Gospel Neo-natal, Infant and Child Theology

18 Pentecost Cycle b Proper 20   September 23, 2018

Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22 Ps. 54

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a Mark 9:30-37      

Lectionary Link
One of the most difficult things for me to learn and remember about the New Testament has to do with the issue of chronological confusion.  By this, I mean that I know logically that Jesus came before Paul and the church.  But in writing of the New Testament, St. Paul's and the apostles' spiritual experience came before the writings which retold the life of Jesus.  What this means is that the Gospels were written in a way to account for what had been happening in the early church.  But they had to be written in ways that were not blatantly anachronistic, that is, they did not want to import into telling about the life of Jesus the obvious experiences of the much later church.  How could the experiences of the church be told using the life and words of Jesus to anticipate the success of the Christian mission in the Roman Empire?

St. Paul did not see Jesus; he had mystical experience of the Risen Christ.  More people had mystical experiences of the Risen Christ than had personal experience of Jesus in his own time.  Jesus was much more popular after his Resurrection appearances than he was in his own time in the limited areas of Palestine.

How could the story of the success of the church be told using the life narratives of Jesus?

In the mysticism of St. Paul, he had a profound experience of identity with Christ.  Paul said, "Christ lived within him."  Paul said that "Christ was all and in all."  Paul said that he lived "in Christ."  How does one take this poetry of mystical identity and re-relate it through the telling of the life of Jesus of Nazareth?

One of the teaching illustrations of the Gospel is what I would call neo-natal, infant and child theology.  John the Baptist before he was born leapt in his mother's womb in recognizing Mary who was carrying Jesus the Messiah in her womb.  Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be "born again."  Poor Nick wondered about how he as an old man could get back into his mother's womb.  The Gospel writer showed Jesus saying, "Nick, it's not about literalism; it is about the mystical experience of new birth."  Jesus said God had withheld the mystery from the wise and had revealed it to infants.  Jesus said that one had to be like a child to enter the kingdom of God.  Jesus told his disciples who were shooing the children way, "Let the children come to me; don't forbid them because the kingdom of God belong to such as these."

And in today's Gospel we have what I would call the sacramental theology of the child.  We call the bread and wine of Holy Eucharist, sacramental because they bear to us the presence of Christ.  While the disciples argued about who was going to be the greatest and have the best positions, Jesus took a child and said, "If you receive this child, then you have received me and the one who sent me."  How many people presume to easily find Christ in the bread and wine and not find it in babies and children?  Jesus was telling power hungry people that if they didn't take care of the vulnerable child as being important to their life, then they did not understand him or God, his Father.

I am blessed each day to be at the door of our preschool and welcome the children and the babies.  I strongly believe in the theology of the child as promoted by Jesus in the Gospel writings.  I think that the theology of the child is the most obvious natural spiritual theology of all.

If we discriminate against a person because of his or her age, then we will miss the ministry of the people in that age group.  The disciples were adult bean counters; obvious adults like themselves are most valuable for the Jesus Movement.  "We know who the Movement needs to be successful.  And we are evangelist executives in our prime, so we are indispensable to the success of the movement."  Each were saying to Jesus, "I want to be your main man."

And what did Jesus do?  He brought a child in their midst.  And what can a child do?  The child can't preach.  The child can't give any money.  Maybe a child could be an errand boy or girl, but are they really important to the success of the Jesus Movement?

And what did Jesus say?  "See this child.  If you receive this child you have received me."  The values of Jesus were different from his disciples who wanted to be great in the Jesus Movement.  Yes, the Jesus movement is about preaching and teaching, but it is also an intergenerational community.  The community needs everyone because each person bears the image of something important to the entire community.

What does a child do for the community?  Children carry with them the state of living that has been forgotten by us adults.   We adults have tasted the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.  We have become hurt by life; we have become disillusioned, disappointed and we have become protective and sometimes even cynical.  As adults we can easily lose the joy of living and the sense of wonder and curiosity.   That is why we need children and babies; they bear the secrets of what we have forgotten or have quit trying to find with spiritual practice.  Jesus reminds us that we will not find the kingdom of God as a parallel existence in this world if we have lost our ability to have wonder.

