Living Water As Spirit of Truth

3 Lent  A              March 19, 2017
Ex.17:1-17           Ps.95:6-11     
Roman 5:1-11         John 4:5-42

Lectionary Link

Why do the Samaritans have a special status in the Bible and in the Gospels and in the book of the Acts of the Apostles?  Are Samaritans Gentiles?  If they are Gentiles why are they given a different status than say the people who are called Greeks or who are native of the various areas in the Roman Empire?  Samaria is a region.  Samaritan referred to someone who lived in the region to the North in Israel and to people who were members of a different sect of the Torah religion.  The Samaritans during the time of Jesus were the hated former members of the unified kingdom of Israel.  After King Solomon, the unified kingdom of Israel was divided into the northern Kingdom of Israel, located in the area of Samaria and the Southern Kingdom of Judah which claimed Jerusalem as the capital and spiritual home.

The Samaritans, during the time of Jesus, regarded themselves to be the true conservatives of the Torah.  They believed that the Jews who returned after the exile in Babylon and Persia brought back a different religious expression of the Torah.  The Samaritans believed that they retained a more traditional understanding of the Torah and that Mount Gerizim near the ancient Shechem was the location of the true temple.

Recent population census indicated there were 777 Samaritans left in the world.  Their DNA tests show that they share a common heritage with the Jews but also indicate others strains shared with other people in the Middle East as well.  The Jews during the time of Jesus are presented in the Gospels as those who despised and shunned the Samaritans.  The Samaritans are given their own unique status in naming;  they are not grouped with the Gentiles because they shared common lineage and a Torah based religion with the Jews.  The Samaritans were despised because they were not regarded to be "pure bred."  They supposedly had intermarried with Gentiles and lost their genetic purity.

One might say that Jesus was closer to the Samaritans than to the Jews in Jerusalem.  Why?  He was from Galilee in the north of Israel and so he lived closer to the region of Samaria and would have had more geographical proximity with the Samaritans.  He must have been close because one of the criticism leveled at him was that he was a Samaritan.  I guess that was better than saying that he was a glutton, a drunk, mad and in league with the devil.  These were other criticisms of Jesus that are found in the Gospels coming from the mouths of his opponents.

What is the significance of the Samaritans in the Gospels?  One of most famous parables in the Gospel is about the Good Samaritan.  I would proposed to you that Samaria functions within the symbols which the Gospel preachers used to speak about the church and its mission.  St. Paul and the early preachers proclaimed the church as the "new Israel."  And what would be new about this "new" Israel?  Well, it really wasn't a land-based country in this new understanding.  St. Paul said that the walls of division and enmity had been broken down by Jesus Christ.  Jews and Gentiles were now friends and practicing fellowship and mutual respect within this new Israel.  And because the church came to Samaria, the church as the new Israel was believed to be a re-unification of the once separated Israel into two Kingdoms.

Can we now appreciate this discourse of Jesus and the woman at the well?  It highlights important aspects of this practice of the church as the new Israel in the preaching of the church.  In the new Israel, there was neither male nor female.  The disciples in the Gospel story are presented as males who carried the bias of cultural separation of men and women.  But Jesus is shown to be unafraid of women and he is unafraid of a foreign woman who was despised by Jews.  Jesus is shown to be breaking a highly restrictive social taboos.  Jesus was shown to reveal himself as the messiah to this foreign woman. 

This discourse with Samaritan woman is also presented as an origin discourse of the church in Samaria.  The Acts of the Apostles indicate that the church spread into Samaria and this Gospel reading would indicate that the Jesus Movement in Samaria was planted before the crucifixion, before the resurrection and before the day of Pentecost.  This Gospel is a testimony to the deep roots of the church in the region of Samaria and among those who had been members of the Samaritan Torah-based religion.

It is instructive for us to look at the appeals made by Jesus to the Samaritan woman.  We are tempted to honor regional or denominational loyalties as being the main issue of religion.  I'm Episcopalian and the bishops says this is how to worship.  I'm Roman Catholic and this is how the pope says to worship.  You can only do authentic worship in my Episcopal Church, my Roman Catholic Church, my Lutheran Church, my Methodist church.  What does Jesus say?  God is Spirit and you have to worship God in Spirit and in truth.  And  God's spirit can be on Mount Gerizim, in Jerusalem, in the Episcopal Church, in the Roman Catholic Church, in the synagogue.  God's spirit is not limited by gender, race, location or even religion.  So, essentially Jesus was saying, "Don't limit God to your own small little local understanding of God and your particular pieties."

