Sunday School, July 20, 2025, C proper 11

  Sunday School,   July 20, 2025, C proper 11

Themes

What is the most important “computer” center of the human body?

Is it our legs? Stomach? Arms? Heart? Mouth?

No it is our head which houses the most important computer center of our entire body.

So how do we know that our head is the most important computer center of our body?

We know when we learn to think and when we practice thinking and learning.

Paul said the church was like a body made up of many organs and parts.  But Paul wrote that the head of the body, the church was Christ.

And so how do we make the church function the very best?  We keep in touch with Christ as our brain.  We look to his life and his words and his example and the people whom he has inspired. 

We stay in touch with Christ so that we can make the church a group of people who practice love and kindness and service and telling people the Good News of Christ being with us as our Head.

Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus.

Sometimes in our lives we need to be very active.  We need to work; we need to prepare food, wash the dishes and the clothes and clean the houses.  Martha was a very good worker and she was upset when Mary was not working as hard as she was.  Mary was doing something else.  She was sitting and learning from her best friend Jesus.

In our lives we need to know when to work and when to stop working and learn to get to know Jesus as our best friend who can help us grow in being the very best persons that we can be.

Work is good; prayer and learning from Jesus is also very good and most important.  We need to take time to work but never forget the importance of prayer and talking to Jesus.

Sermon

  Ding dong, the door bell rings.  And you open the door and you have surprise visitors; it’s grandmother and grandfather.  They are on a trip and can only spend a few hours at your house.  What do your parents do?

  Do they make you go finish all of your chores?  Do they make you leave the room and wash the dishes?  Do they make you practice your music lesson or finish your homework?

  No, why?  Because grandmother and grandfather are only going to be there for just a few hours and so everyone gets to spend time being with them.

  Well, Jesus dropped in one day at the home of his friends Mary and Martha.  And they were very excited because Jesus was a special person in their lives and they could not see him all of the time, so they wanted to make his visit special.

  Martha loved her friend Jesus and she was a good hostess.  She wanted to treat Jesus as a special guest.  So she wanted to get the house all fixed up and cleaned and she wanted to get the food all prepared.

  But her sister Mary just sat in the living room talking with Jesus.  And that upset Martha because Mary wouldn’t help.

  Jesus was not worried about getting food and he was not worried if the house was not in order or if the good napkins were put out and fresh flowers were in place.

  Jesus only wanted to spend time with his friends:  He wanted Mary and Martha to be with him and talk with him.  And he wanted to talk with him and tell them some wonderful things.

  Did you know that you and I can sometimes be so busy we forget that God is our friend and that God just wants to spend time with us?

  That is why God gave us the commandment about the Sabbath or worship day of Sunday.  It means that we are to stop everything in our lives sometimes and just take time to be with God, to be with Christ.

  And we do this by hearing the stories of the Bible.  We do this by praying with others.  And we do this each day by setting aside some time to just talk with Christ.

  Jesus was happy that Mary took time from her work to talk to him.  And Jesus is happy when we take time to pray and to spend time with God.

  Let us remember what Mary did.  She remembered to take time to be with Jesus.  And so we should do the same.  Amen.

Intergenerational  Eucharist for Year C, proper 11

Gathering Songs: Jesus in the Morning, Only A Boy Named David, I Come with Joy, Christ Beside Me

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: Jesus in the Morning, (Christian Children’s Songbook,   # 134)

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the morning, Jesus at the noontime.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus when the sun goes down.

Love him, love him, love him in the morning, love him at the noontime.  Love him, love him, love him when the sun goes down.

Serve him, serve him, serve him in the morning, serve him at the noontime.  Serve him, serve him, serve him when the sun goes down.

Praise him, praise him, praise in the morning, praise him at the noontime.  Praise him, praise him, praise him when the sun goes down.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Liturgy Leader: In our prayers we first praise God, chanting the praise word: Alleluia

Litany of Praise: 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 Letter to the Colossians

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 52

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; * I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

I will give you thanks for what you have done * and declare the goodness of your Name in the presence of the godly.

Liturgy Leader: I invite you to let us know what you are thankful for today

   As we thank God let us chant Thanks be to God

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!

