"Nones" As the New Gentiles?

5 Easter   C       April 24, 2016

Acts 11:1-18     Psalm 148

Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35

Lectionary Link 

  How can a diet change represent a theological revolution?  What does food have to do with theology?
  Religious people can fight over food and one can say it was in part a "food fight" which divided the church from the synagogue.  How so?
  Religious persons have had their identity formed by their diet?   Observant Jews since the time of the law of Moses have had dietary restrictions.  Jews and Muslim do not eat pork.  Hindus do not eat meat.  Muslims do not drink alcohol.  Seven Day Adventists do not eat meat.  Mormons do not drink alcohol or caffeine.  People have practiced their diets as expressions of religious identity and as a deep belief that they are obeying God's law.
  So if you want to be an observant Jew, then follow the rules, don't eat pork.  Peter was an obedient observant Jew; he did not eat pork.
  But we have read the account of how Peter came to believe that observant Christians were those who did not have to follow the specific diet of Judaism.
  What was happening for Peter and Paul to allow religious people to neglect to follow the rules of circumcision, dietary restrictions and other rules of ritual purity?
  Gentiles in the Roman Empire were not circumcised.  They ate pork.  And they did not have practices of ritual purity.  When the message of the Gospel of Christ came to the peoples of the Roman Empire there were some new issues?  Should non-Jews be allowed to be followers of Christ?  And if non-Jews wanted to follow Christ, should they also conform to all of the rules of ritual purity practiced by observant Jews?
  Paul and Peter made a determination upon the ritual purity issue; they decided that even though the ritual purity was the required practice of people who came from a Jewish upbringing; it was to be an optional practice for new Gentile Christians.  Peter and Paul did not believe that Gentiles should be required to conformed to the ritual purity practices in food and personal hygiene of ritual Judaism.
  This concession to the Gentiles was very controversial.  Peter and Paul made a determination that the evidence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people was to be the criteria for valid religious experience and identity.  Circumcision, ritual purity and dietary restrictions were not to be required practices for Gentile Christians.
  How could such radical changes be permitted and the followers of Jesus and the members of the synagogues stay together?  It is difficult for even a kitchen to be shared by kosher and non-kosher people since non-kosher cooking residue is hard to clean and keep from polluting the purity of a kosher kitchen in food preparation.
  So in part, the followers of Christ and the people of the synagogue separated over the issue of food.
  How could the early Jewish followers of Jesus dispense with the requirements of ritual purity which was so much a part of their religious identity?
  I believe that the essential issue was the question of success.  How does one handle success?  Some of the parables of the Gospel are about parties and banquets to which a target group is invited, but the people invited were not interested in coming to the party so the host of the party invited others who were not originally invited.
  The historical fact is that most Jews did not accept the message regarding Jesus.  The historical fact is that many Gentiles did accept the message of Jesus, but these Gentiles came from cultural habits which required too many changes for them to conform to all of the ritual purity requirements of Judaism.
  What did the Jewish leadership of the Jesus Movement do when they found the message of the Gospel more popular within the Gentile populace than with their fellow Jews?  They went with success.  They could not turn away from the people whose lives were being changed by message of Christ.
  So the Jesus Movement was going from being another rabbinical school within Judaism to becoming a departure from Judaism which borrowed the foundations of Judaism while becoming something new with an entirely different mission from Judaism.
  What makes a person's faith valid?  Following rules of ritual purity or having evidence of a Spirit which changed their moral and ethical behaviors?  For Peter and Paul, the evidence of spiritual change in the life of a Gentile person was an adequate sign that a person was a member of the household of faith.
  But one could also understand the consternation of the Jews.  If the Holy Spirit could convert the life of a Gentile person, could the Holy Spirit not inspire that person to follow and adapt to the rules of ritual purity?
  In this dilemma one can find the issue which separated Christianity from Judaism into different communities with different missions.  The Christian mission was to offer a style of living with a spirituality which could be adopted to the social and cultural diversity found with the Gentile peoples of the Roman Empire.  The Christian mission was not to live as a visibly separated group by living in segregated communities with visible signs of difference from the populace of the peoples in the cities of Roman Empire.  It was to be a spiritual practice which allowed more interaction in the public life of the cities of the Roman Empire.  The mission of Judaism included a commitment to visible separation while the Christian mission manifested a spirituality which made ritual Jewish practices into optional cultural choices.  This was unacceptable for those who wanted to maintain the purity of Judaism.
  Peter and Paul and others had to decide whether to go with the wildfire of success of the message of Christ within the Gentile peoples of the Roman Empire or remain isolated within the synagogue communities.  The New Testament really is a chronicle about how the message of Jesus was adapted to the Gentile peoples and the painful transition from the synagogue setting.  And so there is this confession recorded: "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life."
  Spiritual traditions naturally get institutionalized and institutions tend to function for their own perpetuation.  So spiritual traditions by nature tend to be conservative, that is, they tend to "conserve the notion of how we're always done things."  "We can't move the altar away from the east wall, because that's how it's always been done.  Jesus must have said the Last Supper at an altar next the wall."  This is how religious institutions conserve their practices, by just assuming everything we do and believe and practice has been this way since antiquity.  When religious traditions conserve too much, they no longer become accessible to whomever the "new Gentile" people of society are.
  Who are the new Gentile people in our society today?  The pollsters call them the "nones"  They are the people who respond to religious polls by saying that they have "no religious" affiliation.  And now the "nones" have become the largest group of people in our society.
  One of the challenges for us today is ponder the relevance of how we practice our faith to the people in the world.  Why don't people find our message successfully relevant to their lives today?  Have we become so cloistered within our institutions that we find ourselves unable to make meaningful contact with people who will never darken the doors of a church building?  Have we become like the synagogues in the time of Peter and Paul who are more interested in maintaining separate identity rather than engaging the diverse people in our world?
  I think that the biblical revelation is based upon the understanding that God is always able to do new things in making the message of divine transformation accessible to people in all ages.  Is God doing new things in our time and in ways and in people different from ourselves and we are missing it?
  The writer of the Revelation understood God to be one who could make a new Jerusalem.  Why?  The old one had been destroyed by the Roman army.  God was one who could make a new heaven and a new earth.  Apocalyptic people like to limit this vision to some future end of time, as if, time could ever end.  Time could only end when there are no longer clock users.  God did a new thing in Christ and this Christ went beyond the walls of the synagogues to the diverse people of the Roman Empire.  The message of the Gospel is a message that is so spiritually adaptive that it can continue to create and make new things happens within the lives of anyone who is desiring transformation in excellence.
  The message for us today is that when we think we are conserving tradition, we need to be certain that we are not putting limitations upon God's Spirit to do new things in this world with people who are different than we are.
  Let us rejoice that the Gospel is a witness to God being able to do new things in new places in new times.  And let it also be a witness to us that God can do new things in and for us as we can know new energy towards excellence.  The Spirit of Christ is alive and this Spirit is always adaptable and creative in each new moment of life.  Amen
 
