Sunday School, October 25, 2020 21 Pentecost, A proper 25

 Sunday School, October 25, 2020               21 Pentecost, A proper 25

Theme:

The Law

Have your class do a comparison of laws and rules.

We have rules of health.  Brushing our teeth and washing our hands.

We have rules of courtesy.  Raising our hands, using polite words like please, thank you and you’re welcome.

We have rules of safety.  Wear a seat belt.  Wear a helmet.  Do play with matches or knives.

We have club rules or family rules.  Like, you have to wear a team uniform.

There are many, many rules.  So many that we don’t always know if we are keeping all of the rules.

We need to know the most important rules.

We need to know how to live well even if we don’t know all the rules.

We need to know how to answer this question all of the time:  How should I live and what should I do?

Jesus provided us a simply way to know what to do all of the time.

He simplified the law to help us to know what to do.

There were 613 laws in the Torah.  Some of the laws were very important and others not as important.  Is more important that we not mix wearing clothes made of wool and linen at the same time or that we not kill, or steal or lie?

When we think about the law, we usually think about the 10 Commandments, because they are a shorter list and easier to memorize.

Jesus told us to remember even a shorter list of laws:  Love God, Love your neighbor.  Love yourself.

Before we do or say anything, if we ask ourselves if our word and deeds respect God, respect our neighbors and respect ourselves, then we will know what to do.

By learning to think in this way, we can learn how to know the right thing to do all of the time.

Sermon:

Do you have rules at home?  Do you forget the rules sometimes?

  Do you have rules at school?  And if you forget the rules, your teachers remind you about them.

  Do we have traffic rules?  Yes, and what if we forget about the traffic rules, who reminds us?  The police do.

  Did you know that there are rules and laws in the Bible?  In fact, in the first five books of the Bible, there are 613 rules.  That is a lot of rules to remember isn’t it.

  So, we need shorter lists of rules.  One of the most famous lists of rules is called the Ten Commandments.

  Are some rules more important than others?  In the Ten Commandments, we probably treat one rule as more serious than all the other commandments.  Can you guess what rule that is?

  Thou shalt not kill.  That’s a very important rule since the life of each person is most important.

  Some of the rules were written to tell people how to eat.  For example, people were not supposed to eat certain kinds of meats like pork or shell fish.

  Thou shalt not eat pork or thou shalt not kill?  Which is a more important law?

  The religious leaders during the time of Jesus criticized him for ignoring some of their rules.  They said he should not work on their day of prayer, and they criticized him for healing on the Sabbath, the day of prayer.  They criticized him for eating with certain people who did not keep the special religious diet.  They criticized him for touching lepers and certain sick people.  Jesus told them that they were forgetting the important rules and making the unimportant rules special, so they could keep people away from their religious gatherings.

  So, they asked Jesus…there are so many laws. What laws are the greatest laws?  And with so many laws, how can I know what to do?

  Jesus said: Love God with all of your heart.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  If you live by these two laws, then you will always know what to do.

  If I hit or push someone, am I loving my neighbor?  If I lie or steal something, am I loving my neighbor?  If I forget God or if I make many things more important than God, am I loving God? 

  So, if you forget all of the laws:  Always ask yourself these three questions: Am I loving God by what I am doing?   Am I loving my neighbor by what I am doing?  Am I doing something to another person that I would not want done to me?

  Jesus helped us to simplify the laws by giving us these two laws:  Love God with all your heart.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Can you remember these two laws?

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 25, 2020: The Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, Seek Ye First, The King of Glory

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: 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 got the whole world in his hands, he’s got the whole world in his hands.

He’s got the little tiny baby in his hands….

He’s got the boys and the girls in his hands..

He’s got the moms and the dads in his hands…

He’s got the cats and the dogs in his hands..

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; 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 First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 90

Show your servants your works * and your splendor to their children.

May the graciousness of the LORD our God be upon us; * prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork.

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.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, `The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet"'? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. 

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 Music:    Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest! (Renew! # 71)

1          Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted, oh Lord my God! Hosanna in the highest!

2          Glory, Glory, glory to the King of kings! Glory, Glory, glory to the King of kings! Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted oh Lord my God! Glory to the King of kings!

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 up 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,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: Seek Ye First  (Blue Hymnal  # 711)

1.         Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.  And all these things will be added unto you, Allelu, alleluia.

Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

2.         Knock and the door shall be open upon you.  Seek and ye shall find.  Ask and it shall be given unto you, Allelu, alleluia. Refrain

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: The King of Glory Comes, (Renew! # 267)

Refrain:  The King of Glory comes the nation rejoices.  Open the gates before him lift up your voices.

Who is the King of glory; how shall we call him?  He is Emmanuel, the promised of ages.  Refrain

In all of Galilee, in city or village, he goes among his people curing their illness.  Refrain

Sing then of David’s son, our Savior and brother; in all of Galilee was never another.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

   

Want to Be a Legal Scholar? Learn the Meaning of Empathy

21 Pentecost, Cycle A Proper 25, October 25, 2020
Deuteronomy 34: 1-12 Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Matthew 22:34-46

Lectionary Link

Today we've read the account of the death of the greatest law-giver of all, Moses.  Even being such a great law-giver, he still was not granted the privilege of entering the promised land.

In the development of the laws of the Torah, there came to be 613 rules to follow, and not just the Big 10.  And when we have so many rules, it enhances the roles of the religious legal authorities to enforce all of the rules.

And by the time of Jesus, the great laws had become less recognizable because of the enforcement of so many lesser rules which that tended to keep lots of people being non-observant Jews, and thus they were regarded as people who had lost their "status" with God.

Last week we read about Jesus being asked about the law of the Caesar regarding taxation.  This week the question about the status of the Mosaic laws.  "Jesus, there are 613 laws in the Torah; which of these laws is the greatest?"   We certainly in our time know this is a valid question.  Is the law about jay walking as important as the laws regarding theft, murder and perjury?  Definitely not,  and we recognize the difference by placing lesser penalties for the violation of less important laws.

Jesus does not disappoint in his answer.  He in fact repeats a summary from the Torah.  The greatest laws:  Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  In giving this answer, Jesus is teaching how to do legal thinking without have a perpetual lawyer on retainer.  The law or what are the best recommended behaviors has to do with one's relationship with God and with each other.  In short, the key to enlightened legal thinking is the law of Empathy.  Do we want to be law-abiding people?

Then practice empathy with God and with each other?  How do we have empathy with God?  By acknowledging the Greatest Being of all other beings.  By not treating other beings as the greatest.  By giving God time, not to get what we want, but to understand what God wants within the truly free conditions in the world that is honored by God.

As a parent do we want to be respected?  As a spouse?  Do we want our property respected?  Do we want our lives protected?  Do we want to be lied to? Do we want people to be motivated by wanting we we have?  This is how the laws of empathy work.  We do not wish to be personally violated in any way; so in turn we should not want to violate the just rights of anyone else either in thought or deed.

The law of empathy is the golden rule, of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.  

In our complicated world of hundreds of rules and law, we can lose contact with this basic principle of empathy.  We forget that the empathy principle is behind a good portions of lots of our rules on safety, on workers rights, on clean environment, on wearing masks, on stopping at stop signs.  We should always look for the empathy principle operative in a law?  Do we want protection and justice?  What principle of protection and empathy is found in a given law, whether it seems trivial, like cleaning up after your pet, or whether it has to do drunk driving or speeding.

American individualists get frustrated with all of the rules.  American libertarian individualists want to have a rule-free society.  They often want complete deregulation; they do not want anyone to interfere with their individual rights to do what they want, particularly if they believe that on their own island they are not "hurting" anyone.  Empathy is a valid and central legal principle; but not everyone has empathy to the degree for public safety.  When the angelic natures of people are not sufficient for public safety, we need to do something which seems unnatural; we have to enforce laws of public empathy.

In our lives today, the great laws cited by Jesus invite us to review the state of our own empathy?  Can we appreciate that different people need different kinds of empathy.  Can we appreciate that even though all laws of empathy do not apply to everyone, it is still important to honor the practice of empathy?

Since religious leader tried to stump Jesus with hard questions, he posed a question for them about the Messiah.  Remember the Messiah is not referred to in the Torah, since it did not become a relevant notion until the kings of Israel were made so by being anointed.  Being anointed is what Messiah means.  And if the messiah is a son of David, why does David write in Psalm, the Lord said to my Lord, indicating a conversation within the Godhead.

And what Jesus was showing them was that the Scriptures should not be used to play legal games.  The Scripture and the law is about the primary rule of Empathy and Jesus is the messiah, the king of empathy.

Jesus came to say that the purpose of the Torah, the Scriptures and the Messiah is to get with the program of empathy, empathy with a loving God and empathy in our relationships with each other.

