Sunday School, January 26, 2025 3 Epiphany C

  Sunday School, January 26, 2025      3 Epiphany C

Theme: Explore the meaning of Gospel

What does Gospel mean?

Gospel is the name for the type of writing in the first four books of the New Testament:  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?

Gospel is an English word which is a translation of a Greek word found in the New Testament.  The Greek word means, “Good News.”

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are called Gospels, because they are “good news” about the life of Jesus Christ.

The word Gospel was also used in the Prophet Isaiah.  The book of Isaiah is found in the Old Testament, the first part of the Christian Bible.  The Old Testament is the Bible for the Jewish people and for them it is the Hebrew Scriptures.

The prophet Isaiah used the Hebrew word, “basar” which means in English “Good News.”

Jesus used to go to the gathering place of the Jews called a synagogue.  And he read from the Law and the Prophets and the other Hebrew Scriptures.  One day he read in the synagogue this from the Prophet Isaiah:   "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ,because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 

When Jesus read this, he preached a sermon and he told all of his listeners that what he had read from Isaiah was what his work was in this life.  Jesus had the Spirit of God on him in a special way.  He told poor people good news and gave them hope.  He taught people how to get out of the prison of their sins.  He healed the seeing of people by helping them to see good things in their lives.  He came to free people who were mistreated.  He came to tell people that God wanted to do something special for them.

Can you and I be like Jesus?  Can we discover that the purpose of our lives is to learn how to bring good news to people?

Remember the Gospels are not just books in the Bible.  Gospel means good news.  Jesus came to show us how to discover good news for our lives and then we learn how to tell other people good news for their lives.

A Children’s Sermon on Good News.

Are you a person who likes to tell good news?  How would like to be the person who gets to say to someone, “You’ve won a prize!  You’ve won a million dollars!  It is fun to tell the good news.

  How would you like to be a doctor who tells patience:  You’re all better now.   You’re healed!

  How would you like to be the person who goes to a corral of wild horses and opens the gates and lets them go free to run into mountains where they like to run and play?

  How would you like to tell people:  Today is a good time in your life, because God is close to you and wants to bless you?

  One day Jesus went to the synagogue in his hometown.  Can you say synagogue?  That is the place where people gathered to worship and learn about God.  Jesus read from the Bible.  He read about a person who told good news; he read about a person who healed other people; he read about a person who let people who were locked up, go free.  He read about a person who told people that God was close to them in their lives.

  And when he read those word in the Bible, he knew that is what he was doing this in his own life.

  What does Gospel mean?  It means Good News.

  There are lots of bad things that can happen to us.  There are lots of sad things that can happen to us.  And it is easy for us to just look at bad things and sad things.  And when we do that we can get fearful and we can worry a lot.

  But even when bad things happen and when sad things happen, we need to practice and look at all of the good things in our life.  It is sad to be sick; but it is very good that we have parents and friends and doctors to help us when we get sick.

  So we have to practice looking at the good things in our life.  And what happens when we practice looking at the good things of our lives?  We begin to be able to give people good news.  We help other people look at the good news of their life too.

  Jesus came to tell us Good News about God and God’s love for us.  And Jesus wanted everyone to discover good news in their lives so that they too could tell good news to other people.

  We come here to praise God and thank God, because we are practicing the ability to find and see the good news in our lives.

  And if we can find the good news in our lives, then we will help other people find good news in their lives too.

  Jesus came to bring us good news.  And he wants us to find good news and then share good news with other people.  And you know what?  It really feels good to share the good news with others.  It is like sharing a wonderful secret.  Can you share some good news this week with your family and friends?  Let’s try.  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 26, 2025: The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: Glory be to God on High, Awesome God, I Come with Joy, May the Lord Bless

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

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  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: Glory Be to God On High (The Christians’ Children Songbook, # 70)

1          Glory be to God on high, alleluia. Glory be to God on high, alleluia.

2          Praise the Father, Spirit, Son, alleluia.  Praise the God Head, Three in One, alleluia.

3          Sing we praises unto Thee, alleluia, for the truth that sets us free, alleluia.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 19

1  The heavens declare the glory of God, *  and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2  One day tells its tale to another, * and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3  Although they have no words or language, * and their voices are not heard,.

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 Luke  

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.  When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

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 Hymn: Our God is An 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)

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.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit 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:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: I Come With Joy   (Renew! # 195)

1.         I come with joy a child of God, forgiven, loved, and free, the life of Jesus to recall, in love laid down for me.

2.         I come with Christians, far and near to find, as all are fed, the new community of love in Christ’s communion bread.

3.         As Christ breaks bread, and bids us share, each proud division ends.  The love that made us makes us one, and strangers now are friends.

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! 

  

Did Jesus Have an Eye-rolling Moment?

