Sunday School, August 20, 2023 12 Pentecost, A proper 15

  Sunday School, August 20, 2023     12 Pentecost, A proper 15

Theme

Rules of the Game

Inviting more people to the Game

What if there is a game, like soccer, that has rules but the rules for the game includes unattainable rules for everyone to participate.  Like, “girls can’t play soccer.”

For a long time, it might have been accepted that “girls can’t play soccer.”  Yet girls can definitely play soccer and many of them played even when they were allowed to have “official teams and girls’ leagues.”  Eventually girls began to complain about not being able to play “official” soccer and they grew in number and influence.  And girls have come to be able to play soccer in their own leagues even though they don’t play with boys who have their own soccer league too.  Boys and girls can love soccer even though they may not always play together in the same game.

The biggest Game of life is knowing and loving God.  Our religious life is like a “God Game we play and we follow rules.”  But what is the most important rule in the great “God Game?”  God is for everyone, God loves everyone and God wants everyone to be involved in a “God Game.”

But sometimes people can think that they “own” the God Game.  They think that they can restrict people from being a part of the “God Game.”   When Jesus came, he saw that some people were not allowed to play the God game.  The rules were too restrictive and many people who wanted to play the God Game were not allowed to play.

Jesus showed us that all of us have a tendency to sin and break rules, but he also showed that God invites us to be a part of the God Game even though we are not perfect and even though we are different in our experience.

Jesus believed that God show loved to the people of Israel so that it could spread to all people in the world.  Not everyone wanted to the share “their God” with all people.

Jesus showed that if everyone can have faith, they can play in the great God Game of life.

Can girls play soccer?  Yes, they can and they should be invited to play as much and as many ways a possible.  Is everyone able to play in the great God Game of life?  Yes, indeed, because everyone has the ability to have faith.

Let us exercise our faith in the God Game of life and let us always invite everyone to do the same.

Sermon

How many of you like play games?  What does every game need?  Every game needs rules, right?

  But have you everr played a game with someone when you didn’t know the rules or when suddenly someone changed the rules.

  When you don’t know the rules or when somebody changes the rules, then you cannot win.  And it is very sad and frustrating when you want to play a game and the rules do not allow you to win.

  Have you ever played the game of tag?  When you run and touch someone, then their It, and they have to run and touch someone else.  And they are only safe when they are “at home base.”

  Well, I remember playing tag with a friend when I was young.  I would run and touch him, and say, “you’re it.”  And he would say, “No, I’m not.”   And I would say why not, I caught you and I tagged you?”  And he would say, “I’m standing on one foot, so that means I’m “on base.”  And I said, “Well, I didn’t know that was a rule; if I had known, I could have used that rule and not gotten tagged.”  And then the next time I tagged my friend, he would have another rule for why he was “not it.”  And so I quit playing the game of tag with him, because there was no way of winning.

  When Jesus came, he found some people who had special rules for playing a religious game.  And because they had special rules about what you had to do to be loved by God, there were many people who did not know the rules, and so they were treated like people who were not loved by God.  And Jesus said this was very wrong.

  What kind of rules did they have?  They had rules about cleanliness.  There were special rules about dishes had to be washed and how you bathed your body and how you prepared your food and what kinds of food you could eat.   And if you didn’t follow these rules, then you were a loser with God and you were a loser according to the rules and you didn’t even know the rules.

  Jesus came correct the rules.  He said that it was not rules about cleanliness that made you a good person.  He said it was the condition of your heart.  Do you have love and faith?  Do you act with faith?  And do you act with love?  That is what the rules of God are.  All of these other rules are the changing rules of men and women.

  So, Jesus said you could not call a person a loser, if he or she was not following some special rules.  A person is a winner in God’s eye when they live with faith and love.  Those are the big and important rules in life.  The little rules often make us disagree with each other and dislike each other.  We can all have some special rules for our lives for our family and our church, but let us remember that Jesus only had the big rules, the rule of love and faith.  Those are the important rules which help us to know that we are winning with God.  And we all want to win with God, don’t we?  And we want everybody to know that with love and faith, they too can win with God. 

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

August 20, 2023: The Twelfth Sunday of Pentecost

Gathering Songs: The Lord Is Present, Hosanna, Ubi Caritas, Awesome God

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:  The Lord Is Present  (Renew!  # 55)

The Lord is present in his sanctuary, let us praise the Lord.  The Lord is present in his people gathered here, let us praise the Lord.  Praise him, praise him, let us praise the Lord.  Praise him, praise him, let us praise Jesus.

The Lord is present in his sanctuary, let us sing to the Lord.  The Lord is present in his people gathered here, let us sing to the Lord.  Sing to him, sing to him!  Let us sing to the Lord.  Sing to him, sing to him!  Let us sing to Jesus.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 133

Oh, how good and pleasant it is, * when God’s people live together in unity!

