Sunday School, September 17, 2023 16 Pentecost, A proper 19

  Sunday School, September 17, 2023     16 Pentecost, A proper 19

Theme:

Forgiveness.

In the most famous Christian prayer, the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father, we say forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

In other translations: Forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us.  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

What do we owe each other?  We owe each other love and kindness and when we do not pay what we owe, we need to be forgiven.

It is hard to forgive but what makes forgiveness easier is when we need forgiveness ourselves.

The story that Jesus told was about a man who wanted forgiveness for himself, but he would not forgive other people.

Jesus want us to be fair with forgiveness.  As we know that God forgives us, then we copy God’s forgiveness of us by offering forgiveness to others.

Forgiveness is not always easy especially when we hurt each other.

Forgiveness can make broken relationship repaired.  To live in a family and a community we often find that self-interest brings competition and sometimes we hurt each other in our competition.

Like medicine or a band aid on a wound, forgiveness is the medicine that helps us heal the hurt of broken relationship.

Forgiveness is hard which is why we ask for God’s help and grace to help us forgive.  But we need to remember that other people also may find it difficult to forgive us.

To need forgiveness and to forgive makes us seek God’s help for our lives.

Do you see why we pray to God?  Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Sermon:

  Jesus told a story about two men.

  One man owed lots of money to the king and he had to pay it back by Friday.  And Friday came, and he did not have the money.  So he begged the King to forgive.  He told him about all of his problems.  And the King had mercy.  So the King said, “You don’t have to pay me back.”

  That man was happy but that same man, went to another man who owed him just a few dollars.  He said to him give me the money now.  But the man said, “I don’t have the money.  My family has been sick and I haven’t been able to work.”  But the man said, “I am going to have you thrown in jail until you pay me the money.”

  When the King found out, he was very angry?  Why?  Because the man who had received mercy, did not offer mercy.

  Jesus used this story to teach a message about forgiveness.

  First God is merciful.  God forgives.  God allows us to continue to live even when we are not perfect, even when we do wrong.  God keeps giving us more time and more chances to learn and improve.

  And because God is merciful.  God asks us to be merciful with each other.

  For a family to be successful, members of the family have to practice mercy.  This means that we have to learn how to say that we are sorry.  This means that we have to be able to accept the apologies of others.

  So too, our church and our schools and in our city and country, we need to have mercy and forgiveness in order to survive.

  Let us remember that God is always having mercy on us, even when we don’t think that we need it.

  Let us remember that there are people who love us and have mercy on us even when we don’t think that we need it.

  So let us remember to have mercy on other people, because we know that we ourselves need mercy.

  Jesus came to teach us about the mercy of God.  God’s mercy means that God loves us, so God keeps giving us many, many chances to get better.  So too, we should help each other be better people by practicing mercy.

  Let us learn this important lesson from Jesus today.  Let us learn to practice mercy and forgiveness.   Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

September 17, 2023: Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah, Forgive Our Sins, Come My Way,  When the Saints

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

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

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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

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

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

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

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, because without you we are not able to please you mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ 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

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 103

For as the heavens are high above the earth, * so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, * so far has he removed our sins from us.

As a father cares for his children, * so does the LORD care for those who fear him.

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.

Peter came and said to Jesus, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, `Pay what you owe.' Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:            And also with you.

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

Offertory Music:     Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive, (Renew! # 184)

1-Forgive our sins as we forgive, you taught us Lord to pray; but you alone can grant us grace to live the words we say.

2-How can your pardon reach and bless the unforgiving heart that broods on wrongs and will not let old bitterness depart?

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,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn:  Come My Way, (Blue Hymnal # 487)

Come, my way, my truth, my life: such a way as gives us breath; such a truth as ends all strife; such a life as killeth death

Come, my light, my feat, my strength: such a light as shows a feast; such a feast as mends in length; such a strength as makes his guest.

Come, my joy, my love, my heart: such a joy as none can move: such a love as none can part; such a heart as joys in love.

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, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 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 go marching in.

O when the girls, go marching in,…..

O when the boys, go marching in….

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

Church Conflict and the Presence of Christ?

15 Pentecost, A p18, September 10, 2023
Ezekiel 33:7-11 Psalm 119:33-40
Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18:15-20

Lectionary Link

College football teams have eleven players on the field at a time, but some universities have in their home game what they call the twelfth man.  And who is the twelfth man?  The twelfth man is the home crowd advantage.  The twelfth man is the thousands of screaming hometown fans.  Odds makers actually determine point spreads by factoring the twelfth man, the home crowd advantage for the local team.  The mystical twelfth man seems like there is another person present playing with the eleven on the field to give the home team an advantage.