When we project upon a baby or child, we have to soften up; we have to put our adult aspect of personality on hold and access our child aspect of personality.  And if we can do that we will understand Christ and we will be able to access the parallel world of the kingdom of God which coexists with all of the adult life of this world which is chock full of good and bad things.

The wonder of the child is beyond good and evil of our adult world.  And we need to access this aspect of ourselves if we are going be able to integrate all the stages of the age cycles of our lives.

God has placed the agents of innocence in our lives in our babies and children, and even in our pets.  These are gifts to us to project on them and recover what we might have lost with all of our adult seriousness.

Let us receive the witness of the child and vulnerable today as the Gospel lesson that Jesus wanted to teach this world.  Let us tend to the children of the world; but let us also attend to the child aspect of our own personalities so that we might tap into an incredible capacity for new birth, original joy and hope for our future.

Come and find the presence of Christ in the bread and wine, but don't stop there; in the innocence of children and babies we can also access the wonder of the presence of Christ.  Amen.


   

Sunday School, September 23, 2018 18 Pentecost, B proper 20

Sunday School, September 23, 2018: The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost  B proper 20

Themes

You might discuss the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Wisdom is more than collecting facts and information, it is knowing what to do with facts and information so that you benefit your life and the lives of other.

Wisdom is learning how to think with one’s heart.  It is adding feeling, compassion and love and the sense of right and wrong to knowledge, information and facts.

With knowledge we can discover the use of atomic energy; with wisdom we can understand it is better to use atomic energy for the purposes of medicine and providing electrical energy rather than build bombs which can destroy.

With wisdom we can learn to ask God in our prayers for the good and right things for our lives and for the lives of others, rather than just asking for whatever we may desire.

The Gospel Lesson is a lesson about being great as taught by Jesus.

The disciples thought that Jesus was going to establish a kingdom on earth and that he would pick them to be the presidents and leaders of his kingdom.  They argued with each other about who Jesus should pick to be the greatest.

Jesus gave them a riddle: The first shall be last.  The last shall be first.  The one who serve is the greatest.  We should ask ourselves about what we really want to be great at and why we want to be great.  The goal of our lives should be to be great so that we can help other people.

Jesus used the example of a child.  Sometimes children are just ignored in the world of adults.  But Jesus told his disciples that if they wanted to be great, they should not neglect the children.  They should welcome children.  Being great means that we make the world safe for children.

Children’s Sermon

Today, we have heard some important words of Jesus.  The friends and disciples of Jesus were talking about who would have the best place in the kingdom of God. 

  So Jesus decided to teach them a lesson.  He brought a child to them and said, if you welcome a child then you are welcoming me.
  This is an important lesson for adults.  Sometimes we think that the most important things in life is having a more important job, or making more money and sometimes adults forget the really important things, like welcoming children, taking care of the people who need help until they grow up.
  Jesus loves children.  He said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children.  He said that adults need to become child-like to understand the kingdom of heaven.
  Jesus loves children and adults.  So children and adults should be together.  That’s why we have this service on Sunday, because children and adults can be together to worship God.
  Children and adults need each.  Adults really need children.  Well, can’t adults take care of themselves?  Yes they can, but they need children.  Children do something special for adults.  We adults have forgotten most of what our lives were like when we were children.  And the only way we can recover memories is to see children in our lives.  That is why Jesus said that adults have to become like children to understand the kingdom of heaven.  Adults have to “be born again,” to become child-like again to have hope, faith, joy, wonder and curiosity to be alive in them.
  So we adults, need children.  But you children need adults too.  You need teachers.  You need people to drive you around.  You need people to provide you with food, clothing and home while you are young and can’t provide it for yourselves.
  So we need each other.  And that’s way it should be.
  We have this special family service on Sunday because we believe that children and adults should worship God together.  Today, I want to thank you children for all that you do for us adults.  And I want to thank you adults for what you do for the children in your lives.  I think that is what Jesus wants us to do.  But let us not forget that there are other children and adults who need our help too.  And let not forget to pray and work to help all of the children in the world.  That is what Christ would want us to do.  Amen.

