Sunday School, January 10, 2021 1 Epiphany B: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

 Sunday School, January 10, 2021   1 Epiphany B: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

Theme:

Joining and Belonging

Joining and Belonging is what makes us great

God is the greatest of all, so great that God doesn’t need to join humanity.  God did not need to even let men and women know of God’s existence.

But God joined the human community.

First by giving men and women a law and way of living for their lives.

God joined and belonged to human family in the closest way by being born in Jesus.

Jesus was God special Son and he could have believed that he was so perfect that he did not have to be with those who were not as good and perfect as he was.

What did Jesus do?

He fully joined the human community.  How did he show this?

He was baptized by John the Baptist.  He perhaps was joining the community of John the Baptist.

The baptism of Jesus shows us that he did not think that he was too good for all people.

The baptism of Jesus shows us that Jesus joined and belonged to human community.

Jesus did not act too good and perfect for us, he joined, he belonged, and he participated.

God is great and Jesus is great because they joined humanity.

Great people join.  They join to share with other people the greatness of love, kindness and wisdom about how we should live best.

How should we follow Jesus?

We follow Jesus by joining, by being baptized, by belonging to groups of people.

By joining our church, we gather to follow Jesus who joined us to show us how to live.

If we want to live the best life, the way that we do is to join and belong to groups of people who are committed to what Jesus has taught.

Sermon

What is the most common mistake that everyone makes, children and adults?

  I think the most common mistake that all of us make is the mistake of forgetting.

  Do you ever forget?  Forget to do your homework?  Forget to clean your room?   Forget what your teacher told?  Forget what your parents told you?  Forget what you promised to your children or spouse?

  Forgetting is easy to do.

  But the most serious forgetting is forgetting about God.   Today we have read the story about John the Baptist on the day that he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

  John the Baptist and Jesus were special men who were prophets.  And they came to help people recover from their forgetting.  See many people had forgotten some important things about God.  Even the religious leaders had forgotten some important things about God.  And what is often forgotten about God?

  People often forget that God loves them.  People often think that God loves the people in our country, or in our neighborhood or in our race better than people in another country, neighborhood or race.

  When Jesus was baptized, the voice of God said, this is my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.

  You and I need to remember what baptism means.  Baptism looks like just pouring some water over the head of a baby or an adult.  But what does baptism mean?  It means that we celebrate that each and every person is a child of God, a son or daughter of God.

  You see the problems in our life happen when we forget that we are sons and daughters of God.  The problems in our life happen when we forget that other people are son and daughters of God.

  When we remember that we are children of God we treat ourselves with respect.  When we remember that other people are children to God, we treat them with respect too.  When we remember God, then we remember to live good lives for God and we remember to live in peace and love with each other.

  John the Baptist and Jesus came to remind us about some things that we had forgotten.

  Let us remember the meaning of baptism.  Our baptism is a reminder that we and all people belong to the same family of God.  And if we remember that we will work to love one another and live in peace with each other.  Amen.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 10, 202: 1 Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Gathering Songs:

 There Is One Lord, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, God is So Good

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

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

Song: There is One Lord (Renew # 161)

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God who is Father of all.

 (Twice to begin, once after each solo verse)

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

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

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

Liturgist: A reading from the Book of Genesis

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Liturgist: Let us read together a verse from Psalm 29  

Ascribe to the LORD, you gods, * ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

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

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

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

My faithfulness and love shall be with him, * and he shall be victorious through my Name.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Liturgist:

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 Mark  

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (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.

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

Song: Jesus Loves Me, This I Know (# 104 in All the Best)

1-Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to him belong.  They are week but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus Loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  The Bible tells me so.

2-Jesus love me. He who died.  Heaven’s gates to open wide.  He will wash away my sin, let His little child come in.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  The Bible tells me so.

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 him 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 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 that we may love God and our neighbors.

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 may rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

Our Father (Sung): (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 by 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 Song: Jesus Loves the Little Children (# 30 in All the Best)

Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world.  Red and yellow, black and white, They are precious in His sight; Jesus loves the little children of the world.

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: God is So Good (# 31 in  All the Best)

1-God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.

2-He cares for me, He cares for me, He cares for me, He’s so good to me.

3-I’ll do His will, I’ll do his will, I’ll do his will, He so good to me.

4-He is my Lord, He is my Lord, He is my Lord, He’s so good to me.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!

