Monday, August 31, 2020

Quiz of the Day, August 2020

Quiz of the Day, August 31, 2020


In what city were followers of Jesus first called "Christians?"

a. Jerusalem

b. Capernaum

c. Antioch

d. Ephesus


Quiz of the Day, August 30, 2020


Salome is the young girl dancer who was coached by her mother to ask for the head of John the Baptist.  Where is Salome's name found?



a. Mark

b. Matthew

c. Luke

d. Josephus


Quiz of the Day, August 29, 2020


Which is a more recent commemoration day added to the Liturgical Calendar of the Episcopal Church?



a. Nativity of John the Baptist

b. The Baptism of John the Baptist

c. The Feast of John XXIII

d. The Feast of Frances Perkins


Quiz of the Day, August 28, 2020


Which of the following were not written by St. Augustine of Hippo?


a. The Confessions

b. The City of God

c.  The Imitation of Christ

d. Christian Doctrine

e. The Enchiridion


Quiz of the Day, August 27, 2020


Monica was the mother of whom?


a. Augustine of Canterbury

b. Augustine of Hippo

c. Constantine I

d. Gregory the Great


Quiz of the Day, August 26, 2020


Thomas Gallaudet is associated with ministry to persons with which disability?



a. blindness

b. deafness

c. amputees

d. paralysis


Quiz of the Day, August 25, 2020


Who was responsible for ministering the restoration of the health of Dorcas?



a. Tabitha

b. Paul

c. Silas

d. John Mark

e. Peter


Quiz of the Day, August 24, 2020


Who is the Apostle Bartholomew often equated with?


a. Levi

b. Nathaniel

c. Lazarus

d. the Beloved Disciple


Quiz of the Day, August 23, 2020


Where did the confession of Peter about Jesus the Messiah take place?


a. Jerusalem

b. Mount of Olives

c. Caesarea Philippi

e. On the Sea of Galilee


Quiz of the Day, August 22, 2020


Who said, "The Lord gave and the Lord takes away; blessed be the Name of the Lord?"



a. the writer of Ecclesiastes

b. the writer of the Proverbs

c. St. Paul

d. Job


Quiz of the Day, August 21, 2020


What modern day country was St. Paul from?


a. Syria

b. Greece

c. Lebanon

d. Turkey

e. Israel


Quiz of the Day, August 20, 2020                                                  


How does the book of Job present the cause of Job's suffering?


a. his sins

b. a contest between God and Satan

c. the sins of his family

d. the randomness of bad luck befalling people


Quiz of the Day, August 19, 2020 


What was found to be in the House of God at Shiloh?


a. the Ark of the Covenant

b. an idol

c. Aaron's budding rod

d. the fleece of Gideon


Quiz of the Day, August 18, 2020




Derived from the Bible, what is the sin of the selling of ecclesiastical positions called?


a. the Peter principle

b. the Magus principle

c. Simony

d. the Judas principle


Quiz of the Day, August 19, 2020 





What was the name of the young man at the stoning of Stephen?

a. Demas
b. Saul
c. Junius
d. Simon Magus

Quiz of the Day, August 16, 2020

Where did the Canaanite woman's request for crumbs under the table make it into the Anglican/ Episcopal liturgy?
a. The Great Litany
b. The Penitential Opening to Holy Eucharist
c. The Prayer of Humble Access
d. The Collect for Purity

Quiz of the Day, August 15, 2020

What is something not held to be true about the Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Tradition?
a. Mary bore no children besides Jesus
b. she was immaculately conceived
c. she was sinless
d. she reappeared under various apparitions
e. her birthday is August 15th
g. she was assumed into heaven

Quiz of the Day, August 14, 2020

What weapon did Samson use to kill a thousand Philistines?
a.sword
b. spear
c. animal jawbone
d. wooden staff

Quiz of the Day, August 13, 2020

What did Samson eat from a lion he killed?
a. lion flesh
b. falling grapes
c. fallen figs
d. honey
e. quail's eggs 

Quiz of the Day, August 12, 2020

Of the following, who was not among the first deacons?
a. Stephens
b. Silas
c. Philip
d. Prochorus,
e. Nicanor 
f. Timon
g. Parmenas
h. Nicolaus

