God Baptized into Human Experience; We into Divine Experience

1 Epiphany  c       January 10, 2016   

Isaiah 43:1-7                Psalm 29       

Acts 8:14-17       Luke 3:15-17,21-22

Lectionary Link
 Today the Gospel reading invites us to ask ourselves about the meaning of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.  In his own time Jesus was not known as the person who became known as Son of God, Son of Man, Messiah and many other titles.  The Gospels were written after Jesus had already become known as the Risen Christ and the followers of the Risen Christ were trying to re-tell the story of Jesus with the knowledge of their own experience.  How does one re-tell the story of Jesus after he has become known in a much different way than how he was known in his actual time on earth?  The re-told story has to become a blend of the past with lots of interspersed clues which indicate that the greatness of Jesus was there from the beginning and it was there even when people did not fully know about it or understand it.
  One of things which we know is that many of the disciples of Jesus had formerly been disciples of John the Baptist.  But we know that all of the followers of John the Baptist did not immediately begin to follow Jesus after John the Baptist had gone.
  Of all of the Jewish sects, the members of the followers of John the Baptist were most likely to be ready to follow Jesus.  The Gospels were written largely with the followers of John the Baptist in mind.  So there had to be an event to show that John the Baptist was handing on the baton of leadership to his successor.  And this had to be shown while showing the highest respect for John the Baptist.
  If Jesus is shown to be a disciple of John the Baptist, then no greater respect could be shown by followers of Jesus than to show John as perhaps a mentor in the life of Jesus.  And so the community of John the Baptist was shown to be the proto-church, the fellowship of people which would later help to form churches both in Palestine and in the cities throughout the Roman Empire.
  John the Baptist, baptized using a water rite and a ritual initiation into the lifestyle which he was preaching.  What the Gospel writers were showing to the community of John the Baptist was that John was so wonderful that many people thought that he could be the messiah.  But John did not believe that he was the messiah;  he did however come into the insights of his life together with a bit younger colleague, Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus was not ashamed of his relationship with John the Baptist; Jesus expressed his complete solidarity with John the Baptist and John's community by requesting that John baptize him in the Jordan River.
  John and Jesus had great mutual respect for each other.  The Gospel writers highlighted this mutual respect as a way to make the case that the community of John of the Baptist could become the community of Jesus Christ without compromising their original allegiance to John the Baptist.
  The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a celebration of the relationship between John and Jesus and a celebration of the members of the community of John who were becoming members of the community of Jesus Christ.
  If we impose upon Jesus in his own time, the later meanings and confessions of Jesus Christ then might tend to see Jesus as only the Son of God and not as a person who was fully in solidarity with humanity.
  The later church confessed about Christ that God emptied the divine life into a very human being and gave up equality of God.  This principle expresses that the life of God which is greater than human life cannot be known by human being unless it becomes completely translated and reduced into human experience and human language so that men and women could know that the life of God was knowable by human beings.
  When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the church understood this to be an expression of God becoming completely converted to humanity.  When Jesus was baptized by John, it was saying that God had completely passed over into human experience.  God was completely humble in being willing to be known in human experience.
  And why did this conversion of God to humanity happen?  And why was this "reverse" baptism of Jesus into humanity proclaimed in the Gospel?
  In the very old theology of the orthodox churches there is a theological principle stated as "theosis" or divinization.   It is stated in this way:  God became completely human in Jesus Christ, so that men and women might attain their divinization.  God became completely baptized into solidarity with humanity so that men and women might realize their baptism into divinity as baptism of the Holy Spirit.
  Jesus is still being baptized today.  God is still being converted completely into the human situations of your life and mine, even in this world with its diversity of blissful delights and terrible messes.  This conversion of God, this baptism of Christ into earthly experience is part of the divine seduction to get you and me to accept a baptism into the life of God which has been planted within us.  It was planted within us as the image of God upon us since creation but that image is so easily lost and forgotten and covered up by being raised in such imperfect environments.  When John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit, he was confessing what the early church believed about the discovery of the birth of Christ within their lives.
  So today, let us rejoice in this intersection of baptisms.  Jesus became baptized symbolizing God in solidarity with human experience, so that men and women could become baptized into the waters of divinity.
  God crossed the waters to arrive completely on the human side of the river in Jesus Christ;  Jesus Christ in turned has baptized us to take us to the other side of the river, the side of the heavenly divine.
  Let us rejoice in this incredible Christian confession in the baptism of Jesus.  God became completed converted to humanity so that humanity might become more and more completely converted to what the life of the divine means for you and me.
  As we remember our baptism today, let us remember that we are on the journey to become more godly while being fully honest about our full humanity.  And let us invite others to be on this journey with us today.  Let us invite others to be baptized and ford the rivers toward the side the heavenly divine.  Amen.

