Sunday School, March 19, 2023 4 Lent A

 Sunday School, March 19, 2023   4 Lent A

Theme:

Seeing

What kind of vision did Superman have?

He had X-ray vision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sermon:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intergeneration Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 19, 2023: The Fourth Sunday in Lent

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

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

People: God’s mercy endures forever.  Amen.

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Only a Boy Named David (All the Best Songs for Kids:  # 112)

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

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liturgist: A reading from the First Book of Samuel

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

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

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

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

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

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

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

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

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

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

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

Post-Communion Prayer. 

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

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

And His Presence has been known to us.

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

    and sisters in Christ.

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

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

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

Closing Song: May the Lord (Sung to the tune of Eidelweiss)

May the Lord, Mighty God, Bless and keep you forever, Grant you peace, perfect peace, Courage in every endeavor.  Lift up your eyes and seek His face, Trust His grace forever.  May the Lord, Mighty God Bless and keep you for ever.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Being Baptized as a Quenching Drink

3 Lent A March 12, 2023
Ex.17:1-17 Ps.95:6-11
Roman 5:1-11 John 4:5-42

Lectionary Link

When we read the Gospels, we must not fall into chronological confusion of thinking that the Gospels were the first New Testament writings presenting exact accounts of the hero and chief inspiration for the Jesus Movement.  The first New Testament writing are from St. Paul in the form of letters giving pastoral advice and teaching instruction for gatherings of this particular party that still was connected with Judaism but who believed that Jesus was the Messiah.

When the Gospel genre of writing occurred, it involved connected the mystical and spiritual theology of St. Paul with Jesus of Nazareth by presenting narratives of Jesus.  These narratives embedded the mystical theology of Paul and others into "as if eye-witness" stories to provide stories as indirect teaching methods to inculcate the reality of a community which was established and promulgated by the replication of the mystical experience called by Paul and others of receiving an identity with the Risen Christ.  The Gospels gave a narrative concrescence to the mystical experience.  They were crafted in story units as devices for easy memory and transmission among people, of whom many were not literate.  The story units as a genre were effective for transmission of the teaching goals of the early communities of Jesus Movement.

By the time the Gospel of John came to textual form, the Jesus Movement was quite old, almost six decades after Jesus had lived.

Like Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John was crafted by an educated writer who knew the Greek language.  Their literary education included the ability to use existing textual and rhetorical traditions from both rabbinical and the Roman Empire cultural and empire propaganda and political rhetorical traditions.  This means that terms like son of god would not be unfamiliar to Roman ears, for in fact, their own emperors were so designated.

What is the writer of John's Gospel trying to do in the presentation of the story of the encounter of the Samaritan women with Jesus at the well?  What might be some of the concrete features revealed by this text?

First, one might assume that by the year 90, a number of people of the Samaritan Torah-based religion had become followers of Jesus.  In fact, from this writing one might trace Samaritan converts to this woman who could be called the founding apostle of the Samaritan church.  The chief apostle of the Samaritan church was a woman who had a history of rather unstable relationships with the men of her life.  This apostolic role of a Samaritan woman might be considered to be quite an innovation and challenge to patriarchal norms of the period.

Secondly, the Gospel writer of John developed themes found within the Gospel itself.  In the narrative account, Jesus gave the living water discourse following his discourse with Nicodemus, to whom he said, "You have to be born anew, from above, and by water and the Spirit."  Water as an outer baptism is water as an agent of cleansing of the outer life.  But water as a thirst quencher is an interior baptism which provides continuing life for our bodies which are mostly water, as well as the delightful and satisfying feature of what happens when one imbibes.  The living water of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised, was an internal baptism and such a baptism pertains to the request of the Psalmist:  "Create in me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me."  The Jesus Movement of the year 90 consisted of a group of people who were united by sharing an interior living spirit which resonated with the words of Jesus which were being passed in their tradition.  As the Johannine writer would also write Jesus saying, "My words are spirit and they are life."  This discourse is about the spirit words of Jesus.

