Heroic Love, Forgiveness, and Practical Golden Rule Living

7 Epiphany C February 23, 2025

Genesis 45:3-11, 15 Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42
1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50 Luke 6:27-38

Lectionary Link

Holy Scriptures are multivocal in that they represent the voices of many writers over many years who opened themselves up to insights about how God was involved in their times and places and they offered recommendations, pieties, and behaviors about how the people of their time could find meaningful relevance of God in their lives.  This mode of being has continued for many years and still motivates us today.

The lectionary each Sunday represents the various voices of the multivocality of Scriptures by assigning a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures with a Psalm or Canticle, plus a non-Gospel New Testament reading, and lastly a Gospel reading based upon the conviction that the witnesses about Jesus present us with the core identity of our community life.  And even if we agree that Jesus is the core of our identity, various Christians emphasize different facets of even the witnesses that we have about Jesus.  Our traditions ends up be multivocality about God and multivocality about the multivocalities about God.  And if this seems oft confusing, the genius of this is acknowledging the uniqueness of each person's interpretative experience from one's own experiential background and environments.  And if the love of God is the big answer to everything, fittingly, the challenge is in the details of making love actual in context specific ways.

Probably one of the most heroic love ethics is found in the famous beatitude words of Jesus, which come to us in slightly different words on a mountain and on a plain in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, respectively.  We've read the appointed portion of the beatitudes from Luke's Gospel today.

What are the words?  What are conditions which such words reveal?  And why do I call it a heroic love ethic?

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

From the text of the portions of the beatitude according to Luke's Gospel, what assumptions can we make about the recipients of the writings in their lives and world?

It seems as though the word imply that people had enemies.  People were hated.  People were cursed.  People were abused.  People were having bullying acts of violence inflicted upon them.  People were stealing the clothes off their backs.  People were so needy that they had to beg.  

To the people who experienced these deprivations, they were asked to follow the golden rule.  You do not want enemies, you do not want to be hated,  you do not want to be cursed, you do not want to be abused, you do not want to have things stolen or taken from you, so imagine the very best treatment that someone can provide you and that is how you are to treat others.

When times are normal, most people are just live and let live sort of people.  Normal everyday living does not usually require the conditions of having enemies, hatred, cursing, abuse, open violence, or open stealing, and perpetual begging.

The literal significance of the beatitudes only make sense in the crisis times of a people being oppressed.  The oppression is so open and common to a group of people that they have strategic decisions to make.  Do we as powerless people try to live the law of justice, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?  If powerless people try to respond in kind; they lose all their freedom or even their lives.  To survive, oppressed people adopt a winsome lifestyle.  "We have to be on our best performance for our oppressors so they will treat us better and so they do not get violent and harm us to death.  We need a survival ethic."

Champions of oppressed people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. were proponents of the non-violent lifestyle of the beatitudes.  Be so good, heroically good in the face of one's oppressor such that the contrast of goodness and their own cruelty is so great that it might bring them to shame.

We need to be very honest.  The life conditions which requires the lifestyle of the beatitudes is not a situation where justice prevails.  One can honestly say that people who oppress are enemies to the people whom they oppress.  One has to be heroic to love the abusive enemy, but not the abusive mistreatment.

The saddest thing about the Beatitudes is that it acknowledges the conditions of oppression as what the true conditions of life that some people are forced to live.

We can sigh with relief when we have comfortable situations which do not require the heroic love ethics of the beatitudes.  At the same time, we should live heroically to prevent the situations of oppression from ever coming to be.

History has given us horrendous examples of oppression.  Many nations and conquerors have invaded and enslaved; some have become benign rulers as long as the populations accept the conditions of being ruled.  The conditions which brought about slavery, the holocaust, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and mis-treatment of marginalized persons in society have and still plague our world.  We ourselves are not blameless in being knowing or unknowing accomplices to behaviors which are not worthy of being associated with Jesus Christ.  Oppressor force the oppressed to be compliantly good for their survival.

We affirm the heroic love ethic of the beatitudes even as we try to build societies which do not need such heroic love.  We do need in our rather petty and selfish ways within our various communities to practice the practical golden rule love in regarding the dignity of each other and in our inevitable failures we need to make forgiveness the an important tough love act of our communal practice.

In the oral traditions of the people of Israel, a profound act of forgiveness is cited as the act which saved their ancient heir Jacob and his family when a severe drought in their land sent the sons of Jacob to a foreign land for food supplies.  The proud dreamer Joseph, who was presumed dead, but sold as a slave to Egypt had risen to prominence in Egypt.  And when his unknowing brothers came to Egypt for supplies, he revealed himself to them and forgave them for his separation from his father, his home, and them.  And this act of forgiveness made providential the suffering of his life of separation from his homeland.

