Sunday, January 25, 2015

Evangelism and the Fishing Metaphor

3 Epiphany B  January 25, 2015
Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:6-14
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20

Lectionary Link

    There is some irony in putting together the prophet Jonah reading with the Gospel words of Jesus, "I will make you fish for people."
  Jonah was the prophet who experienced the reverse; he was one who was open game for the big fish.  The big fish swallowed the runaway prophet Jonah.  The big fish is the Leviathan of the Bible and Leviathan became a symbol for the state in swallowing up the identity of individual people.
  When the Gospels record Jesus as telling some fishermen, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people" the fishing metaphor for evangelism was born.
  Any metaphor has it expressive limitations and negative implication if one takes a metaphor too literally.
  The goal of the local Galilean fishermen was to use their nets to catch as many fish as they could.  And to be fishermen, they had to know something about the lake where they fished and the times, seasons and places in the lake where the fish were most likely to be.  They had to remember where they had good luck in finding schools of fish.  They probably had to keep some of their fishing habits secret because they had competitors.  And they probably had to get up really early to beat their competitors to the best fishing places in the lake.   Fishing was their livelihood and so they needed to be successful at fishing to put food on their tables.
  A crassly literal correspondence between commercial fishing and Christian evangelism is unseemly even though Jesus said to the fishermen, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”  If evangelism is about my own ministerial success more than it is about a concern for the well-being of other people then evangelism is reduced to but a "commercial" venture.  One can see how churches in the past have used evangelism as a Leviathan for swallowing people and consolidating them into their empire churches.  In the feudal times, only the lord of the manor had to be converted and all of the people of his estate were baptized. This fish net approach to mass evangelism may seem to be preferred by many but does it really honor the individual personhood of one who is born in the image of God with freedom of choice?
  In my earlier life I was exposed to evangelical and missionary communities where it often people seemed to be in competition to convert souls to Christ for their particular brand of Christian theology.  Christian communities in their efforts to grow can reduce evangelism to something like a Henry Ford assembly line technique.  America is known for its famous mass media evangelism.  Think of the string of popular evangelists in the American:  George Whitefield, D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Aimee Simple McPherson, Katherine Kuhlmann, Oral Roberts, and the most famous of all, Billy Graham.  The sheer effect of a large crowd creates the effervescent net to bring hundreds of souls into the fold of Christ in one great "fishing" occasion.  And now we have an entire array of every kind of tele-evangelist doing this "net" style fishing for converts to Christ as well as regular financial supporters of their ministries. Sinclair Lewis, an American novelist wrote about such evangelists in his novel, Elmer Gantry who was a satirical caricaturization of the commercial motives of some of these Gospel fishermen and women.
  We, in the historical, catholic church tradition have mostly relied upon the form of evangelism called infant baptism whereby a person is passively assimilated into the church to begin to undergo the continuous work of growing to become more Christian.   We in the catholic tradition have been a part of colonial and gunboat evangelism as a powerful presence in the colonial situations often resulted in "forced conversions" of indigenous people.  Was the winsomeness of the message at the forefront or was it the superiority of industrial and technological cultures?   Some of mass media preachers have arisen as a protest against automatic assimilation into the church and so they wanted to do their Christian fishing with adults only, they in turn have become expressions of "mob" religious experience.
     How do we turn to this kind of metaphorical fishing in the words of Jesus and not fall into a crass commercialization of the evangelical enterprise?  Do we want people to join us so we can feel good and more secure about our own way of life?  Do we feel like our own faith decision are authenticated and validated because other people choose a similar path?  Does the sheer quantity of people who agree with me, make my way of life necessarily better or superior to the life styles of others?
  Evangelism can be translated or reduced to something like the classic book on sales presentation by Dale Carnegie:  How to Win friends and Influence People.  Any body in sales has probably encounter the techniques found in this classic books which incorporates some very wise tips on human nature and how to behave with other people if one wants to persuade and make a sale.
  So is Christian evangelism the same thing as sales?
  Christians evangelism shares some of the human dynamics of the sales event without being the equivalent of sales.  In sales, one has to convince that another person has the need for the product that one is trying to sell.  One is presenting oneself as a "user friendly" person who is a reputable person to recommend a product or service.
  In Christianity we don't really have a product; we only have states of transformation in understanding who we are and why we are here.  The truth is that many people are stuck in states of dysfunction and alienation from good self-image and successful integration into significant community life.
  Christian fishing is learning how to let people know that their lives can be continuously transformed by understanding good news. When Jesus told his followers that they would be fishing for people, he was not implying that we have to use net techniques to trap large groups of people to embrace our message.  He was simply saying: "You learned the fishing trade; now I want to teach you the people business."  To befriend people means that they become better people after meeting us.  How do people become better after befriending behaviors?  Befriending behaviors means we share with people the good news of our lives; we share with them the very best of our own experience not as a way for them to copy us but as a way to give them the occasion for further insights and meanings in their own lives.  Befriending behaviors means teaching, comforting, caring, healing, giving, supporting, and sometimes a tough message of intervention and interdiction.  The evangelism of words needs the fore-play of the evangelism of the witness of the deeds of one's life.  Our body language deeds speak louder than our words and when our lives are evidence of love and care in action, we earn the permission to tell people how we have come to live in the way that we have.  Befriending does not mean we have to be perfect before we share with other people, in fact, being honest about our own imperfection and practicing a life of one having been forgiven is important for people to know and share.
   In our climate today, we need to find a way to share our good news and learn how we can have a mission as "people" persons here at St. John the Divine.  On the personal level, what we seek to do is find out how each of us can become those who know how to befriend people in a way that lets them know that we honor the image of God upon their lives.  For us to learn how to fish for people, it involves the exercise of our baptismal gifts.  Our gifts are found as we learn how to transform the energies and desires of our lives into winsome charisma.  We need to discover our charisma.  Charisma is the ability to exude an energy around our being to create an atmosphere where people find a comfortable space to be themselves more truly.
  Let us embrace the charisma of our lives as we seek to be people persons, not because we want people to agree with us, but so that we give people the occasion to encounter the sublime presence of God in Christ.  Amen.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Sunday School, January 25, 2015 The Third Sunday after the Epiphany Year B

