Why take the Mass out of Christmas?

Christmas Eve         December 24, 2015  

Is. 9:2-4,6-7          Ps.96:1-4,11-12        

Titus 2:11-14        Luke 2:1-14  

Lectionary Link

Welcome to the most literal meaning of Christmas.  Christmas means Christ's Mass.  Mass is from the Latin word missa, which refers to the liturgy of the Holy Eucharist.  So Christmas literally means the Eucharist which the church gathers to celebrate on the Feast Day of the Holy Nativity.  And if this is the literal meaning of Christmas, we also know that much has been added to and subtracted from Christmas.

For example in many Christian Churches the Mass has been subtracted from Christmas because lots of Reformation churches gave up the Mass and what it meant for the Christians throughout the ages.  So there is no literal practice of Christmas by Christians who have given up having a Mass for the Feast of the Holy Nativity.  For many Reformation churches Christmas is the time to read the infancy narratives about Jesus since the Reformation for many meant the rejection of sacramental practices  and exclusively emphasizing the reading of Holy Scriptures.  And many of Reformed traditions have come to prefer the most plain or literal meanings of the words of the Christmas Story in Holy Scripture.  Many believe in an actual star crawling across the sky which are able to hover specifically over Bethlehem, rather than appreciating the rhetorical writing forms and genres which were used by the Gospel writers to write persuasively in their contexts.   And many of those same Reformation churches skip the Mass of Christmas, as some sort of misguided papist practice of meaningless ritualism.

Historical scholars would tell us that we have no way of confirming an actual birth date for Jesus.  The celebration of his birthdate on December 25 was a part of the evangelism of the early Church in replacing non-Christian local festivals with Christian events from the life of Jesus.  And at the winter solstice on the shortest day of the year, there needed to be continuity with the festivals of light for the begin of the return to the longer light of day.  In times when effective artificial light was lacking the power of and length of the time of darkness had a more pronounced spiritual and psychological affect upon people.  Having a strategic festival of light was good for social morale when long darkness dampened the mood, only made worse by extreme cold without modern central heating.

Christmas has added lots of secular and cultural celebrations even while subtracting the fact it is suppose to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Christmas generally incorporates all of the host of festivities  during the last month of the calendar year.  It turns out to be the commercial event of the year which keeps lots of businesses afloat for the rest of the year.  It is a bonanza for charities to ride the waves of giving and stock up their coffers for helping people at other times in the year when the public is not in such a giving mood. 

It is ironic how many secular Christmas songs were composed by Jews and so we can sing about  White Christmases,  a reindeer with a red nose, Silver Bells, chestnuts roasting on the fire,  and about being home for Christmas. Certainly non-Christians too have been able to profit on the popularity of the Christmas season, even while they have had to secularize the music to maintain their own freedom of being loyal members of minority religions in America. Think about how many recording artists have sold albums of Christmas music?  It is amazing how much music the Christmas event has inspired in all musical styles.  Old songs are rearranged rendered in all styles and new songs are written for the Christmas season.

In kiddie culture, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Baba Noel, St. Nick, or Santa Claus has seemingly replaced or over-shadowed Jesus.  A portly grandfatherly figure delivering gifts to children  plays to both children and adults who support the national past time of looking in on the delight and smiles of children, even if we go into debt to do so.

It is interesting too how Eurocentric Christmas is; the good people of Australia have not arrived at their winter solstice with the shortest day of the year.  They could have a feast of sunshine with their longest day of the year.

So here we are at the pinnacle of Christmas in a season which has received many additions and many subtractions.  And you can take the cynical route and despise it all.  You can simply pick and choose from the entire Christmas menu to your own taste.  You can say bah humbug to it all.  For me, I choose to acknowledge the person who could cause so much to accrue to the meanings of Christmas.   And I will pick and choose freely from the Christmas menu, but I will not neglect the literal meaning of Christmas, which is where we have arrived right now.

And so how is the literal Mass of Christ and the birth of Christ related?  How are this Event of Holy Eucharist and the infancy stories of Jesus related?