 

Sunday School, April 24, 2016 5 Easter C

Sunday School, April 24, 2016   5 Easter C

The disciple were friends of Jesus but they were also his students.  Jesus watched how his students were learning.

What did he notice about his student?  He noticed that his student argued about who could have the best seats in the kingdom of Jesus.  Peter was very sure of himself even bragged about how brave he was.  Jesus knew that Jesus was planning to help some people who did not like Jesus.

So what did Jesus think that his students and disciples needed?  They needed to know how to live together.  When Jesus hosted a meal for his students, he noticed that none of them washed the feet when they came to the meal.  In the time of Jesus, it was the custom to have one’s dusty feet washed when one arrived at a person’s house.  The disciples and students of Jesus believed that they were too important to do the job of a servant.  They only wanted to be important people.  So Jesus, decided to wash the feet of his disciples.  He said to them, I am your teacher but I washed your feet.  And you need to do this for each other.  Why?  Because all of the small courteous things in life are very important.  So Jesus gave the disciples the “11^th Commandment.”  “Love one another as I have love you.”  Jesus showed his love for his disciples by washing their feet and he said that they needed to practice the small deeds of courteous love for each other.

Have the children list lots of very small things which they can do to show that they love the people in their lives.

A Children’s sermon on the “11^th Commandment”

You remember that we have studied the rule book that God has given us to show us how to live our lives.  What are those famous rules called?

  The 10 Commandments: Love the One God.  Don’t let anything else be the god of your life.  Don’t use God’s name in a wrong way. Make time for God.  Don’t steal.  Don’t kill.  Don’t tell lies.  Be content with what you have. Respect the family.  Honor your father and mother.

