Sunday School, June 1, 2025 7 Easter C Ascension

Sunday   School, June 1, 2025   7 Easter C  Ascension Sunday

Themes of the Day

The Ascension of Christ

Question:

What happened to Jesus after he rose from the dead and appeared to his friends, but then left this world?

The early Christian believed that Jesus left this world to be with his Father.

What does Christ do now that we can no longer see him?

One of the things that Jesus does is to pray and he asks him friends to pray.  When you’re mom and dad are not with you, they have feelings of hope and love for you and they say prayers for you.  And even though they do see you all of the time they feel connected with you.

And your parents want you to feel connected with them even when you are not with them and don’t see them.  And they want you to pray for them.

Today we read a prayer that Jesus made with his Father.  And in his prayer he was asking that his friends could know the same Father that he knew.  He was wanting his friends to know that they were sons and daughters of God.

And he wanted his friends to know that they could be connected to God when they talked to God and when they prayed.  Our prayers with our thoughts and our spoken words come from an place within us and they connect us to God the Father and with Jesus even when we do not see them.

Jesus left with his friends the gift of prayer.  It is a way to talk to God and to know God even when we don’t see him.  And if we practice prayer enough, we will teach ourselves to know how close God is to us.  If we avoid God, then we will not know how close God is to us.  Jesus said that if we wanted to have a relationship with God as our Father, then we need to talk to God.

When Jesus ascended and was no longer seen, we believe that he has God to be with God the Father and he continues to pray for us.

Children’s Sermon

What do we call talking to God?  We call it prayer don’t we?

  And when do we pray?  Do we pray when we come to church on Sunday?  Yes, we pray when we gather together.

  Do we pray before we eat?  We say table grace.  Do you have favorite table grace?  Why do we say table grace?  Because we are very thankful for our food.  We know that there are many people who don’t have enough to eat.

  Do you pray when you go to bed at night?  Yes, because we want to sleep well.  We don’t want to be frightened by our dreams.  And we don’t want to be frightened by imaginary things that can come into our mind.  So we pray and ask God to keep us safe.  And we pray for our family and friends too.

  Why do we pray?    Why do you talk to someone?  You want to get to know them don’t you?  Or you talk to someone because you need something, so you ask them to help you get what you need.

  Who are the people that you talk to the most?  You’re your mom and your dad and your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, your brothers and sisters and your friend.  Why do you talk to them?  Because you like them and also you need them sometimes to help you with important things in your life.

  Today, we heard a prayer that Jesus said to his father.  Jesus believed that God was so close to him that he could talk to him just as he would his father.

  And when Jesus prayed to his father, he asked for some things.  He asked that his friends would do well.  And you know what else he asked?  He asked that his friends might know God to be their father too.  He wanted his friends to know that God was close to them and that they could pray to God as their father in heaven.  And they could talk to God, just like they talked to their own fathers or their mothers or their own best friends.

  And so that is what Jesus wants us to do.  He wants us to practice our prayer and to talk to God as the father of the entire world.  Jesus wants us to know God as a great but very friendly father, who cares about our lives.

  You are never too young to learn how to practice to pray.  And if you learn to pray as a young child, it will carry all through your life.

  How you pray?  Well, you pray by talking to God.  But you don’t even have to talk.  You can think prayers as well, because God is so close to us, God can read our minds.  That’s a good reason for always thinking good thoughts.

  Prayers can be short or they can be long.  My most-used prayer is very short.  I just say, “Help!”

  Remember when you pray, you are believing in God and believing that God is close to you.  And remember you don’t have to always be asking for things from God.  You don’t always want your friends to be asking to play with your toys.  You like them to say other things as well.  So, you can say other things to God like, “How are you doing today, God and what can I do for you to make you happy?” 

  I believe all of your prayers will make God happy.  Remember Jesus prayed to God whom he believed to be his father.  And he taught us to pray too.  Can you remember to pray?

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

June 1, 2025  The Seventh Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; Seek Ye First; Come My Way; Sing a New Song

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

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 Hallujah. 

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, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

First 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 Revelation to John

And let everyone who hears say, "Come."  And let everyone who is thirsty come.  Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 97

The LORD is King; let the earth rejoice; * let the multitude of the isles be glad.

The heavens declare his righteousness, * and all the peoples see his glory.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, * and give thanks to his holy Name.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

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

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

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

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

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

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

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

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

   Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in 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.