 St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
September 23, 2018: The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs:  Jesus Loves the Little Children, He’s Got the Whole World,  Let Us Break Bread Together, Seek Ye First

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  Amen.

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

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Jesus Loves the Little Children  (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 140)

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.  Red and yellow, black and white all are precious in his sight.  Jesus loves the children of the world.

Jesus cares for all the children, all the children in the world.  Red and yellow, black and white all are precious in his sight.  Jesus cares for all the children in the world.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the letter of James

You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 54

 Save me O God by your Name; * in your might defend my cause.

 Hear my prayer O God; * give ear to the words of my mouth.
 Behold God is my helper; * it is the Lord who sustains my life.

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 Mark

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus and his disciples went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. 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. (chanted)

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

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

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

People:            And also with you.

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

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

1          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.

2          Little tiny babies. 
3          Brother and the sisters  
4          Mothers and the fathers

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.

The Prayer continues with these words

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:        Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song:  Let Us Break Bread Together (blue hymnal  # 325)

Let us break bread together on our knees.  Let us break bread together on our knees.  When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.

Let us drink wine together on our knees. Let us drink wine together on our knees.  When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me..

Let us praise God together on our knees.  Let us praise God together on our knees.  When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on 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: Seek Ye First  (blue hymnal  # 711)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  And all these things will be added unto you, Allelu, Alleluia!

Refrain: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Allelu, Alleluia!

Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find.  Knock and the door shall be open unto you, Allelu, Alleluia! Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

  

The Cross: History's Greatest Makeover

17 Pentecost Proper19  September 16, 2018 

Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 116:1-8

James 3:1-12  Mark 8:27-38

Lectionary Link

How many of us are wearing a cross today?  How many of us often wear a cross as a necklace, bracelet or as earrings?

The cross rendered in gold, silver and jewels is perhaps the greatest symbolic makeover in history.

A tortuous instrument of capital punishment is now romanticized and spiritualized to the point of becoming jewelry.  In the language of St. Paul he wrote that he "gloried in the Cross of Christ."  How did such makeover happen?

It is no secret to us because we know the end of the story.  When Jesus reappeared to his disciples, the Cross of Jesus became something else.  It became but one event in the life of Jesus, and it became an event with different meaning than what the Roman authorities had intended.

The Romans used the crucifixion of Jesus to put an end to the Jesus Movement, which was regarded by them as a movement which threatened the peace of Palestine.  The Romans used the crucifixion to snuff out the Jesus Movement forever.

Even after the Resurrection of Christ, the cross had different meanings for the Jews.  For those who did not experience the resurrection appearances of Christ, it was hard for them to understand Jesus as a heroic Messiah.  For many Jews, the Messiah had to be a heroic king like King David who would be known when he delivered the Jews in Palestine from the Roman occupation.

The competing versions regarding the Messiah is found in the Gospel dialogue between Jesus and Peter.  Peter confessed Jesus to be the Messiah and when he was told by Jesus what it meant to be the Messiah,  Peter presumed to tell the Messiah that he was wrong about himself.  Kind of ironic: "Jesus, you're the Messiah but you don't know what that means."

This Gospel highlights the early disagreement among the Jews about Jesus and the nature of the Messiah.  The Hebrew Scriptures contain different traditions of the Messiah.  The Messiah was seen as a returning conquering King in one tradition; He was seen as a suffering servant in another tradition.

It was obvious to the Jews that Jesus was not a military Messiah who would free Israel from Roman control, in fact, in the year 70, Jerusalem was razed to the ground and the Temple was destroyed for the last time by the Roman army.