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!

(Sing Birthday blessings or wedding blessings to those present who are celebrating)

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

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.

Liturgy Leader: Next in our prayers, we remember people who have special needs.  As we pray let us chant:  Christ Have Mercy

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

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

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.

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, the gifts of bread and wine will be presented at the Eucharist. We ask you to 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.

We remember that 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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: I Come with Joy, (Renew! # 195)

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

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

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: Christ Beside Me (Renew! # 164)

Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, king of my heart.  Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me, never to part

Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand, Christ all around me, shield in the strife.  Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting, Christ in my rising light of my life.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Neighboring and Neighborly in God's Neighborhood

8 Pentecost, Cp10, July 13, 2025

Amos 7:1-17 Ps.82

Col. 10:25-37  Luke 10:25-37

Lectionary Link

The parable of the Good Samaritan includes within it a parable about incomplete definitions of what a neighbor is as well as why we might often be bad neighbors and rationalize it.

Let's ponder some of the stereotypes which attended the Lucan Gospel which was written when synagogue and church had separated, when Samaritans were part of Christ-communities and the Gospel writers could not hide their disappointment that all the Jews had not become followers of Jesus.

What are we to make of a story of Jesus who presents a member of a foe of the Jews, a Samaritan, as the hero of a story, and revered religious figures of temple and synagogue, a priest and a Levite, as those who are lacking in moral character?

For our reading we need to remove ourselves from the specifics of the stereotypes of what was implied in the time of Jesus and in the time of the writing of Luke's Gospel and generalize the enduring universal messages.

What might those messages be?

The big message is that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We are to respect the dignity of every human being, as we promise to do in our baptismal vows.

What does a bad neighbor do?  A bad neighbor creates people as being "other."  How so?  By asking the question, "Who is my neighbor, or who do I have to love?"

Rather than being over-critical of the priest and Levite who are presented as "bad neighbors," we should ponder seriously how we ourselves are often bad neighbors and how we might justify our being bad neighbors?

First, it may not always be easy to be a good neighbor.  Not every situation which we encounter the requirement for loving response is easy or even safe.  We may justify our lack of response because of our unwillingness to be a hero in a difficult situation.  We may not always be ready to "lay down" our lives, especially if it is not for a friend or family member.  We may be fearful about our abilities to respond to emergencies but our willingness and readiness to help in the ways that we are able is the main issue.

The priest and Levite who observed the injured man on the roadside and did not stop maybe represent the reality that our social identity status does not necessarily mean that we are exerting ourselves to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Perhaps we think it is adequate to offer care to those with whom we have an affinity or those who can reciprocate with care for us.  Perhaps there is the sheer inconvenience of the circumstances which interrupt our schedules: "I can't stop because I have things to do."  Perhaps there is good religious reason for the Levite and the priest not to stop.  If the man appears to be dead, then to touch a dead person would render one ritually impure which would require the hassle of going through rituals of purification before assuming normal community interaction.

And what was the purpose of the parable of Jesus within the parable of the interaction between Jesus and a lawyer?

The purpose of the story was to convict about a smugness that we can assume about our religious identity and performances.  The lawyer would certainly know about inheritance laws.  One doesn't have to do anything to inherit something.  One inherits through the accident of being the child or relative of the one who passes away.  A child of God inherits eternal life by simply accepting oneself as a child of God.  But the lawyer who encountered Jesus missed the point; he wanted to make sure that he could be affirmed by a Rabbi, Jesus, for his superior performance of the law.

And the moral of the story, is that one is never finished performing loving care and love and justice makes everyone a neighbor in any situation, and neighbor is not just the passive notion of close physical proximity or natural affinities; neighbor is being the active care giver of those who need it.

The active notion of being a neighbor is very ably stated by the Psalmist who implores us to save the weak and the orphan, and defend the humble and needy.  Also, the Psalmist gives us the mission to rescue the weak and the poor and deliver them from the power of the wicked exploiters.

The long and short of the Scripture lessons today is that the work of loving is never finished.  The question is not about how much loving I have do do, but how much is left to do in the continual work of healing that is needed in our world, God's neighborhood, where everyone is called to be neighbors and do neighboring to one another.  Amen.