The Meaning of the Magi

2 Christmas B January 3, 2021
Jeremiah 31:7-14   Ps 
Eph. 1:3-6,15-19a Matthew 2:1-12

Lectionary Link

   I hate to do this, but I have to deconstruct or de-mystify the prevailing notions regarding the magi, the Wisemen from the East, who also came to have the names of Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior.    Were there just three travellers?  Probably not, since three people probably would have travelled in a protective caravan entourage across the desert for protection.  Why do we say there are three wisemen?  We infer that because there were three gifts there were only three magi.  But of course that does not logically follow.  Were the Christmas travelers magi and kings?  Well no, because the Gospel does not indicate that they were kings.   How did they become kings?  From references in the Hebrew Scriptures about all kings paying homage to a special person, it was inferred that these travelers had to be kings and so we have the famous song, "We three Kings of Orient Are," even though it is no longer politically correct to call Asia, the Orient.  Most every Christmas Pageant has the Magi arriving at the stable, but this violates the text.  The Magi actually visited the Christ Child in a house in Bethlehem after the birth.  Alas, the poor Pageant director cannot do an entire scenery change in the chancel of the church on Christmas Eve, so the magi end up having the stable as their final destination.  Directorial license is taken.

   And the costume designers for the Pageant demand that the magi be three kings.  It allows them to go wild with luxurious costumes for the three kings.  Why would you want three poor scholarly wisemen coming to the manger?  Such plain costumes would take away color from the pageant.

So, we've deconstructed our common visions of the Magi.  What was the meaning of the Magi within the messaging of the early Matthean churches?

The story of the Magi illustrates what was happening within the Jesus Movement.  God-fearing non-Jewish people were having their faith validated within the group of people who were followers of Jesus of Nazareth.

The followers of Jesus, were those who traced their roots to Jesus of Nazareth and they highlighted his special mission with a certain strain within the Hebrew Scriptures.  What was this strain?  It was the universal strain of Judaism. The prophets believed the Temple to be a House of Prayer for all people, not just the people of Israel.  The prophets believed the one God was available to foreigners like the Ninevites.  The prophets believed that God's covenant to Israel was to be the means of delivering the message to the entire world.

And when religious people do not practice the universal accessibility of God, there needs to some more messaging.  The message of Jesus Christ did not come to nullify the mission of the Jews and Judaism; it came to say there was another mission to make the universality of God more accessible to people who could not locate themselves completely within ritual adherence to Judaism.

What do you do to God-fearing seekers who are different from you and not acquainted with all of your ritual customs?  You find a way to indicate to them that they are desirous to connect with the image of God on their lives as it is known in the eternal Word Christ within them.

God-fearing seekers may travel far beyond their own limiting situation to make a journey.  Even we who think that we have found God and God has found us, still need to be God-fearing seekers on a journey deeper into a further realization of God.

The meaning of the Magi is that people who once were regarded as foreign and not God-approved by a certain group of people of God,  became accepted and regarded by God and by a community of welcoming people.

The meaning of the Magi continues through out the history of the church.  The meaning of the Magi continues within the church for people who have sought God and yet who have not been properly regarded with full grace status within the church.

Imagine all of the "superior colonial" missionaries bringing the message of God's love in Christ to people of color all over the world.  Imagine missionaries who brought the message of the love of Christ to people of color but who could not admit people of color to the level of dignity which they themselves held.

Just think about all slaves who professed and sang the love of Jesus and yet who were for so long not allowed the basic dignity of Jesus?  Imagine Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, Black Americans who were called to be ordained minister, being denied their recognized call for so long by "white churches?"  They were Magi worshipping the birth of Christ in their souls but not recognized in the equal call of God's Spirit on their lives.

Think about all of the women, gay persons who have been baptized in churches but who have been told that all of the sacraments are not open to them, like marriage and ordination.  What kind of sacramental justice is there if so many people know a deep call to these sacramental ministries and yet are denied by church policies which still have not caught up to universal availability of the call of God.

Remember Herod?  In the magi story, Herod is the person who feigns interests in the Christ Child and tries to use the magi as spies to do something devious.

How often has the church been willing to live off the gifts and the money of baptized person but then deny those same people the fullness of calling within the ministries of the church? We know the blessing of having opened up the ordained ministry to women and gay persons in the Episcopal Church, but do you know how much of a controversy and a scandal such ministries remain for many people who call themselves Christians?

