Sunday School, November 27, 2022 1 Advent Cycle A

 Sunday School, November 27, 2022     1 Advent Cycle A

Themes:

The Beginning of Christian New Year

Review the calendars in our lives.  The Gregorian Calendar that we use.  School calendars, Sports Calendars, Work Calendar, Concert Season Calendars.  The Country’s Patriotic Time and Official Holidays.

Have children list the number of calendars in their lives.  Calendars are used to measure time.  Different calendars measure time in different ways depending upon the human events which are occurring at different times.

The Church Calendar

Why do we have one?  Because we want to schedule that time that we give to God, through learning throughout the year about the meaning of God for our lives.

How does the Church Calendar work?  It works like a school curriculum.  The church takes the Christian program of learning and divides it into a yearly cycle to presentation.  The year is divided into six seasons.  These seasons give us the opportunity to review each year different teachings about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the life of the church.

What are the seasons?  Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost

What does Advent mean?  It means “Coming.”  It refers to the first coming of Christ when he came as the baby Jesus at Christmas.  So the season of Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas.  It also refers to the future comings of Christ in our lives and the life of the world.  We believe that Christ will come to our future and this gives us hope that the future can be better no matter what seems to be happening in our lives or in our world.

What do we read during Advent from the Bible?  We read about John the Baptist and how he helped prepared the way for Jesus.  We also read about the future and how God will establish fairness and justice and how the promise of fairness in the future can help us survive now when we realize that our lives are not perfect and some harmful things are happening now even to good people.  During Advent, we believe that a future perfect world is still calling us as a model for how we can become better.

What is an important word during Advent?  Repent.  Repent means to Educate ourselves to keep changing our minds with better knowledge and wisdom, not just to know more, but to change our behavior as a way of preparing to greet Jesus as our friend.

A Sermon:

Happy New Year!  Did you have a big New Year Eve’s party last night?  Did you know that today is the first day of the new Christian Year.  Today is the First Sunday of Advent.  Let us renew our Seasons of the Christian Year.  Repeat after me.  Advent.  Christmas. Epiphany.  Lent East and Pentecost.  Now what is the color for the Season of Advent?  Purple.  And what kind of season is Advent?  Is it a celebrating season like Christmas and Easter?  No, it is a serious season.  A season of training and preparation.  Sometimes with all of the early Christmas parties, Advent is just seen as a speed bump in the road as people are racing to a Christmas celebration.

  Advent is a time for us to pray just a little bit more.  To give just a little bit more to those who are needy.  And to take good care of our selves.  Take good care of our bodies.  We see all of the Christmas sweets coming out early, but remember Advent is a time to prepare and take care of ourselves.  And why should we take care of our selves and our world?

  Because Advent means: Coming.  We are preparing for the coming of someone very important.  When someone special is coming to your house, what do you do?  You rush around and clean up the house.  You fix some special food because you want everything just right for the coming of the special people in your life.

  During Advent, we prepare our selves for the coming of Jesus Christ.  And Christ comes to us in many ways.  Christ came to us as the Baby Jesus in the manger, and that is what we celebrate at Christmas.  Christ comes to us each day in special way through the love and care of our family and friends.  Christ comes to us as we gather to bless the bread and the wine and receive the presence of Christ into our hearts and as we know that Christ is as near to us as the bread and wine become after we eat and drink.  We also believe that Christ will come in our future in many special ways.

  So, Advent is a season of preparation, when we make our selves always ready for the special coming of Christ in our lives.

  So before we rush to Christmas celebrations, let us remember that we are in the season of Advent.  And Advent is a special season of preparation for the coming of Christ.  Is Christ welcome in your home?  Is Christ welcome in your life?  Of course he is.  Advent is season when we practice for the welcoming of Christ into our lives.  Amen.

An Intergenerational Holy Eucharist

November 27, 2022  The First Sunday of Advent, A

Gathering Songs: We Light the Advent Candles, If You’re Happy and You Know It,  Father, I Adore You,  Soon and Very Soon

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

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song:  We Light the Advent Candles (While lighting the first purple candle)

We light the Advent candles against the winter night, to welcome our Lord Jesus who is the world’s True Light, to welcome our Lord Jesus who is the World’s True Light.