 Today is the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ and obviously an occasion to speak about baptism.  And one can think about the question asked by the young child regarding the baptism of Jesus.  Did Jesus become a Christian at his baptism?  There was of course, no Christianity at the time of the baptism of Jesus.  A more relevant question would have to do with the community of John the Baptist.  Did the baptism of Jesus signal a connection between Jesus and the community of John the Baptist?  What was the meaning of the baptism of John the Baptist for all who were baptized by him and what is the meaning of the baptism of Jesus?  What is the meaning of baptism?  In Judaism, there was the practice of proselyte baptism when someone converted to Judaism.  It would be true to say that baptism has accrued meanings and a variety of practices in its history in the religions of the world.

  Baptism involves the use of water, a truly universal substance.  We cannot help but be “water” people, even if we live in the desert.  Our bodies are 50 to 65 percent water,  so getting external water converted into body water is important for our survival.  But our use of water externally is very important too.  For bathing; water is necessary for keeping ourselves clean.  But then there is also irrigation for farming and there are large bodies of water for transportation, not to mention our use of water in our play.

  We also can know water as a threat and it can kill; the flood, the storm and water as a barrier to cross are prominent themes in the Scriptures.  Water can symbolize the Void, the Abyss and the chaotic.

  Living by and with and for water is perhaps a major feature of human life.  It is not surprising that water would be the substance used for our orientation into the community that helps to form our identity.  As humans, we are not technically amphibians; we are voluntary amphibians in that we selective choose how we want to live with and in the water.

  If amphibians are water and land beings, what kind of beings are human beings?  The sweeping biblical cosmology proclaims human beings as land and spirit beings.  Being made of dust and deity sums up the human spiritual psychology.  From dust we have our bodies; from the breath of God’s Spirit we have our interior life of the Word, the life that we call our soul-life.  We live in a physical world and we live in and from an interior world of Word.

  To become fully human means that we discover ourselves to be more than our physical existence; we discover ourselves to be more than our instinctual existence; we discover ourselves to be made to live with the sublime, the uncanny, the wonderful and the awesome.

  In the Christian baptismal rite, we celebrate our birth, our very existence in the two realms of life.  And baptism is always a baptism of repentance; a baptism of education.  In baptism we proclaim that we are not perfect but perfectible; we can always become better.  Perfection always has a future for us.  In baptism we proclaim that we are ready to live towards our spiritual identity with God even while we do not deny our bodies; we bring them along too as the houses to be dwelling places for God on this earth.

  In the baptismal rite we proclaim what our cosmology is; what we believe about God and what we believe about our destiny.  We proclaim that being perfectible is enhanced by the practice of forgiveness.  We proclaim that we can imagine a glorious future of endless possibilities even as we accept daily the limitation of what becomes actual in our lives towards the realization of hope.  In baptism we practice the dynamic interaction of person within community.  As a person who is not isolated we ask the community to teach, inculcate, educate, mark, impress, us with its very best values.  In baptism, each of us says to the community, “move over and make room for me and the gifts that I have to offer.”  In baptism, the community says to us, “Check your ego at the door and let others into your life and join with them to prove that more than be done together than can be done in isolation.”  Baptism is a recognition of this person in community dynamic that defines our entire life. So baptism is not a cute little sprinkling of water on a baby’s head as a photo op for the baby book.  It is a proclamation and a launching of a person into the basic dynamic of life, namely, person within community.