    So we have the 10 commandments.  But today we read about a new commandment that Jesus gave to his friends.  So now we have 11 commandments.  What is that new commandment?  Jesus said, “I want you to love one another, just as I have loved you.”

  Jesus had watched his friends and some times he did not like how they behaved.  Sometimes they would argue about who should have the best jobs.  Some times they thought that they were better than other people.

  And that is why Jesus had to give them the 11th commandment.  Was Jesus an important person?  Yes he was.  And what did Jesus say that really important people do?  He said that they served other people.  How do we serve other people?  By being kind.  By doing nice things.  By helping with the chores. 

  Jesus said to his friends, “ you need to love and care for each other, just like I have loved and cared for you.  That is the only way that you will be able to stay together without hurting each other.”

  So loving one another as Jesus loved us.  This is the best rule of all.  This is what makes your family work well.  This is what makes our parish work well.  When we love one another, we are doing the best of all.

  So can you remember the 11th commandment, the new commandment?  Love one another as Jesus loved us.   And I will tell you a secret:  If you learn and practice this 11th commandment, then you will be keeping all of the other 10 commandments too.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

April 24, 2016: The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: I Am the Bread of Life, This Little Light of Mine,  Ubi Caritas, Soon and Very Soon

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: I Am the Bread of Life,  (Blue Hymnal, # 335)

1-I am the bread of life, they who come to me shall not hunger; they who believe in me shall not thirst.  No one can come to  me unless the Father draw them. 

            And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day.

2-I am the resurrection, I am the life, they who believe in me, even if they die, they shall live forever.  And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day.

3-Yes Lord we believe that you are the Christ, the Son of god who has come into the world.

And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up, and I will raise them up on the last day

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Revelation to John

And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 148

Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; * praise him in the heights.

Praise him, all you angels of his; * praise him, all his host.

Praise him, sun and moon; * praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, heaven of heavens, * and you waters above the heavens.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

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

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

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

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

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

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

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

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

   Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

Offertory Song: 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’m 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)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Ubi Caritas (Renew!, # 226)

Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.

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: Soon and Very Soon (Renew!  # 276)

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.  Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.  Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.  Alleluia, alleluia, we are going to see the King.

No more dying there, we are going to see the King.  No more dying there, we are going to see the King.  No more dying there, we are going to see the King.  Alleluia, alleluia, we are going to see the king.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Both Lamb and Shepherd: Holy Contradiction