The Psalmist reminds us in the songs for worship that time means waiting for good things to happen so as to give providential context to contrast the less than good things which comes to anyone.  We are reminded that there is something about love which can bring us to eventually confess providence.

The writings of the New Testament happened in times when the heroic love ethic of the beatitudes was required of oppressed people who often lacked advocates within the Roman Empire.  Part of the reason of the love ethic of the beatitudes is based upon the fact that both Jesus and Paul were apocalyptic preachers.  We have to love heroically now because this age, this life, and our bodies are passing away, and it is going to happen very soon.  To preach hope, Paul wrote that we would have a new spiritual body which would be imperishable.  We will leave our bodies which are subject of oppressive conditions to the dust of the earth.  But while we are still alive we are to live heroically loving lives as a witness that our inner lives have partaken of new creation of resurrection spirituality.

Whether we need an apocalyptic narrative about the end of life as we know it, or just hope in our preparation for good deaths, we need love, which sometimes requires the heroic, sometimes near the impossible grace of forgiveness, but mostly just practical and commonsensical regarding the dignity of each other as we live in our multivocal communities, because we're all different.

May God give us heroic love, if we need it.  May God give us practical golden rule love, because it is the art of living well.  May God give us forgiveness when we need to receive it and when we need to offer it.  And may God give us continuing visions of always having a future, in life, after life, after life, after life......Amen

Sunday School, February 23, 2025, 7 Epiphany C

Sunday School, February 23, 2025,  7 Epiphany C

Themes

Our country is sometimes called the “melting pot.”   Why, because we are a country made up of people who have come here from many other places in the world, people who look different and who have spoken different languages and have different religions and belong to different Christian churches.

Why do we like our country?  Because we have this great ideal.  We want to grow toward life, liberty and happiness and justice for all. 

Jesus started this great ideal a long time ago.  He said to love our enemies.  He said we should treat other people in the same way that we want them to treat us.

The early church was a new community of people learning how to live together in love.  Jews, Gentiles from all parts of the Roman Empire, rich and poor people, all were learning how to love each other and live together.

How do we learn to live together in love?  We learn to forgive each other.  We don't practice pay back. 

When someone does something to hurt us, one of the first responses is to want to “pay them back.”

Did you ever watch a football game or hockey game and see a player get angry and hit another player?  And the player who got hit, hits back.  And the referee calls a penalty on the person who hit back.  Why?  The referee did not see the first hit.  The referee only saw the  pay back and so the second player received a penalty.  And it is not fair, but it shows that if we always want to “pay back” people who hurt us, then we usually get in more trouble than the person who hurt us.

Family members are close and share many nice things, but family members still often fight with each other.  Why?  Because we still have disagreements. 

Jesus said that we have to learn how to live with each other and learn how to be different and how to disagree without being disagreeable or hurtful.

Why should I forgive other people?  Well, I will find out that I am not perfect and that I will need to be forgiven by others too.  So, we need to obey Jesus and adopt forgiveness as the rule of our community.

Why do the rules of Jesus seem difficult?  Because it is difficult to live with people who are different from us.  But it is very important that we value our relationships with each other, because we all need other people.

The rules of Jesus seem difficult because living in a community can sometimes be very difficult.  This is why we need God and we need to ask God for forgiveness and then we need to forgive each other.

Jesus Christ came to say that God belongs to everyone.  And if God belongs to everyone, everyone needs to learn how to live together, even if people seem to be so different as to be called enemies.   We still have to share this life with other people, even those who are different from us so Jesus founded a way to live together and this way of living together became called the church or a fellowship.

The church is a group of different people learning to live together and practice forgiveness because we have been called by Jesus to live a life of forgiveness.

Sermon

The story of Joseph is a story of forgiveness.  Joseph had many brothers.  His father was named Jacob.  The brothers of Joseph were jealous of Joseph because they thought their dad Jacob favored Joseph.  Jacob gave a special rainbow-colored coat to Joseph.  Joseph was a dreamer and he used to kind of brag in front of his brothers about his dreams.  His brothers became angry and to get rid of him, they sold him into slavery and took his coat and put some animal blood on it and showed the coat to their dad and they said that a wild animal had killed Joseph.  Jacob thought Joseph was dead and he was sad.  But Joseph went to Egypt as a slave, but he was so clever he became the chief minister for the Pharaoh.  When a bad drought came, the brothers of Joseph came to Egypt to get food and supplies, and Joseph saw them but they did not recognize Joseph because he had grown up and he looked like an Egyptian.  When the brothers of Joseph discovered who Joseph was, they thought that Joseph would punish them for selling him into slavery.  But Joseph forgave them.  He said God had helped him to become successful so that he could help his brothers and his father Jacob survive a very hard time of drought.