Sunday School, January 25, 2015  The Third Sunday after the Epiphany Year B


Themes:

Call of God and Christ
You can tell them that the call of God is not always easy
   The Story of Jonah.  God called Jonah to bring the message of God to the city of Ninevah but the people of Ninevah were regarded to be enemies or foreigners to Jonah and his fellow citizens.  He did not want foreigners to have God’s message, so he ran away from God and took a ship in the opposite direction.  A storm was going to cause the ship to sink so Jonah told the crew to throw him over-board and the storm would stop.  Jonah was swallowed by a big fish and Jonah remained in the belly of the big fish for three day until the fish spit him out on the beach.  Jonah went to Ninevah and preached God’s word to them and they believed and it changed their lives.
  Meaning: God message and love is for everyone, even people who are different from us and as followers of Christ we are called to share the good news of the love of Christ with everyone.

The Gospel Theme:  Jesus called fishermen to follow him.  He said to them, “I will have you fish for people.”

What does fishing for people mean?  Does it mean we are supposed to trap them in nets?

No, what Jesus meant was that just as people who fish had special skills to know how to fish, so Jesus wanted to teach his followers how to make friends with people by sharing with them the good news about how much God loved them, cared for them and forgave them.

We can become good people person if we can learn to share good news with other people.  Can you think of things that you can do to be a good friend?  Can you think of ways to show people how to be good friends with God and Jesus?


Puppet Show

An Interview with Jonah the Prophet
Joel the interviewer:  Welcome to our show today friends.  Today our special guest is Jonah the prophet.   He has just returned from the city of Ninevah and he has had quite an experience. Hello, Jonah, welcome to the show.  Thanks for taking the time for this interview.

Jonah: Thanks for having me.  Could we make it fast because I’m really tired from my journey?

Joel:  Yes, let’s go to the big rumor.  Is it really true that you were swallow by a big fish in the Mediterranean Sea?

Jonah:  Yes, it is but how did you find out?

Joel:  We have our sources Jonah but it is such a strange occurrence we have to report it.  So how did you come to be swallowed by a fish?

Jonah:  Well, God told me to go to Ninevah and preach to them the same message of God’s forgiveness that I preach here at home.  But you know the people of Ninevah are not our favorite people.  Even their armies have attacked our country before.  So I thought, these people of Ninevah do not deserve God’s mercy and so I ran away in the opposite direction.

Joel:  Where did you go?

Jonah:  I jumped on a boat that was sailing into the Mediterranean Sea.

Joel: So you were trying to escape from going to Ninevah  and you were telling God that you wouldn’t go to Ninevah?

Jonah:  Yes that’s right but I could not get away from God.  A big storm came up and the ship was ready to sink and the sailors were frightened, so I told them that I was the problem because I was disobeying God.  I told them to throw me overboard.  And they did and the storm stopped.

Joel:  But what happened to you?

Jonah:  I got into the water and it was like I was suddenly in a cave with a short tunnel.  I was frightened and I prayed and I called out to God and I said that I was sorry for disobeying him.