The first one will remind us that Christ will soon return.  We light it in the darkness and watch it gleam and burn.  We light it in the darkness and watch it gleam and burn.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 122

Peace be within your walls *and quietness within your towers.

For my brethren and companions' sake, * I pray for your prosperity.

Because of the house of the LORD our God, * I will seek to do you good."

Litany Phrase: 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.

Jesus said to the disciples, "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."

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

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 124)

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.  If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.  If you’re happy and you know it, then your face should surely show it.  If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

…Make a high five…. 

…shout Amen!….

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  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 Song:   Father, I Adore You (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 56)

1          Father, I adore you, lay my life before you, how I love you.

2          Jesus….

3          Spirit…

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Soon and Very Soon (Renew! # 276)

1-Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King; soon and very soon we are going to see the King.  Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.  Alleluia, alleluia, we are going to see the King.

2-No more dying there, we are going to see the King.  No more dying there, we are going to see the King.  No more dying there we are going to see the King.  Alleluia, alleluia, we are going to see the King.

3.  Repeat verse 1

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Sunday School, November 27, 2016      1 Advent Cycle A

What Does Kingly Mean in Our Time?

Last Sunday after Pentecost, Cp29, November 20, 2022 Christ the King
Jeremiah 23:1-6 Ps. 46
Col. 1:11-20 Luke 23:23-33

Lectionary Link

Since we are human and prisoners of being merely human, we can only anthropomorphize about all non-human life, like the lives of animals, plants, and God.  We speak human languages and can only see and understand in human terms, so when we speak about God we use analogies.

In human history, for various reasons, kings were important people, exalted people, and privileged people in human society.  They were at the top of human hierarchy.

So, the human notion of kingship became used as a analogy for God.  God was presented as a king; and not like human kings who had many faults and imperfections.  God was presented as idealized king.

Human kings were very imperfect; they were often greedy, ruthless, kleptocrats, who took a disproportionate amount of the human resources of a society for their own pleasure and use.  In fact, in pre-kingdom times in Israel, we are told that Samuel warned the people of Israel about wanting a king like the other nations had.  He warned that they would conscript their son for the army and they would be high maintenance for their lavish style of living.  But God and Samuel gave them their wish and the first king of Israel, Saul, indeed,  was a disappointment.  He was so disappointing that his lineage was rejected, and God through Samuel had the shepherd boy David anointed as the second King of Israel.  David was not perfect either, but he was successful enough to create the desire for some future mythical king who would be like David but an even more perfect king.  This future mythical king was called, after David, the messiah.

The scene of Jesus hanging on the cross with the written declaration, "This is the King of the Jews," is completely ironic.  Kings, real kings like David do not die on a cross if they are successful kings.  The Romans wrote the script mocking Jesus as quixotic pretend king.

This crucifixion account is being written and read by people who had come to believe that Jesus was not only King of the Jews but of the Gentiles as well, but not in the way David or Caesar were kings.  The Risen Christ was an interior Spiritual and winsome force who gained followers by interior spiritual experience.  He was a king in a parallel world and the way that Risen Christ, the Risen Messiah, the Risen King interacted with the visible realm was within the lives of those who freely and willing came under his influence to become people of goodness, love, and justice.

As such a Risen King, the earthly notion of kingship is completely deconstructed.  Strangely the Risen king does intervene in the world.  In fact, the followers of the Risen King may end up persecuted and mistreated.  What kind of king does not intervene for all of the innocent sufferers in this world?

This contradiction requires us to ponder how and what is kingly in our world today in a way that is completely adequate to common sense, reason, and a sense of propriety.

The Risen Christ King, like God is not one who intervenes to overthrow the genuine freedom that is in the world.  God who is all and in all, is negatively represented when people who are made in the image of God do bad things.  So why does not God intervene to interdict people being bad and harmful?

What is truly kingly in our world is the Reign of Christ as one who has the power to permit true freedom because only in true freedom is there valid moral and spiritual authenticity.

The truly kingly one today is the one who lures and coaxes for people to love one another and act justly with one another.   The truly kingly does not come with the force of weapons and armies and mind police to force an agenda.

We may not really like the kingly Risen Christ, because we find him too tolerant of what might and does happen in our world.  We wish that people whom we thought were evil, greedy, cruel tyrants could be stopped in their tracks when we want it.