Forgiveness is never easy.  That is why we ask God to help us forgive.  And we believe that forgiveness helps heal relationships.  Forgiveness is like a band aid on wound.  Forgiveness is what heals hurt in our families and our communities.

Amen.

  

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

February 23, 2025  The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, Jesus Bids Us Shine, Spirit of the Living God,

May the Lord

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: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (All the Best Songs for Kids #130)

I have decided to follow Jesus, (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

Will you decide now, to follow Jesus? (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

Liturgist: A reading from Genesis.

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him because they were so upset to see him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life from famine. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there, since there are five more years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'" And Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 37

1          Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; * do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2          For they shall soon wither like the grass, * and like the green grass fade away.

3          Put your trust in the Lord and do good; * dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4          Take delight in the Lord, * and he shall give you your heart's desire.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

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

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

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

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

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

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

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

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

   Thanks be to God!

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, "I say to you, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us  

     by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For the forgiveness of all 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 Hymn: Jesus Bids Us Shine, (The Christian Children Songbook, #132)

Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light, Like a little candle burning in the night; In this world of darkness, we must shine, You in your small corner and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine first of all for Him, Well he sees and knows it if our light is dim; He looks down from heaven, sees us shine.  You in your small corner and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine as we work for Him, bring those that wander from the paths of sin; He will ever help us if we shine, You in your small corner and I in mine.

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: 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 Hymn: Spirit of the Living God, (Renew # 90)

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.

Spirit of the living God move among us all; Spirit of the living God, make us one in love.

Humble, caring, selfless, sharing; Spirit of the living God, fill our lives with love.

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

     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: May the Lord (Sung to the tune of Edelweiss)

May the Lord, Mighty God, Bless and keep you forever,

Grant you peace, perfect peace, Courage in every endeavor. 

Lift up your eyes and seek His face, Trust His grace forever. 

May the Lord, Mighty God Bless and keep you for ever.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Wrestling with the Logic of the Beatitudes

 6 Epiphany C, February 16, 2025
Jeremiah 17:5-10 Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Luke 6:17-26

Lectionary Link

We romantically place the Beatitudes upon a pedestal of lofty ideals, even while in our practical lives we contradict their literal implication.  And if we're honest, we must admit that we don't really live the life of the Beatitudes or even aspire to, and so we should honestly wrestle with them in applicable situations where their meaning might have some significant coherence.

Should anyone desire to be poor, sad, hungry, and persecuted and call such conditions blessed, or favorable?  This would be like wishing for bad luck.  To wish for such conditions for oneself might be regarded to be masochistic and such would be a significant pathology of poor psychological health.

The philosopher Nietzsche was so troubled by the logic of the Beatitudes, that he called them a system of slave morality.  The master morality for him was the preferred morality because it is honest to the will to power which expresses psychological health.  Nietzsche called this slave morality of the Beatitudes, a transvaluation of values, as in a switch to calling poverty, persecution, sadness, and hunger, good, and conversely designating wealth, happiness, being well fed, and popularity as bad.

I don't think that we should concede the meaning of the Beatitudes as being bad psychology or as the flipping of the morals of a good life on its head.

The Beatitudes appear in slightly different forms in two of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke.  Biblical scholars note that Matthew and Luke re-use the writings of the Gospel of Mark, but they also have access to another literary tradition, which scholars designate as "Q," meaning Quelle, or the German word for "source."  The Beatitudes occur in this "Q" source.

How might we understand the lifestyle significance of the Beatitudes?  I would call the Beatitudes, a Christly martial arts required by people who have conditions of oppression forced upon them.  They either have to adopt a winsome style of living in order to survive their oppressive conditions or die in open resistance.

For members of the churches at various times in the first centuries, the conditions of oppression were a fact of life.  How do we live when the powers that be threaten our very existence and our freedom to practice our faith?  How do we live winsomely, and fly under the radar to avoid being crushed to death?