Joel:  Did you get rescued right away?

Jonah:  No, I prayed for three days and finally I found myself ejected into the shallow waters near a beach.  I turned around and saw a big fish swim away and I realized that I have been inside of the fish.

Joel:  What did you do?  You must have smelled very “fishy” if you don’t mind a pun.

Jonah:  Well, I knew that I had to get to Ninevah and obey God.  So I did and sure enough the people of Ninevah got to know that God is loving and forgiving.

Joel:  Well, aren’t you glad about that?

Jonah:  Well, it has been hard for me to accept that God loves foreigners and even our enemies just as much as he loves us.

Joel:  But doesn’t that mean that we can now learn to be friends with them?

Jonah:  Yes, it does but sometimes it is hard for us change and accept that God loves others just as much as us.

Joel:  Thank you Jonah.  Friends, remember the call of God can sometimes be about things that are hard to do but God will help us if we obey and share the love of God with everyone.


That about wraps it up.  Remember Jonah, the man who was swallowed by a big fish and survived.  Remember Jonah was the man who gave a fish a tummy ache and so the fish had to vomit him upon the shore.


Family Eucharistic Liturgy


St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
January 25, 2015: The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs:   Jesus in the Morning, He Is Lord, When the Saints 

Liturgist:      Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People:         And Blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Jesus in the Morning  (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 134)
1.         Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the morning, Jesus at the noontime.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus when the sun goes down.
2.         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.
3.         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.
4.         Praise him, praise him, praise him 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
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)
O God, you are GreatAlleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to usAlleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a SaviorAlleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian familyAlleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sinsAlleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the deadAlleluia

Liturgist:   A reading from the Prophet Jonah

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.  When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 62
 
 
Children’s Creed
Doxology
 
Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
The Prayer continues with these words
  1. He is Lord, he is Lord.  He is risen from the dead and he is Lord.  Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
  1. He is King, he is King.  He will draw all nations to him, he is King: and the time shall be when the world shall sing that Jesus Christ is King.
  1. He is Love, he is love.  He has shown us by his life that he is love; all his people sing with one voice of joy that Jesus Christ is love.
  1. He is life; he is life.  He has died to set us free and he is life; and he calls us all to live evermore, for Jesus Christ is life.
Post-Communion Prayer
Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
People:      Thanks be to God! 


He alone is my rock and my salvation, * my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
In God is my safety and my honor; * God is my strong rock and my refuge.
Put your trust in him always, O people, * pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.

  
Anniversaries:  
  
Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)
Liturgist:
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 Mark
People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.
People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.


Sermon – Father Phil


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 Intercession Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

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

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering.
Offertory Song:  I Will Make You Good Fisher folk (Christian Children’s Songbook # 58)
                            
1. I will make you good fisher folk, good fisher folk, good fisher folk.  I will make you good fisher folk, if you follow me.  If you follow me, if you follow me.  I will make you good fisher folk, if you follow me.
2. Hear Christ calling, “Come unto me, come unto me, come unto me.”  Hear Christ calling, “Come unto me, and I’ll give you rest.  And I’ll give you rest, and I’ll give your rest.”  Hear Christ calling, “Come unto me and I’ll give you rest.”

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(Children may gather around the altar)
The Celebrant now praises God for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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 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 so that we may love God and our neighbor.

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

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

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

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

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,
(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.
Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.
And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.
Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.
Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant:        Alleluia.  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: He Is Lord  (Renew! # 29)

  1. He is Lord, he is Lord.  He is risen from the dead and he is Lord.  Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
  2. He is King, he is King.  He will draw all nations to him, he is King: and the time shall be when the world shall sing that Jesus Christ is King.
  3. He is Love, he is love.  He has shown us by his life that he is love; all his people sing with one voice of joy that Jesus Christ is love.
  4. He is life; he is life.  He has died to set us free and he is life; and he calls us all to live evermore, for Jesus Christ is life.

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: When the Saints Go Marching in (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 248)
1.      O, when the saints go marching in, O when the saints go marching in.  Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.
2.      O, when the girls, go marching in….
3.      O, when the boys, go marching in…
4.      O, when the kids, go marching in…

Dismissal   
Liturgist:    Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People:      Thanks be to God

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Anatomy of the Call

2 Epiphany B  January 18,2015
1 Samuel 3:1-10  Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 6:11b-20  John 1:43-51