 2 Epiphany C January 19, 2025
Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10
1 Cor. 12:1-11 John 2:1-11

Lectionary Link

Do some people get moved to tears while listening to Beethoven's Ninth?  Yes.  Does everyone who listens to Beethoven's Ninth get moved to tears? No.  Should everyone who listens to Beethoven's Ninth be moved to tears?  That is a very aesthetic question and even if from one's own preference one thinks everyone should cry at the performance of Beethoven's Ninth, such preference cannot make it happen or even prove that it happens for the same reason for everyone who is driven to tears.

But it is historically true to say that some people are moved to tears by listening to Beethoven's Ninth.

In a similar way it is historically true to say that many people in the last two millennia have had what they call experiences of the Risen Christ.  One can characterize such experiences as mental illness and provide endless alternate explanations for such experiences, but only by denying what those who have such experiences say themselves about them.

The Gospels are not written "autographs," which is to say we do not have any original copies.  And scholars think that original is misleading in the sense that there was a single inspired Gospel writer who took dictation from beginning to end of each textual production.  What is more likely is that the Gospels represent writing process within various communities at different times, and the process represent re-editing and redactions to fit the many various situations in which the traditions about Jesus of Nazareth were brought to provide community identity.  The earliest copies of some New Testament book date from the late second century and we are uncertain about what specifically happened in the textual process for nearly 150 years, with the fullest early copy of the New Testament that we have did not occur until around 350.

The textual transmission process of the Gospel might be what in legal testimony would be called a series of hearsay.  So and so said that Jesus did and said this to so and so who said that a previous person said that Jesus did and said this, and on and on until various forms of this hearsay comes to text as a technology of memory to preserve it in some final way through the written word.

The writer or writers in the textual tradition of the Gospel of John can be said to be persons who claimed to have experiences of the Risen Christ, or experiences of what they called a new birth, being born of the Spirit.  The writers of the textual tradition of John's Gospel had probably read the other Gospels but decided for the promulgation of the witness of a Christ identity within their community, they used decidedly different presentations.  No parables, but signs and attending long discourses from the mouth of Jesus.  The mystical sub-text of the writers of John's Gospel is this:  The Risen Christ experienced through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a telling Sign of God to you, to us within all of the probable conditions that can come to us.  Life narratives of Jesus are presented as parables explicating the Sign of the presence of the Risen Christ in the array of what might happen to us in life.  And the physical aspects of the story are not literal; they embed the spiritual meaning of Christ in us, the hope of glory.

And where can the signs of Christ be found?  In illness, in being paralyzed and unable to walk, in the sickness of one's child, during the storms of nature, in the death of one's family member, in the hunger of the masses, in blindness, in being thirsty...all of these conditions are portrayed in John's Gospel as human situations which can know the presence of the Risen Christ.  And these are very serious conditions indeed.  But all of life does not consist of serious conditions, most of life consists of the mundane, the quotidian, the ordinary, the drudgery, and lots of small frustrating things, when even the trivial matters seem to conspire against us.  Someone took my parking space and I was late.  My child is heart broken for losing his basketball game.  There was a hundred dollar mistake made on my utility bill....life is made up trivial stuff that is not life threatening, but only irritating in upsetting what we would wish or desire.

So, it is very interesting that John's Gospel begins with the first sign being on the scale of human priority, a very trivial thing.  The wedding party ran out of wine.  Boo hoo, big deal.  It might make one be a little cynical, like we feel when the football players and basketball players thanking Jesus for helping them win the games, the same Jesus who let their opponents lose the game.  If winners need to thank Jesus for success in the trivial then so do the losers, because winning and losing is all the same as to whether the Risen Christ is present.  The cynic might think, well Jesus is taking up all his time tending to lottery winners, bingo winners, game winners, beauty contest winners, and just letting those poor children starve in terrible conditions throughout the world.

One wonders if Jesus is not presented as having an "eye rolling" moment with his mother when she asked him to take care the wine shortage.  "Mom, if they already finished the wine, they are drinking too much and they do not need to drink anymore.  Shouldn't they be cut off?  And when does a rabbi have to supply the liquor?  I guess it has to do with that commandment to honor one's mom and dad?"  I can imagine Jesus changing water to wine in the minds of the drinkers who had drunk too much and who really needed to be hydrated with the best refresher of all, yes, water.

The seeming water of ordinary life needs to accompanied by the inward eternal Word to inform meaning purpose of life and existence.  We don't have to live in the external world bereft of it being vivified by the accompanying imaginations of an Inner Word life which excites, inspires, and imparts the kinds of meaning which make life worth living, words of love, hope, kindness, connection with others and with our best human vocation.

The Sign is knowing the Accompanying Risen Christ as the interior Eternal Word within oneself that can always already give us wonderful attending Meaning to the purpose of our lives, in the small crises of life and in the major crises of our lives.