  So how indeed is the baptism of Jesus different than ours?  If Jesus did not become a Christian at his baptism, what did he become, or what do we believe is expressed in the baptism of Jesus?

  The Orthodox Church has an expression: In Christ God become human so that humans might become divinized.  The baptism of Jesus is part of the narrative of solidarity of God with humanity.  Our belief in the incarnation; our belief that Christ is God is the narrative expression of the acceptance of human experience as a valid way for us to come to know the extra-human life of God through God’s Spirit.  In the narrative of Jesus Christ we proclaim that there is a way to live human life like amphibians or as those who live in two realms.  In the narrative of Jesus Christ, we accept the parallel existence of an inner Spirit-Word realm which can flood our physical lives with a quality of living that can only be expressed with words loaded with extreme meaning, words such as love, joy, hope, peace and faith.  And though such experiences that bring us the sublime occasions to use such words can never be fully spiritual, we know that our physical world can be flooded with the Spirit so that we can know an elevation towards hope, love, joy and peace.

  Our lives are fulfilled in the discovery of our being in this world as Spirit and Body. And this discovery has a community narrative in the event of the baptism of Jesus.  The celebration of this event and the practice of baptism provide the occasions for us to remember always our spiritual destiny in life.

  It is not enough to just regard baptism as a church requirement; we need to see the profound meaning that surfaces in the event of the baptism of Jesus and in the practice of the rite of Christian baptism.

  May God grant us grace as we live as persons within community.  May we bless our communities with our gifts.  May we join our gifts with the gifts of other to multiply the possible good outcomes.  May we have the humility to check our egos at the door; and may the community not force upon our lives cookie cutter limited stereo-types of what people should be.  And may God bless us as we endeavor to make creative advances in love and justice in our world.  This is the life of baptism as given to us by Jesus who himself was baptized.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 10, 2016 1 Epiphany C

Sunday School, January 10, 2016   1 Epiphany C

The theme is the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.  It is also a baptismal occasion within the church.

If the parish has baptismal candidates then it is important for children to be there to witness it and renew their own vows.  If there are no baptismal candidates then there may be an renewal of baptismal vows.

Explore the very basic meaning of baptism.

Use the analogy of having two families, the family of one’s natural birth or adoption.  One’s baptismal family in its most general sense is being a member of the family of God by virtue of our belief that we have been made in God’s image.

What does being made in God’s image mean?

Sometimes children look like their parents in shape of nose, color of eyes and other ways.  Children are born in some ways in the image of their parents but they are not their parents.

Each person is born in the image of God and so each person has the image of God in them as what we call our spirits.  So in spiritual ways we can be like God our heavenly parent even though we are not God.

We have to know about being made in the image of God.  We have to know that we are spiritual people.

Holy Baptism is a celebration of our having been born into the family of God.  But we are also recognized as being born in the family of Christ since Jesus was God’s special Son who came to remind us that we are made in God’s image and therefore we too are God’s sons and daughters.  Jesus is our brother in God’s family who came to remind us that we God’s children.

When we are born we receive a name and it is a sign of belonging to the family of our parents.   When we are baptized we receive our “Christian” name.  We have the sign of Christ written on our foreheads when the oil of chrism is used to mark us as belonging to Christ forever.

So baptism is a reminder to us about being a member of the spiritual family with God as our Father and Jesus as our brother.

It is important to remember that we are made in God’s image because if we remember this we will value our lives and do everything we can to make them better.  Also if we believe that other people are made in God’s image, we will value their lives too and we will give them the same kind of respect and care that we want for ourselves.

This celebration of being in God’s family, the family of Christ, is what is very important to remember about baptism.

When Jesus was baptized by John, he was telling us that he was happy to be a part of our human family but he was also reminding us that we were made to be in God’s family.

A voice from heaven at the baptism of Jesus said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Each of needs that the voice of God says this to us:  You are my beloved son or daughter.  I like you and I am pleased with you.  If you and I can know that God regards us to be sons and daughters who really likes us, then we can know that our lives have special value.

Baptism as a rite of remember who we are, who we were made to be.

What is the most common mistake that everyone makes, children and adults?

  I think the most common mistake that all of us make is the mistake of forgetting.