I would submit to you that the story of the birth of Christ and the practice of the Mass of Christ are both for the same metaphorical purpose.  And what might that be?  The purpose of the Mass of Christ and the Infancy Narrative derived from the Wisdom tradition of the church to transform the lives of people.

Why are you and I here tonight?  We are here to receive the body and blood of Christ under the bread and the wine.  And in so doing, the bread and the wine enters us and is broken down and is dissolved and it dissipates and aspects of it literally becomes us.  At some point the bread and the wine are no longer the bread and the wine, they are you and me.

And this is the central metaphor of the mystagogy of the early church.  Mystagogy is the teaching regarding the Mystery.  The mystery of the early church is that Christ is in the human person as the hope of God's glory.  The Greek word mysterion translated into Latin is the word sacrament.  The sacrament of this evening is the Eucharist, the Mass or the re-remembrance of the mystical presence of Christ having been born into our lives.  This is an event of the experience of the Higher Power, with the ability to transform our lives by giving us power to cease to do the bad things we no longer want to do; but also giving us power to engage in the new and creative directions for our lives.

With the sacrament, the metaphors are actually physical elements of bread and wine which are recreated when the creating words of Jesus are said over them.  They become  then within us the realization of the always already presence of Christ.  This is the arising the original image of God upon our lives and we are to continually practice this realized presence because if we forget the image and presence of God in Christ in our lives we can fall into acting in less than human ways, in fact some inhumane ways, or in benignly neglectful ways, or in the apathy of guilty silence in not speaking out against injustice.   If we live realizing the presence of the image of our original goodness and blessing then we in empathy treat everyone as those who bear that same image of God and are worthy to be treated with dignity.

Now while many churches have dropped the Mass from their Christmas, they can pretend to be more Christian and more literal by reading the Christmas story as being literal events in all of its recounted details.  And what they miss is the fact that the Christmas story is also the mystagogy or teaching about the mystery of Christ in us.  The Christmas story was the coded version of the practice of spiritual transformation in the early church.

The Christmas stories in the Gospel were some of the last literature to come to writing in the composition of New Testament writings.  The successful Christian churches were groups of people who met in private situations throughout the cities of the Roman Empire.  They encoded the mystagogy of their spiritual practice within the Gospel stories as a way for a Christian to be initiated into the Christian spiritual practice.  The story was to be the encoding of the mystical experience of having one's life over-shadowed by the Holy Spirit and in this over-shadowing one experienced the event of the life of God being realized or coming to birth within oneself.  Thus the cry, "Christ in you, the hope of Glory."  This event of Glory is an event of such internal self-esteem, one does not need to over-compensate in a vain search for the elusive "fifteen minutes of fame."  St. Paul wrote, "I no longer live, but Christ lives within me."  And the early church encoded this message within the Christmas story.

And so in the Christmas story, the early mystagogy, the sacramental story, is encoded in the life of the Virgin Mary.  The Virgin Mary is the paradigm of every Christian who has been initiated into the experience of having the life of Christ being born within them.

And so the Mass of Christ, Christmas, is an event of both word and sacrament.  In the words of the Christmas story, it is encoded that the life of Christ is born with us by the power of the Holy Spirit.  And in the Mass of Christ, the bread and the wine are another form of realization and practice of the fact that the life of Christ is within us.

Thank you for being here tonight for the most literal meaning of Christmas.  With all that Christmas has become in our world, there is no reason to subtract the Mass from Christmas.  Christ in us is the Hope of Glory.  Emmanuel an ancient name assigned to Jesus, means that God with us.  These truths have been renewed tonight in this holy feast and so I say to you tonight....Merry Christ...Mass.  Merry Christmas.  Amen. 

Lessons and Carols, a very Child Friendly version

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

December 20, 2015: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Service of Lessons and Carols

Opening Carol: The Little Drummer Boy

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum, A newborn King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum,

To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So, to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum, when we come.