   One of the effects of writing is to make the readers think that we attain an actual imaginary state of "being there."  That is the illusion of literature and art; it traps us in a state of immediacy and we forget that it is "representational" or literary art.
  And so I like the delicious writing in the story about the calling of the boy Samuel.  The writer writes that "the word of the Lord and visions were rare in those days."  This was right after the writer reported that the eyesight of the priest Eli was "dim."  The whole story about Eli and Samuel is about the loss of succession of the office of Judge and priest by the household of Eli.  Eli was a good priest but his sons had corrupted the priestly office and so right under the nose of Eli, God was calling someone else to be the next judge and successor.  Samuel was the one whom God was calling to replace the sons of Eli as the leader of Israel.  Family succession in leadership was quite common and so for there to be a break in the succession a significant event would need to occur.  For such a significant   change it had to be understood as divine intervention or as a God "event."
  Samuel was a "God child."  He is in the biblical line of "immaculate" births of great persons.  The immaculate birth story motif is a biblical motif to trace the origins of great people as "special events or acts of God."
  Samuel's mother Hannah was the poor childless wife who prayed ceaselessly for the blessing of a child.  Childless women in those time were taught to regard themselves as half people...half women; women of those times had to have their social and family identity authenticated through child birth.
  Hannah prayed in such sorrowed ecstasy at the temple at Shiloh she was thought to be drunk.  Hannah promised to give her child to God if she could only conceive and bear a child. And God answered her prayers and she bore the child Samuel and gave him to God to serve at the temple with Eli as one who took the ascetic vows of the Nazirite.  He would not drink alcoholic drinks, or cut his hair and he would avoid ritual impurity.   And this special immaculately conceived child Samuel would be called to replace the corrupt priestly leadership of Israel.  The Judge Samuel is the one who ushered Israel into the age of their monarchy as he is the one who anointed both Kings Saul and David.
  The biblical writers who wrote the history of the change in succession wrote that it happened because of the special call of Samuel.  When the priesthood was corrupt and people were "out of touch" with God, God spoke to Samuel and called him to restore integrity to the office of priest and judge who served in the Tent of Meetings in Shiloh.
  In the history of our world, the event of Jesus Christ changed the world.  And when it was becoming obvious about how widespread the Jesus Movement was happening, the leaders of the church wanted to trace the origins of their Movement.  The original dynamic of the Jesus Movement started in the person to person contact of Jesus with those who were drawn to his teaching.  Disciples fell under the effect of his charisma and the encounters which led to the early disciples to be devotees of Jesus Christ are designated as the Call of Christ.  We have the rather interesting call of Nathaniel recorded in our Gospel lesson today.  What we might conclude from this calling of Nathaniel is this:  Jesus could read body language from afar.  He had read Nathaniel seeing him from afar and watching his behavior when he was under the fig tree.  We also conclude that Jesus was highly ironic and perhaps even appreciated skepticism and sarcasm.  Nathaniel had asked his friend Philip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  When we think about inter- collegiate or inter-city rivals, one can imagine the inter-village rivalries of Galilee and perhaps the jealousies and the competition which resulted.   Perhaps Jesus would have been amused by Nathaniel's banter.  Is this why he seems to jokingly say? "Well, here is an Israelite who truly speaks his mind!"  Well, Nathaniel is quite impressed that Jesus had taken an interest in him and Jesus says, "well you're easily impressed, because there is going to be much, much more.  Even Jacob’s ladder will be surpassed."  The Call in Christianity is about the succession of the Gospel from one person to the next.  The call of Christ happens when faith is shared from one person to the next.  This is how Christianity grew and this is how it survived.  Jesus called disciples and they called disciples and the calling has rippled to the edge of the pond of history where we live now.
  We can find in our other Scripture readings some ingredients of the call of God and Christ. The first thing that we realize is that "we do not belong to ourselves."  The secret of not abusing our bodies is to learn how to shift the ownership of our lives to God and receive God's help in the stewardship of our lives.  Our bodies are God's Temple, God's place of residence and we need to take care to maintain God's house.  So the call of God in Christ means that we regard ourselves to be a dwelling place of God.
  The Psalm which we have read today is the poetry of a person who has discovered that he or she was put in this life with a purpose.  Everyone needs to have the Yogi Berra experience of "deja vu all over again."  When we encounter sublime moments in our lives of being the "perfect" fit for an event or situation, we have the "aha" moments of the call of God.  Wow!  It is not all just a random accident!  I fit this life in a significant way.  I have purpose for events and people and not because I'm famous.  I fit the events in life because I experience love, hope and joy and because people are meaningful to me and occasionally I experience that I am meaningful to them.  This all seems so wonderful, so ordained.  This was the poetry of the call as articulated by the Psalmist who felt like he or she was known by God and followed by God in each time and place of life.
  My friends, today you and I have been called.  We are in the succession of a long line of people who have been called by God.  Some are more famous than others, but the fame does not matter, the Call of God does matter.  We have been called to make the temple a traveling building again.  The Temple in Shiloh was the movable tabernacle before it became fixed in Jerusalem.  The destroyed Temple of Jerusalem means that the Holy Spirit or God's glory has hit the road and dwells within the address of each of our bodies now.  We are called to be the dwelling place of God; let us treat ourselves as such.
  Finally, the call of God gives the moments of poetic ecstasy when we feel like we really "fit" this world in events of sublime beauty, in events of friendship, in events when justice and love really wins the day.
  Let us be thankful today that the call of God in Christ is upon our lives.  Amen.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Sunday School, January 18, 2015 The Second Sunday after the Epiphany Cycle B