4 Easter   C       April 17, 2016           

Acts 9:36-43 Ps.23

Rev 7:9-17  John 10:22-30

Lectionary Link

  Lamb, Lamb of God, Our Passover, Shepherd, Light, Life, Resurrection, Vine, Gate, Our Sin, All in All, King of Kings, Messiah, I am, Way, Truth, Life, Bread of Life, Bread from Heaven, Rabbi, Great High Priest, Alpha, Omega, First, Last,  Beginning, End, Word, the Prophet, the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from the Dead,  The Almighty, One who is and who is to Come, Son of God, Son of Man, Lion of Judah, Root of David, Lord, Lord of Life, King of the Nations, Faithful, True, Judge, Lord of lords, Husband of the Church, Son of David, Son of Abraham, Emmanuel, God with us, King of the Jews, The Beloved....all of these are metaphors for Jesus of Nazareth.  These metaphors used for Jesus are not literally true in ways that can be empirically verified but they are very much true to the language of love and faith for the people who have come to have an appreciative and transformative experience with the Risen Christ.
  The metaphors of Christ can be contradictory and still have meaningful signification in our lives.  Our readings today on Good Shepherd Sunday highlights two of the contradictory metaphors used for Jesus.  Jesus is called the Good Shepherd but Jesus is also called the lamb.  A crass scientific literalist might say, "Get your metaphorical act together...how can Jesus be both shepherd and sheep."
  But we use a different part of our brain for poetry than what we use to ponder the brute facts of scientific empirically verified data.  And we do not say scientific facts are untrue, just as we don't say that poetry is untrue.
  The confusion has arisen because biblical interpreters often known by the pejorative designation of fundamental literalists, try to defend metaphors of poetry as scientific truth.  And when they do this some scientists immediately consign such people of faith to the loony bin.  The majority of popular atheists of our time, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Bill Maher, essentially base their atheism on the bad behaviors of religious people and their  really bad thinking in how they present their faith.  Atheism becomes the unfortunate response of many when people of faith do not live and practice lives of love and justice and when they use really confused thinking to present their faith.
  The truths and meaning of our faith are matters of beauty; more akin to aesthetic meanings.  We do not see atheists arguing against the truth and meaning of beauty as it is known in the sublime encounters with art.  An atheist would not deny being profoundly moved hearing the performance of a symphony or being moved to tears in the theatrical productions of stage and cinema.  But in the case of people of faith, they dismiss the truth of the meanings of faith and the statements of faith.  Why?
  Probably because people of faith have felt inferior in the face the overwhelming success of modern science and what scientific knowing has been able to bring to industry and technology.  In the Middle Ages theology was the queen of the science but with the rise of the Enlightenment, and the rise of the expansive application of the scientific method, theology was dethroned and became regarded to be less of a practical and useful area of knowledge than science.  Science is dealing with the visible or at least reasonable theories about causal unseen forces which have visible consequences.  Theology became relegated to the arcane school of the irrelevant or the few specialists who speculate about things which cannot be seen or tested using the scientific method.  A scientist would say, "I would believe in heaven and hell, if we could have regular and consistent reports of people who travelled there and back with experiences which could be proven by any observer."  It is also true to say that the majority of people who have meaningful religious and faith experiences are not very adept in how they present those meanings in ways which could be appreciated by scientists and skeptics.  It is easy to think that the narrative about events in the life of Jesus are historical reporting and not the theological metaphors of the early church.  When people of faith present the root events of faith as literal scientific events, they have lost their credibility because it defies the notion of a uniformity of natural causes in a "closed system."  If gravity isn't a consistent force present always and everywhere on earth and can be over ridden by outside, exterior, intervention of divinity, then there is something irrational about the structure of our world.  However if people of faith understand that the Divine is an intervention from within the lives of people in the uncanny ways of inspiring transformation, then divine causality has a different and poignant meaning.
  The Gospel for us today is not just about the content of the Gospel words, it is also an affirmation that we are users of metaphors.  We are poetic people.  We have profound experiences of love and faith and we wax eloquent with language which is not necessarily a mathematical equation or a scientific law.   So Jesus is both lamb and shepherd in our Christian poetics.  This can be meaningful poetics and transformative truth for us even as it defies actual truth status in science.  Jesus was not a literal shepherd.  He was not a literal lamb.  But in poetic metaphor, he is both in true meaningful ways.
  So how is Jesus a lamb, how is he the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?  How is he the Paschal or Passover Lamb?  The lamb is the metaphor for the fact that everyone in life can become the innocent victim of innocent suffering in this world.  For many events in the lives of people, we can never find the one-to-one corresponding cause of why such things happen.  We try to give answers to health issues, disease and sickness.  Genetics, stress, diet, environmental pollution.  We would like to think we can gain some control by trying to explain why innocent suffering happens.  We use a strategy of regress; "well, if this had happened then this wouldn't have happened."  But this eventually just "wishes us out of existence" and is an attempt to escape our conditions of suffering.   Ultimately, we just have to admit that innocent suffering occurs in the interaction of all of the free agents in the universe in full play with each other.  Innocent victimhood is created because of the tremendous freedom which means some collateral effects are experienced as being very inconvenient and harsh to those who suffer. 
  In carnivorous humanity, people have gone to the sheep fold and picked a lamb.  The lamb becomes the innocent victim who then is used to feed the family and give protein and other live giving substance to keep people alive.  Why did this lamb get taken and not another?  The lamb did not choose to become a victim, but in being the victim the lamb provides life for people.
  As vegans we may want to dispute the carnivorous way of life, but the metaphor of lamb for Jesus was the meaning which Christians came to have regarding the value of Christ in giving them new and transformative life.  Jesus was the lamb who was an innocent victim and the result of his victimhood meant that the church was born and fed into existence.  The incredible impact of knowing the Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit meant that Christians have done the miraculous; they have transformed innocent victimhood into giving life to world.  What you and I pray for when we experience innocent victimhood is that our experience will be able to be used to minister and help others who find themselves in the state of innocent victimhood.  Innocent victimhood is not going to go away in a world that has genuine freedom, so in our experience of faith we need make our situations of innocent victimhood serve for the comfort and survival of others who find themselves in the throes of innocent suffering and need someone to be with them as their shepherd and guide.  Jesus as the Lamb of God is the faithful way to transform the condition of innocent suffering into future ministry.  We survive and we integrate the suffering to minister to people who are in the state of innocent or not so innocent suffering.  We may want to protest, but the fact of faith is that in a free world, innocent suffering is a high probability.
  We celebrate and know Jesus as the Good Shepherd, because we also have known him to be completely identified with the human condition of innocent suffering.  Jesus was the ultimate innocent sufferer upon the Cross from which the church has heard him to proclaim forgiveness even to his tormentors.  "Father forgive them for they do not know...they are ignorant." And to the thief he said,  "Today you will be with me in Paradise." 
  The early Christians believed that Jesus was sacrificial Lamb and Shepherd even from the Cross of his suffering.  From the cross he declared forgiveness and he promised Paradise.  You and I do not rise immediately in the middle of our innocent suffering to be such confident shepherds.  We often spend days and years of going through the grief process towards acceptance of what actually happens to us.  Jesus as the Good Shepherd gives us the only vision of the meaning of our innocent suffering; we suffer because of the free conditions in the world in the probability roulette wheel of the spin of what can happen.  The meaning of our suffering is to become a good shepherd like Jesus and to rise and recover from everything which happens to us and use it as a way to come along side of others as a ministering and comforting presence to others still stuck in the middle of innocent suffering.
  The Gospel for us today is to understand the deeply contradictory metaphors of Christ as Shepherd and Lamb.  The Good News is that we can learn to be realistic about the fact of innocent suffering in our world, even as we work to prevent suffering.  The Good News is that we can with faith have our innocent suffering transform us into becoming good shepherds, because as people who have been acquainted with grief and sorrow we attain a genuine credibility in knowing how to be present to shepherd and care for those in need.
  Jesus as Shepherd and Lamb may be a literal scientific impossibility, but Jesus as lamb and shepherd are truthfully meaningful to us to live in a world of innocent suffering and hope to surpass the events of suffering by become helpful shepherds.
  May the Jesus who was Lamb of God and Good Shepherd, inspire us in the time innocent suffering and help us to become good shepherds with full resumes of credible empathy for others.  Amen.