Abigail: A Bidding Prayer:

Dear People who love God:  Christmas Season is approaching so let us renew our lives by hearing the Christmas Story.  Let us hear the message of the Angels.  Let us go to Bethlehem and see the baby Jesus lying in the manger.  But let us also review the long story of our salvation.  Let us remember that God created us.  Let us ponder why we have the tendency to sin.  But let us remember that God redeemed us from our sins by promising a special Savior and sending us the special Savior Jesus Christ.  Let us also thank God for all of the good things in life that we enjoy and remember those in this world who do not have enough food, clothing or shelter.  Let us remember those who suffer because of war and fighting and human cruelty.  Let us also remember with thanksgiving the blessed Mother of Jesus, Mary and let us remember the great number in the family of Christ who share the same hope that we do, now and evermore.  Amen.

William R. : The First Story In Salvation History:  God Creates Man and Woman

In the beginning God created the world.  After creating the sun, moon, the stars, the plants and the animals, God created a man and a woman who were named Adam and Eve.  Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful garden call Eden.  Since Adam and Eve had the ability to talk, they were given the job of naming everything.  And God told Adam and Eve to take good care of their beautiful garden. 

Anthem: Who Put the Colors in the Rainbow?

William Zahrt : The Second Story in Salvation History: How Good and Bad Came to the World

God created Adam and Eve as innocent people in a perfect world.  God created Adam and Eve to be able to make free choices.  God did not make them to be like robots who could not make their own decisions.  God gave Adam and Eve a test so they could know that they had real freedom of choice.  He told them that they could not eat the fruit from one tree in the middle of the garden.  God allowed a very sneaky serpent to talk to Eve and Adam.  The serpent told them that they could be like God if they ate the fruit that God told them not to eat.  Eve was tricked into eating and she tricked Adam into eating the fruit too.  Perhaps that fruit was an apple or a pomegranate.  So Adam and Eve knew that they had freedom to choose, but they made the wrong choice.  Since imperfect people could not live in the perfect garden, they had to leave the garden.  They started a family and began to farm, but they missed the beautiful garden.

Choral Anthem: Adam in the Garden, West Indies

Adam in the garden, hidin’, hidin’, hidin’, hidin’, hidin’, hidin’. 

Adam in the garden, hidin’, hidin’, hidin’ from the Lord.

Tell me where is Adam hidin’, hidin’, hidin’, hidin’, hidin’.

Tell me where is Adam hidin’ from the Lord.

Sam Zahrt: The Third Story of Salvation History: A special person from the family tree of Jesse

The prophet Isaiah said that a special person would be born from the family tree of Jesse, King David’s father.  This special person would have God’s Spirit upon Him and He would begin to be a wise leader.  The prophet Isaiah wrote about a vision of wolves and lambs being able to play together because some day no animal will harm another animal and men and women will live in peace.

Carol: Baa, Baa, Little Lamb (Tune: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep)

Baa, baa, little lamb, did you lose your way?  Yes sir, yes sir, I was lost today.

Far from my shepherd, far from my home.  Far from my flock, I ran off alone.

Baa, baa, little lamb, did you lose your way?  Yes sir, yes sir, I was lost today.

Baa, baa, little lamb, who found you? My Good Shepherd who loves you too.

Left His flock of ninety-nine, Looked for me with love so kind.

Baa, baa, little lamb, your Shepherd looked for you.  Yes sir, yes sir, And He found me too.

Dear little children, does your Shepherd love you?  Yes sir, yes sir, He loves you too.

If we sin and go from Him, Jesus brings us back to Him.

Dear little children your Shepherd loves you.  Yes sir, yes sir, and He loves you too.

Leila: The Fourth Story of Salvation History:  A voice will cry out in the wilderness to prepare the way

The prophet Isaiah said that a voice would cry out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord.  This voice would announce the coming of one who would be a strong and good Shepherd.  The voice belonged to John the Baptist who help to announce the importance of Jesus Christ.

Carol: When the King Shall Come Again (tune: Good King Wenceslas)

1.When the King shall come again all his power revealing;

splendor shall announce his reign, life and joy and healing:

earth no longer in decay, hope no more frustrated;

this is God's redemption-day longingly awaited.