January 18, 2015  The Second Sunday after the Epiphany B

Sunday School Themes

The Call of God
God called Samuel
Jesus called Philip and Nathaniel

Samuel heard the voice of God speaking to him in the night.  He thought it was strange and didn’t know how to respond.  Eli the priest told him to say, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening”

We need to know how God is trying to communicate with us.  Through parents and teachers, the Bible and other educational books which give us good guidance to show us what to do with our lives.

We always need to find what we are called to do which mean finding the right way to be ourselves and do what is required of us to be excellent at our age and in the place where we are living.

Nathaniel was skeptical about Jesus.  He had a prejudice against the town where Jesus lived.  He said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Some time when we have ignorant prejudice we keep ourselves from learning new things and meeting new people who can be our friends and help us.  Fortunately Nathaniel was able to meet Jesus and Jesus convinced him about what he could teach him.

Topic: Vocation: what do we do with our lives?  And how do we understand God to be involved in our lives? 

Topic:  Call as Christian Ministry.  Priests, deacons, bishops and pastors are not the only ministers in the church.  Everyone is a Christian minister.  When we are baptized, we are made ministers and called to ministries.  How we serve God changes but we still are ministers of Christ each and every day.


Puppet Show:

Philip: Nate, you are my best friend and I want to share with you a surprise.
Nate: What that?  I’m just enjoying a rest under this fig tree and this figs have just turned ripe and they are soft, sweet and delicious. 
Philip: I’ve met a new friend and teacher and I’d like you to meet him too.
Nate: Okay, what did he sell you?  How much money did it cost you?  How much does he charge for his classes?
Philip:  Nothing, Nate.  Why are you so skeptical?
Nate:  Well, I’m suspicious because I’ve been sold too many bridges over the Jordan, if you know what I mean.
Philip: Well, Nate, Jesus is a teacher who comes from Nazareth and….
Nate:  Hold it right there.  Nazareth has a bad reputation in my book.  Can anything good from Nazareth?  Isn’t that the place where carpenters make wooden crosses for the Romans to use for crucifixions?
Philip: Nate, you may be skeptical but please come with me.  Please trust me as your friend.
Nate: Okay, I’ll go with you to meet your new friend.
Jesus: (see Nathaniel)  Hey, here comes a skeptical Israelite.
Nate: Who, me?  How did you know?  I’ve never met you before.
Jesus: I saw you under the fig tree; I read your body language and I could tell many things about you.
Nate: Wow! You’re good.  How could you tell all of that from such a distance?
Jesus: Well, don’t be impressed by that.  You have much more to learn about me.  You will learn that I am like Jacob ladders connecting heaven and earth.  And God’s angels will be messengers and message through me to you.
Nate: Wow!  Rabbi Jesus, you are truly God’s Son.
Jesus: Come Nathaniel,  and you will learn much more.
Nate: Wow, he call me by my full name, just like my mom.


St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
January 18, 2015 The Second Sunday After the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; Peace Before Us; Lord, Be Glorified; Awesome God

Liturgist:      Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People:         And Blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.


Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.


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

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

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

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


First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

Liturgist:   A reading from the First Book of Samuel

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God


Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 139

How deep I find your thoughts, O God! * how great is the sum of them!
If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; * to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.



Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Liturgist:
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.


The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

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.


Intercession
Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

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

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

Offertory Music:  Peace Before Us  (Wonder, Love and Praise  # 791)

Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.  Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace.
Love before us….
Light before us…
Christ before us….

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.



(Children may gather around the altar)

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 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: Lord, Be Glorified  (Renew! # 172)

In our lives, Lord be glorified, be glorified.  In our lives, Lord, be glorified today.
In our homes, Lord…
In your church, Lord…
In your world, Lord…

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Awesome God (Renew! # 245)

Our God is an awesome God.  He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love; our God is an awesome God.

Sing three times
Dismissal  

Liturgist:    Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People:      Thanks be to God!

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