This living water story is also consistent with another theme in John's Gospel, namely, the plain and literal or empirically verifiable words have their place but they also can be words which point to parallel inward experience.  Jesus, in the Gospel of John, is often presented as rebuking the literal minds.  The Samaritan women wanted actual drinking water while Jesus was referring to inward refreshment of spiritual experience.  The disciples were speaking about food for Jesus to eat, while Jesus was speaking about inward sustenance in the experience of not living by bread alone but by spirit-words which informed the entire value system of one's life.  Jesus spoke of laborers and harvest, not as actual farming, but as referring to the bringing to spiritual harvest people who need to know that life is more than mere food and drink, but very much about the inward organization of our lives for the highest and best values of quality life.

And this living water story reflects the reality of spiritual enlightenment.  By the spirit words of Jesus, the lives of the Samaritan woman and her neighbors were changed forever.  This was the reality of Jesus Movement in the year 90; peoples lives were still being changed and converted by the spirit words of the Risen Christ.  The writer of John's Gospel was proclaiming the firm belief that the experience of the Risen Christ decades after Jesus was initiated by the life of Jesus of Nazareth and was in succession with it in the work of the Holy Spirit through time.

Where do you and I find Gospel correspondence for us?

The Gospel was for unsuspecting people who often lived in patriarchal and narrow group chauvinism.  The Gospel is still for people who have been marginalized and neglected as not have most favored status by us and our group.  The Gospel is for everyone equally who has human need and we cannot put limits upon the spirit words of Jesus.

The Gospel for today also warns us not to misread biblical words in crassly literal ways.  The Bible invites us to the art of spiritual living and this means the ability to read the Scriptures with the inner eye toward spiritual transformation.  Too many people waste all their religion on defending biblical words as continuous unique occasions of events which defy common sense and natural laws.  The words of Jesus invite us to inner meanings.

Finally, this Gospel proclaimed that people living decades after Jesus still could have a spiritual and inner connection with him.  The ways in which this connection happens for you and me will be different than other people in other times and places, and the proof of this connection will be our transformed lives in love and justice.  Let us continue to seek the spirit words of Christ which will still change our lives.  Amen

Sunday School, March 12, 2023 3 Lent A

 Sunday School, March 12, 2023    3 Lent A

Themes:

Jesus meets the Samaritan Woman at the Well

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sermon

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

  Would that be fair?  Why not?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 12, 2023: The Third Sunday in Lent

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

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

People: God’s mercy endures forever.  Amen.

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love (Renew! # 289)

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

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

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

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

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liturgist: A reading from the Book of Exodus

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

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 95

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

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

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

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

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

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

Offertory: I’ve Got Peace Like a River (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 122)

I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.  I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river.  I’ve got peace like a river in my soul..

I’ve got love…. 

I’ve got joy……

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

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

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

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

Post-Communion Prayer. 

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

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

And His Presence has been known to us.

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

    and sisters in Christ.

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

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

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

Closing Song:  Freely, Freely (Renew # 192)

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

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

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

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

The "Good" Pharisees Have Names

2 Lent A March 5, 2023
Gen 12:1-8 Ps.121
Rom. 4:1-5, (6-12)13-17 Jn.3:1-17

Lectionary Link

From reading some of the critical words of Jesus about Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel the Pharisees have fallen prey to the endless stereotype of being phony religious people, hypocrites, who act religious but really have gutter motives.

It is not flattering to be called a Pharisee today; much more flattering to be called a Democrat or a Republican.

The words of Jesus in the Gospels are being written 3-6 decades after Jesus and they represent in part, the conflicts between the various parties within Judaism.  The Pharisees, the Scribes, the followers of John the Baptist, the Sadducees, the desert Essenes, the Zealots, and the followers of Jesus, were parties within Judaism.  They interacted with each other because they share common Scripture heritage and the Holy Site of the Temple.  