The meaning of the Magi continues today.  People who are God fearers inside and outside of the church are looking for validation and welcome in community.  And we need to understand our identity as a community to be those who welcome the regarded foreigner and outsider to the community of Christ.  

The meaning of the Magi for us should also be personal.  You and I are to be the wise persons still on our journey to what is yet new in our spiritual journey.  We may have arrived at the place of the birth of Christ within us; we need to journey to those other sites of the growing up of the presence of Christ within us toward spiritual maturity.

May God help us be magi on a quest of further reading the signs of God in our circumstances; but let us also be magi who are always welcoming other magi who seek to find God's presence born within them as the awareness of the Risen Christ.  

Let us live the meaning of the Magi in our lives today, both as continual seekers on a journey, but also as those who are open to accept the full validity of other seekers who may be different from us.  Amen.

Quiz of the Day, December 2020

Quiz of the Day, December 31, 2020

Which is not a reason for the Magi being referred to as three kings?

a. the Gospel of Matthew

b. the three gifts

c. passages in the Hebrew Scriptures

d. a famous carol, "We Three Kings"

Quiz of the Day, December 30, 2020

For what saint would one make a pilgrimage to Canterbury for as Chaucer wrote about in the Canterbury Tales?

a. Lanfranc

b. Theodore of Tarsus

c. Augustine of Canterbury

d. Thomas a Becket

Quiz of the Day, December 29, 2020

In the event of the Holy Innocents, Herod parallels the role of what tyrant from Hebrew Scriptures?

a. Ahab

b. Darius

c. Haman

d. the Pharoah

Quiz of the Day, December 28, 2020

What identity of John the Evangelist, according to scholars is least likely?

a. Son of Zebedee

b. perhaps the Beloved Disciple of John's Gospel

c. a mentor for Polycarp

d. John the Divine, author of the book of Revelations

Quiz of the Day, December 27, 2020

Which Gospels do not have the infancy narratives?

a. John and Matthew

b. Luke and Mark

c. Matthew and Luke

d. Mark and John

Quiz of the Day, December 26, 2020

What Feast coincides with "Boxing Day?"

a. St. John the Evangelist

b. Holy Innocents

c. St. Thomas the Apostle

d. St. Stephen

Quiz of the Day, December 25, 2020

Which of the following is not associated with the Christmas Carol, "Joy to the World?"

a. Handel

b. Antioch

c. Purcell

d. Watt

Quiz of the Day, December 24, 2020

Where is utopia to be found?

a. Isaiah

b. Revelation

c. Ezekiel

d. Thomas More

Quiz of the Day, December 23, 2020

Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, was from what priestly order?

a. Zadok

b. Levi

c. Kohan

d. Abijah

e. Melchizedek

Quiz of the Day, December 22, 2020

What is the "lake of fire?"

a.  the place where Hades and Death will be thrown

b. the second death

c. part of the vision of John the Divine

d. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, December 21, 2021

Which of the following is not true about Thomas, the disciple?

a. he was named Didymus

b. he was called the "twin"

c. he has become known as a famous doubter

d. he is believed to be an apostle to India

e. he has a Gospel with his name

f.  he is the patron saint of Teaneck, NJ

Quiz of the Day, December 20, 2020

Which of the following is not true about the first Temple?

a. God told David to build a Temple

b. Solomon built the Temple

c. the first Temple was in Shiloh

d. David could not build the Temple because he was a man of war, with blood on his hands

Quiz of the Day, December 19, 2020

In which Gospel can the four Canticles be found?

a. Matthew

b. Mark

c. Luke

d. John

Quiz of the Day, December 18, 2020

Who is Jesus say John the Baptist was?

a. the one to prepare the way

b. a voice crying in the wilderness

c. Elijah

d. the refiner's fire

Quiz of the Day, December 17, 2020

Which of the following is not a book written by Dorothy Sayers?

a. A Wrinkle in Time

b. Lord Peter Wimsey

c. Whose Body?

d. Cloud of Witnesses

Quiz of the Day, December 16, 2020

What is the relation be the words parthenos and almah?

a. parthenos is the Greek word for virgin

b. almah is the Hebrew word for young woman

c. The Septuagint translates almah as parthenos

d. The Gospels use the parthenos meaning for Isaiah and not the almah meaning

e. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, December 15, 2020

In which town did the angel Gabriel encounter Mary?