What do the words of Jesus in this Gospel teach us about understanding God?  Jesus teaches us not to be too literal in our understanding.  The Samaritan woman was talking about drinking water; Jesus was speaking something inside of a person whose deepest inner thirst could be quenched and relieved.  When a person converted to Judaism they had to be baptized.  It is called mikvah.  The water had to be "living water."  Jesus promised the Samaritan woman a baptism  with living water that would be inside of her.  This baptism is a different kind of cleansing and a different kind of thirst quencher than what one gets with actual water.  The disciples were speaking about Jesus eating food.  Jesus was speaking about experiencing another kind of inner sustenance which could do something substantially different for the soul than what food could do for the body.

So how can we practice the Gospel that we've read today?  First, by always being the peacemakers; offering friendship.  If we believe God is Spirit, then we will believe that there is always the possibility for peace.  If we want to over-emphasize our differences, we will not be peace makers.  Next, let us practice the Gospel as a message of unification and re-unification of all people.  Are men and women different?  Are gay people and straight people different?  Are Roman Catholics and Episcopalians different?  Are Jews and Christians and Muslims and Atheists different?  Are Americans and Canadians and Chinese different?  Yes, yes, yes but is the Spirit available to everyone who exists in a world of differences?  Yes, and we should seek this inner baptism of the living Water of God's Spirit to help us find love, justice and unity in a world of differences.

Those who worship God must worship God in Spirit and in truth.  Truth here could mean honesty and sincerity.  The secret to living in the midst of differences, small and extreme differences, is to exert one's energy of worship in Spirit and in honest sincerity. 

The Gospel of Jesus to the Samaritan woman was this: God is Spirit and those who worship God must worship God in Spirit and in sincerity.  And this is the same Gospel for you and me today.  As we center ourselves upon the One Spirit, we can negotiate peace with people who are different; not to overcome or deny difference but to partake of the only thing that can unify us, even God as Spirit.  Jesus invites us to worship in the one Holy Spirit.  Jesus came to share the secret of discovering that God's Spirit is one in and through us as we worship as very different people.  Amen

Sunday School, March 19, 2017 3 Lent A

Sunday School, March 19, 2017    3 Lent A

Themes:

Jesus meets the Samaritan Woman at the Well

What is the meaning of Samaritan?  The Samaritans were people who long before the time of Jesus belong to the unified nation of Israel.  Israel became separated between the Northern and Southern Kingdom.  They never reunited.  The Samaritans had a religion like the Jews and used the books of Moses.  Their temple was on Mount Gerizim.  The temple of the Jews in the Southern Kingdom was in Jerusalem.

The Jews and the Samaritan, were enemies even though a very long time ago they used to be part of the same nation.

Jesus is sharing his teaching with the enemies of his own people.  Jesus is the one who said to “love our enemies” and he loves the Samaritan people.  He, in fact, revealed to this woman that he was the messiah.

There were churches that were started in Samaria and so Samaritans became followers of Jesus.  In the church, the ancient Samaritan Israelites were reunited with the Jews from the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  So many in the church called the church the “new Israel” because Israel was God’s chosen people.  In Jesus Christ, the Gospel is that all people can be chosen people, including Jews, Gentiles and Samaritans.

Jesus also used water to help us understand what it feels like inside of us when we get good news.  Imagine yourself on a very hot day and you get very thirsty.  Imagine the good feeling inside of you when you drink a glass of refreshing water.  Jesus promised that we could feel something like refreshing water inside of us when we discover the presence of God’s Spirit within us.

So the Gospel is such good news to us, it makes our insides feel as though we are drinking the most refreshing water on a hot and thirsty day.

Sermon

  What if I owned all the water in the world and I shared it only with my family and friends, and nobody else.

  Would that be fair?  Why not?

  Everyone needs water to live and so everybody should be able to get enough water to live.

  Would it be possible for me to really own and control all the water in the world?

  Could I control the rain and the lakes and the rivers and the ocean?  Not I could not because I am not big enough to control all the water of the world.