The Pharisees actually shared much with the followers of Jesus.  They accepted more than just the Torah as authoritative writings, just like Jesus did.  They believed in a resurrection afterlife,  a general resurrection for the purposes of judgment.  You come back to life to get judged for your deeds.  They also believed in a messiah.  Like many religions, Judaism in the first century consisted of people of faith who were divided even while having common Scriptures and beliefs.  In modern parlance one might say that there were different paradigms of Judaism which co-existed in the first century, one of which centered upon Rabbi Jesus and the belief in his Messiahship.

In spite of the bad rap that Pharisees get in the Gospels and in the rest of history, there are actually three "good" Pharisees in the New Testament.  The Pharisees as a negative stereotypes do not have individual names but the good Pharisees have names.  Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and St. Paul.

Each of these Pharisees represent the dynamics of what was happening in Jesus Movement in its various settings represented by the New Testament writings.

Nicodemus represents a crassly literal Pharisee, but he is one who is interested in all the buzz surrounding Jesus.  He is presented as a Pharisee who was curious about Jesus.  He came to Jesus at night, perhaps in secret so as not to draw the criticism of his own party.  He signifies the truth that one's own party peer pressure does not support us easily leaving their influence for even a new insight.

The dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus provide the insights on how a paradigm shift takes place.  The writer of John presented Jesus as a teacher who had informed himself about his tradition, he had surveyed the current situation of his people in Roman controlled Palestine and he inspired a new paradigm of divine accessibility.  This paradigm was a "love paradigm."  God loves the world, and not just the inheritors of the Hebrew Scriptures.   The Jesus Movement was what one might say, evangelical Judaism.  The Jews practiced proselyte baptism for those who were willing and able to conform to all the ritual purity laws.  Such ritual purity was not easily accessible to all, and especially the Gentiles.

How could one enter the new paradigm of Christ?  It required a renewal, a new birth, a birth which comes from receiving new insights.  The expositors of the Jesus Movement wove the symbolic presentations of events in Hebrew lore with a presentation of Jesus of Nazareth.  The death of Jesus on the cross was presented as his being lifted up for people to get a spiritual glance of faith and in accepting God's provision of  spiritual health for their lives.  The love of God for the world gave the life of Jesus as the valid work for our health and salvation.  

Nicodemus is an example of a Pharisee who was won and converted to the teachings of Rabbi Jesus.  Later in the Gospel of John, Nicodemus is shown to be an advocate for Jesus before the religious authorities.

St. Paul was also a Pharisee, one who had violently opposed the followers of Jesus.  But he came to have a conversion experience and he became the chief architect for this new paradigm of God loving the world.  With St. Paul, Christ-centered Judaism became an innovating evangelism.  The Gentiles were written into salvation history by being presented as people of faith who were like the figure Abraham, who lived before the laws were revealed on Sinai.  Abraham had saving faith without the benefit of the commandments with all of the ritual requirements.  St. Paul saw the saving faith response of the Gentiles who had mystical experiences of the Risen Christ.  Their changed life was proof of their being included in God's salvation plan for everyone.

Gamaliel was a chief Pharisee rabbi.  The Acts of the Apostles present him as one who issued an opinion about the Jesus Movement.  He told the Pharisees to be lenient on the followers of Jesus because if the movement proved to be of God, it could not be opposed.  Gamaliel was saying, "Wait and see; don't rush to a harsh opinion or reaction."

Today we live in a Christian world with many more Christian parties than the parties of Judaism during the first century.  People today may "convert" from one Christian party to another.  In earlier centuries people in different parties persecuted and mistreated each other.  While modern laws in many places prevent open harm among Christian parties, many people calling themselves Christian despise others who call themselves Christian.  Persecution still exists today among people who call themselves Christian, and even outright war such as is now known in the Russian-Ukraine division between their Orthodox communities.

The same task remains for all people today, especially Christians; believing that God loves the world and to receive that love to love each other with the care that goes with that love.  God's Son was made manifest to us to lead us to the life of God loving the world.  When we fight and divide about who is loving God the best, we actually act counter to the love of God.

Let us as our Gospel task today recommit ourselves to these words: God so loved the world.  And let our Gospel task be for the care of our world and the people of the world.  Amen.