Ironically, in colonial missionary work done after captor nations came to foreign lands, the Beatitude living was forced upon indigenous peoples.  In the oppressive practice of slavery, the slaves had the choice of living winsome lives for their slave masters or face horrendous consequences if they tried to resist or escape their slavery.  In these forced conditions, Nietzsche was right in calling it a "slave morality."  However, I think it is better called a profound martial arts lifestyle of living with the worst situation of life and doing it in such a ways as to be winsome, and even awe inspiring.  This does not mean that the conditions which required such heroic living is how the God who called us to love our neighbor as ourselves intended life to be.

So it is not enough for us to admire the heroic lifestyle of those who have been forced to live in conditions of oppression.   The Gospel means the good news of liberating the captive and the ending the conditions of oppression.

What should our response to the Beatitudes be now today?  It should be to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.  And what does loving our neighbor as ourselves mean?

It means ending poverty through sharing, it means comforting the sad and the mourning, it means ending bias, prejudice, and marginalization of people, it means everyone having enough to eat.

Let us today, be sad that the Beatitudes had to be an extreme martial arts lifestyle for oppressed people to survive.  Let us be thankful for those who have heroically lived this lifestyle and survived.  But let us be those who love God and our neighbors as ourselves and do all in our power to bring about the good news of the Gospel conditions of all having enough, all being comforted, adequately fed, and having their dignity affirmed.  This is what the beatitudes should mean to Christians who have wealth, power, and influence, because in the words of Jesus, "to whom much has been given, much is required."  The Gospel question of Jesus for us today, is what is required of us in loving our neighbor as ourselves.  Amen.

Sunday School, February 16, 2025 6 Epiphany C

  Sunday School, February 16, 2025    6 Epiphany C

Themes in a sermon

In martial arts like Karate, or in a soccer game many things can happen.  Some things are fortunate for your team and some things are lucky for the other team.  A game is full of free events.  Some things we can control and some things we can’t.  Sometimes we seem to be lucky and sometimes we don’t.

Life is like that.  We would like that only lucky things happened to us.  But life is not like that.  When we’re learning to walk as a child we fall and get bumps.  We also fall when we ride our bikes.  We scrape our knees.

Some people have to live with more bad things happening to them than others.  The people who were the friends of Jesus and his early followers had to live with some difficult circumstances.  What do we think about people who live with some very hard things and who seem to be happy and content?  What about a person who cannot walk and needs to use a wheel?  What if that person becomes a very good wheel chair basketball player and learns how to be joyful happy?   What do we think?  We think “Wow!”  This person is like a hero.

The words of Jesus in beatitudes were written for people who had to learn how to be happy and content even when lots of bad things were happening to them.

To be blessed is to learn how to be content and happy even when we are not lucky, even when everything is not always comfortable for us.

Jesus came to teach us to live by faith.  Faith is the ability to learn how to live with bravery and contentment no matter what happens to us.  Just like in the soccer game, we have to be able to play when we are winning or losing so in our lives we need to learn how to live with joy when it seems that we are winning or when it seems like for a short time we are losing.  To be blessed is to always live with this joy of just being able to play the game of life.

Liturgy:

Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist

February 16, 2025 The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: Father I Adore You, Blest are the pure in heart, God is so Good

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: Father, I Adore You (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 56)

Father, I adore you, lay my life before you, how I love you.

Jesus….

Spirit…

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

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

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

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

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

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

Liturgist: A reading from the prophet Jeremiah.

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. I the LORD test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 1

Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *

nor lingered in the way of sinners.

Their delight is in the law of the Lord, * and they meditate on his law, day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season,

with leaves that do not wither; * everything they do shall prosper.

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!

Birthdays:  Parker Andrews, Kendra Scott, Jillian Dent, Ashley Church

Anniversaries: Bob & Joyce Groth

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

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.

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 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 Hymn: Blest Are They #127 Renew!

Refrain: Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you.

               Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God!

Blest are they, the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of God.

Blest are they, full of sorrow; they shall be consoled. Refrain

Blest are they who show mercy: mercy shall be theirs.

Blest are they the pure of heart; they shall see God! Refrain

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: 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 Hymn: Blest Are the Pure in Heart, Hymn # 656, in the Blue Hymnal

1          Blest are the pure in heart, for they shall see our God;

            The secret of the Lord is theirs, their soul is Christ’s abode.

4          Lord, we thy presence seek: may ours this blessing be;

            Give us a pure and lowly heart, a temple fit for thee.

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

     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: God Is So Good  (All the Best Songs for Kids #31)

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.

He cares for me (3x), He’s so good to me.

I’ll do His will (3x), He’s so good to me.

He is my Lord (3x), He’s so good to me.

Dismissal:    

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

People: Thanks be to God!