2.  In the desert trees take root, fresh from God's creation;

plants and flowers and sweetest fruit join the celebration.

Rivers spring up from the earth, barren lands adorning:

valleys, this is your new birth; mountains, greet the morning!

Tristan: The Fifth Story of Salvation History: A Promised Child Named Emmanuel

The prophet Isaiah promised that a sign would be given to God’s people.  A child would be born to a young woman and his name would be called Emmanuel, which means, God is with us.  Emmanuel is another name for Jesus because when he was born, he was proof that God was with us.

Divine Jubilation: O Come, O Come Emmanuel,  arr. Helen Runkle

Alexander: The Sixth Story of Salvation History: The Angel Gabriel Delivers a Message to Mary

The Angel Gabriel came to Mary one day in the city of Nazareth.  She was surprised to see the Angel.  The Angel told her not to be afraid because God was going to give her a very special child who would be called the Son of God.  And Mary said, “Let it be according to your word.”  And Mary obeyed God.

Carol: Mary and the Angel (Tune: Reuben and Rachel)

Mary, Mary, look beside you.  There’s an angel standing there! 

It is Gabriel, sent from heaven with Good News for you to hear.

Mary, Mary, don’t be frightened.  God is with you favored one.

You will have a little baby, Jesus Christ, God’s own dear Son.

“How can this be?” Mary wondered. “ I’ve not married anyone.”

“God can do all things,” said Gabriel. “The baby will be God’s own Son.”

“As you say, “ then Mary answered, “As God says, so let it be.”

We join Mary in her praises; Jesus came for you and me.”

           

Rylie: The Seventh Story of Salvation History: Jesus is born in Bethlehem

Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem to register to pay taxes.  While they were there, they tried to get a room at an inn but there was no room for them.  So they had to spend the night in a stable.  While they were in the stable, Mary gave birth to the little baby Jesus.  That same night shepherds came to the stable because the Angels in the sky had told them about the birth of a special Christ Child who would bring peace on earth.

Choral Anthem:  Gaudete,  Latin Chant

Catherine: The Eighth Story of Salvation History: Angels tell the shepherds to come to the manger

When future kings are born it is announced throughout the kingdom.  When Jesus was born a choir of angels announced his birth in the heavens.  When the shepherds heard the angels announce the birth of Jesus, they were told to go to the manger and worship the Christ Child.  They obeyed and went to be the first visitors to see baby Jesus.

Carol: Christ Was Born In Bethlehem  (Tune: Michael Row the Boat)

1.         Christ was born in Bethlehem, Hallelujah. Born to save us from our sin.  Hallelujah.

2.         Songs of joy the angel sang, hallelujah.  To see Jesus shepherds ran, Hallelujah.

3.         Every girl and every boy, hallelujah, Join us in our song of joy, Hallelujah.

 Caroline: The Ninth Story of Salvation History: Jesus is called the Word of God

The writer of the Gospel of John calls Jesus the Word of God.  And as the Word of God, Jesus was with God from before the beginning of time and he was God before the beginning of time.  The Word of God became the man Jesus who was born into this world.  And many people did not accept this man Jesus but those who received him became children of God.

Solo:  Silent Night,  Rebecca O’Donnell, pianist

 Priya: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John     (Please stand)

     Reponse: Praise to you Lord Christ.   At the end: Glory to you Lord, Christ

The Peace of the Lord be with you always.

People:                        And also with you.

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

Offertory Anthem:   ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime , Divine Joy Handbell Choir

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist.

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give him 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 Rachel.

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

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

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

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

  this food and drink that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we can we 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 (Sung): (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 by 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 Anthem:  Like a Child,   by Daniel Charles Damon    

 Chancel Choir

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 Carol: Good Christian Friends Rejoice (Blue Hymnal #107)

Good Christian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice; give ye heed to what we say:  Jesus Christ is born today; ox and ass before him bow, and he is in the manger now.  Christ is born today!  Christ is born today!

Good Christian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice; now ye hear of endless bliss;  Jesus Christ was born for this!  He hath opened heaven’s door, and we are blest for evermore.  Christ was born for this!  Christ was born for this!