Sunday School, April 17, 2016 4 Easter C

Sunday School, April 17, 2016    4 Easter C

Themes

Good Shepherd Sunday

A good shepherd is a person who takes really good care of sheep.  Jesus is called our Good Shepherd and we are his sheep because he takes care of us by loving us and by showing how us to live together in love and care for each other.

There was a shepherd boy who became the King of Israel.  His name was David.  David also played the harp and he wrote poetry.  One of the most famous poems in the world is found in Psalm 23.  The poem begins:  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”  David discovered a wonderful relationship with God.  David was a good shepherd for his sheep and he believed that God was a good shepherd for him because he knew God’s love and care.

Sometimes we are like sheep and sometimes we need to be shepherds.  When we have a need, we need help from others.  We need others to be our shepherds like parents, doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers and fire fighters.  But each of us also need to be good shepherds too, because God has given us strength and ability to take care of others who need our help.  When our friend falls on the playground we can be a good shepherd and help them.  We can be good shepherd for our pet and take good care of them.  We can even be good shepherds for our parents when we help with the chores at home or help them when they are sick or when we take care of our younger brothers and sisters.

In our lives we are both sheep and shepherds because we often are in need, but we also have the ability to help others in need.

When we have a need, let us pray that we will find good shepherds to take care of us.  When we see someone who needs our help, let us pray that we will be good shepherds to them.

The Bible tells us the story of the sheep and the Good Shepherd so that we can understand that this life requires us to know what it is to be sheep and good shepherds.

Puppet Show on David the Shepherd

Characters:

David the Shepherd

Sheep, Lion, Crocodile

Fr. Phil

Father Phil:  Boys and girls, today is good Shepherd Sunday.  And a long time ago when the Bible was written, there were lots of sheep to take care of.  When the people of the Bible tried to teach about being a good leader, they said being a good leader was like being a good shepherd.  And Jesus was a good shepherd because he was a good teacher and leader.  But there was also a famous shepherd boy who became the King of Israel.  His name was David.  David, hello, do you have time to talk?

(David is busy rescuing a sheep from a lion)

David, are you there?

David (out of breath after rescuing a sheep):  Sorry, I had work to do.  I had to chase the lion away from my sheep.

Fr. Phil:  David, that is dangerous.  You could get hurt by the lion.  You must be very brave.

David:  Well, I want to take care of my sheep.  I get to know all of my sheep and so I don’t want them to get attacked and hurt.