Sunday School, July 13, 2025, 5 Pentecost, C proper 10

 Sunday School,  July 13, 2025, 5 Pentecost, C proper 10

Exploring the Theme of the Parable of the Good Samaritan

What is a neighbor?

Sometimes we think that neighbors are people who live close to each other.

Sometimes we think that neighbors are just the people who we feel familiar and comfortable with.

When Jesus said that we are to “love our neighbor as ourselves,”  a man asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”  He was really asking Jesus, “Who am I required to love in order to please God.”

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to show a different meaning for “neighbor.”

Neighbors are not just people who live close to each other and are familiar with each other.  A neighbor is one who cares for anyone who is in need.

So a neighbor is doing and not just being.  This means we have to work in our lives to practice kindness all of the time so that we are always in good practice of being a neighbor.

Sermon

  What is a neighbor?

  Sometimes we use neighbor to mean only the people who live close to us.

  But sometimes people who live close to each other are not very friendly.

  Jesus told a story to help teach a young lawyer about the meaning of being a neighbor.

  One day a man was traveling to Jericho.  And he was attacked by robbers.  They hurt him and took all of his belongings and left him in the ditch.

  Two very important people, a priest and Levite saw the poor man in the ditch and but they did not stop to help him; they walked by because they thought that the man was dead.

  Then a man, a Samaritan, came and saw the man. (The Samaritan was a man who would not be liked by the lawyer).  The Samaritan nursed and cared for the man and carried him on his donkey to a place where he could heal.

  After Jesus told the story, he asked the lawyer.  Who was the neighbor?  And the lawyer answered, “The Samaritan, the one who showed care and mercy.

  Jesus taught an important message about the meaning of being a neighbor.

  A neighbor is not just someone who lives close to us.  A neighbor is you and I, and anybody when they show love and kindness and mercy to people who are in need.

  Today, we want God to make us good neighbors, because we want to be those who respond to people in need.

Child friendly Holy Eucharist, using the rubrics on page 400 of the Book of Common Prayer with guidelines for non-principal Eucharist

C proper 10

Gathering Songs: Kum Ba Yah, This Little Light of Mine, Seek Ye First, Praise Him

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: Kum Ba Ya, (Christian Children’s Songbook  # 150)

Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah.  Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah.  Kum ba yah my Lord, kum ba yah.  O Lord, kum ba yah.

Someone’s singing Lord, kum ba yah.  Someone’s singing Lord, kum ba yah. Someone’s singing Lord, kum ba yah.   O Lord, kum ba yah.

Someone’s loving Lord, kum ba yah.  Someone’s loving Lord, kum ba yah. Someone’s loving Lord, kum ba yah.  O Lord, kum ba yah.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Liturgy Leader: In our prayers we first praise God, chanting the praise word: Alleluia

Litany of Praise: 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 Book of Deuteronomy

For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 25

Show me your ways, O LORD, * and teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, * for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long.

Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, * for they are from everlasting.

Liturgy Leader: I invite you to let us know what you are thankful for today

   As we thank God let us chant Thanks be to God

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.

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon –   

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Liturgy Leader: Next in our prayers, we remember people who have special needs.  As we pray let us chant:  Christ Have Mercy

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

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

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

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

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

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of 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 or said)

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.

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 a 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 gifts of bread and wine will be presented. We ask you to 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.

We remember that 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 the 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:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion 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 shall be opened unto you; Allelu, alleluia.    Refrain

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: Praise Him, All Ye Little Children (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 184)

Praise him, praise him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Praise him, praise him all ye little children, God is love.  God is love.

Love him, love him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Love him, love him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Thank him, thank him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Thank him, thank him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Biographical Gleanings

4 Pentecost, C p 9, July 6, 2025
2 Kings 5:1-14  Psalm 30
Gal. 6:1-18 Luke 10:1-12,16-20 

Lectionary Link

The Bible is highly biographical because it includes writing about people in the biographical modes of presentation which were used purposely by writers of the many different historical contexts represented by the biblical texts.