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 Song: Seek Ye First, (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you Allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find.  Knock and the door will be opened unto you; allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

(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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: 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 feast, my strength: such a light as shows a feat; 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: Sing A New Song (Renew!  # 21)

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

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

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

3-Glad my soul for I have seen the glory of the Lord.  The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised.  I know my Savior lives.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

God's Residential Interior Advocacy

6 Easter   C      May 25, 2025          
Acts 14:8-18  Ps. 67
Rev. 21:22-22:5  John 14:23-29

Lectionary Link

The Psalmist prays, "May God be merciful to us and bless us, show us the light of his countenance and come to us."

The biblical witness is about the phases of how people believed in the blessing of God and how it become manifested to various people at various times.

For people of the many different New Testament communities, as well as those communities who respected the reality of God, the comings of God to them took many forms.

For the followers of the oracles of the Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospel, the coming of God became very particular in the person of Jesus as the Word of God made fleshly human experience affirming the anthropomorphic proclivities of humanity to valorize what is best about us as being definitive of what we regard to be truly divine.

The person of Jesus in the flesh left this world, as if God were saying, "I only showed you an intense example of divine presence so as to invite, inform, and coax you to know the alway already blessing of God's presence as an interior gene of the divine waiting to be known within you."

In the appointed oracle discourse of Jesus found in John's Gospel, the coming of God, the showing of the light of God's countenance, is expressed as knowing within us the presence of Divine Advocacy.

Another name for advocate in modern parlance is "lawyer." Having the personal sense that someone is making our case for the purpose of our existence in the morass of all is an important experience of poignant esteem.

Too many people in our external world are people who have no friendship in the form of advocacy on behalf their dignity and their right of justice and peaceful supportive circumstances to grow into full human potential.

External advocacy and interior advocacy go hand in hand; both are absolutely necessary for successful existence.  The reality is that often external advocacy often does not happen in timely ways; the early communities of minority religious groups in the Roman Empire knew periods when they did not know significant social advocacy.

When social advocacy was missing the gathered associations of those who had Jesus Christ as their patron, channeled his words of the promise of knowing interior advocacy.

The interior Advocate is the Holy Spirit, who would be the divine presence residing in the body temples of those who were willing to engage the deep original blessing upon their lives.

The Gospel today for us is that the blessing of God is upon all; the favor of the light of God's countenance is upon all.  Sadly, not everyone has come to realize this blessing.  The commission for Paul to the people of Macedonia, and for people everywhere is to have the words of wisdom about knowing the wonderful reality of knowing the Residing Interior Advocate for our lives, and for the lives of all people in this world.

Let us today rejoice with the Psalmist for knowing the coming of God's blessing to us in knowing the Residing interior Advocate of the Holy Spirit.  But let us also work to be advocates for all in this world who need to know that the divine is for them and on their behalf.  Let us be a part of the Gospel program of helping people be aware of the Residing Interior Advocate of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sunday School, May 25, 2025 6 Easter C

  Sunday School, May 25, 2025     6 Easter C

The followers of Jesus wrote about the life of Jesus after they had “graduated” from the school of Jesus.

What did the followers of Jesus do?  They prayed together.  They studied the Bible together.  They preached good news about God’s love and forgiveness.  They prayed for sick people.  They share their food, clothing, homes and money with people who were in need.  They ate the Holy Meal of Eucharist together.  They welcomed people into their community through baptized.

And what did they realize?  They realized that they were doing exactly what Jesus taught them.  And when they realized this, they remember that before Jesus left he had told them that he would be with them and give them a helper after he was gone.

When we teach someone we leave something of our self in the person whom we taught.  Jesus was the teacher of his followers and when he was gone, his followers realized that the life of Jesus from his teaching was with them and it included a power and ability to continue to do the good things which Jesus taught them.

One of ways in which a person never dies is to pass on the wonderful gifts of one’s life to other people.  When a person teaches or helps or gives something to another person, a person lives on forever with the people who received the gift.  And the people who are taught also keep teaching and so many people continual to live on.

Today, we celebrate that Jesus and all of the followers of Jesus who have been in the church for over 2000 year continue to live on in us now.  We have the opportunity to keep the life of Jesus alive in our world as we pass what we have learned from Jesus to other people.

Jesus told his students that what he taught them would stay with them because the Holy Spirit would continue to help them learn and remember about the life of Jesus.