How is Jesus on the cross reconciled with the notion of the Messiah as being a majestic figure in the life of the world?

The Risen Christ was able to be made known to so many in such obvious and unavoidable ways, the ones who understood the power of the presence of the Risen Christ found a different way to understand the Messiah than the prevailing view.  Jesus was the suffering servant, sacrificial Passover Lamb Messiah in his first coming.  The Risen Christ would be the victorious Kingly Messiah in his second coming.

The continuous experiences of the Risen Christ in the lives of many brought about the new meanings of the Cross of Christ.

For St. Paul, he believed in taking on a mystical identity with the cross of Christ.  He wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ."   In such an identity he found the ability to die to his sinful self and let the Risen life of Christ live through him.  To have the power to crucify the sinful self, the possibility of living sacrificially became a reality.  For the writer of the Epistle of James, dying to one's self meant being able to control one's tongue.

In the churches of the Gospel, to take up one's cross and follow Christ became the mystical catch phrase for the transformation of one's life.

So why do we continue to wear the Cross today?  We have the same selfish ego problems common to people of all times.  We need help to live in the sacrificial way of love needed for the quality survival of our world and our local communities.  We need a higher power interdiction of the unworthy and harmful impulses of our lives.  The death of perfect Jesus was a reverse power; by identifying with the power of the death of Jesus, we bring to death the power of our selfish selves and we allow the power of the Spirit of Christ to perform the sacrificial acts of love needed to transform our lives to be like Christ.

Let us not trivialize the cross of Christ by separating it from all of the depth of its meanings.  It was a horrible event that happened to the perfect Jesus.  The cross of Jesus, killed him into his resurrection life and transformed the cross for us.

Let us embrace both the power of the cross and the power of the resurrection as we seek to transform our lives toward the excellence of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Sunday School, September 16, 2018 17 Pentecost, B proper 19

Sunday School, September 16, 2018       17 Pentecost, B proper 19
Sunday School Themes

The reading from Proverbs calls Wisdom the way in which we can discover that God is everywhere.  The Psalm states that the heavens declare the glory of God.  People who look in the sky and also observe the way in which things are made are fascinated and so they confess the presence and existence of something greater and anything that we can do or make as human beings.  But since we see this greatness and if greatness is greater than us as persons, then the greatness of God must also have a Great Personality and so we come to believe that we have a personal relationship with the Wise Great Being og God whose works we can observe everywhere.

The Epistle of James is about the small muscle of the tongue and how destructive can be.  Everyone needs a lesson in learning self control in what we say.  The things we say can harm and do hurt to each other.  But the nice and kind things which we say can also do some lovely and wonderful things to build relationships.

Since September 14 is Holy Cross Day, the Gospel lesson gives us a lesson on the cross.  Peter did not want to accept the fact that Jesus would suffer and die.  He wanted Jesus to be just a Messiah superhero.  Jesus told Peter that he was wrong in his thinking about who the messiah was.  The messiah would suffer and die and know fully all of the hardships of human suffering.  Jesus as the suffering messiah was proof that God has and is and will suffer with us.

You can instruct about the notions of life in the riddle of Jesus about losing and gaining our lives.  The life that Jesus told us to lose is psueche or soul life which is the life of our minds, emotions and choosing power.  Education means that we lose the ignorant states of mind and we gain wisdom and education.  This is how we lose and gain our lives.    In the church, taking up the cross and following Jesus means that we learn to give up our selfish selves as we make room to help others through love and kindness.

Gospel Puppet Show: What kind of Messiah Is Jesus?

Puppet dialogue between Roary the Lion and Interviewer

Roary the Lion (holding a soccer ball and sobbing): Wah…Wah….Wah….Wah….

Interviewer: What’s wrong Roary, why are you crying?  Have you been playing soccer?

Roary the Lion:  Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah…

Interviewer:  Roary, I think you need a hug… Calm down now and talk to me.  Can you tell me what’s wrong?  Did you have soccer game?

