirit continually stretch our hearts so that we too will always practice the welcoming love of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sunday School, March 15, 2020 3 Lent A

Sunday School, March 15, 2020    3 Lent A

Themes:

Jesus meets the Samaritan Woman at the Well

What is the meaning of Samaritan?  The Samaritans were people who long before the time of Jesus belong to the unified nation of Israel.  Israel became separated between the Northern and Southern Kingdom.  They never reunited.  The Samaritans had a religion like the Jews and used the books of Moses.  Their temple was on Mount Gerizim.  The temple of the Jews in the Southern Kingdom was in Jerusalem.

The Jews and the Samaritan, were enemies even though a very long time ago they used to be part of the same nation.

Jesus is sharing his teaching with the enemies of his own people.  Jesus is the one who said to “love our enemies” and he loves the Samaritan people.  He, in fact, revealed to this woman that he was the messiah.

There were churches that were started in Samaria and so Samaritans became followers of Jesus.  In the church, the ancient Samaritan Israelites were reunited with the Jews from the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  So many in the church called the church the “new Israel” because Israel was God’s chosen people.  In Jesus Christ, the Gospel is that all people can be chosen people, including Jews, Gentiles and Samaritans.

Jesus also used water to help us understand what it feels like inside of us when we get good news.  Imagine yourself on a very hot day and you get very thirsty.  Imagine the good feeling inside of you when you drink a glass of refreshing water.  Jesus promised that we could feel something like refreshing water inside of us when we discover the presence of God’s Spirit within us.

So the Gospel is such good news to us, it makes our insides feel as though we are drinking the most refreshing water on a hot and thirsty day.

Sermon

  What if I owned all the water in the world and I shared it only with my family and friends, and nobody else.

  Would that be fair?  Why not?

  Everyone needs water to live and so everybody should be able to get enough water to live.

  Would it be possible for me to really own and control all the water in the world?

  Could I control the rain and the lakes and the rivers and the ocean?  Not I could not because I am not big enough to control all the water of the world.

  But what is greater than all the water of the world?  God is greater than all  the water of the world.  And God is our creator and maker and so we as people who were made by God, we need God.

  And there were some people who live during the time of Jesus who were trying to control God.  And they were acting as though God did not belong to anyone but to just them and their family and friends.  And they were saying that foreigners and many other people could not have God.

  Jesus came as Son of God to correct this problem.  Jesus met with a Samaritan woman at the well and he had a talk with her about water.   Many people did not think that God liked the Samaritan people, but Jesus like them.  The Samaritan woman thought that Jesus was talking about water; but Jesus was talking about God, the Holy Spirit being available to everyone inside of each person and being like a wonderful fountain of water flowing inside of us.  Close your eyes and try to visualize this: There is something like a wonderful water fountain inside of me and it is bubbling within me and it makes me feel peaceful and full of joy.  And the Holy Spirit belongs to everyone.

  Just as I cannot own all the water of the world and I should allow everyone to have water because everyone needs water; Jesus came to say, “God belongs to everyone, not just to a few people who thought that they could keep God away from others.”

  And so Jesus met with many people who had been told that they could not know God in the right way.  And he welcomed them to know God and to know God’s love.

  Do you and I want to try to keep water away from thirsty people?  No we don’t.

  Do you and I want to keep God away from people who need to know God?  No we don’t.  Because God loves everyone and God belongs to everyone.

  Jesus came to show us that God belongs to everyone.  And when he left, he told his friends to keep telling this important message:  God loves everyone and God belongs to everyone.  Can you remember this?

  Let us be like Jesus and remind people that God loves everyone and God belongs to everyone.  Okay?

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 15, 2020: The Third Sunday in Lent

Gathering Songs: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love; I’ve Got Peace like a River, Jesus Stand Among Us; Freely, Freely

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.

People: God’s mercy endures 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: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love (Renew! # 289)

Refrain: Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love, show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

Kneels at the feet of his friends, silently washes their fee, Master who acts as a slave to them.  Refrain

Neighbors are rich and poor, neighbors are black and white, neighbors are near and far away.  Refrain

These are the ones we should serve, these are the ones we should love, all these are neighbors to us and you.  Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Praise be to God! (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Praise be to God!