Fr. Phil:  So, you are good shepherd.

David:  Well, I try to be.  I like to be out in valleys and mountains with the sheep.  It gives me time to pray.  And also I can write some poems too.

Fr. Phil: Have you ever written a poem?

David: Yes, I wrote one that begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want for anything.”  I wrote that because I am out alone with the sheep and I have come to know God.  And so I feel like God, the Lord is my shepherd; and because I feel like God takes good care of me, then I want to be a good shepherd and take good care of my sheep too.

Fr. Phil:  Well, you were a good shepherd.  And God noticed because God made you to be King of Israel.

David:  Being a good king is like being good shepherd.  You have to care for people.  A good King, a good leader is like a good parent.  A good leader takes care of people who need care.

Fr. Phil: Well, people and sheep often need lots of care.  Babies need care, sick people need care, and hungry people need care.

David:  Yes, since the Lord God is good shepherd, God wants all of us to be good shepherds.

Fr. Phil:  Do you mean that these boys and girls can be good shepherds too

David:  When they help their moms and dads they are good shepherds.  When they take care of your younger brothers and sisters they are good shepherds.  When they do their chores they are good shepherds.

Fr. Phil: So some times we are sheep and some times we are shepherds?

David:  Yes, that is true.  When we need help, we are like sheep.  And when we help others we can be shepherds.  Oh, Oh, I have to go.  I see that a sheep has wandered near the river and I see a crocodile.  See you later.

(David leaves to rescue the sheep from the crocodile)

Fr. Phil:  Boys and girls, David was a good shepherd because he discovered that he sometimes was like a sheep and God was his good shepherd.  God sent Jesus to be a good shepherd for us.  So when we need help we can ask for help.  And when we are strong, we can be good shepherds too.  Can you remember to be a good shepherd?

Children’s Sermon

Today we have read about the Good Shepherd and we have learn that Jesus is like a Good Shepherd.

  A Good Shepherd takes good care of his sheep.  How does he do that?  He finds them a pasture with grass to eat.  He finds them water to drink.  He keeps them safe from wolves and coyotes.  He takes care of them when they are injured or sick?  Why?  Because the sheep need care.

  Do you know that we are both like shepherd and sheep?  A shepherd is one who gives care to someone who needs it.  A sheep is someone who needs care.

  I’m going to play a quiz game with you?  You tell me who is the shepherd and who is the sheep.

  When a person is really, really sick, she goes to the doctor and the doctor helps by giving her some medicine.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep.

  A father and mother go to work and they provide money for their children to have food and clothing.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep?

  A boy has a dog and the boy feeds the dog every day and brushes the dog furry coat.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep?

  An older sister is with her baby brother, and mom leaves the room.  And the baby brother drops his bottle and starts to cry.  So the older sister picks up the bottle and gives it to her little baby brother.  Who is the shepherd and who is the sheep?

  So any of us can be a shepherd or a sheep.  Why?  Because sometimes we need things and sometimes we need care.

  But most of the time we have the ability to provide care for someone else.  So when someone needs care, we need to be like a good shepherd.

  Jesus is the good shepherd because he cared for people who needed his care.

  So, we too need to be good shepherds too.  Why?  Because people need us, and we need people too.

  Just as you and I often need help and care for ourselves.  We should learn to give care to others when we can.

  Jesus as the good shepherd has taught to care for people in need.

How many of you are going to try to be good shepherds this week?  I know that you can be a big help to your family and friends and to other people who need your care.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

April 17, 2016: The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs: Praise Him, All Ye Little Children; O Be Careful; O, How I Love Jesus; Peace Before Us

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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

1-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.

2-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.

3-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.

4-Serve him, serve him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Service him, serve him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

A reading from the Revelation to John

For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple,  and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.  They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; *I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

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

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

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

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

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

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

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

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

   Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."

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.

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: O Be Careful, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 180)

1-O be careful little hands what you do.  O be careful little hands what you do.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little hands what you do.

2-O be careful little feet where you go.  O be careful little feet where you go.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little feet where you go.

3-O be careful little lips what you say.  O be careful little lips what you say.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little lips what you say.

Children’s Choir: Freely, Freely,   by Carol Owens

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

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

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Oh, How I Love Jesus (Children’s Christian Song book, #182)

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, because he first loved me.

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

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

Little tiny babies. 

Brother and the sisters  

Mothers and the fathers

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!