Quiz of the Day, August 11, 2020

An angel of the Lord did not say to the barren wife of Manoah?
a. you will have son
b. your child shall never cut his hair
c. your child will be under the vow of the nazirite
d. your child shall deliver Israel from the Philestines
e. you shall name your child Samuel

Quiz of the Day, August 10, 2020

What is the the significance of Shibboleth?
a. it was magic incantation word in Ephraim
b. it was a pronunciation test to identify the Gileadites
c. It was a territory in Gilead
d. it was to expose the inability of the Gileadites to prounounce the "th" sound

Quiz of the Day, August 9, 2020

Why was the vow of Jephthah to God devastating to him?
a. he was required to marry a prostitute
b. he had to sacrifice a daughter
c. he suffered defeat to the Ammonites
d. he lost his leadership role in Israel

Quiz of the Day, August 8, 2020

Why did Abimelech ask for someone to kill him with a sword?
a. he did not want to be known for having been killed by a woman
b. he did not want to be captured in battle
c. he did not want to be killed by Philistines
d. he did not want to commit the sin of suicide

Quiz of the Day, August 7, 2020

In the book of Judges what is the talking plants, an olive tree, a fig tree, a vine and a bramble about?
a. a hymn or verse about an impending ruler of Israel
b. an allegory about the people of Israel and Deborah
c. a vision of a prophet about his role
d. a vine dresser opining about the superiority of the vine

Quiz of the Day, August 6, 2020

The Transfiguration of Jesus is not found in the Gospel which has the most references to Christ being the Light of the world.  Which Gospel is it?
a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Luke
d. John

Quiz of the Day, August 5, 2020

Who used the phrase, "universal restoration?"
a. Jesus
b. John
c. Paul
d. Isaiah

Quiz of the Day, August 4, 2020

What skill did Gideon's army member had to have to be selected to fight?
a. good archer
b. good with the sword
c. good with a spear
d. lap water like a dog
e. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, August 3, 2020

Who is associated with Mount Horeb?
a. Moses
b. Elijah
c. Elisha
d. David
e. a and b
f.  c and d

Quiz of the Day, August 2, 2020

What biblical person is associated with the phrase used to get instruction for the divine direction of one's life: "putting out the fleece?"
a. Deborah
b. Samuel
c. Gideon
d. Samson

Quiz of the Day, August 1, 2020

What was the topic of a song by Deborah, judge of Israel?
a. Jael, a woman who pounded a tent peg into the head of Sisera
b. her duties as a judge of Israel
c. the greatness of the armies of Israel
d. the King of Israel

Saturday, August 29, 2020

A Caesar Messiah or a Suffering Servant Messiah?

13 Pentecost,  A p17,  August 30, 2020

Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21  Matthew 16:21-28


Lectionary Link






The issues which are found in the Gospel are not limited to the first century; they still are relevant today.


What was a big issue in the first century religious communities of Palestine and beyond?  Was this mythological figure known as the Messiah to be a Caesar Messiah or a Suffering Servant Messiah?

This was one of the crucial issue which led to the separation of the Jesus Movement and the synagogue.

In some ways, the issue has arisen again in the history of the church, based upon the identity which the church has taken with monarchs and other political leaders.

We've been reading the Gospel dialogue between Peter and Jesus.  "Jesus, you are the Messiah, son of the living God."  Well, Peter flesh and blood has not revealed that to you, and on you and this confession the Jesus Movement will be built.  But Peter, let me tell you about the Messiah.  The way in which I will be the Messiah is to suffer, die, and be raised on the third day."  Peter could not accept this; he like many others wanted a Caesar Messiah, not a suffering servant Messiah.  "Jesus, the Messiah does not suffer and die; the Messiah will be great enough to defeat the Caesar, so Jesus, you have to be a Caesar Messiah."  How ironic is this?  Peter telling the Messiah that he does not know the true qualities of the Messiah.   And Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan who inspires this misunderstanding of Peter.  You are thinking in very human ways but not in the ways of God."

Historically, the Jesus Movement blossomed and took off.  But the Jesus Movement was not an army of people over-throwing the Caesar and the Roman Empire.  Jesus did not have armies to remove the Romans from Palestine.  Jesus was not a Caesar Messiah and the self-understanding of the Jesus Movement was that Jesus represented the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah who spoke about a suffering servant hero Messiah.  The triumph of Jesus, the Messiah,  was an inside job within the hearts of people.  When you control the insides of people, the success eventually becomes a social and external success.