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Praise be to God!

Liturgist: A reading from the Book of Exodus

The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 95

Come, let us sing to the LORD; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the LORD is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.

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.

Jesus, said, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, `Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, `One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."  Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

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: 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..

I’ve got love…. 

I’ve got joy……

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.

 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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Jesus Stand Among Us (Renew # 237)

Jesus stand among us in your risen power: let this time of worship be a hallowed hour.

Breathe the Holy Spirit into every heart; bid the fears and sorrows from each soul depart.

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:  Freely, Freely (Renew # 192)

God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name, I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name.  And in Jesus’ name I come to you to share his love as He told me to. 

Refrain: He said freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give.  Go in my name and because you believe others will know that I live.

All power is given in Jesus’ name, in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name.  And in Jesus’ name I come to you to share His power as He told me to. Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Are We Born Again, and Again, and Again......?

2 Lent        A      March 8, 2020

Gen 12:1-8          Ps.121

Rom. 4:1-5, (6-12)13-17  Jn.3:1-17

Lectionary Link

One of the most influential books that I have read in my studies was written by a historian of science. It was written in the 1960's but it had to wait until the 1990's to distill into the culture-at-large after being limited mainly to the academic world.  You may not know the book or the author but you know the lasting catch phrase of the book.  What is that phrase?  Paradigm Shift.  How many of you have heard the phrase Paradigm Shift or a change of paradigm?  When something new was happening in any field, suddenly people would say, "A paradigm switch has happened....there is a sea change and we have to think and act differently because of this paradigm switch."  People in an old paradigm did not seem to speak the same language as the people in the new paradigm even though they used the same words.

The writer of this book was T.S. Kuhn and the book was, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions."  Kuhn observed changes in the scientific communities like those who held for the Ptolemaic Cosmology of geocentricism and the switch to the Copernicium Cosmology of a heliocentric world, a sun-centered solar system.  Kuhn wrote about the change from Newtonian physics to Einsteinian Relativity.  He notes that while people in both paradigms used the same terms of energy, mass and matter; they in fact meant something different.  And this can be confusing when people use the same words but mean something different by them.  How does one come to understand a new paradigm and what the words within a new paradigm mean?

The paradigm shift metaphor is useful to understand how change occur in science, in culture, in politics and in our faith experience.  I believed in God and Jesus when I was sixteen, and I do now, but my understanding of God and Jesus now would be unrecognizable to me as a 16 year old person.  In short, I have undergone many paradigm shifts in my life of faith and I remain the same person who encompasses all of those changes.

This notion of paradigm change might help us to understand the words of Jesus to Nicodemus:  "So Nicodemus, you don't understand my program?  Well, you have to be born again, or born from above, or perceive from a more elevated/heavenly point of view."

The Gospel of John explains the Jesus Movement as a significant paradigm shift from Judaism, even while the same words and symbols are used, they mean something different in the churches of the Risen Christ.

The Gospel of John, in long discourses of Jesus, almost like Socratic dialogues, channels the mind, voice and Spirit of the Risen Christ and place these channeled words of Jesus within a narrative of the life of Jesus.  Why?  The leaders of the communities of St. John's Gospel are trying to teach the meaning of the life of Jesus Christ in a newly constituted Jesus Movement within house churches.

Just as Einsteinian physics did not burn the bridges with Newtonian physics, but rather enlarged meanings to solve problems which could not be answered by the old paradigm, so too the Jesus Movement did not burn bridges with the Hebrew Scriptures.  The leaders of the Jesus Movement reinterpreted many symbols which derived from the Hebrew Scriptures.  How did the Jesus Movement re-appropriate the symbols of the Hebrew Scriptures?  We can look at some which are found in our Scripture readings for today.  Abraham, The Law, Baptism, Water, Spirit, and the serpent which Moses placed on a pole for the people who were plagued with poisonous snakes to see and be healed.

The new Christ-paradigm might be called the "born again" paradigm or the "kingdom of God" paradigm.