Biographies are not written for the people who lived in the time of the people about whom things are written; they are written for people later to serve as exemplars for the people at the time when the writing occurs and retained for future edification of future readers.

Biographical fragments are chosen and woven together in writing as communicative events to persuade about important community values as understood by the writer making reference to the past and perhaps founding and heroic exemplars of the propagated community understandings and values.

At a certain time, writing about the prophet Elisha became instructive for fostering certain understandings and even correcting misunderstandings about God.

It is easy for us or any community to become so ethnocentric as to assume that God mainly works for our benefit and does wonderful things for us and not for others, and certainly not for our foreign enemies.

The story of Naaman is a story about a foreigner who was sick and in need of healing.  He heard about the source of a possible cure but it required him to seek health from a holy man in a different land.  He had to humble himself to go across the border and seek healing rites on the terms of the prophet Elisha.  That this story is even being recounted in the Jewish Bible is an indication to their readership that they should not limit the healing power of God to just their own people.  They needed to be reminded that the God of Israel was the God accessible to all.  And this is something which the prophets often felt their readership needed to be reminded of.  The Temple was a house of prayer for all people.  The message of the prophets of Israel was a message to everyone, including the people in Nineveh and Jonah had to be reminded of this after he ran away from the mission God sent him on to save the people of Nineveh.  Any valid definition of God as the one about whom none greater can be conceived, has to be preached as one whose saving benefits are available to all, including people who are not our favored acquaintances.  The healing of the foreigner Naaman by Elisha is like people from around the world coming for the diagnostic excellence of the Mayo Clinic.  Health is a universal need; God's health or salvation is available to everyone, and we misrepresent God if we don't promote this universal health concern of God.

Paul did not write an auto-biography but knowledge of his life and teaching come to us in his preserved and collected letters, as well as the later stories told about him in the Acts of the Apostles.  Paul was a Jew and as a male he was physically marked as one through the rite of circumcision.  But Paul also knew that he had another experience of being in Christ, and being in Christ gave him the ability to transcend his ritual identity as a Jew.  He came to understand that any person could know themselves to be in Christ, and transcend lesser ethnic, religious, ritual, socio-economic, or ever gender identities.  He preached a message of knowing oneself to be a "new creation."  Paul's biography included a confession of being a new creation because of his experience of the Risen Christ.  Paul's letters are testimonies to the possibility of being in Christ and being a new creation, that is, to experience a new personal identity through transforming spiritual experience, which he characterized as dying and rising with Christ.

The Gospels are varieties of biographies following the forms used by writers in the Greek language decades after Jesus and Paul.  They presented biographical information about Jesus and his recommended strategies for mission.  Everyone in the first century knew about the kingdom of the Caesar.  Lots of people knew about the former kingdom of Israel.  They knew that the kingdom of Israel was no longer a land controlled and inhabited by and for the Jews.  Was Jesus understood to be a fire brand political figure to restore land again to a kingdom of and in Israel?  No, Jesus understood a more embracing kingdom, the great kingdom of God which encompassed the entire cosmos.  But people were internally and ignorantly alienated from this embracing notion of the kingdom of God.  They could obviously accept the realm and kingdom of the Caesar because the signs of it were everywhere.

Jesus preached the need for the awareness of the greater and more embracing kingdom of God.  It could be perceived inwardly by virtue of the Trojan Horse of God's image being stamped upon everyone.  But people lived in blindness until the awareness of the kingdom was activated through the knowledge of knowing the divine image stamped upon their lives.

Jesus was presented as commissioning the evangelical missions so that messengers could let as many as possible know that God is accessible to them and in knowing this they could be freed from lesser enslaving powers and they could know peace, the interior peace of having the image of God come to ascendency in their own self understanding.  They could know that their names were written in heaven because the citizenship of the kingdom of God was the awareness of the eternal God within them.

The appointed Gospel for today presents the concern of Jesus to get the news of the Kingdom of God out to as many as possible.  In practical ways, the evangelists were instructed not to force the message, to offer the message where it could be peacefully received.  Jesus also told the evangelist not to get hung up on the success of the mission or even the sense of authority which came from seeing evil defeated, because the message effect upon the evangelist's life is its own reward.