This seeming trivial example of a human phenomena highlights the phenomenon of the experience of another kind of presence within a group gathering.  If a group survives with an identity, the secret of survival involves its mystification in the experience of the arrival of another presence, a presence of identity.

The success of the church throughout the ages might be attributed to this mystical presence which has and can occur among members committed to the original values of the founding person.

We perhaps have learned to neglect the mystical presence that can and does occur.  Why?  The church or churches have become such outward and institutional presences that their external presences have become what we regard to be their guarantee of continue presence into the future.  It is so much easier on our senses to look at all the outward signs of the church's presence in our world, the hierarchies, the liturgies, the buildings, shrines, and traditions.  Churches have such obvious physical presence within the world, that we rely on these outward signs for her future continuation.

The Gospel of Matthew, read for today, highlights perhaps the secret of the success for the survival of the early Jesus Movement.  We associate the presence of Christ with so many outward signs or with favorable conditions of peace and comfort, but we forget the context of a very familiar saying of Jesus, "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."  I have heard this quoted over and over again for many church situations except the actual context presented in the Gospel where it appears.

The context is actually conflict, disagreement, and even sin within the community.  How can and how does the community survive the crises of conflict, disagreement and sin?  Well, the church includes members who continue to gather in small numbers or large numbers.  How does the church gather?  In the name of Christ, that is believing that the Risen Christ remains committed to us and we remain committed to the Risen Christ.  And within this inner mystical transaction, another presence is known, the Risen Christ is known in resolving ways to the crisis of the family, and parties can know the wisdom of resolution.  It does not mean that the resolutions will be pain free or that egos will not be bruised and it does not mean easy forgiveness.  What it means is that the presence of the Risen Christ has a largesse about it to co-exist with lots of community conditions as members struggle to stay together, to love, to forgive, to remember their mission beyond themselves in the spreading of the love and justice of Christ.

A community has to learn to survive itself by taking its focus off itself and reaching out beyond itself to those whose needs are more important than our own community disagreements.

And this other beckoning presence of the Risen Christ realized in our continuing persuasion about the values of Christ, is the secret of how we can continually be comprised so that we can bear the Christly presence within our world.

Let us not forsake gathering with Christly values, and let us get over ourselves with our community conflicts, and re-purpose our energies to the ends of care, justice, and mercy for the many in our world in need.  Amen.

Sunday School, September 10, 2023 15 Pentecost, A proper 18

  Sunday School, September 10, 2023  15 Pentecost, A proper 18

Theme

How is someone present even when they are not seen?

People who love and care for us, who become very important for our lives in how we think, talk and act become so much a part of us that even when we are not with them, we feel like that are with us because they have taught us so well.

Jesus was a person who could not be forgotten.  He made such a deep impression on this friends that even when he was gone and no longer seen, he still seemed to be present.

This is what great people do to us.  They are so great that they never leave us even when we don’t see them anymore.

The friends of Jesus continued to gather after Jesus was gone and no longer seen.  Sometimes they had disagreements but they had a way to solve their disagreements.  What did they do?  They got together and they all thought about one thing: “What would Jesus do, think and say.”  And they believed that when they did this, they could know that Jesus was acting, thinking and saying things through them.  This is presence of Christ that we cannot see but it is the presence of Christ that we can be together.

We know that someone born in America is an American.  Where ever an American or Americans are, then the presence of America is known even though America is too big and mysterious to actually see.

St. Paul called the church, the “Body of Christ.”  When Christians are together, they are forming an expression of the “Body of Christ.”  As the body of Christ, Christians become the presence of Christ in this world even though Jesus left this earth a long time ago.

How can we know that we are a part of the body of Christ and that Christ is still present with us?  When we practice love.  St. Paul says that love is the best expression of keeping the law of God.  When we love, we are being a part of the body of Christ and we help to make the presence of Christ known to other people.

Let us learn to love.  Let us learn to be the body of Christ.  Let us be people who help others know that Christ is still present in this world through us.

Sermon:

  Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

  After Jesus left this world, his disciples and friends worried about knowing what to do.  They worried about who would settle arguments when Jesus wasn’t there.

  But could Jesus still be with them when he couldn’t be seen?

  Can your parent still be with you when you can’t see them?

  When you go to school and are not with your parents, can they still be with you?

  Of course they can.  You can remember that they care for you and you can remember what they have taught you, and so even though you don’t see them, they still are with you.

  When do brothers and sisters usually get into arguments?  When mom and dad are out of the room, right?   When you can’t see mom and dad, sometimes you think that you can do something that you wouldn’t do if mom or dad were in the room.