And the end results is also being about to "love oneself," because one has learned the law of empathy.

If our faith and religion is not about empathy, then it is not biblical faith and it is not the faith of the Messiah.  May God help us to keep progressing in our practice of the law of empathy today.  Amen.

Charismatic Jesus and Numismatic Jesus

20 Pentecost, Cycle A, Proper 24, October 18, 2020 

Exodus 33:12-23 Psalm 99 1

Thessalonians 1:1-10 Matthew 22:15-22 

Lectionary Link

 It is obvious from the Jesus-effect in Palestine that Jesus was a charismatic teacher and preacher; what we also find out from the Gospel for this day is that Jesus is numismatic wisdom expert.

Jesus immediately read the motives of his opponents and then he pulled a coin trick.

What were the motives of his opponents?  They wanted Jesus to get political and speak against paying taxes to the Caesar.

So Jesus said, "Let me see a coin.  Whose image, whose icon is on this coin?"  A very rhetorical question.  The Caesar stamp his image on each coin as a sign of his power and right to collect taxes.  The coin with his image on it was a way to make sure that a good portion of the wealth of empire would come back to him.

But then comes the wisdom pun of Jesus.  "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar; give to God the things of God."  The interlocutors of Jesus knew the creation story of Genesis.  They knew that God created men and women in the image of God.  And was Caesar a man?  Whose image did Caesar bear?  God's.  So who did Caesar belong to?  God.

This is an absolute brilliant wisdom interchange and it provides a instructive metaphor for us that we can expand on.

The Greek word for image is icon.  In biblical spiritual psychology, people are made in the image of God.  God in the full divine Plenitude cannot be seen because no one has the capacity to take in such Plenitude all at once.  That is why Moses could only see the "back side" of God.  The best way for God to be known and seen is by the shared image of God within the created world.

Using the coin metaphor, we might say that we are God's coinage.  God has put us into circulation.  And because we bear the divine image, we belong to God.  And so, the biblical plan is this: Render unto God the things which are God's.  And how do we do this?  How do we honor the image of God that is upon our lives?

By loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves.  This is how we render unto God what belongs to God, namely our own lives.

The Gospel questions for you and me concern this issue of bearing the image of God.  The Caesar was human and as a human he bore the image of God.  But how did he bear the image of God.  He wanted to replace God; he was regarded to be a replacement deity for God.  He violated the truth of his humanity.

You and I in our baptismal life are asked to discover and bear gladly the image of God upon our lives, especially since his Son Jesus, showed us how to do this best.  By following Jesus, we can learn how to love God and our neighbors best.

Today, let us imagine ourselves as a coin in God's currency.  And the question to Jesus is this?

Should people pay taxes and tribute to God?   And Jesus would say?  Whose image is upon the the life of you the baptized?  And we would say the Christ of God.

And Jesus would say to us: "Then render your lives unto God, your owner."  Amen.

Sunday School, October 18, 2020 20 Pentecost A proper 24

 Sunday School, October 18, 2020          20 Pentecost A proper 24

Theme:

Why do children look like their parents?

Imagine sitting all children on one side of the church and all parents sitting on the other side of the church.  Then have a stranger come into the church and try to match parents with their children.

They would get many matches correct.  Why?  Because sometimes a child’s nose, eyes, or face shape looks just like one or both of their parents.  One could say that a child bears the image of the child’s parent.  And so we could guess which child belonged to specific parents.

Jesus used the word image to talk about a coin.  It was a Greek word, the same word that we know from computer use, the word “icon.”  When Jesus was asked about paying taxes to the Caesar, he asked for a coin.  Just like our coins have pictures of president’s one them, the ancient coins had pictures of the Caesar, the King of the Roman Empire stamped on them.  When the Emperor’s image or icon was stamped on the coin, it meant that the Emperor could collect taxes.

Jesus knew the Genesis creation story.  In the Genesis creation story, it says that Adam and Eve, the first people were made in the “image” of God.  This means that in some way people are like God.  How?  We have a spirit inside of us and this spirit is how we are made in God’s image.

Caesar was a man just like Adam and Eve.  So the Caesar was made in God’s image, even if he did not admit it or worship God.  Jesus was making a pun:  If the Caesar image was on the coin, then he could have the coins for collecting his taxes.  But God’s image was on the Caesar, so Jesus was saying that the Caesar and everyone really belongs to God. 