It is like fine oil upon the head *  that runs down upon the beard,

Upon the beard of Aaron, * and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

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

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

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

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

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

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

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

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

   Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."

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.

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

Offertory Song: Hosanna (Renew! # 71)

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

Glory, Glory, Glory to the King of kings!  Glory, Glory, Glory to King of kings!  Lord we lift up you name with hearts full of praise; Be exalted, oh Lord my God!  Glory to the King of Kings.

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them 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 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: Ubi Caritas (Renew!  # 226)

Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.

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: Awesome God (Renew!  # 245)

Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from heaven above. 

With wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God.

(sing three times)

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

Jesus, Why Aren't You My Superhero Interventionist?

11  Pentecost, A p 14, August 13, 2023
1 Kings 19:9-18 Psalm 85:8-13
Romans 10:5-15,  Matthew 14:22-33

Lectionary Link

Can we agree that the Bible readings are "textual events?"  Can you and I agree that we are "word events" too?  I means that you and are are constituted, made up in our insides by the words that have come to order the details of our lives.  And to change our lives, we need to do some serious re-ordering of our interior word life in hopes that such re-ordering will help our body language lives behave different toward more excellent actions.

We get involved with the words of the Bible because we look for biblical words to interact with our worded lives so that we might be advanced in creative excellence in our lives.

When people say, "it's only words," they cheapen and limit the meaning of words.  Our entire existence is ordered because of words and so there is nothing "cheap" about words.

The Gospel writers were so certain that words re-create our lives that the writer of John called the pre-existent Jesus Christ, the Word from the beginning who is God.  That makes Word a powerful co-extensive entity with God.

The Gospel writers were wordsmiths of their eras.  They used language within the styles and forms of their times.  Bible mis-readers in our times like to think that Gospel writers were writing exact eye-witness journalistic reports about Jesus.  How could this be so when the Gospels were not written in Aramaic and were written in an Greek style of educated scribes who were writing decades after Jesus had left this world?

Versions of the reality of the Risen Christ were placed into teaching parable narratives of Jesus, which of course, had remnants of oral traditions which had been passed on to them.

The Gospel writers understood the spiritual codes of their contexts; they understood the hero types of the Hebrew Scriptures and so Jesus as the Risen Christ for the Gospel writers used narratives of Jesus to portray the reality of the effects of knowing the presence of the Risen Christ.

If Jesus walking on the water and calming the storm was an actual event and not an allegorical visionary presentation, then it should be the normal practice for followers of Jesus to expect such miraculous interventions within the actual storms of wind, earthquake, floods, and fire.  And seeing that such interventions are not regular, but perhaps very rarely uncanny, it betrays the purpose of the Gospel writer to set this story up as the normative expectations of deliverance from every event of harm that is faced in nature.

However, to understand the visionary intent of the Matthew writer to present Jesus as the one has a special place within nature, even with the worst storms of nature, is to present the Risen Christ as the All and in All accompaniment to our lives who can help us survive, thrive, and ultimately live beyond the harming events of nature, including death itself as the supposed terminus of life.

Please don't literalize what is meant to be figurative, unless you know in your life of faith the consistent intervention in the laws of nature to exempt you from all of the forms of harm which can happen in life.  To literalize Jesus as some kind of super hero then means that such a super hero is drastically missing in our lives today where we are subject to the obvious conditions of weal and woe in our everyday lives.

I believe that the purpose of the Gospel writer is to help us live with our lives as they are not exempt from the probabilities of what might befall us, including the harms from natural events of winds, earthquakes, floods, and fire.  In our lives subject to human probable events, we can know the accompanying presence of the Risen Christ, surfing over and within the storms that face us.

The Risen Christ always already accompanies as the always already intervention before bad things happen, when bad things happen, before good things happen, when good things happen, and even when death happens.

You and I can subscribe to a disappointing magical Christianity of perpetual disappointment about the lack of super hero interventions in our lives; Or we can experience the Risen Christ whose presence accompanies us always already and who is as Paul wrote, "All and in All.  Amen.

Sunday School, August 13, 2023 11 Pentecost, A proper 14

 Sunday School, August 13, 2023   11 Pentecost,  A proper 14

Theme:

Water and Wind Stories in the Bible

Water and Wind, when combined can be wild and dangerous.

The disciples took a night boat trip and experienced a storm on the water.

They were frightened until they saw Christ appear to them in the storm.

On a normal day, water on the lake and wind in the sails of the boat would be great and wonderful.

But darkness, storm and bumpy waves means that water and wind can be dangerous.

We know that good and wonderful things in life can be dangerous if we have the wrong experience with them or if we are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When we are sailing on the lake on a nice breezy day we are grateful and we can feel safe and we might find it easy to have faith in God.