  What about when the teacher leaves the classroom?  Sometimes students think that can get away with something when the teacher is not there.

  But when mom and dad are gone they are still there…..how many times does the brother or sister say, “I am going to tell mom.  I am going tell Dad.”  So even though mom or dad isn’t there they are still present.

  When the teacher is gone from the classroom.  If a student misbehaves, sometimes another student will say, “I’m going to tell the teacher.”  So even the teacher is gone, the teacher is still present.

   When Jesus left this world, he did not take his presence from his friends.  He told them that he would be with them when they gathered together.

  And Christ has remained with us for a long time.  And every Sunday we gather as brothers and sisters in Christ to remember that Christ is with us.  And we gather to remember how we are supposed to behave and live.  And we remember how we are supposed to care for one another.

  So today we gather and even though we don’t see Christ, we know that he is here.  Amen.

Inter generational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

September 10,  2023: The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Lord, I Lift Your Name on High, Jesus Stand Among Us, Sing a New Song,  

 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: Lord, I Lift Your Name on High (Renew!  # 4)

Lord, I lift your name on high; Lord, I love to sing your praises.  I’m so glad you’re in my life; I’m so glad you came to save us.  You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay.  From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord, I lift you name on high!

(Sing three times)

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ 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

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 149

Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song; * sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; * let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Let them praise his Name in the dance; * let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

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 said, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:            And also with you.

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

Offertory Music: Jesus Stand Among Us, (Renew # 237)

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

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

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 Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn:  Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17

Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

 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: Sing a New Song, (Renew!  #21)

Refrain: Sing a new song unto the Lord; let your song be sung from mountains high.  Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing, “Alleluia.”

Yahweh’s people dance for joy; O come before the Lord.  And play for him on glad tambourines, and let your trumpet sound.  Refrain

Rise, O children, from your sleep; your Savior now has come.  He has turned your sorrow to joy and fill your soul with song.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People:      Thanks be to God! 

Wishful Thinking and Opiate of the People?

14 Pentecost,  A p17, September 3, 2023
Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21  Matthew 16:21-28

Lectionary Link

Two of the most famous Jewish atheists, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud had their critiques of religion.  Religion for Freud was an illusion built mainly on wishful thinking.  For Marx, religion was for oppressed people an opiate to help them bear up and tolerate the actual material condition forced upon by the powerful and wealthy who used religion as a ideology to give poor people a mental analgesic for their pain.  Another philosopher, famous for his atheism, Nietzsche, criticized the beatitudinal message associated with Jesus as a transvaluation of noble values, because the beatitudes turn the values of  human preferred conditions on their head.  Poverty?  Blessed.  Being persecuted.  Blessed.  Mourning?  Blessed.  Giving your coat away.  Blessed.   So one was to regard one's deprived conditions as a blessed and favorable state?  Nietzsche was perhaps suggesting that the values of Jesus were masochistic.  How can one declare negative conditions as being blessed or favorable and be regarded as psychologically sound?

How might we respond to these critiques?  First, we might respond by acknowledging the piercing insights of each of these critiques.  In fact, the encounter presented between Jesus and Peter in our appointed Gospel highlights these issues of the early Jesus Movements particularly for Jews who had preferred notions of what a Messiah should be.  Peter who was congratulated by Jesus for confessing Jesus as the Messiah was immediately rebuked as a messenger of Satan because he could only understand the Messiah to be a triumphant over-powering person who would establish a kingdom with superior power to set Israel free and to place his favorites as leaders in his kingdom.

What was obvious to everyone?  The Caesar of Rome was still the King of this world, so what was Jesus?  If Jesus was not a greater King David who would unseat the Caesar of Rome, could he really be the Messiah?

What was the reality for the early followers of Christ, and what is often the reality for many many people?  Many people are oppressed and beaten down by the people who are powerful and wealthy.  And if we don't realize this, it probably means that we more naturally identify with the people in power than the oppressed and the poor, and we live lives of comfort.

What most Christians in Western Christianity today have not really grasped is that the New Testament is basically written from the conditions of and for people who were oppressed and they did not have much political or economic power in their world.

The New Testament is not a book to give prosperity Christians an affirmation of their right and privilege to be prosperous; rather it is comprised of writings which I might call a program of Christ-recommended martial arts for people without much social or political power.  The New Testament writings were survival manuals for people living under the radar in private communities within the cities of the Roman Empire.