John's Gospel proclaims that the Risen Christ is the interior Eternal Word of God which is able to come to meaningful expression within all of what might probably happen within our lives.

So, today again we pray, Eternal Word of God, be the great Sign in our lives today as we traverse the trivial and the great and everything in between.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 19, 2025 2 Epiphany C

  Sunday School, January 19, 2025     2 Epiphany C

Sunday School

Themes

Spiritual gifts.

Have a discussion about the children’s gifts and talents.  Ask them if they all are equally good in everything.  Do they all excel in math? Or football?  Or singing?  Or sewing?  Or dancing?  Or baseball?

Why aren’t all people the same?  Would life be boring if all people were the same?  If everyone only played tubas what other wonderful sounds would we miss.

Remind the children that what we believe about baptism is that God gives everyone different gifts and all of the different gifts are needed to make us a better community and church.

Make a list of all of the things that people can do for the church.  When gifts are used in the church we call this “ministry.”  So everyone is a minister.  But we also do ministry outside of the church to when we go to school or when we are at play.

If we understand that God has given us gifts then we understand that our purpose in life is to serve God as a minister.  And we don’t have to be a priest or pastor to be a minister.  To be a minister means that we use our gifts to serve Christ and to help other people.

The Gospel is about when Jesus and his disciples went to a wedding.  Mary, the mother of Jesus told Jesus that they were running out of wine and she ask him to help.

Jesus told the servants to take jars of water and serve them to the guests.  And when the guests drank they thought that they were drinking the very best wine.

This story is a story about faith.  Sometimes life seems to be like ordinary water; but with faith can sometimes find that there are some extraordinary things within the ordinary.  Faith is the ability to find the extraordinary things within ordinary life.  It means we keep alive within us that wonder curiosity to always being ready to find wonderful things in life.  With the curiosity of faith we never have to be bored in life.  So when some people think that we are just drinking ordinary water, we in our experience can taste something extraordinary and wonderful.

A sermon on gifts

  How many of you received gifts at Christmas?  So you received some new toys and some clothes and many other things didn’t you?

  A long time ago, Saint Paul wrote a letter to his friends and he told, “You have many gifts.  And God has given you many gifts and you are to use those gifts to make your family and community better.”

  And as I look at all of you today, I see men and women and boys and girls who have many gifts.  I am not talking the gifts that you received at Christmas.  I am talking how God has made each of you special and how God has given each one of you different abilities.  Those abilities are what we call gifts from God.  And as we find our gifts and abilities as we practice our gifts and ability, we become better at using our gifts.

  There something else about our gifts.  Different people have different gifts.  Now if you have a gift that I don’t have, should I be jealous?  Or happy?  I should be happy, because we need different gifts and abilities to our community get more done.

  What if a music teacher came to class on the first day, and everyone in the class was a drummer?  If a music class had only drummers then that would be a loud class and only a certain kind of music could be made?

  What if a basketball team had only real tall players who were slow and could not shoot long shots?

  What if a football teams on had 300 pound linemen, and no smaller faster players to run and catch the football?

  God has made us all a little bit different and has given us different abilities and gifts.

  One of the first secrets of happiness in life, is to find our gifts.  Your mom and dad and teacher are encouraging you to try lots of things in life because the want you to find your gifts.  Because if you find what you are good at, then you will be happy.  And if you practice what you are good at, then you also have a wonderful ability to share with others.

  And the second secret to happiness in life, is to use your gift to make your family, and your community and your world a better place.

  And thirdly, all gifts are important.  And you have many kinds of gifts.  When you help clean your room or take care of your pets that does not seem like an important thing.  But all of our gifts are important.  And what is most important is our willingness to use our gifts to make our families and church and community better places.

  Today, I want you to remember that God has given to gifts.  God has given you special abilities to do some wonderful things in life.  But you will not know that you have gifts unless you work to discover them or if you do not share them with the people in your lives.

  Repeat after me:  God’s Spirit has given me gifts.   Help me God to find my gifts.  Help me God to share my gifts with others.  Amen.

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 19, 2025: The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: Jesus, Stand Among Us.,He’s Got the World World, Eat This Bread, Shine, Jesus, Shine

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

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  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: Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17

1          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.

2          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.

3          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.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ¹s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 36

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, * and your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; * you save both man and beast, O LORD.

How priceless is your love, O God! * your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

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.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

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 Hymn: He’s Got the Whole World  (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 90)

1-He’s got the whole world; in his hands he’s got the whole wide world in his hands.  He’s got the whole world in his hands; he’s got the whole world in his hands.

2-Little tiny babies.   3-Brother and the sisters  4-Mothers and the fathers

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.

Children may gather around the altar

The Celebrant now praises God for the salvation of the world through

Jesus Christ our Lord.