The purpose of our lives is to learn to live to show that we belong to Christ and this is message that Jesus was teaching with his riddles.

Sermon:

  If I had all of the children sit on this side of the room and all of the parents sit on this side of the room.  And then I have a stranger who did not know anyone here come into the room and look at you.  Do you think that this stranger could tell which children belonged to which parent?  And how could a stranger match you and your parents?  Because you look like your parents…you have their noses, their eyes, their hair color.  So you look like your parents.  You in some way are an image of your parents.  And so you belong together as a family.

  We’ve read a story today about some people who tried to trick Jesus about taxes.  Do you know what taxes are?  Taxes are the money that we pay to the government to pay for the army, the roads, the courts and all of the things that the government does for us.  It is a law that if we make money, we have to pay taxes.

  So some people came to Jesus and asked him if he paid taxes to the King, called the Caesar.  Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him into saying that people should not pay taxes and that would get him into trouble.

  What did Jesus do?  He taught them a lesson.  He asked them to show them a coin.  I’m going to show some of the coins that are just like the one Jesus asked for.  These coins are more than two thousand years old.  If you look carefully at these coins you can see that the head of the King called Caesar is stamped on these coins.  And these coins were used to pay taxes to the King.

  Jesus asked his questioners?  Whose image is on this coin?  And they said, “It’s the King’s image.”

  And Jesus said, “Then give the coins that belong to the King to him, but give to God the things that belong to God.”

  Now this was a very smart saying.  Do you know why?

  Jesus had read the book of Genesis about the creation of the world.  And in the book of Genesis it is written that men and women are created or made in the image of God.  So if men and women are made in the image of God, who do they belong to?  To God.

  Was Caesar the King a Man?  Who did he belong to?  To God, because he was made in God image.

  The most important lesson in life is to learn that we belong to God because God made us.  And how do we show that we appreciate God?  We worship God.  We praise God.  We thank God.  And obey God’s rules about how we should live.  And we are to love God and love our neighbor.  That is how we show that we belong to God and how we give the very best of our lives.

  Do we have to pay a tax to God, since we are like God’s coins?  Yes, we do pay a tax to God by loving God and loving our neighbors as our self.

  Jesus came to remind us that we are all children of God and so we need to learn to live as children of God.  Can you remember that?  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 18, 2020: The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; As a Deer, Now Let Us from This Table Rise; Down in My Heart

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: 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

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; 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 First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

Grace to you and peace. We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 99

The LORD is great in Zion; * he is high above all peoples.

Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; * he is the Holy One.

"O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; * you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."

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.

The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

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 Music:  As the Deer Pants for the Water, (Renew # 9)

1          As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you; you alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.  Refrain: You alone are my strength, my shield, to you alone may my spirit yield; you alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you!

2          I want you more than gold or silver, only you can satisfy; you alone are the real joy-giver and the apple of my eye.  Refrain.

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 up 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:  Now Let Us from This Table Rise, (Renew! # 242)

Now let us from this table rise, renewed in body, mind, and soul; with Christ we die and live again, his selfless love has made us whole.

With minds alert, upheld by grace to spread the word in speech and deed, we follow in the steps of Christ, at one with all in hope and need.

To fill each human house with love, it is the sacrament of care; the work that Christ began to do we humbly pledge ourselves to share.

Then grant us courage, Father God, to choose again the pilgrim way, and help us to accept with joy the challenge of tomorrow’s day.

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: Down in My Heart, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 45)

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.  WHERE?  Down in my heart.  WHERE? Down in my heart.  I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.  WHERE?  Down in my heart to stay.

I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus, down in my heart.   WHERE?  Down in my heart.  WHERE?  Down in my heart.  I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus, down in my heart.  WHERE?  Down in my heart to stay.

I’ve got the peace that passes understanding, down in my heart.  WHERE?  Down in my heart.  WHERE?  Down in my heart.  I’ve got the peace that passes understanding, down in my heart.  WHERE?  Down in my heart to stay.

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

What Does Being Chosen Mean?

19 Pentecost, Cycle A  Proper 23, October 11, 2020
Exodus 32:1-14  Psalm 106
Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14

Lectionary Link

The presentation of God in the Bible is often frightening.  Like when the people of Israel constructed a golden calf on Moses' extended visit on Mt. Sinai.  So God said Moses, "This is a worthless, faithless people; let me kill them all off and start a new people with you."  And Moses intercedes to placate the wrath of God and reminds God of the divine promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  So, God threatened to wipe out the very people chosen by divine promise.