If you are an oppressed people, you have to find ways to act for survival.  Think of the slaves in our America experience or the indigenous people whom we ran off their land; the New Testament was written more for people such as them needing survival than it was for the oppressing people who colonized and who enslaved.  It is quite a travesty to see pompous, prosperity preachers of privilege claiming to own the New Testament as certifying their postures of privilege.

In Paul's letter the Romans, we can find seeds of the beatitudes, which were written over decade before the beatitudes of the Gospel of Matthew came to text.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Paul is writing a program of Christ-like martial arts for persons in Rome who have no political power or public prominence. But Paul believes that they can have the witness of a profound lifestyle which can be winsome to people. How does this profound winsome lifestyle happen? It happens when one's interior life is over-shadowed and remade in such ways as to make kindness natural, when it would seem to be more natural to hate one's oppressors or compromise with their values so as to survive in the situation of being a small minority.

The Gospel dialogue between Jesus and Peter, is the dialogue of the early church for their members. "You are not called to a lifestyle where you will have positions in government on behalf of King Jesus who leads thousands of soldiers; rather you are inwardly overtaken by a Risen Christ in Holy Spirit power to provide you with a way to live like Jesus did. He did not live as one who was to lead an armed revolt against the Romans; he lived as one who modeled what it was like to let an inner God-possession put one on a path of transformation. And in living in this way, you can attract, invite, and see many initiated into this new lifestyle which derives from this inner mystical experience."

The free conditions of our world today renders a field of probable conditions. There are oppressors or seeming respectable people of power who consciously suppress people for their own gain or do it unconsciously because their social training has taught them thus. Frankly, the American Church and the Western Church, has been more on the side of those with power than it has been on the side of the oppressed. We have a cruel history of participation in the slave trade and practice, as well as being horrendous invaders of indigenous people who removed them from their land and living situations. And so we should heed the critiques of people like Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche and seek a just understanding of our relationship to the New Testament, a literature for the oppressed while we occupy our identity with parties of privilege and power.

Do we allow the New Testament to be an ideology of mere comfort to convince oppressed people to tolerate their conditions of poverty and lack of access to a fair share of the goods and services of our societies?

To Marx, Freud, Nietzsche and skeptics I would assert that it is a best part of human nature to be wishful thinkers. Perhaps within all the woe in life, we have the smiling for no reason infant retained within us as the always already occasion for new birth. We are wishful thinkers and hopeful thinker because we are oriented toward the future of something better. The Bible is part of a program of wishful thinking about our future even while being realistic about our shadow nature and the freedom for lots of bad things to happen. The New Testament happened to develop this wishful thinking program for living among people who had no political power and it became such a successful Christ-martial arts lifestyle that it caught on.

Wishful thinking programs also serve as an analgesic through the visualizations of justice being realized in practice and in punishment. Christian need not apologize for the analgesic literature of the apocalyptic with visualizations of quick and imminent interventions by future rescuing heroes. We should be quite mindful that today the apocalyptic visualization has moved into the general culture in art and cinema. The cinema versions of the future and intervening superheroes reveal that our culture are more apocalyptic in visionary art than the Bible ever was. So wishful thinking and visualization of freedom from pain and oppression is the opiate, the analgesic which all people take for the pain, the pain of knowing lots of bad things are happening to us and world at any given time.

We need not apologize for our wishful thinking or for wanting creative visualization to end pain and suffering and for the establishment of justice. But Bible readers have become a scorn for the skeptics because of their failure to defend their writings consistent with sound anthropology, the soundness of coping with life as it is.

The Gospel for the early community where the Gospel of Matthew was generated was the insight presented using the dialogue of Peter and Jesus. The message to the early church was this: "Jesus was a suffering servant; so too the followers of Jesus will be walking in the path of the suffering servant, and so it must be walked with the Christ-like martial arts of winsome living demonstrating the life of the Risen Christ."

Let us who are not oppressed and who enjoy power, wealth, and privilege not presume to think that our lifestyles instantiate the lifestyles of New Testament suffering peoples. And if we don't consciously go out and seek to suffer, what can we do?

We are obliged by the Gospel of Christ, not to be oppressor when we have power, wealth, and privilege. We are obliged by the Gospel of Christ to care for those who have known the brunt of oppression, suffering, and social persecution.

A Christ-like martial arts for those of us on side of privilege in our society is to live a life of care for those in need through direct active deeds but also in being active citizens influencing programs for the common good of the most possible number of people.

The Gospel challenge for people of privilege is to sell all that we have in terms of our personal power and greed, and use what we have to help those who do not have have access to care, compassion, and social dignity. May God grant us a Gospel path so as not to be embarrassed or ashamed of our lifestyle practices and choices today. Amen.