Roary the Lion: Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah……

Interviewer: Roary,  I’m here to help you.   Let try to help you.  May be I can help you get your happy roar back.  Will you let me try?

Roary the Lion:  Wah…Wah….okay but I’m not too happy.

Interviewer:  What happened to make you so sad?  I’ve never heard a lion cry so loudly?

Roary the Lion:  Well, I played soccer today and our team lost the game, 4 to zero.  And I was the leading scorer.

Interviewer: Well that’s good isn’t it?

Roary the Lion: No..no…no…I scored two goals for the other team.   Wah…Wah And I’m so embarrassed.  Why did that happen to me?  And why did my team lose?

Interviewer:  Well, let’s see if we can learn something from you and your soccer game?  All of us will be winners if we can learn from you and your soccer game?  Will you help us all?

Roary the Lion:  Okay but I don’t know how my losing a soccer game can help others.

Interviewer: Was anyone happy after your soccer game ended?

Roary the Lion:  The winning team were happy, of course.

Interviewer:  When it rains really hard the farmer is happy to get rain for his corn and his wheat.  But if the same rain comes in the middle of the baseball game, the teams are sad because they have to stop playing baseball.  You see the same rain made some people happy and made some people sad.

Roary the Lion:  So that’s like every soccer game; if one team wins the other team loses.

Interviewer:  Yes and life is like that some times there are things that make us happy and there are things that make us sad.

Roary the Lion: I don’t like to be sad.  What good is sadness?

Interviewer:  It is not fun to be sad but being sad can turn out to be good?

Roary the Lion: How can being sad turn out to be good?

Interviewer:  Well, let us remember the Gospel story today.  Peter was upset at Jesus.  Peter only wanted Jesus to be a strong King.  Peter did not want Jesus to ever suffer.  He did not want Jesus to ever feel sad.

Roary the Lion:  That’s right!  Jesus told Peter that some very sad things were going to happen to Jesus.  He told Peter that he was going to suffer and even die.

Interviewer:  And Jesus said that Peter had to understand life better.  He said that Peter needed to understand that life is made up of wins and losses.  Life is made up of sickness and health.  Life is made up of happiness and sadness.

Roary the Lion:  So to learn how to live is to learn how to live with both.  But I prefer to win.  I would rather be happy.  I don’t ever want to be sick.

Interviewer:  I know Roary,  but what good can come from sadness, loss and sickness?

Roary the Lion:  I don’t know Interviewer.  It would take a great magician to turn sickness into health, happiness into sadness and losing into winning.

Interviewer:  Well, Jesus is better than the greatest magician.  And he showed us how to do one of his greatest tricks.

Roary the Lion:  I like magic.  What is the greatest trick?

Interviewer:  Roary, the next time you play a soccer game and when you win the game, what are you going to say to the little boy who lost the game to your team?

Roary the Lion:  Well, I’m going try to make him feel better.  I’m going to tell him that I lost a game too and it was very sad.  I going to tell him that he played a good game.   And I’m going to tell him that is more important that we have fun playing the game than if we win.

Interviewer:  Why would you say those nice things to him Roary?

Roary the Lion:  Well, because I know what it is to lose and be sad.  So I want to help someone else when they are sad.

Interviewer:  And Roary, that is the magic of Jesus.  Because you were sad, you knew how to help a boy who also was sad.  And that was the message that Jesus was trying to teach Peter.

Roary the Lion:  So God can help us better because God gave his Son Jesus to suffer too.  And so we can know that God is with us when we are sad.

Interviewer:  Bingo!  Now do you see how your loss and your sadness can turn out to be winning.  You always win when you are able to help others.

Roary the Lion:  Interviewer do you think that the boys and girls can learn this too.  I’m shy, could you ask them?

interviewer:  Boys and Girls, do you see how Jesus taught us the meaning of suffering and sadness?  We can turn our sadness into happiness and winning because what really makes us happy in life is to be able to help someone else.  Have you learned the lesson from the Gospel today.  Can you say, Amen?  Amen.  Can you say bye, bye to Roary?