  But what is greater than all the water of the world?  God is greater than all  the water of the world.  And God is our creator and maker and so we as people who were made by God, we need God.

  And there were some people who live during the time of Jesus who were trying to control God.  And they were acting as though God did not belong to anyone but to just them and their family and friends.  And they were saying that foreigners and many other people could not have God.

  Jesus came as Son of God to correct this problem.  Jesus met with a Samaritan woman at the well and he had a talk with her about water.   Many people did not think that God liked the Samaritan people, but Jesus like them.  The Samaritan woman thought that Jesus was talking about water; but Jesus was talking about God, the Holy Spirit being available to everyone inside of each person and being like a wonderful fountain of water flowing inside of us.  Close your eyes and try to visualize this: There is something like a wonderful water fountain inside of me and it is bubbling within me and it makes me feel peaceful and full of joy.  And the Holy Spirit belongs to everyone.

  Just as I cannot own all the water of the world and I should allow everyone to have water because everyone needs water; Jesus came to say, “God belongs to everyone, not just to a few people who thought that they could keep God away from others.”

  And so Jesus met with many people who had been told that they could not know God in the right way.  And he welcomed them to know God and to know God’s love.

  Do you and I want to try to keep water away from thirsty people?  No we don’t.

  Do you and I want to keep God away from people who need to know God?  No we don’t.  Because God loves everyone and God belongs to everyone.

  Jesus came to show us that God belongs to everyone.  And when he left, he told his friends to keep telling this important message:  God loves everyone and God belongs to everyone.  Can you remember this?

  Let us be like Jesus and remind people that God loves everyone and God belongs to everyone.  Okay?

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 19, 2017: The Third Sunday in Lent

Gathering Songs: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love; I’ve Got Peace like a River, Jesus Stand Among Us; Freely, Freely

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.

People: God’s mercy endures 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: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love (Renew! # 289)

Refrain: Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love, show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

Kneels at the feet of his friends, silently washes their fee, Master who acts as a slave to them.  Refrain

Neighbors are rich and poor, neighbors are black and white, neighbors are near and far away.  Refrain

These are the ones we should serve, these are the ones we should love, all these are neighbors to us and you.  Refrain

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Praise be to God! (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Praise be to God!

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Praise be to God!

Liturgist: A reading from the Book of Exodus

The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 95

Come, let us sing to the LORD; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the LORD is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

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

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

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

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

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

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

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

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

   Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus, said, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, `Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, `One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."  Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

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: I’ve Got Peace Like a River (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 122)

I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.  I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river.  I’ve got peace like a river in my soul..

I’ve got love…. 

I’ve got joy……

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 God.”

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: 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: Jesus Stand Among Us (Renew # 237)

Jesus stand among us in your risen power: let this time of worship be a hallowed hour.

Breathe the Holy Spirit into every heart; bid the fears and sorrows from each soul depart.

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:  Freely, Freely (Renew # 192)

God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name, I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name.  And in Jesus’ name I come to you to share his love as He told me to. 

Refrain: He said freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give.  Go in my name and because you believe others will know that I live.

All power is given in Jesus’ name, in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name.  And in Jesus’ name I come to you to share His power as He told me to. Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Episcopal Evangelists Aren't Oxymorons

2 Lent        A      March 12, 2017
Gen 12:1-8          Ps.121
Rom. 4:1-5, (6-12)13-17  Jn.3:1-17

Lectionary Link

One can find at any sporting contest many, many different items with all kinds of sports logos on them.  They are found on t-shirts, sweat shirts, jackets and banners.  Wherever you go you can find the team logos.  But where can you find a logo for "team" Jesus?  Yes, lots of people wear crosses.  But there is another logo for "team Jesus."  A common logo for "team Jesus" at sporting events is the sign: "John 3:16."

It is interesting that team fanatics are very motivated to promote their home team.  They are very excited about the intimate identity with their team.  They live and die with the team for every win and loss.  One could say that sports fanatics are very evangelical about their sports team.  They want to advertise their team identity very loudly, proudly and as often as possible.  On the other hand, there are lots of sports fans who aren't so vocal or so evangelical.  Some are just shy, quiet introverts  who like their teams but just sort of whisper, "Yeah team."