Dismissal: Blessing for Advent and Christmas

The Almighty God bless us with his grace; Christ give us the joys of everlasting life; and to the fellowship of the citizens above may the King of angels bring us all.  Amen.

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Sunday School, December 20, 2015 4 Advent C

Sunday School, December 20, 2015     4 Advent C

Mothers who are Expecting Babies and A Song

If you have an expectant mother in the parish, invite her to come and talk about how she might feel while expecting a baby.

On this day, we read the account of the visit of Elizabeth with her Cousin Mary.  They are both expecting babies.  And because we know the end of the story, we know that both babies are going to be special prophets from God.

Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.  When John the Baptist was not yet born he did what unborn babies often do, he moved or jumped while he was still in his mother’s “stomach.”  But he did a special leap when Elizabeth saw her cousin Mary who was expecting the baby Jesus.

The writers of the Gospel showed that even when John the Baptist was not yet born, he had a way of recognizing the importance of Jesus.  This was the writer’s way of trying to convince the followers of John the Baptist to become followers of Jesus Christ after John had died.

Sometimes when we are looking for heroes, we look for one to come from the same family and from the same place.  So when the Gospel writers were telling the story of Jesus they looked to Bethlehem and the family of King David.  They wanted to show how Jesus was a hero who was in the family tree of David and they wanted to show how Jesus was from the same town as David, the town of Bethlehem.

Sometimes when a writer writes a song, they write a song because something very special happens to them.

In the story of the visit between Elizabeth and Mary we have the Song of Mary.  This song is about about special Mary felt.  She knew that God had given her a special child who would do something very special in this world to inspire people to live in love and justice.  The Song of Mary is used in our worship in church.  It is often used when we say Morning Prayer.  And it is used at the feasts we have to celebrate the life of the Virgin Mary.

Have you ever had something wonderful happen to you when you were inspired to write a poem, a song or a story?

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
December 20, 2015: The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Gathering Songs: Light a Candle; Jesus Stand Among Us,  Peace Before Us; Thy Word,  When the Saints

Lighting of the Advent Candle:   Light a Candle
Light a candle for hope today, Light a candle for hope today, light a candle for hope today.           Advent time is here.
Light a candle for peace today..3. Love…  4.Joy

             
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 Stand Among Us, Renew! #17

1-Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

2-So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

3-Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.


Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, 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 Prophet  Micah

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me  one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

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

Liturgist: Let us read together from the Song of Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *  for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *  the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

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.

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

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: Peace Before Us (Wonder, Love and Praise,  # 791)
Peace before us.  Peace behind us.  Peace under our feet.  Peace within us.  Peace over us.  Let all around us be Peace.  Love,  Light, Christ

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: Thy Word, (Renew! #94)

Refrain: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path
1-When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way, still you’re right beside me.  And nothing will I fear as long as you are near.  Please be near me to the end.  Refrain.

2-I will not forget your love for me, and yet my heart forever is wandering.  Jesus, be my guide and hold me to your side; and I will love you to the end.  Refrain

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: O When the Saints, (The Christian Children’s Songbook, # 248)

O when those saints, go marching in, Oh, when those saints go marching in, Lord I want to be in that number when the saint go marching in.

Boys….. 3.  Girls  4.  Saints

Dismissal:   

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

  