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 may 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: 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: Eat This Bread, (Renew!  # 228)

Eat this bread, Drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry.  Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.

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: Shine Jesus, Shine (Renew!,  # 247)

Refrain: Shine, Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory, blaze Spirit blaze, set out hearts on fire.  Flow river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy, send forth your word, Lord, andlet there be light.

1-Lord, the light of your love is shining in the midst of the darkness shining; Jesus, light of the world, shine upon us, set us free by the truth you now bring us.  Shine on me, shine on me.

Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Baptism: Jesus' and Ours

1 Epiphany C, January 12, 2025
Isaiah 43:1-7 Psalm 29  
Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3:15-17,21-22

Lectionary Link

Through birth we are unintentionally initiated into the communities of our births and these communities stamp intentional meanings upon our lives based upon the inherited traditions within the language of the cultures of such communities.

The practice of Christian baptism is an intentional community ritual process of stamping meaning upon a person's life within the community which practices such an intentional ritual as baptism.

Baptism as a ritual process has been given theological meaning, and it in turn becomes a communal ritual for stamping those theological, or supremely prized human values upon the life of the newly initiated.

The early church believed that Jesus of Nazareth was born into a family which practiced ritual behaviors, the ritual behaviors which forged the identities of Jews in Palestine of his time.

On this day when we observe the Baptism of Jesus, as well as baptize candidates for Holy Baptism, it behooves to ponder insights about this ritual practice of Christian Initiation.

Certainly baptism predates Jesus, and while the Matthean derivative church at some point understood that Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize in the name of the Trinity, baptism did not originate with Jesus, nor with his own baptizer, John the Baptist.

The Greek word baptizo is the regular word meaning to dip or immerse.  It is the Greek word used in the Greek translation of Hebrew Scriptures, called the Septuagint, for the Hebrew word meaning the same, taval.  In the practices derived from the Torah, mikvah is the name of the ritual bath, and tevilah is the act of immersion.

In Judaism a ritual immersion occurred when non-Jews converted to the faith, in a proselyte baptism.   Other immersion rituals accompanied the ceremonies to remove defined states of impurity.  Such immersions were to be done in "living waters," such as streams or springs or facsimiles of the same.

The desert man John the Baptist is sometimes regarded as one who was influenced by the semi-monastic desert communities of Qumran associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of whom were called the Essenes.  These communities practiced ritual immersions, even daily and repeated.  Ceremonial washings before prayer occur within Judaism as well as in the practice of Muslims to this day.

Certainly one can understand the universal use of water as a substance of cleansing of the body, and of the utensils of our lives.  Water as actual cleanser has incredible sign value as symbolizing the human quest for spiritual cleanliness as instantiated in the Psalmist plea for a clean heart and right spirit.  The words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman present the Spirit as being like an interior spring within the person making the interior cleansing a reality and fulfilling of the request for a clean heart.

What does the meaning of the baptism of Jesus mean then?  Did Jesus need to be cleansed from any impure state?  Did Jesus need to be received into Judaism?  The early church believed that a perfect Jesus did not need baptism for cleansing or for repentance.  They also believed that having been born a Jew and fulfilling the ritual requirements of Judaism, including circumcision, that Jesus did not have to be received into Judaism.

Following the Pauline Christology, Jesus was regarded to be the divine emptied into a mere human, but best human being, and this emptying meant being limited to particular events in time, human events in time.  This emptying of the divine into the merely human was a process of the divine being identified with the merely human such that events such as birth, circumcision, and baptism as expression of human solidarity in being included within the ministry, mission, and community of John the Baptist instantiated what God with us meant in human terms.

The baptism of Jesus might be expressed in a slightly different way but reflect a similar meaning as the ancient statement of Orthodox Church in the theology of theosis.  God became one with humanity so that humanity might become one or know union with God.  Jesus is God being baptized into the particular community setting of John the Baptist, so that we in the particular community settings of our baptisms might understand that we are baptized into God, in whose milieu we live and move and have our being as divine "off springs."

Indeed our baptisms are different directionally than the baptism of Jesus.  Jesus is the expression of God becoming known as one with humanity; our baptisms are the expression of us realizing the image of God upon our lives so as to live our lives as children of God, loving our divine parent, and loving our fellow children of God, by the practice of mutually influencing each other to best loving behaviors in this great wide family.

Let us be thankful about baptism as a celebration of a divine family event.  This is an event of living into our identity.  As the early church practiced this identity ritual, it was being buried or immersed into the death of Jesus as an inner power to counter the bondage of a past determined by habits of sin, and rising from the waters of death to become the new creation to which we are called.

Jesus our sibling, as Exemplar Human Being deigned complete family identity with us so that we might live up to our original identity, inheritance and blessing as those who bear the image of God.  Amen.