But what about "Team Jesus?"  There are the shy members of Team Jesus, like most members of the Episcopal Church and then there are the "in your face" hyper-evangelists of Christianity.  They go door to door and they want to collect "born again" scalps almost like they are in some sales contests for converts.  Many Christian evangelists want to convert other Christians to their own groups view of Jesus.  Sometimes Christians who try to convert other Christians are called "sheep thieves," because they try to take Christian sheep from another fold and bring them into their own folds.

The Gospel of John was written because the very nature of Christianity is evangelical.  That is, the message of Jesus Christ was meant to be shared with everyone.  And this also means that the early Christians were "sheep" stealers.  Yes, they competed with each other for different views of God and Christ.  They fought over leadership.  The early Christians were just as passionate about their views as we can be today.  They, like we, feel validated if other people can agree with us in our views about God, Christ and the church.  So, there is a selfish aspect about evangelism.  I want people to agree with me so I can feel good about my views and have more members in my church and more pledge units.  Sometimes we can be tempted to take a very selfish statistical view of evangelism.

But how was St. Paul a sheep stealer?  How was St. Paul doing evangelism?  St. Paul wanted to coax Roman citizens away from their worship of different deities.  St. Paul wanted to convert Jews from the synagogue.

What do you imagine motivated the Christian sheep stealing efforts of St. Paul and the early Christians?  St. Paul had a dilemma with synagogue.  In practice, he found that the way in which the message of Judaism was lived, it essentially remained isolated only within a community of people who were able to observe the ritual purity laws of Judaism.  St. Paul found Jesus of Nazareth as the Risen Christ to be a universal expression of God's love.  St. Paul did not believe that dietary rules or circumcision marked the exclusive believer in God.  He believed that having a faith like Abraham and having the Holy Spirit is what marked a believer in God.  The early Christians preached Jesus as a more inclusive welcome to God's love and favor than was found in the practice of Judaism of that time.  But to the Romans who had so many gods and goddesses and the Emperor cult, Christian evangelists offered Jesus as God's Son as a way to a belief in one God.

And today we have read from the Gospel of John the crucial verses for people who regard themselves to be zealot evangelicals.  It is like a Socratic dialogue of Jesus and Nicodemus, a Pharisee.  Nicodemus represents all of the Jews who had the first birth into Judaism.  In their first births, they were automatically Jews and people of God.  But Jesus referred to another birth.  A birth that was from above.  A birth that came by being baptized by water and the Spirit.  A birth that had no geographical or ethnic limitations.  Why was this kind of birth important?  This birth was a testimony that God loved the entire world and that God's presence and God's everlasting life was available to everyone.

This is how the sheep stealing early Christian evangelists explained their beliefs.  They believed that the Risen Christ was a more inclusive message about God than what was practiced by the people of synagogue.  They believed that Jesus Christ was more exclusive in his presentation of God in the Roman Empire with all of the gods and goddesses and the cult of worship of the Emperor as a god.

The early church was evangelical because Christians believed they had a message for both Jews and Gentiles.  The success of the early church is proof that the message was effective and winsome to make a difference in the lives of many people.

So how do you and I show ourselves to be evangelical?  Carry signs around with John 3:16?  Wear crosses prominently?  Go door to door to spread the message of Jesus?  Sometimes if we try too hard to be visible followers of Jesus, we can actually put people off.  We need to be evangelicals with the right motives.  What is the right motive?  To honestly share the very best news in our lives for the benefit of other people.  We need to equip ourselves to comfortably share with others who ask about our particular faith experience, our belief in Jesus Christ and why we find the Episcopal Church a gentle, reasonable, welcoming and graceful expression of devotion to Jesus Christ.

Do you believe God loved the whole world?  Do you believe that Jesus is the gift of God's Son to us?  Do you believe in a great God who can preserve our lives forever in a special way?  Then you have some good news to share.

And following your baptismal vows, I hereby, re-ordain and re-commission each and everyone of us as evangelists of Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sunday School, March 12, 2017 2 Lent A

Sunday School, March 12, 2017    2 Lent A

Themes

The riddle of Jesus about another kind of birth

What does it mean to be born?

  It means to come into the world and into a family.

  We have birth families or families that we are adopted into.

   We have parents who raise us when we are little.

We have larger families too.  Who are the members of our larger families?

  We have extended families with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

   We also have work and school families?

      Families can be the persons at our school who become our friends.

      Families can be the people whom we work with.

We can have larger families like all of the people live in our city, our state and in our country.