And what happened?  The Jesus Movement eventually became the preferred religion of the Roman Empire after the conversion of the Emperor Constantine.

You and I live in this situation of contradiction.  We believe and confess a suffering servant Messiah even while we have lived as heirs of Empire Christianity.

The Holy Roman Empire and Christendom were essentially expression of Empire Christianity.  When the Church of England separated from the Papal Western Church, it was an Empire Church with the monarch being the head of the church.

The Episcopal Church had to separate itself temporarily from the Empire Church of England during and after the American Revolution.  And even though we supposedly have separation of church and state, all American Christians still live as heir of Empire Christianity.  We have lived as the majority religious group and so the government has functioned more on our behalf than on behalf of people in religious minority groups.

When Empire Christian became colonial Christianity around the world, how ironic that the suffering servant Messiah converted the indigenous people and the natives who were made to be slaves.  What is the result of converting people to the suffering servant Messiah?  Well, the love of God in Christ the Messiah is the offer of equal dignity.  So how can slavery and subjugation be justified in practices of Empire Christianity?  They can't be justified.  Jesus was the suffering servant Messiah so that those who knew his love could walk in wonderful human dignity.

But the power groups of Empire Christianity have not been able to make the adjustment to the true outcome of the suffering servant Messiah.

Today, we live in the aftermath of being Empire Christianity.  We can unwittingly live as though Jesus were a Caesar Messiah.   We assume that we've been on the winning side of history and so it allows a triumphalism which does not really represent the suffering servant Messiah,  Jesus.  

Can you see how the Risen Christ might be repeatedly saying to Empire Christianity, "Get behind me Satan, you are setting your minds on human things, not divine things."

Can you see how we still have before us the issue of the Caesar Messiah and the Suffering Servant Messiah?  In Latin and South American, when priests and nuns were working with the poor, they noted that the official church was actually working on the side of oppressive dictators, keeping people poor.  These priests and nuns read the Gospel and observed that the majority of the Gospel sayings of Jesus were on behalf of the poor, and so they generated what has been called liberation theology. 

In the Manifest Destiny views of the American Colonies, the invaders were Old Testament in their invasion.  They believe America was the new Promised Land.  This is why so many places in America have biblical names.  To achieve Manifest Destiny, indigenous people had to be run off their lands.  To build the colonies, slavery became the main engine of economy and work to help spread their forms of Empire Christianity.  But if you offer slaves and indigenous people the dignity of conversion to Jesus Christ, you have to really mean it to be true to Jesus, the suffering servant.

And for so long, we really did not mean it.  The conquerors tended to believe in a Caesar Messiah, while they were asking the slaves and the native peoples to believe and live the lives of the suffering servant Messiah.  Thus we have been plagued by two classes of Christians, those who inherited the positions of a Caesar Messiah and those who were forced to take the position of the suffering servant Messiah.

And we still live with the consequences of these two types of Christianities in our country today.

But let us be clear:  The true Gospel Jesus Messiah is the suffering servant Messiah.  And this does not mean that we are supposed to just accept servile oppression.  No, Jesus suffered and died in a adequate for us so that we might embrace and offer abundant life to all.   And the abundant life of Christ is the full dignity of the lives of everyone.

The Caesar Messiah and the Suffering Servant Messiah issue is about what is true about freedom.  It is a false hope to wish that some great intervener could end the conditions of freedom and force everyone to become robots of goodness.  And this is why we need to be true to the Messiah as a suffering servant.  We need to be able to live with all the conditions of freedom.  We need to know how to integrate suffering and death into a life of faith of living with the conditions of freedom.

And so what does the suffering servant Jesus the Messiah teach us today?    The power of the suffering and death of Jesus is the mystical power within us to die to ourselves.   And what that mean?  It means that we know that suffering will not go away in the free conditions of life which includes death.  The Suffering Servant Messiah teaches us that God suffers with us.  What else do we learn?  We learn that Christ suffering with us means we do not cause suffering to anyone else.  It is better to suffer that to cause the suffering of others.  And finally how can the suffering servant Messiah be triumphant?  When we use the power of the Spirit to alleviate suffering, when we heal the sick, release the prisoners, feed the hungry, and give the good news of equal worth to every single person.