  Do you ever forget?  Forget to do your homework?  Forget to clean your room?   Forget what your teacher told?  Forget what your parents told you?  Forget what you promised to your children or spouse?

  Forgetting is easy to do.

  But the most serious forgetting is forgetting about God.   Today we have read the story about John the Baptist on the day that he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

  John the Baptist and Jesus were special men who were prophets.  And they came to help people recover from their forgetting.  See many people had forgotten some important things about God.  Even the religious leaders had forgotten some important things about God.  And what is often forgotten about God.

  People often forget that God loves them.  People often think that God loves the people in our country, or in our neighborhood or in our race better than people in another country, neighborhood or race.

  When Jesus was baptized, the voice of God said, this is my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.

  You and I need to remember what baptism means.  Baptism looks like just pouring some water over the head of a baby or an adult.  But what does baptism mean?  It means that we celebrate that each and every person is a child of God, a son or daughter of God.

  You see the problems in our life happen when we forget that we are sons and daughters of God.  The problems in our life happen when we forget that other people are son and daughters of God.

  When we remember that we are children of God we treat ourselves with respect.  When we remember that other people are children to God, we treat them with respect too.  When we remember God, then we remember to live good lives for God and we remember to live in peace and love with each other.

  John the Baptist and Jesus came to remind us about some things that we had forgotten.

  Let us remember the meaning of baptism.  Our baptism is a reminder that we and all people belong to the same family of God.  And if we remember that we will work to love one another and live in peace with each other.  Amen.St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 10, 2016: The First Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; Peace Before Us; Seek Ye First; This Little Light of Mine

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: Hallelu, Hallelujah   (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 84)

Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord. 

Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord. 

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah. 

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, 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

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 29

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; * the LORD is upon the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice; * the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor.

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.

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

Offertory Hymn: Peace Before Us  (Wonder, Love and Praise,  # 791)

1-Peace before us.  Peace behind us.  Peace under our feet.  Peace within us.  Peace over us.  Let all around us be Peace.

2-Love, 3-Light, 4-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: 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:  Seek Ye First  (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you; Allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you; Allelu, alleluia!  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: This Little Light of Mine (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 234)

This little light of mine.  I am going to let it shine.  This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, no.  I am going to let it shine.  Hide it under a bushel, no.  I am going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Don’t let anyone blow it out, I’m going to let it shine.  Don’t let anyone blow it out, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.  Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

    

Be like the Magi on a Journey

2 Christmas C  January 3, 2016

Jeremiah 31:7-14   Ps
Eph. 1:3-6,15-19a Matthew 2:1-12
 Lectionary Link

  Today is the tenth day of Christmas and what gift did your true love bring you?  If you received the ten Lords a-leaping then you’re already had such excitement that this sermon will be but a yawn.  And tomorrow you have the eleven pipers piping to wake you up to get you back on your post-holiday schedule.  Happy New Year. Today we have read narrative about the Wise men from the East, who brought the Christ child gifts. The magi from the East is a curious story that delights us at Christmastide because we've never been able to experience such a unique astronomical manifestation such as occurred in the star of Bethlehem.  We always do an Oliver Stone version of the magi during the Christmas pageant since for staging purposes we have the magi arrive at the stable.  Those producers do not want us to spend extra money on productions cost so we have to make minor adjustments to the script.  Kings are more interesting than “magi” or intellectuals because Kings wear more elaborate costumes.  How did the three kings traditions get associated with the Magi?  The writer of the books of Psalms and Isaiah wrote about kings coming and bringing gifts.  And Kings, of course, would ride camels and there had to be three of them since there were three gifts?  Well, the Gospel does not say that the magi were kings, and we don’t know if they rode camels, and we don’t know how many there were.  They probably traveled in a large group, a caravan for safety on the road.  And they didn’t arrive at the stable with the shepherds; they visited the Christ child at his home at a much later time.  So, if we are supposed to be about truth, are we worried about Christmas Pageant productions, let alone our famous songs about “We three kings?”  I’m not worried; there is much more to be worried about in this world than this.  Could it be that the magi were used by the Gospel writer to characterized learned foreigners and gentiles of faith who had made an honest search to come to know Christ?  They had read in the book of Numbers about the star that came from Jacob.  And like today, the word star can be a metaphor for a famous person.  And so they were interested in that “star.”  The Caesar had a comet at his birth; and Christians believed that Christ was more than a Caesar; they believed that all creation responded to the Christ. So this story is a statement about what was happening in the early church:  Gentiles from far and wide were accepting Christ as the Messiah and many Jews were not.  The Magi represented all of the foreigners who had found the birth of Christ in their lives.  This story of the Magi proclaims that the life of Christ was not to be locked up in Palestine.  It was not to be held captive by the religious ritual practices of the synagogue.  This story is a proclamation that God belongs within the experience of people of all of the earth; it was the birth of Christ coming to anyone who wanted it which made the message of the accessibility of God’s presence known.    