a. Bethlehem

b. Capernaum

c. Nazareth

d. Bethany

Quiz of the Day, December 14, 2020

Of the following, who is not a Carmelite saint?

a. John of the Cross

b. Ignatius Loyola

c. Teresa of Avila

d. Therese of Lisieux

Quiz of the Day, December 13, 2020

In which Passion narrative does Jesus tell his followers to purchase a sword?

a. Matthew

b. Mark

c. Luke

d. John

Quiz of the Day, December 12, 2020

Who is Juan Diego?

a. a 14th century Carmelite saint

b. recipient of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe

c. recipient of the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima

d. Founder of a Californian Mission

Quiz of the Day, December 11, 2020

Which of the following is not true regarding Hanukkah?

a. it is the feast of the re-dedication of the Temple

b. the originating event happened during the time of Maccabees

c. the ritual involves lighting of the Menorah

d. you can read about it in canonical Hebrew Scriptures of the Jews

Quiz of the Day, December 10, 2020

The biblical land of Aram is in what modern day country?

a. Israel

b. Lebanon

c. Turkey

d. Jordan

e. Syria

Quiz of the Day, December 9, 2020

Who was drafted to be a bishop before he was even baptized?

a. Augustine of Hippo

b. Leo the Great

c. Ambrose

d. Gregory Nazianzus

Quiz of the Day, December 8, 2020

St. Nicholas of Myra is not the patron saint of

a. Greece

b. sailors

c. Christmas

d. children

e. repentant thieves

f. archers

g. prostitutes

h. students

i. merchants

j  brewers

Quiz of the Day, December 7, 2020

Why is the third Sunday in Advent different than the other Sundays?

a. it's called Rose Sunday

b. it's called gaudete Sunday

c. the third Advent Candle is rose or pink

d. the vestments can be rose on this Sunday

e. it is the equivalent of Laetare

f.  it symbolizes a lessening of penitential piety

g. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, December 6, 2020

Which Gospel indicates that John the Baptist and Jesus were related through their mothers?

a. Matthew

b. Mark

c. Luke

d. John

Quiz of the Day, December 5, 2020

Where did the saint who morphed into Sinterclaus, Baba Noel, Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Chris Kringle and more, hail from?

a. Ephesus

b. Myra

c. Alexandria

d. Cappadocia

Quiz of the Day, December 4, 2020

What does the "widow's mite" refer to?

a. Jesus' comment on the sacrificial gift of a widow in the Temple

b. the poverty of a widow

c. the "mite box" giving method of the church

d. Peter's pence

Quiz of the Day, December 3, 2020

Which founder of the Jesuits was a missionary to India?

a. Ignatius Loyola

b. Peter Faber

c. Francis Xavier

d. Alfonso Salmeron

Quiz of the Day, December 2, 2020

What does Zion mean?

a. specific mount in Jerusalem

b. a poetic synonym for Jerusalem

c. a synecdoche for Israel

d. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, December 1, 2020

Nicholas Ferrar is associated with Little Gidding; who memorialized Little Gidding in verse?

a. Charles Williams
b. J.R.R. Tolkien
c. G.K. Chesterton
d. T. S. Eliot

Sunday School, January 3, 2021 2 Christmas B

 Sunday School, January 3, 2021    2 Christmas B

Sunday School

Taking a long trip

Did you ever drive on a long trip with your family for a special vacation?  To Disneyland?  Disneyworld?  Lego Land?  

Do you remember the trip?  Do you remember how excited you were as you waited to arrive at your destination?

The story of the Magi or Wise Men is about three people who took a long trip because they could not wait to arrive at special event, the event of the birth of a very special person who would change their lives and the life of this world.

The Magi or Wise men were foreigners.  They came from other countries to travel to Bethlehem to see Jesus.

This journey is the story of the early church.  The early church was a large group of foreigners who left their homes and their ways of living with the gods of the Roman Empire and they accepted the God who was known to them because of Jesus Christ.  They experienced the birth of Jesus Christ into their lives and so they gave everything, all of the most important gifts of their lives to follow Jesus Christ and to share this message of the Gospel to everyone.

Remember that sometimes we have to take journeys to reach important destinations in our lives.  We have to take a journey through school and education to learn important things which will make ourselves better.