The Gospel for us is the reward of knowing that we are in Christ, we are a new creation, and we are enlightened to know that we live and move and have our being in God as our primary kingdom, even as we learn to merge in our lifestyles our local realms with the greater realm of the kingdom of God.

Let us learn from these biographical gleanings of Elisha, Paul, and Jesus.  The saving health of God belongs to everyone.  In Christ we are new creations living from more profound Christly identity than the limited local identities of family, country, land, gender, or socio-economical status.  Finally, we are blessed if we accept the knowledge that the kingdom of God has come so near as to be the activation of the image of God on our lives as our primary identity.  Amen.

When the Powerful Are Evil

3 Pentecost, C p 8, June 29, 2025
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14  Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
Gal. 5:1, 13-25   Luke 9:51-62  

Lectionary Link

I entitle my sermon, "when the powerful are evil," instead of if the powerful are evil, 

because the history of humanity is full of pages about really evil powerful people who 

were corrupted absolutely because of their taking absolute power.

In our modern age, we have tried to clean of the image of the powerful by putting 

cosmetic lipstick upon the proverbial pig; we have justified conquering and 

subjugation of people in the name of having superior religion, superior culture, 

superior science effectively rendered in having superior military weapons to back up 

our superiority complexes.

I would like to highlight the Scriptural stories of Elijah and Elisha, St. Paul, and Jesus as they pertain to the theme, "When the Powerful are Evil."

When the last great Judge Samuel was prevailed upon to anoint a King for Israel, he warned them about the corrupting power of absolute power. But the people thought that a King's army would be a protection against the neighboring tribes and nations. Israel and Judah did have some good kings, who endeavored to unite their country around their chief totem, the One Holy and Highest God. But Israel and Judah had some really bad and evil kings, with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel being representative of perhaps evil power at it worst. Beyond wanting to steal the property of the citizenry, they promoted departure from the unifying totem of Israel, the One Holy and Highest God, and the covenantal relationship with the Holy One found in the Torah. What we know about the prophets of Israel is that one of their harshest duties was to "speak the truth of the Torah" to power, namely, to corrupt kings.

It was given the task to Elijah to speak the truth of the Torah to King Ahab and Jezebel who hated him and wanted to kill him, especially after he presided over the showdown of the Great God El with the god Baal and his priests and prophets. Elijah's intercession called down fire from heaven to win the battle, and one would think that such an obvious victory would make Elijah bold to face Ahab, but he ran in fear and became a pouting prophet feeling alone in his resistance to evil. He had another theophany in knowing the still small voice, but the aftermath of this theophany meant that God would give Elijah relief from his prophetic ministry; it was time to turn over his counter-culture resistance movement to a very doubtful protege, Elisha. A pupil has doubts about being able to perform up to the standards of one's mentor and teacher. Elisha had self doubts about his prophetic authority. Can the prophetic mantle be passed on to the new prophet? Will the new prophet have a way with God and nature so as to validity work and speak in God's name? Elisha did not just want the mantle, the academic gown of Elijah, he wanted to have a double portion of the spiritual authority of Elijah. And he wanted a sign before he would take up the mantle of Elijah. And so we have a record of the visionary epiphany to Elisha and the succession in the office of the chief prophet. Elijah said, "If you see me leave, then that will be proof that you will assume the prophetic mantle with a double portion of my spirit." Sure enough, in the epiphany Elisa saw Elijah ascend riding the chariots of fire in the whirlwind, and he took up the mantle and the magic of the office worked for him as well. Elisha went on to see the end of Ahab and Jezebel, and to continue to speak truth to powers, both foreign and domestic. Elijah and Elisha are witnesses to the divine mission on earth, speaking truth to power, always.