The Song of Mary as One's Own Song

4 Advent C     December 20, 2015

Micah 5:2-4   Song of Mary     

Heb.10:5-10   Luke 1:39-56

Lectionary Link
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

  
   Expectant moms, Elizabeth and Mary get together to exchange stories.  One can project our modern penchant for documenting accuracy upon this encounter by assuming that Mary just pushed the record button on her iPhone as she waxes eloquent in the spontaneous Song of Mary.  Or one can assume that Mary wrote it down herself on the spot or at a later time.  Or one could assume that she recounted it to someone in the early church to write down.  Or one could assume it was a composition of someone in the Lucan church community who was familiar with the song and poetic tradition of Hannah, the barren mother who conceived and bore the famous judge Samuel.  It is always nicer to enjoy the assumptions that things really did happen in exactly the way in which the Gospel of Luke recounts the setting of the composition of the Song of Mary.  On the other hand, one does not do damage to the Christian message with an understanding of the Song of Mary being a song which expresses the beatific vision of every Christian who through the process of mystagogy realized the conception and the birth of Christ within one's life.  After all, Paul who wrote before the Gospels were written, wrote that Christ lived so much within him that he did not know if his inside "I" was he or Christ.  He also stated that Christ in you, is the hope of glory.  And so the mystagogy is placed within the Gospel story of Mary conceiving the life of Jesus within her through the action of the Holy Spirit.  And  when another person recognized the significance of such a conception, there results a song of mystical union, the Song of Mary.  It is Mary's song, because of the literal birth of Jesus, but it is also the song of everyone who has had the mystical experience of the life of Christ born within themselves.

  Song, poetry and art have their own self authenticating reality.  Interpreters make a mistake if they take the words of song and poetry and try to find one to one corresponding empirical events in the external worlds because poetry exudes a hope which has the expression of perfecting bliss unattainable in the physical world.  The experience of bliss is actually attaining the unattainable.

  The Song of Mary, the famous Magnificat might be seen as something like a Broad Way Musical called the Song of the Visitation of Blessed Mary.    Two women sharing women-only secrets of being a person with a person-to-be within them, the blessed estate of being with child.  Mary and Elizabeth sharing a special irony on the world as expectant moms with babies of destiny within them.  What mom does not dream about the providential destiny of her babe?  But Mary and Elizabeth are two women who are revisited and become the pleasing prose and poetic puppets of the preachers of the early church to present the message of the spirituality of the church's practice.  Mary and Elizabeth become the teaching foils of the early church.

  The event in the face value of the words present a pleasing "as if" charming story onto which the beauty of shared gestational joy can be projected but it ultimately has to give way to appreciating it as the prose and poetry of the early church.

  The prose of the Visitation is the appeal of the followers of Jesus to the followers of John the Baptist, in short saying, "Even when John was a fetus in his mother's womb, he jumped with excitement to know that the one who would be born after him would be his successor."  And if John, used fetal gymnastics to send a message through his mother Elizabeth to Mary, then surely the followers of John the Baptist could come into the experience of the different kind of baptism of Jesus Christ.  John baptized with the waters of the Jordan River; Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus would send as the Risen and Ascended Christ, an over-shadowing of the Holy Spirit and conceive the mystical experience of the birth of Christ into any soul willing to accept invitations of such an impending conception of a new divine life coming into one's life.

  The mystical experience of having the life of Christ born within oneself and to know like Paul, that, It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives within me; this experience is the kind of experience which inspires the poetry of the Song of Mary.

  Mary is the paradigm in story form of the mystical birth experience of Christ into the life of a person.  And in this mystical birth experience there is the occasion for ecstatic utterance, the poetry of the divinized inwards of a person pours forth.  St. Paul actually believed that he was given suffering to keep him humble in light of the expansive mystical experiences which he had.  Mystical experiences authenticate themselves and inspire excessive language.  It is a language that makes a person seem like being nakedly exposed unless someone has experience something akin to such a spiritual awaking.

   In the spiritual experience of the birth of Christ within oneself, one experiences such smallness because of the overwhelming oceanic engulfing presence of God.  Yes, one can easily commit humility and resort to using the courtly term Lord, for the One who is so superior one feels totally comfortable with groveling.

  So much of religious discussion turns out to be selfish conversation about being saved or salvation; in the mystical experience one is less concerned by one's selfish sense of salvation.  One is overwhelmed by the Savior and the favor that one feels because of being approached to have a relationship with the Savior.

  One feels blessed, as in blessed are the poor in spirit, because one feels warmed by a much Greater Spirit.  The experience is so indelible that it makes one confess its eternality.  All generations will call me blessed, not because we want rosary prayers said to us perpetually, but because we have an experience of the everlasting.