A Sermon for Children about the Cross of Christ

What is the most important sign of the Christian religion?  When you look around the church, you see this sign.  Some people wear a necklace and they have this Christian sign done in gold or silver.

  The sign I am talking about is the cross. 

  Why is the cross the sign of Christianity?  Was it a pleasant or happy sign?  It was not a happy sign, because it was used to put Jesus to death.  The only reason that it is a happy sign for us today, because Jesus came back to life and showed us how we can have hope and happiness in our world that has sadness and death.

  So the cross is an important sign for our Christian faith.  And we use this sign in many ways.  We use it as our Christian brand.  Do you know what a brand is for cows?  The cowboys will burn a mark on a cow, with the sign of their ranch, so that if the cow wanders away, they will be able to tell who the lost cow belongs to.

  Did you know that the cross is like our Christian brand?  Do you know what happens after we are baptized?  The priest dips his thumb into some special oil called chrism and then draws a cross on the forehead of the person who has been baptized and the priest says: You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptized and marked as Christ own forever.  Can you trace that sign on your forehead now and remember that you belong to Christ.

  We make the sign of the cross on our selves and over things, to remember that we belong to Christ and that we dedicate our lives and the things of our lives to God.  We make the sign of the cross in our worship as a way of punctuating the words that we say: like before the Gospel or before receiving communion.

  Today is the Sunday before a special feast day, the feast of the Holy Cross.  This was a day that celebrates the building of a famous church in Jerusalem when they believed a piece of cross of Jesus was found, many years after he had died.

  Jesus said something in a riddle.  He said that we had to take up our cross.  He said that we had to lose our lives in order to gain our lives.  What does that mean?  The life that we have to lose is not our physical life where our heart stops beating.  It is the life of our soul, our psychological life that we must lose in order to gain it.  When we learn something at school we are losing our old life of ignorance and gaining a life of knowledge.  Whenever we want to change our lives and make them better, we have to lose something of our former lives in order to make them better. 

  And we are asked to take up our cross, not because Jesus wants us to die.  The cross of Jesus is a sign of sacrifice.  Sacrifice is the most important principle in life.  Sacrifice is needed for family and community to survive.  If people only did selfish things for themselves, then we would not be able to survive.  The Cross of Christ is a most important sign to us, because it is a reminder that we need to say no to our selfishness in order to learn and in order to help other people. 

  So today we celebrate the cross of Christ as an important sign of our lives.  Repeat after me: I am seal with the Holy Spirit, and I am marked as Christ’s own forever.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
September 16, 2018: The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs:  There Is a Redeemer;   Lord, Be Glorified; Lift High the Cross;

Song: There Is a Redeemer  (Renew! # 232)

There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God own Son, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One.

Refrain:  Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son; and leaving your Spirit ‘til the work on earth is done.

Jesus, my Redeemer, name above all names, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, hope for sinners slain. Refrain

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  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.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the letter of James

For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 116

Then I called upon the Name of the LORD: * "O LORD, I pray you, save my life."

Gracious is the LORD and righteous; * our God is full of compassion.
The LORD watches over the innocent; * I was brought very low, and he helped me.

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 Mark

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.  Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. 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. (chanted)

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

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

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

People:            And also with you.

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

Song:   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.

The Prayer continues with these words

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

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

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

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

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

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

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:        Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song:  Lord, Be Glorified (Renew!  # 172)

In our hearts, Lord, be glorified, be glorified.  In our hearts, Lord, be glorified today.

In our homes, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in our homes, Lord, be glorified today.

In your church, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in your church, Lord, be glorified today.

In your world, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in your world, Lord, be glorified today.

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: Song: Lift High the Cross  (blue hymnal  # 473)

Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name.

Led on their way by this triumphant sign, the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.  Refrain

Each newborn servant of the crucified bears on the brow the seal of him who died. Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!