May the suffering servant Messiah win our hearts today and help us bring healing triumphant power to lives of people who are suffering the most in our world today.  Amen.



Thursday, August 27, 2020

Sunday School, August 30, 2020 13 Pentecost, A Proper 17

 Sunday School, August 30,  2020     13 Pentecost, A Proper 17


Theme:

Take up your cross and follow me.

This was a saying in the early church.
Jesus died on the cross so that no one else had to.
The Cross of Jesus was made into a symbol for Christians.
We know that the Swoosh is the symbol for the Nike brand
The Cross is the symbol for the Christian brand.  We make the sign of the cross as a marking to indicate that we belong to Christ.

What does belonging to Christ mean?

It means that we live our lives as a sacrifice.

It means we have the power to say no to our selfish self in order to help and serve other people.

When we take up the cross of Jesus, we are asking for the power of God to control and tame our desire to live and do things just for ourselves. 

Think of examples of sacrifice:

Play video games or feed your pets.
Watch television or help mom with home chores.
Swing all the time or share the swing with a friend who also wants to swing.
Eat all your lunch or share some of it with someone who doesn’t have any lunch.

Sacrifice is the power to say no to yourself so that you can help other people.

This is what “taking up your cross and following Christ” means in our lives.

Sermon:

  In baseball, what does sacrifice mean?  What is a sacrifice fly?  What is a sacrifice bunt?  It is when you purposely make an out, so that another player can advance or score.
  Sacrifice is a word that comes from religion.  It means to offer something to God as an act of respect or worship of God.
  In the ancient time, people thought that God wanted them to sacrifice the life of an animal to help pay for their sins.
  Jesus came to show us the real meaning of sacrifice.
  He lived his life for others.  He gave up a comfortable life so that he could help the poor, the sick, the lonely people, the strangers, the children and the sad.
  So Jesus was a sacrifice for the life of others.  We know that he sacrificed his life for us when he died on the cross.
  And when Jesus said that we are to take up our cross and follow him, he means we are to learn how to live in a sacrificial way.  When we help others we are living in sacrificial way.  That is how we take up the cross of Christ.
  When you pick up your toys, you are helping your mom and dad, because then they don’t have to do it.
  When you help with house work, you are making a sacrifice.
  When you make peace with your brother or sister after you’ve had an argument, you are making a sacrifice.
  When you help others, you are taking up your cross and following Christ.
  Why?  Because God calls us to help each other, and we don’t need to have the attention all of the time, so when we share with others, we are sacrificing.
  A baseball player does not like to make an out.  But sometimes the manager asks a player to make a sacrifice to help the team win.
  Remember that many people make sacrifices for each of us every day:  Soldiers, police, doctors, teachers, moms, dads, grandmothers and grandfathers.  Many people have shared with us to make our lives better.  So too, we need to learn how to share.
  This is a lesson that we can learn from today’s Gospel.  Take up your cross and follow Christ.  And  we can do this by sharing our lives to make the lives of other people better.  Amen.


Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist
September 3, 2014: The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Lift High the Cross, He’s Got the Whole World,  Eat This Bread, Soon and Very Soon

 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: Lift High the Cross (Blue Hymnal # 473)
Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name.
1-Led on their way by this triumphant sign, the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.  Refrain
2-Each newborn servant of the Crucified bears on the brow the seal of him who died.  Refrain
3-O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, as thou hast promised, draw the world to thee.  Refrain
4-So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory.  Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)
O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 105

Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; * make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him, * and speak of all his marvelous works.
Glory in his holy Name; * let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.


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 began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?  "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

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. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:            And also with you.

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

Offertory Song:  He’s Got the Whole World (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 90)
He’s got the whole world; in his hands he’s got the whole wide world in his hands.  He’s got the whole world in his hands; he’s got the whole world in his hands.
Little tiny babies.  3. Brothers and Sister  4. Mommies and Daddies
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 our 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, 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: 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: Soon and Very Soon, (Renew!  #149)

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.  Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.  Soon and very soon we are going to see the king.  Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the king.
No more dying there, we are going to see the king.  No more dying there, we are going to see the king.  No more dying there we are going to see the king.  Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the king.


Dismissal:   

Liturgist:    Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People:      Thanks be to God! 