  The experience is an event of grace; one does not feel like one has done anything to deserve it.  And one feels like one has been given permission to call the king and president by their first name, or the secret hidden names that lovers only use in arousal.  Holy is God's name or special in the event of such loving communion.

  The mystical event inspires uncontrollable confessions.  This God and lover is not just for me; this lover has mercy on everyone who looks on with awestruck heart for Great love.

  The mystical event inspires us to say things which we do not really believe have been verified in empirical experience, like, the strength of God's arm in scattering the conceitful proud.  The event allows one to experience a parallel reality of heaven not yet realized in my actual earth.  Too many of the lowly are still lowly and the powerful ones on their thrones still tyrannize the lowly.  But not in the orgasm of mystical experience.  In the experience one is assumed into the parallel heavenly realm to confess the will of heaven, not yet done on earth.   In this state of heavenly assumptions, tables are turned, justice is realize, the hungry are fed, the rich are given the experience of empathy with the poor.

  And one experiences Israel as symbol for heavenly citizenry, because the actual earthly Israel has mostly been the quest of the favored and chosen ones in search of an actual hospitable place to live in perpetual peace, something which has only been sporadic and short-lived in actual earthly experience.

  And this promise was given to Abraham but why not just say also to Adam and Eve?  The promise is so available that it is co-extensive with human experience as it has come to be stated in human language.  The promise of the arising of the divine image upon one's life is always already and whether Abraham or Confucius are figureheads of one's ancient lineage, the point is that the divine image upon humanity has a way of becoming manifest within all peoples and races.

  Mary, and her song is the witness and a poem of the ecstatic birth of Christ within oneself as an event of the arising of the image of God upon the human soul.

  And so we prepare ourselves for the specific season of Christmas, because the possibility of Christmas as the event of the birth of Christ within us is an always, already reality.

  I wish for all the ecstatic reality of the Song of Mary.  Amen.