If we are on the lake in a boat during a storm we can experience fear and when we have fear it might be very difficult to have faith in God.

Baptism is about water and wind.  How so?

We are baptized in water and we believe that we remember that in the end we survive death and fear of death because we are raised with Christ in the resurrection.

Baptism is about Wind.  Wind or Breath is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  In our lives we can become aware of the Holy Spirit as like God breathing in and through us.

When Peter tried to walk to Jesus on top of the water, he fell into water.  Jesus grabbed his hand and lifted him up.

This is what we celebrate in baptism.  We are “buried” with Christ in baptism but we are raised with Christ when we come up out of the water of baptism.

Our life can be like sailing on a breezy lake or life can be like being in a boat on a stormy lake.

When life is easy, we need to have faith.  When life is stormy we need to have faith and look to find the presence of Christ with us to help us through the stormy or difficult times of life.

We are baptized because we believe that God can tame the water and the wind in our life experience by giving the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Sermon:

Has anyone ever had a dream?  Do you remember any of your dreams?  Have any of you ever had a water dream?  Or a dream about   a storm?  Some people think that water dreams are about us being fearful and anxious in life.

  We worry about things in our life.  We worry about little things like scoring goals in soccer.  We worry about big things like earthquakes.  The story of Peter and Jesus on the lake during a big storm is a story about fear and faith.

   We are born with ability to have fear or have faith.  And if too many sad things happen to us we can begin to be fearful.  We can let our imaginations make us think that only bad things are going to happen and we can begin to begin to be fearful.  In baseball, if I strike out once.  I can get sad and think that I am going to strike out next time and every time.

  Peter was in a boat on a very stormy.  He was fearful.  He did not think he would survive but he saw Jesus walking on the water.  And suddenly he had hope.  And he decided he wanted to walk towards Jesus.  And he did but then he looked at the frightening water.  And he fell into the water.  But Jesus rescued him and told him not to fear but to have faith.

   The storms of our lives are all the things that can go wrong.  The storms of life are the bad things that can happen to us.  And these things can make us worry.  These things can make us fearful.

  But we need to remember that hope is greater than fear.  We need to look for the people who give us hope.  When we have hope we let our mind think about good things happening to us.  We let our mind think about keep trying hard to do our very best because with practice we can always get better.

  When we have hope we can change our fear and worry to faith.  Faith means that we just keep trying to do our very best no matter what happens, whether it is stormy or sunny, we just keep doing our best.

  Jesus is the one who can inspire us to keep trying, even when we are faced with difficult things in our life.

  Jesus is like a magician who can help us convert our energy of worry and fear into the energy of faith.

  And with faith we can become our own heroes.  We can become our own heroes when we do not quit but just keep trying to do our very best.

  Remember Jesus is the one who walks in the middle of the storms of life.  And he inspires us to convert our energy of fear into the energy of faith.

  Let me see your faith muscles.

  Say, “I am strong.  I have converted the energy of fear into the muscles of faith.”  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

August 13, 2023: The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah, This Little Light, Alleluia, When the Saints Go Marching In

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

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

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song:  Hallelu, Hallelujah  (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 84)

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!  Prasie ye the Lord. 

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord. 

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!  Praise ye, the Lord, Hallelujah. 

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Letter to the Romans

If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 105

Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; * make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him, * and speak of all his marvelous works.

Glory in his holy Name; * let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

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

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

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

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

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

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

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

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

   Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."  Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:            And also with you.

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

Offertory Song: This Little Light of Mine (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 234)

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.  This little light of mine, I’m going let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, No!  I’m going to let it shine.  Hide it under a bushel, No!  I am going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Don’t let anyone blow it out, I’m going to let it shine.  Don’t let anyone blow it out.  I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let is shine.

Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.  Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Alleluia (Renew!  # 136)

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

He’s my savior, alleluia.  He’s my savior, alleluia.  He’s my savior, alleluia.  He’s my savior, alleluia.

He is worthy, alleluia.  He is worthy, alleluia.  He is worthy alleluia, he is worthy, alleluia.

I will praise him, alleluia.  I will praise him, alleluia.  I will praise him alleluia.  I will praise him, alleluia

Maranatha, alleluia.  Maranatha, alleluia.  Maranatha, Alleluia, Maranatha, Alleluia.

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: When the Saints Go Marching in (O When the Saints # 248)

O when the saints, go marching in.  O when the saints go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints to marching in.

O when the boys go marching in.  Ho when the boys go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the boys go marching in.

O when the girls go marching in.  O when the girls go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the girls go marching in.