St. Paul lived within minority synagogues and Christ-communities of the Roman Empire. Ironically, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven is not articulated by Paul as it is found in the Gospel words of Jesus. St. Paul has settled into his other-worldly heavenly citizenship status; he has conceded that the Roman Emperor is the evil power of his world. But as an apocalyptic prophet, Paul believed that he was biding time until this great intervention will happen. So what was Paul's strategy of preparation for this impending end? His strategy was to let the kingdom of God take over the interior or your life and free people from enslavement to all manner of evil. St. Paul is perhaps a crucial source for the many 12 step programs. Evil is an external power, but always it is an internal force of enslavement and addiction. To counter evil, one needs to know the grace of a higher power, a Holy Spirit power, an identity with the Risen Christ power, to begin to sublimate one's life energies and be known as the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, kindness, faithfulness, generosity. Over-coming external evil with goodness begins when God's Holy Spirit interior kingdom has worked the transformation of wrongly aimed desire into the power of the fruits of the Spirit. When the powerful are evil, what does one do? Don't respond in evil; but learn the generating power of the Holy Spirit to produce the good fruits of the Spirit in the words and deeds of one's life.

Isn't it rather ironic that the words of Jesus which came to writing quite some time after the writings of Paul included the message about the kingdom of God? During the time of Jesus through the writings which became the New Testament, the most obvious kingdom was the kingdom of the Roman Emperors. To speak and write openly about another kingdom would certainly have been seen as rebellious behaviors. Such writing would have been easier to hide in underground and stealthy movements which promoted a greater kingdom than the one of the Emperor.

It may not have been easy to convince people about this other greater kingdom when the visible presence of the Roman Emperor seemed so obvious.

How does one respond to the mission of preaching the kingdom of God? Should one be an over-confident zapping apocalypticist? "Jesus, if these people don't accept God's kingdom, shall I just call down fire from heaven to zap these evil people?" Jesus is presented in the Gospels as rebuking the people who wanted to zap those who did not agree or understand the kingdom of God. Assassins are people who often think that they are to overcome evil with evil and falsely think that they have the power to make almighty God back up their attempt to instigate the apocalyptic end. Our world just recently experienced a "Christian" political assassin in Minnesota proving that evil can lead to egomaniacal insane acts of terror. There are evil deranged people who think that they can violently instigate some wrongly founded version of an apocalyptic end.

Other responses are found to the kingdom of God message and its receptivity. Some felt confident, even over-confident about their embrace of the kingdom of God. They promised to follow Jesus everywhere, just like Judas and Peter, but they were caught up in excessive pride about their own ability, rather than the gentle coaxing of the lure of the life of love and goodness of the kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus. Jesus warned Peter and all who put their confidence in their own ability alone but misunderstood the "coaxing weakness of God" to honor true freedom, even the freedom for evil to seeming temporal and local control.

Other response to the kingdom of God can also include more trivial excuses.  "The kingdom of God is a nice concept, but it's going to interrupt my everyday life with family activities.  I'm going have to be here to bury my parents; and I really need to say good bye to my family members.  I can't decide now."

The words of Jesus seem rather cruel, as in "Let the dead bury the dead."  But we should understand the ironic intent.  To paraphrase Jesus, "If you think following me and accepting a mission in the kingdom of God is bad for you and your family, don't do it.  If you have thought that I would propose something that is bad and impossible for you and your family, then you have misunderstood me and my mission."

I think it is safe to say that the kingdom of God is so immanent that it is portable to one's life situation such that it enhances one's life and one's family if one embraces the mission of the kingdom of God.

We live and move and have our being in God, but so do all the evil powers of the world.  The truth is that evil, greedy, lying powers, live as parasites off the largesse of God's expansive being, and as parasites they try to consume and devour as much as God's acres as they can for their selfish purposes.  In our own day a very few people with power and wealth control most of the world's assets for their own purposes.  They engage in their own forms of emperor worship, seeking loyalty, but we have to be mindful of our commitment to everlastingness.  That which is Everlasting will outlive every evil power and while we may know temporal and local oppression by evil powers, we must confess that the kingdom of God is always, already, and unavoidable.  Loyalty to the kingdom of God is shown by engendering the fruits of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and faithfulness.    The manifestation of these are what keep this world alive even when the control and destiny of the world seem to be decided by evil powers.

Rather and resorting to bullying evil, let us commit ourselves to the winsome fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and faithfulness.  Let these virtues be our passport membership in the kingdom of God.  Amen.