No Legacy Salvation

3 Advent C     December 13, 2015

Zeph 3:14-20  Canticle 9         

Phil.4:4-9    Luke 3:7-18

Lectionary Link

  John the Baptist and Jesus were Jews.  They were teachers who gained followers.  They were reformers within Judaism in their own time.  When John and Jesus are presented in conversation and dialogue with the Scribes, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians, it is clear that the other Jewish parties regarded them to be significant players as being the heads of rival religious parties within Judaism.
  John the Baptist and Jesus were Jews preaching for reform within Judaism.  But what happened?  After the post-resurrection appearances of Christ, the message of Christ appealed more to Gentile audiences within the cities of the Roman Empire.  The message of the Gospel and the method of spiritual practice was able to build communities and to provide homes away from home for those who were are part of the rapid urbanization occurring in the movement of peoples in the Roman Empire. 
  After the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, the priests of Judaism lost their place of occupation.  The residents of Jerusalem had to flee and the rabbis had to re-gather the Jews in places outside of Jerusalem.  They had to maintain Judaism without the Temple.  They had to save Jews and Judaism by preserving Jewish identity from all of the Roman and Gentile influences.
  So while Paul and Peter and other Jews were fascinated by the appeal of the Gospels among the non-Jewish Roman citizenry, they retained their connection with Judaism while proclaiming that the Risen Christ meant that Gentiles were not obligated to follow strict Jewish religious ritual practice.  While Peter and Paul wanted to reform Judaism to accept Jesus as the Messiah, this did not happen for the majority of Jews who belonged to the other significant Jewish parties, like the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
  So once the Christian community had become increasingly a Gentile community, and the Christian communities had separated from the synagogue, how did the Christian Church present John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth?  How did a church that had become a Gentile church present Jesus and John the Baptist who were very much Jews?
  Jesus and John the Baptist were presented as prophets who wanted to reform the practices of Judaism.  They were presented as being in open disagreement with all of the religious parties which remained in the synagogues after the post-resurrection appearance of Christ.
  John the Baptist was shown to be a Jewish prophet who had an ax to grind with the Jews who were Pharisees and Sadducees.  John called them a "brood of vipers."  This was like the language which Jesus used.  He called his religious opponents "white washed tombs."  Brood of vipers is a subtle way of saying that you are offspring of the serpent, that original liar.  Jesus was quoted as saying that those who opposed him were children of the devil, the father of lies.
  Why do you think that so much of the language of Jesus and John the Baptist is the language of polemics.  A polemic is rather harsh and cutting critique of one's opponents.  If Jesus said that we were supposed to love our enemies, how was it that he and John the Baptist spoke so harshly against the religious parties of the Pharisees and Sadducees?
  To understand the harsh polemic of Jesus and John the Baptist, one has to understand that the Gospel words of Jesus and John the Baptist are interpretations and presentations of them by later Christian churches.  The Christian churches had leaders who wrote and preached the Gospel words; they were leaders of communities which were growing in success.  They were in communities which had increasingly split from the synagogues.  They were in communities which came to consist of more Gentile members than Jewish members.
  The Gospel writings are presentations of the Christian communities trying to show the seeds and origins of the separation of Christians from the synagogue. 
  The Gospel writers were showing that the origins of separation began with John the Baptist.  He had a great following, a movement within Judaism.  His movement was formed because he had a disagreement with other sects within Judaism.  And these disagreements later grew into the disagreements which Jesus also had with the members of the other religious parties within Judaism.
  And what was one of the major disagreements between John the Baptist and the other Jewish religious parties.  John the Baptist proclaimed that there was "no legacy salvation."  All of us know about what is called legacy entrance to Yale or Harvard.  It's when you don't have the good grades but because you come from a prominent family, you are given a legacy entrance into Yale or Harvard.
  John the Baptist said to the Jews, "You don't have legacy salvation with God just because you are a Jew who is practicing ritual purity.  You don't get automatic salvation by the luck of being born into the right family."
  And if one does not have legacy salvation by being born into the right family, how does one have religious standing with God?  How can one feel like one has good standing with God?
  John the Baptist said, "Repentance is the proof of one's salvation."  Salvation is proven when we perform acts of salvation, like sharing our excess food and clothing rather than hoarding for ourselves, or being honest in our vocations."  Jesus and John the Baptist are presented in the Gospels as those who opposed legacy salvation.  They are those who proposed that one could know salvation when one performed the proof of salvation in deeds of faith, charity and merit.
  The early Christian churches were communities where Jews and Gentiles were no longer enemies.  They practiced the love for one another which had formerly been disapproved by people who were separated by religion and ethnicity.
  The Gospel presentation of John the Baptist is a message from the early church about the end of any notion of legacy salvation.  If anyone was presenting God as someone who belonged exclusively to their own ethnic community, then this was a false presentation of God.
  The Christ-centered Judaism presented by the leaders of the early church was received by the Gentile communities of the Roman Empire and this movement which rejected the notion of legacy salvation eventually took over the entire empire, while at the same time Judaism remained in rather small and isolated synagogue communities.  The Gospels are writings about how the early Christian leaders believed their movement to be the end of the notion of legacy salvation.
  Yet legacy salvation has happened over and over again.  It is the automatic salvation which anyone assumes one has by being a cradle born Episcopalian, or Baptist, or Catholic or Lutheran.  Martin Luther essentially challenged the practice of legacy salvation practiced in the Catholic church of his time; he said one had to be saved by faith, or by having an individual faith experience.  But even the individual faith experience can turn into legacy salvation as well.  Baptists believe in individual experience of faith, but still by the age of six or seven we all seemed to have the automatic experiences of faith that were expected of us by our families.
  Should we be cynical about our legacy salvation experience?  No, we should be grateful for any circumstance which has taught us to love God and our neighbors, but at the same time we cannot use our group identity to feel smugly better than anyone else.  In the end we should be less concern about selfish salvation and more concerned about performing the salvatory acts of love and kindness and justice to others in our world.
  People asked John, how can I feel saved?  John said, "Perform the acts of salvation because that is when one knows that the power of salvation has actually possessed one's life."  And this is good advice for us in our season of Advent.  Let us perform the acts of salvation through the love and kindness of our lives.  Amen.