The Good News for us today is this:  When we teach and give and help others, it means that we will in very important ways, live forever.

Let us join with Jesus and Christians of all times continue to pass on to others the good news of God’s love and care.  In this way, we will continue to live forever with Christ.

Children’s Sermon

  Can you brush your teeth by yourself?  Can you wash your hands by yourself?  Can you eat with a fork and a spoon by yourself?  Who taught you to do all of these things?  Your mom or your dad did or maybe your big brother or sister.

  The older that you get, the more things you learn.  And when you learn things you do not have to have your mom and dad there with you to do them for you.

  So what things can you do on your own now?  Can you brush your hair?  Can you make your bed?  Can you clean your room?  Can you take your dishes from the table into the kitchen?  Can you read a book?  Can you take care of your pets?

  Yes you are learning to do many things by yourself now.  Your mom and dad used to have to help you but now you can do them yourself.  So it’s like your parents have been your teachers and when they are not with you it is like they are still with you because they have taught you to do so many things to do by yourself, you don’t need them to help you with them anymore.

  When Jesus knew that he was going to leave this earth and when he knew that he would not be with his friends, he told them that when he left that he would leave a teacher with them. Or a helper or an advocate.

  So when the friends of Jesus who were students of Jesus did not see him anymore, they would still know what to do, because he taught them so well, it was like he was still with them, even though he was gone.

  Did you know that life is all about learning and teaching.  When you learn how to do something, it means that you too will become a teacher to help someone else learn.

  When we learn from our parents and teachers, it means that they do not have to be with us all of the time to do things for us.

  When we teach someone something, it is like we leave a part of ourselves in them.  Because every time they do something that we taught them, it is like we are still with them.

  Jesus told his students that he was going to leave, but he promised that he would still be with them.  And how was he with them?  He taught them to do things well, so when they did things on their own, they knew that it was like their teacher Jesus was still with them.

  Remember our life is about learning and teaching.  When you learn, your parents and teachers will always be with you when you do what you learned from them.

  And you too will be a teacher, when you help others to learn.

    Jesus was such a good teacher, that his friend knew that he was with them even when they did not see him.  Let us learn to be good students and good teachers, too.  Amen.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist
May 25, 2025    6 Easter C

Gathering Songs: If You’re Happy and You Know It, God Is So Good, Eat This Bread, Awesome God

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

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

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

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

If you’re happy and you know it, shout, Amen! Amen!  If you’re happy and you know it, shout, Amen! Amen!  If you’re happy and you know it, then your face should surely show it. If you’re happy and you know it, shout Amen!  Amen!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; 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: 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 Revelation to John:

In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day-- and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 67

Let the peoples praise you, O God; * let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has brought forth her increase; * may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

May God give us his blessing, * and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of 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!

For the special blessing of our Mothers whom we honor today.  Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe."

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 Song: God Is So Good, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 73)

God is so good.  Good is so good.  God is so good; he’s so good to me.

He cares for me.  He cares for me.  He cares for me; he’s so good to me.

I love him so.  I love him so.  I love him so; he’s so good to me.

I’ll praise his name.  I’ll praise his name.  I’ll praise his name; he’s so good to me.

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, 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: 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: 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.

(Sung three times)

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Love As the Christian Identity

5 Easter   C      May 18, 2025
Acts 11:1-18 Psalm 148
Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35

Lectionary Link

Each week a preacher is given a collage of biblical readings from which a sermon or homily has to be crafted.  If a preacher were to do justice to all the assigned readings, then it would end up being a very long commentary on readings that often are diverse and unrelated in themes.  But one looks for some devices to unite some of the topics which arise from a reading of the appointed texts.

The Psalmist is a poet and perhaps a musician; one who has a different kind of literary license than a mere reporter of common sense experience.  The Psalmist is free to anthropomorphize all levels of being in the universe and assign all beings a singular task.  No matter who you are, whether angel, or king, or man, or woman, or old, or young, whether it is every astronomical entity in the heavens, or whether it is sentient animals on the earth, all people and all heavenly invisible beings, all animals, mountains, rivers, and trees, yes, everything and everyone, has but one vocation, to praise the Lord.  That is, according to Psalm 148.