Think about your life as a journey.  The star of God is leading you to new discoveries in your life.  We celebrate the story of the Wise Men because it shows us that we are on a journey to know what the birth of Christ means in our life.

Sermon

  Is Christmas over?  Yes and No.  Christmas Day is gone but the season of Christmas last for 12 days.  Perhaps you’ve heard the song about the 12 days of Christmas.  The song is about getting to open one Christmas gift for each day of the Christmas season.  How many of you opened all of your Christmas Gift on Christmas day?  How many of you adults said in July after buying something expensive,”   Dear this is my Christmas and birthday gift?”  How romantic!

  So today is the 12th day of the Christmas Season and when will the Christmas Season end?  It  will end tonight at midnight because, do you know what tomorrow is called?  It is called The Epiphany.  And what season begins on The Epiphany?  Epiphany.

  Today we have read about the wise men who came to see the baby Jesus.  Did any of you play a wise man in the Christmas Pageant?  What did the wise men bring the baby Jesus?  They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Most of us might like gold for a gift…but frankincense and myrrh?  It depends upon how much one is into aroma therapy to appreciate those two gifts.

  How many of you like getting gifts at Christmas?  Well, if you like getting gifts at Christmas then you should thank the wise men, because they are the ones who inspired giving gifts at Christmas.  So let us say to the wise men.  Thank you for starting the gift tradition.

  But the wise men are not just important for the giving of gifts at Christmas time.  They are important for something else.

  Did you know that the wise men were from a different country than Jesus?  And they travelled a long distance to come and visit him.

  Let me ask you a question.  Do you like chocolate?  How many people in this room like chocolate?  If someone who had never had chocolate came to visit us, should we let them have chocolate?  Why should we share our chocolate?  If is it good an sweet, why should we share it?  Does everyone have the right to taste and enjoy chocolate?

Now if we like chocolate and if we should share chocolate with everyone, what about God?

  If we know that God is close to us, should we let everyone know that God is close to them to?  Or should we hide it from them.  Should we let other people know that God loves them and is close to them too?  Why?  Because the best things in life have to be shared with everyone.  The wise men were looking for the best thing in life and they came a long distance to find it.  They found the best person in life in Jesus Christ who is person who taught us that God is very close to us and who taught us that God loves us.  Should we keep that a secret or should we share it?  Just like everyone should be able to enjoy chocolates, everyone should be able to know that God loves them and that God is close to their lives.  That is one of the meanings of the story of the wise men today.  Let us remember that God’s love is for everyone even for the people whom we don’t know.  So let us always be ready to share God’s love with the new people we meet.

Intergenerational Holy Eucharist

January 3, 2021: The Second Sunday after Christmas

Gathering Songs:

 We Three Kings of Orient Are, Away in a Manger

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: We Three Kings ( Blue Hymnal # 128)

1-We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar, field and fountain moor and mountain, following yonder star.  O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

2-Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain, gold I bring to crown him again, King for every ceasing never, over us all to reign. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God,  you have wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: All us to share in the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our human life, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

Liturgist: A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Please join in reading from Psalm 84

How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! * My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.

The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; * by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.

Happy are they who dwell in your house! * they will always be praising you.

Litany of Thanksgiving: Chant: Thanks be to God!

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.

In the time of King Herod  when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him honor to this king of the Jews." When King Herod, who was also called the King of the Jews, heard this, he was frightened, and as well as the people of Jerusalem.  He called together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search for the child; and when you have found him, come and tell me so I can go honor him too. When they had heard the king, the wisemen went in the direction of the star until it stopped over the place where the baby Jesus lay. The wisemen were joyful to arrive at their destination. They enter the house and they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and honored him.  Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod so they left for their own country without telling Herod where the Christ child could be found. 

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

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

Song: We Three Kings (Blue Hymnal # 128, vss.3-4)

3-Frankincense to offer have I: incense owns a Deity nigh; prayer and praising gladly raising, worship him, God most hight. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

4-Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom; sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in the stone-cold tomb. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat the bread and drink the wine, we can know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as this food and drink that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

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

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

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

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

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

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

(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 Song: Away in a Manger

1-Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.  The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

2-The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.  I love thee, Lord Jesus!  Look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

3-Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me for ever and love me I pray.  Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

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: We Three Kings (Blue Hymnal # 128, verse 5)

5-Glorious now behold him arise, King and God and sacrifice; heaven sings alleluia: alleluia the earth replies. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!