Earthy kings intervene in earthly physical ways to get what they want for the peace of their realms and for their own power and wealth.

Our encounter with the Risen Christ requires that we change what we think is kingly.  The Risen Christ is kingly power of restraint; he will not force anyone to do anything.  He works with the lure of love and justice wanting us to freely choose to love God, love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Let us adopt the reality of what is truly kingly today, as we have in the witness of the Risen Christ.  By his Spirit, we are invited to become kingly ourselves in living lives of love and justice and committing ourselves to influence others through the persuasion of example.

May God give us grace to counter the harsh kingdoms of this world with the gentle, loving, and kind kingdom of a truly kingly Christ.  Amen.

Sunday School, November 20, 2022 Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King

 Sunday School, November 20, 2022  Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King 

C proper 29

Theme:

How is Christ a King?

Did Jesus live in a palace?  Did he have a large army of soldiers?  No.

How is it that Jesus is a king and how is it that he has a kingdom?

Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within you.  He said it was among us.

What is so special about an invisible kingdom and an invisible king?

The kings of this earth are leaders who have power.  They can force people to obey them.

Jesus is the king of persuasion.  He wins our hearts.  He teaches us to things which are good for us.  He does not force us.  He allows us freedom to choose whether we want to be a part of his kingdom.

Jesus is not like any king that this world has ever had.

If it seems as though Jesus is a king without any power, just remember he had the power to come back to life again.  He had the power to reappear to his followers again and again.  He has the ability to be with us by the Holy Spirit and help us have power to be better people.

Christ is a king, a very different king than the other kings of this world.

The fact that Jesus has not been seen for 2000 years and yet he still remains followed and loved by more people than any other king or person on earth, shows us what a special king that Christ is.

Sermon

Bring two crosses, a crucifix and a Christus Rex

Use the sermon to speak about how we speak of Christ as a King after his resurrection.  After his resurrection, we understand the cross in a different way.

Text: 

  Today is the end of the longest church season.  What is the longest church season?  Pentecost.  If this week is the end of the Christian year, then that makes next Sunday, New Year’s Day.  And what do we call the first day in the Christian New Year?  The first Sunday of Advent.  So what Christian season comes after the season of Pentecost?  Advent.

  We have a special name for this Sunday, the last Sunday in the season of Pentecost.  It is called the Feast of Christ the King.

  And so today we want to think about how Christ is our King.

  We heard the reading from the Gospel today and we wonder how Christ can be our king.  The reading that we have listened to tells us about how Jesus died.  In fact, he died when the soldiers of the great Roman king, the Caesar put him on a cross.  And they put a sign on the top of the cross that was making fun of Jesus.  The sign said: Jesus, King of the Jews.  How can a person who dies this way be a king?

  Let me show you another cross.  This cross is called the cross of Christ the King.  Do you see that Jesus has on wonderful robes and he is wearing a crown?  This cross is different from the other cross.

  How did Jesus become Christ the King?  He became Christ the King, because he did the strongest thing that could ever be done; he came back to life and he promised that God could give us life after our deaths too.  That is a great thing.  And that is why Christ is our king.

  And since we know that Christ is our king and since we know that God is bigger and stronger than death, do you know what that means?  It means that we can live our lives without fear.  We can live our lives with joy, love and faith, because we know that Christ is our King who has been stronger than death.

  So today, let’s celebrate because Christ is our King.  Christ is stronger than death.  And we can live with joy and faith because Christ is our King.  Amen.

Intergenerational liturgy with Holy Eucharist

November 20, 2022: The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Feast of Christ the King

Gathering Songs: Majesty; Peace Before Us; Lord, Be Glorified; Lift High the Cross    

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: Majesty (Renew! # 63)

Majesty, worship his majesty.  Unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise. 

Majesty, kingdom authority flow from his throne unto own; his anthem raise. 

So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus. 

Magnify, come, glorify Christ Jeus the King. 

Majesty, worship his majesty; Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 46

Come now and look upon the works of the LORD, * what awesome things he has done on earth.

It is he who makes war to cease in all the world; * he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,
and burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, then, and know that I am God; * I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."

Litany Phrase: 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 Luke

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

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

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

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

2-Love  3-Light   4-Christ

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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 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 Song:  Lord, Be Glorified (Renew! # 172)

In our lives, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in our lives, Lord, be glorified today.