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

The Transfiguration: Understanding the Visionary Code

The Transfiguration, August 6, 2023

Ex. 1:13-21 Ps.99
2 Peter 1:13-21 Luke 9:28-36

Lectionary Link

The history of the Bible includes a long history of misreading the Bible and building piety and doctrine, and dogmas around such misreadings.

The misreadings of the Bible has led to inconsistent and incoherent thinking.  One might say that much of the professed atheism of our world is due to the bad behaviors and the impoverish thinking of many people who proclaim their belief in God the loudest and with great certainty about their precise understanding.

I think that the misreading of the Bible is based upon some wrong perceptions about the biblical writers.  And what might those be?  Some Bible readers treat the ancient writers as those who did not know the difference between commonsense reality, naive realism, and the perceptions that come from an aesthetic presentation of reality.  Ironically, some modern Bible readers unwittingly assume the superiority of scientific empirically verifiable data, and then claim that for the Bible to maintain this superiority of truth value, each of the narratives in the Bible must necessarily be events which could have been empirically verified.  This perspective involves denying the equally meaningful truth status of the aesthetic events of music, theater, literature, and not to mention the poetic mystical faith discourses which comprise the greater portions of the writings found in the Bible.

The correction to the misreading of the Bible is to assert the equal meaningful truth values of discourses of love, vision, beauty, faith, and justice to the discourse which produce the best form of actuarial wisdom, namely, the scientific method, and statistical approximations based upon processing sensorial data.  Biblical misreaders have wrongly pitted the poet against the scientist which  means denying the comprehensive meaningful truths which are generated in our human experience by us, the language users.

When we read about the event of the Transfiguration, we need to receive the meaningful truths found for us coming from the writer of this visionary event.  The writer is writing within the visionary code of the community which includes the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Hebrew Scriptures use figures of speech to relate seminal and superlative events for their communities.

Elevation or height is used to denote the highest and best of human experience.  How excellent is it?  It is the best and the highest.  In the spiritual code of the Bible, superlative experiences happen on mountains.  Why?  Mountains designate the highest place in the meeting between earth and the sky.  The Greek word for heaven and the skies is the same word.  But in spiritual code, elevation is a metaphor for the inward meeting place with one's highest.  It is the event of enlightening which informs the rest of one's life.

Clouds, an atmospheric condition is also a metaphor in the spiritual code of the Bible.  Clouds signify the limitation of human understanding in the face of Plenitude.  Clouds represent the darkness that we live in as the contrast with the light that we come to see.  Clouds represent the mystery of what we cannot yet see; the perpetual conditions of humility of being but merely human in the face of the so much more EXTRA-HUMAN.  In humility of the clouds, we are invited to accept that more lives and moves and has being through us than what we ever can entertain or control with our minds and our actions.

Light, is also important in the spiritual code of the Bible.  It is the first created condition, "Let there be Light."  It signifies the ability to see or have consciousness of anything at all.  But in the spiritual code of the Bible there are lights of lights.  There was the pillar of fire signifying the special guidance of God's people through their dark wilderness.  There was the light of the law given to Moses who shone in its reception on the mountain of divine presence.  And in the Transfiguration, the followers of Jesus understood him to a be a Light of lights, surpassing for them the lights which came from Moses and Elijah, the representatives of the law and the prophets.  

Heard Voices without any visible source of their sound, is also a spiritual code in the Bible.  The Hebrew Scriptures includes persons who "heard" the voice of God in various states of being.  T.S. Kuhn, in his seminal work on paradigm changes within science, cited that scientific insights were accompanied with inspired states including dreams, and these states are tinged with mystery.  Hearing voices of Plenitude within our specific situation is how the what is MORE gets funneled into a particular event of insight to inform our lives into creative advance in love, justice, and knowledge.  Human being as open receptors are always taking in more than we can consciously process and from the abundance of what we have taken in, insights can come back to us in mysteriously delicious ways.  And the Transfiguration voice without visible sound sources symbolizes the events of insightful communication.

Human being are children of God, and this is an important item of the spiritual code of the Bible.  Men and women are made in the image of God.  We are God's offsprings and children.  The voice of the One who was the divine parent proclaimed Jesus as the uniquely divine Son.  Jesus as the one revealed as uniquely God's child, had this happen to him and for us so that each person could come to the recovery event of oneself as one who bears the image of the divine.  This mystical insight of the early followers of Jesus is encoded within the Transfiguration event.

So, what are you and I to make of the account of the Transfiguration?  We are invited to recognize the continuous beckoning of the Superlative.  We live in the clouds of what we don't yet know with eyes that are not yet adjusted to more shiny events of surpassing insights.  We are given the Christ within us as the interior meeting place with what is highest and which continually beckons us to surpass ourselves in future states of becoming better children of God.

Let us accept the divine image upon our lives as the energy of metamorphoses in ever-being changed into the likeness of Christ.  Amen.