   Citizenship is like being members of larger families.

Jesus had a talk with a religious leader name Nicodemus.  He talked about how we can be born into another family.

We can know that we have been born into God’s family.

This is the largest and greatest family of all.

How are we born into God’s family?

Because God is the creator of the world and God made us, God is our heavenly parent and so we are made to be children of God and be a part of God’s family.

How does the church celebrate our birth into family of God?

We celebrate our birth into God’s family when we baptize

Baptism is done with water and it is done through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is how all people can share the same identity with God as our heavenly parent

God allows everyone to come to understand that God’s presence and image is inside of us when we celebrate the Holy Spirit inside of us.

What does the Holy Spirit allow us to do?

The Holy Spirit allows us to learn how to see things from God’s view

The Holy Spirit allows us to see what Jesus taught us in his life, death and resurrection.

The Holy Spirit teaches us that God makes all people like Abraham;  God makes us children

Who can live with faith in God.  And if we can live with faith in God, we will realize

That there are many people the world who live with faith in God.

Sermon

  How many of you like to grow up?  Are you sure?  Some times it is very hard to grow up.  Why?  When we grow up we sometimes have to change.

  How about when we learned to walk?  It is a big change to learn how to walk?  It was something we wanted to do.  But was it easy?  Not always, how many times did we fall down and cry when we were learning to walk?

  How about when we had to give up diapers?  Was that easy?  Did we learn to give up diapers right away?  Or did it take some practice and some accidents?

  How about when we went to Preschool for the first time?  Was that easy?  For some but for others it was hard.  It was hard because we had to be away from Mom and Dad for several hours and that was a change.

  Remember how you used to like to suck on your binky.  But you couldn’t take it to school.  And if used you binky in big school the other children might laugh at you.

 Change is good because it means that we are growing up.  But it can also be hard for us because when we change we are losing something that we used to like to do.

  Everyone grows and changes.  Even your Mom and Dad change.  One of the biggest changes for your Mom and Dad was when they became Moms and Dads.  They had to change their Friday night schedule.

  Families change, countries change, churches change when new things must be done.

  When Jesus came to live on this earth in the country of Israel and he found that some changes had to be made even in the way that they practiced their religion.  Jesus lived in such a special and wonderful way, people in his country had to decide to change and begin to follow what he taught.

  Some people could not change.  Jesus met with a man named Nicodemus.  Nicodemus was having a hard time changing, but he did the right thing.  He came and talked to Jesus.  And what did Jesus tell him.  He told him that God loved the world.  He told him that God was not angry at the world.  He told him that God sent his Son to save the world.

  And how are we saved?  We are saved by accepting God’s love and by practicing God’s love.

  So, we are going to change many times in our life.  We are going do new things, and we are going to lose some things.  Let us remember that if we are changing to become more loving and kind, then God’s love is saving and changing us into becoming better people.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

March 12, 2017: The Second Sunday in Lent

Gathering Songs: O Be Careful;  Lord, I Lift Your Name on High,  Eat This Bread; He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

Liturgist: Bless the Lord who forgives all of our sins.

People: God’s mercy endures 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: O Be Careful (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 180)

O be careful little hands what you do. O be care 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.

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.

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.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Praise be to God! (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have made us! Praise be to God!

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Praise be to God!

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Praise be to God!

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Praise be to God!

Liturgist: A reading from the Book Genesis

The Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills; * from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the LORD, * the maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved * and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

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.

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?   "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.  "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

Offertory:   Lord I Lift Your Name on High, Renew! #4

Lord, I lift your name on high; Lord, I love to sing Your praises.  I’m so glad you’re in my life.  I’m so glad you came to save us.  You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay.  From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord, I lift your name on high!

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: 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 Hymn: Eat This Bread (Renew! # 228)

Eat this bread, drink this wine.  Come to me and never be hungry. 

Eat this bread, drink this wine, trust in me and you will not thirst.

Post-Communion Prayer. 

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: 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.

He’s got the little tiny baby in his hands.  He’s got the little tiny baby in his hands.  He’s got the little tiny baby in his hands.  He’s got the whole world in his hands.

He’s got the boys and the girls in his hands.  He’s got the boys and the girls in his hands.  He’s got the boys and the girls in his hands.  He’s got the whole world in his hands.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!