  

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Is Living Sacrifice an Oxymoron

Pentecost,  A p 16, August 23, 2020
Isaiah 51:1-6  Psalm 138
Romans 12:1-8  Matthew 16:13-20 

Lectionary Link



Translation from one language and one culture in another time is sometimes very challenging, and sometimes it is impossible to translate exact meanings.

I once heard a lecture by a Wycliffe Bible translator, a group committed to translating the Bible into all of the languages in the world.

And she mentioned a translation problem.  She was translating the Bible into a Polynesian language in a remote culture that had no access with the rest of the world.  So, here was the problem. How does one translate lamb or Lamb of God into a culture that has no sheep or lambs or even cows?  The translation solution was to go to their word for "pig" because they only had pigs that would correspond to the function of lamb in Hebrew Scriptures.  And how ironic and anti-kosher was that?  Behold the "pig" of God?  One can appreciate the translation dilemmas.

The Gospel writers had similar problems.  They had to translate oral traditions that arose in the Aramaic language of Jesus into other languages and at a much later period in different locations to many different people who had no knowledge or connection with the Palestinian situation in the lifetime of Jesus.

What did the writer of Matthew know?  He knew that the gathering around Jesus had grown into a Movement which initially tried to convince the members of synagogue that Jesus as the Messiah was the new teaching of Judaism.  This failed; the Jesus Movement was separated from the synagogues and became house gatherings, and there would have been multiple house gatherings in cities like Rome, and so the word ekklesia or church became the word of choice.  It had dual meanings; it meant "called out of," which is what followers of Jesus felt, but it also was a political term for geographical district in a city, what we might call a "ward."  Ironically, churches use the words parish and congregation for designating their gatherings and the LDS refer to their local gatherings as "wards."

What else did the Matthew writer know?  The writer knew that Jerusalem had been destroyed and that the Jesus Movement had become stealthily spreading into the cities of the Roman Empire.  The writer knew that Peter and Paul had become prominent leaders in the churches in Rome and that they had died martyr's deaths in times of Roman persecution.  What would be more expressive of the gates of hell than facing the persecution of a cruel tyrant Nero, who supposedly fiddled while Rome burned and blamed it on the Christians.  Did the Jesus Movement die after the death of Jesus?  No.  Did the Christian Church Movement die after Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome.  No.  Did the gates of hell prevail against the church?  No.

This is what the writer of the Gospel of Matthew knew.  This writer knew like St. Paul, the experience of the Risen Christ through the awareness of the Holy Spirit.  This writer knew that the presentation of Peter as a disciple in the school of Jesus was a learning method for all initiates within the Christian communities.  Through experience, each Christian comes to make the same confession of Peter.  "For me, Jesus, you are the Messiah, God's anointed and you are the son of the living God."  Not like the son of a dead Caesar who was called son of a god, a dead god.

And for each student like Peter to come to make the confession about Jesus, therein is found not just the foundation of the church but the continuation of the church even to the city of Rome, and even Nero as the agent of the devil could not stand against the continuing success of the church.

Can we appreciate how the writer of Matthew connected his knowledge of the success of the church under the leadership of Paul and Peter to their encounter with Jesus Christ.

St. Paul believed that identity with the death and resurrection Christ gave a person the power of being a living sacrifice.  What does being a living sacrifice mean?  It means the experience of an interior power to die to unworthy selfishness and allow for the grace of ministry to enter one's life.  One ministers to other when one can "check one's ego at the door."  With the life of being living sacrifices, what happens in the community?  The orchestra of Christian gifts; prophecy, exhorting, teaching, generosity, leadership, diligence, compassion and cheerfulness.  How does the orchestration of Christian community happen?  It happens because people with encounters of the Risen Christ learn how to be "living sacrifices."  How can I continue to life in positive and serving way without dying?  By identifying with the power to cease to live selfishly and receive the power to live with generosity and acceptance of the equal value of the ministry of all within the fellowship.

Will the gates of hell prevail against the church of St. Mary's-in-the-Valley?  Will the pandemic?  No they won't.  Why?  Because we will continue to live in our confession of Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of the living God, who makes us alive, here and now.  

Let us continue to find ways to be "living sacrifices," totally alive because of the cheerful compassion we've learned from Christ.  Amen.

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