Once one has been born into this new divine realm, how does one see things in a new way?  One suddenly sees the flow of Gentiles into the Jesus Movement.  How can this be in keeping with the Hebrew Scriptures which seem to be a Holy Book restricted to the people of the Judaic faith?  Well, Abraham is like a Gentile person because he is pre-Jewish, he is before Jacob who became Israel.  He is before Moses and the Law and he is before King David and the prophets.  Was Abraham, who was not a Jew, accepted by God even though he did not live with the benefit of the law?  Yes, of course.  Abraham was justified or accepted by God because of his faith.  And now Gentiles have come to have faith without the benefit of knowing the Judaic law and the rules of ritual purity.  Was Abraham in the kingdom of God without the benefit of the law?  Yes, indeed, then so can the Gentiles be like Abraham in their lives of faith.

What about the crown jewel of Judaism, the Law?  The law recommends behaviors for good and holy living.  What the law shows is that everyone breaks the law in some way.  The law cannot make ones inner life and motives clean and holy.  The law can teach us how to live well but it cannot perfect those who cannot be perfect.  The Law can only show us that we aren't perfect.  So what is the purpose of the law in the Jesus Movement?  To show us that we have to live by faith in God's grace to justify us.

Moses was given the law; Jesus brought the law of grace and the law of the Spirit.  Water is the symbol of baptism; it is the like the amniotic fluid which accompanies this new birth by the Holy Spirit.  This birth by the Holy Spirit is God justifying us because God justifies the Divine presence of the Risen Christ and the Spirit within us.  Having the Spirit of God within us gives us the access to this new realm of the kingdom of God, into which we have been born.

What about the serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness by Moses?  In the Jesus Movement, the lifting up of Jesus on the Cross as the proof that God sacrificed his own being in dying with us and for us, gives us a place to glance and believe in God's sacrificial grace.  Since we know that we aren't perfect and always falling short, we can glance at the perfect offering of God on our behalf and ride on the coattails of Jesus into this new realm of life, the eternal life of the Spirit.

John chapter 3, highlights the reality of the paradigm which occurred in the Jesus Movement because of the life, death and post resurrection appearances of Christ to his followers.  This chapter of John's Gospel is perhaps the most famous chapter for the people who call themselves fundamentalist evangelical, born again Christians.  In fact, "born again," has actually become a definable political designation in our country.

I know this group; it was how I was raised.  I was raised as a fundamentalist, evangelical, born again Christian.  We loved the 3rd Chapter of John's Gospel.  How many of you have watched sports on television and seen the sign or placard, Jn 3:16?  This Bible verse is the identifying verse of fundamental evangelical Christianity.  And it is a good verse.  God so love the world.  How much?  God gave the divine Son in full identity with human life even to the point of his death.  That the divine life experienced death expresses a full solidarity with human life.  And if we believe in this solidarity of God with us, we can ride the divine elevator to know eternal life.  We can know God's Spirit within us as eternal life.

One of the weaknesses of fundamentalism and the "born again" mentality is that it is so narrow.  One is born again to get into the kingdom of God.  And what this refers to is a one time experience so that one can know that one is not going to hell.

What is more accurate to spiritual growth and process is that we need to have many born again experiences on the spiritual path.  We need to have continuous conversion, not a one-time conversion.  We need to have many paradigm changes on our spiritual journey.   God's perfection invites us to new break throughs in our understanding of God, Christ, the Christian paradigms and much more.  Old Christian practices do not do justice to God's love especially for people who previously were ostracized, marginalized or kept in the closet about their own self knowledge.  The Holy Spirit is dynamics and invites us to both personal and communal paradigm changes.  If we didn't make biblical paradigm shifts, we would still believe in slavery and the subjugation of women because it is in the Bible.  The reason that churches and Christians are often divided is because they live in different paradigms.  We have come to live in a paradigm where we believe the love of Christ honors the dignity of LGBT persons and believe that they should have full participatory standing in our church life.

Part of the conflict in our church and in our society and in our politics is due to the fact that we are unevenly located in different paradigms of the practice of the love of God in Christ to the diverse people who are actually in our lives.

What does this mean?  It means we need to continually invite people to be born again.  We need to demonstrate that the love of Christ as we live it in our Christian paradigm is winsome and truly honors a fullness of what we understand to be human dignity and justice.

So during this Lent, for all of us who have been born again; let be open for this to happen to us again and again as we come into new paradigm changes toward knowing the excellence of the love of God in Christ.  Amen.