The biblical presentations of God, often seem to make God like a person with feelings, jealousy, anger, love and kindness.

We believe in God because we take the profound conditions in life personally.  We project divine personal motivation on the things that happen to us.  We project bad and evil on malevalent personal forces.  As persons we cannot help but project personality upon everything that happens to us.  When people did not understand causation like scientists do today, the mystery of causation was easiest to explain in terms of the cosmic being of God and fallen angels.

And as much as science has helped us to achieve, science cannot give complete precise answers to causation, particularly in how events feel to us when they happen.  And because science does not eliminate feeling, we resort to art, spiritual art, inner meaning art to deal with what happens to us.  We are not just machine bodies obeying the laws of physics; we are inner spiritual beings with souls thoroughly endowed with language.  And in using language we cannot avoid being seekers of meaning of everything that happens to us.

The favor of God in biblical language is often expressed as being chosen.  And sometimes we might regard this to be like the winning of the lottery.  But it is not like God drew Israel name out of the big hopper and they won the lottery; to be chosen is to experience being in relationship.  To experience a relationship and then violate the vows of the relationship is what characterizes sin.  The golden calf event was a rejection of a relationship because of unfaithfulness.

In the Gospel parable of Jesus, God is presented as a unrequited party giver, because the A, B, C list of invitees decide not to come to the wedding feast.

In wedding planning with brides and groom, I often find them very over optimistic about how many people will be present at their weddings.  And it can be quite a blow when the schedules or the interest of the invited do not get them to the church.  And bridal families can feel quite unrequited to experience a smaller than expected crowd.

God as the one throwing a big wedding party is excited to invite those who would seem to be in an obvious relationship with God.  But alas, the RSVP regrets from the A list, B list and C list of guests indicate the obvious people who were supposed to be friends of God, turn out not to be interested in the big event.  They have lost their relationship with God to the point of not being able to value what is important to God, namely celebrating relationship, friendship, love and union.  When the seeming preferred lists of guests sent their regrets, then agents are sent to extend a invitation to those people who seemed to be unchosen.

What is the insight of this riddle parable?  It turns out those who were regarded to be the preferred and chosen, didn't really know what it meant to be in right relationship to God.   And those who regarded to be unchosen, were those who were flattered to know that the invitation from God was offered to them too.

And when we're all excited that the wedding feast has these new guest, we're shocked to find out a guest is condemned to outer darkness because he is dressed inappropriately.  And we wonder, why so severe punishment for a minor dress code offense?  Doesn't God honor California casual?

And of course, we cannot take a parable literal; we have to crack the riddle code.  God indeed, has a generous invitation to the great feast, but attending the feast still has the vows of relationship.  And what is our vow of relationship?  We don't have to be perfect.  And we are provided with the garments of graceful righteousness by God.  But we still have to put on these graceful clothes.  As great as God grace it, it does not mean that we can "do" our own thing.  It means we have to embrace the path of repentance, or a Paul writes, a path of intentional excellence.  St. Paul warned about not misunderstanding God's grace.  "Where sin abound, there did grace much more abound....shall we continue to sin so that grace may abound?"  Whoopee, since I've got a "get out of jail card" for everything, I'll just keep doing whatever I want.

The grace of an invitation to the feast is offered to all, and the Host for purposes of social leveling provides graceful clothing as a gift to everyone, a uniform as it were.  Accept the gift; and don't do your own thing.  Don't be like a single solder or band member who decides to wear pink spats to "stick out" among the battalion or band.

What is the Gospel for you and me today?  God wants to be in relationship with us.  We're all invited to the feast.  To make the vow of relationship is to enter the experience of being chosen.  So we don't try to do our own thing; we accept the vows of our relationship with God.  We don the garments of righteousness provided for us by the great host of the feasts.

And we avoid the false sense of being chosen.  How can we be chosen if the invitation to the great feast is not important to us?  Lots of people can live in this sense of "false choseness" and not regard the invitation to the feast of God as important to respond to.  Let us not miss the invitation.  Let us not use God as a rubber stamp to "do our own thing."  The feast of God is a feast of communion and fellowship where love and justice is the profound experience.

Do not send your RSVP regrets to God today.  Attend the feast and accept the lovely protocols of grace.  Amen.