The Psalmist is perhaps ecstatic on the collective effervescence of everything all at once.  It is ecstatic and intoxicating to contemplate what it means to be together with everyone and everything and to profess a participation in this greatness by applauding it with everyone and everything, by imagining the entire array of entities in this universe as being applauding spectators of the One Wholeness of everything.

To be applauding beings of the Lord, the Great One, implies a deep respect, a profound gratitude for merely being, here.  Altogether.  The mystery of such a profound effervescence makes the Psalmist enthralled and enthused and compelled to worship and lead a worshiping congregation with verse which projects the praise capacity of everything that exists.

If God is worthy of universal praise, respect, love, gratitude, and honor, such praise also needs to be manifest in love, honor, respect and order, in short, in total harmony of all things.

This vision of harmony is but the hope, dream, and wish of people everywhere, because the actual condition of the world, though having the outlines of harmony found in observed consistencies of natural laws, also shows the competition and harm happening between the varieties of systems of being.  Stars and comets burn out.  Earthquakes, floods, and fires, following their own internal laws, happen to catch people in cities in the wrong place at the wrong time causing harm and destruction.  All forms of human and animal life live in predator-prey relationships.  Humans of nations are or have been warring peoples. Scriptures even say that fallen angels and interior beings like demons reek havoc on the lives of people.  People divide themselves into tribes and then fight and kill over ownership to lands, homes, and food supplies.   The Psalmist believes that the worship or praise of God through harmonious behaviors can heal us or provide some temporal and contextual simulations of harmony to inspire meaningful purpose.

If we fast forward to the time of Jesus and his aftermath as the experiences of the Risen Christ in the church, we find the world of the Roman Empire where harmony is called the Pax Romana, peace because the Emperor and his forces suppress any opposition.  Within the Pax Romana, there was a plethora of deities along with the cult of the deified Emperors.  These deities were patrons for a variety of associations who gathered in temples for their commemorative liturgies and meals.  The synagogues and Jesus Movement gatherings came to have social significance within the Empire, and the Jesus Movement was institutionalized enough to have circulated writings for teaching and group formation purposes.  The writings instantiated their living paradox; namely, they believed in the imminent ending of the current world order inherited from their apocalyptic based beginnings while at the same time they had to develop and institutionalize to adjust to the fact of the permanent delay of the apocalyptic ending.   The book of Revelation is proof that apocalyptic mode of living prevailed for people of these Jesus associations at various times in the first two centuries.  Things were so dire that the wish fulfillment came to the visionary stories of a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem, and the end of death and sorrow.  The book of Revelation is the expression of ultimate world weariness of perhaps a persecuted writer and his group, such that there was a verbal cursing of the entire Roman world order.

However, there was also a resignation that came with the survival of the Jesus Movement within the persisting Roman world, and a reality set in: "Apparently we're going to be around for awhile so we should organize to promulgate our Christly values."  The very appearance of writings is proof regarding this settling in mode of being.

What does settling in as a permanent movement mean in the Roman Empire situation?  It required pockets of harmony within the church associations.  And what would harmony be called within these associations?  Love and reconciliation.  Why?  The New Testament writings indicate to us that parties within the Jesus Movement did not always get along.  Peter and Paul had their disagreements.  There were disagreements on if and how the Gentiles could be admitted into the salvation plan of the God of Israel.

The Acts of the Apostles includes the writing purpose of reconciling the ministries of Peter and Paul.  From the writings of Paul, we know that he clashed with Peter over Peter's behaviors of not honoring equally at table the Jewish and Gentile participants in the meal.  But we have in the account of Acts, that it is actually Peter who first received a vision about not demanding Jewish dietary restrictions for the Gentile followers of Jesus.  Why?  Because their baptism with the Holy Spirit meant that the inner spiritual identity was the determining factor and not outward ritual practice.

The last supper account in the Gospel of John indicates the recommendation for table behavior for all Christian association: Love one another, as I have loved you.  By your love you have your Christ-like identity as disciples of Christ.

Where does all this leave us today?  Apparently, universal harmony continues to elude us.  What probably is and will happen includes lots of mixtures of good and bad, conflict, health and harm.  What it means for us is that we need to be local pockets and clusters of people who model love each other so as to be involved in a collateral domino effect of spreading love beyond our local clusters to others who need to know the reconciling harmony of the love of Christ.

With the practice of the love of Christ, we can participate in the healing of the world so as to live toward the ecstasy of the Psalmist: Let everything praise the Lord!  Amen.