In our homes, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in our homes, Lord, be glorified today.

In your church, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in your church, Lord, be glorified today.

In your world, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in your world, Lord be glorified today. 

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: Lift High the Cross (Renew! # 297)

Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ‘till all the world adore his sacred name.

Come, Christians, follow where our savior trod, our King victorious, Christ, the Son of God.  Refrain

All newborn servants of the crucified bear on their brows the seal of him who died.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

  

Important Edifice and Paradigm Shift

23 Pentecost, Cp28, November 13, 2022
Isaiah 65:17-25 Ps. 98:
2 Thes. 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19

Lectionary Link

In terms of geo-political power, what did the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year seventy mean?

It meant that the Roman had political and military power in Palestine.  They would not tolerate local revolts by zealots who believed that they were called to be in a holy war to rid their homeland and holy city from foreign occupation.

What happens when one loses a holy war?  Lots of forced issues like mourning the loss of life of those who died in battle.  There is the practical issues like fleeing harms way for family, for children and the elderly and without the ability to take much of the familiar things into exile.

Then there is the emotional, the psychological, and the theological.   There is doubt and disillusionment.  Were we wrong to resist the Romans?  Were we wrong to have faith that God would fight for and with us in miraculous ways to save us and our homeland, and especially the holy Temple?

And if God did not intervene to save the divine dwelling place the Temple itself, what does this say about our understanding of God and God's purposes for us?

The retroactive channeling of the words of Christ within a narrative of Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple gives us a picture of the early communities of the Jesus Movement coming to grips with the reality of the destruction of the Temple.

The Jews had before been in exile from their land and Temple in the past and so they had previous dealt with the loss of the Temple as the center of their ritual and liturgical life.  The locus of God's presence had to become understood as decentralized and found in the gathered people who gathered to both collate and read the holy words of divine presence in the texts of the Torah and the writings.  The people in exile had to format their very identity as one that could be known and perpetuated in the Holy Texts, read and continuously commented on within their gatherings, their synagogues.

The presentation of Jewish heritage was taught as once having a traveling tabernacle with a traveling divine presence which went with the ark of the covenant.  And then when Israel got their land and city, the Temple became what was to be the permanent residing place of God's presence.  But what if the Temple lost its permanent status and was destroyed and the people of Israel were carried away from their homeland into exile?  What would that say about their God?  Could their God still be crucial to their very identity?  In exile, would they become assimilated into foreign cultures and religion?  Would they intermarry and lose their ethnic identity.

The Jewish people were kept together in exile by their sacred text tradition; they found the divine presence within the holy writings as they gathered within their foreign setting.  What was born was a new Judaism which could provide people with an identity without being in the homeland with a Temple.  The Jews had been forced into a new paradigm in the time of exile and the loss of their most important architectural symbol, the Temple.

How did the early Jesus Movement then understand the destruction of the Temple?  They understood the time to be a time of crisis.  Crisis time is a time of change.  It can be a time of loss, suffering, pain and community conflict.

The year 70 meant for both synagogue and the Jesus Movement, an exile from Jerusalem and home bases in Palestine.  It meant disagreements among the parties within Judaism, even severe disagreements such as the ones which impelled Saul of Tarsus to persecute the followers of Jesus.

Pain and suffering can make us suffer so much that we use our imaginations to visualize the end of suffering.  In our pain and loss we can generalize the importance of our pain and loss to the entire cosmos.  We can come to believe that all creation is taking note of our suffering and loss.  This generalization is the apocalyptic imagination of visualization comfort and end of suffering.  We should be careful about literalizing a discourse which is essentially an analgesic discourse.

What is the Gospel for us today as we are experiencing the diminished importance of some familiar edifices of identity within our faith communities.

We are encouraged to endure.  We are encouraged to visualize new paradigms of faith strategies to prove that God's omnipresence is adjustable to new situations.  The Gospel today is that temples and holy edifices cannot exhaust God's presence because each person's body is a temple of Holy Spirit.

May God inspire us to derive new strategies and paradigms to bear the winsomeness of the grace, love, and peace of the message of Jesus Christ.  May God give us grace to accept our bodies as dwelling places of God's Spirit.   Amen.