   Amongst the many lessons that are contained in the story of the magi, I would like to offer a reading of this story that centers upon the notion of the journey as a spiritual quest.  Since the Gospels are spiritual manuals for Christian disciples, it is not far-fetched to understand the journey of the magi as encoding important features of the Christian life.  

  The Christian life can be seen as a journey.  One important feature of journey is a time of dislocation from the familiar settings of one’s life.  Why are we often happy to get home after a vacation?  It’s because we enjoy the convenience and predictability of home life.  Life on the road is new and uncertain. But leaps in learning cannot take place unless we are exposed to new experiences.  New experiences help us to surpass old knowledge, old biases, old prejudices.  The Magi gave up the familiarity of home to make the quest for something new.  

  That brings us to the second point of the magi's journey: Their journey involved faith because it involved risk.  They were driven toward an undefined unknown, yet their hearts burned with hope and anticipation. One of the attributes that we like in children is their curiosity.  They have this insatiable drive, this quest for the new.  It often gets them into trouble but it enlarges their life experience.  The writer to the Hebrews, called faith the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.  The magi had this evidence of faith.  This deep sense of outcome before they even arrived at their goal.  We as Christians, live by faith, because we still have not attained to things for which we hope. Hope presents the vision; faith is the mobilization of our lives toward a positive outcome.  

   Next, the magi were star gazers.  They followed their star.  They were in touch with their environment.  They believed that the heavens declared the glory of God.  You've heard it said that there are two types of people: One sees the cup as half empty, the other sees it as half full.  How do you and I read our environments.  Do we see our environment as fatalistically working against us?  Or do we see ourselves as living and moving and being in God.  Do we see the ground of our lives as hallowed ground, a pathway to the new enlargements that God has for us?  Christian faith allows us to interpret our environment as a divine ecology.  In this divine ecology we begin to find God, in bread and wine, and water, oil, fire, in the beauty of nature, and in the people around us.  And we begin to read God's creation as important signs in our spiritual journey.  God’s creation was not made to be a distracting idol or a frightening hindrance to our journey.  We have seen the star.  The magi learned to read God's creation as signs to assist them in their spiritual quest.  

   Fourth, the magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  We may think that these are exotic gifts.  But I would call them native gifts.  They brought the obvious gifts indigenous to the place where they lived. There is a message for you and me: We should give to God the native talent of our own lives. God does not ask of us the exotic or the impossible; God wants only what come from our natural abilities.  God is delighted to receive the gifts that we already have.   And if we give what we have, we will find that we have more abilities and gifts than we have ever realized.

   Finally, what is the end of the magi journey?  It is to arrive at the birth place of the Christ, the Messiah, the King. Bethlehem.  What is the goal of the Christian life?  It is to be the very place of the birth of Christ.  We must be born again.  We must be the very place where the Christ child is born and experience the elevation our lives to a sense of dignity and worth, a sense of royalty.  The magi reached their goal.  In Christian baptism, we reach our goal when Christ is born in us, but that is only the beginning of the Christian life.  From the birth of Christ in us, we must return home by a different route.  We must bring that message to aid others in their spiritual quest.  

  Remember today, you and I are the magi, the wise persons.   Are we living up to this calling?  Let us today, comfort and exhort one another in this exciting journey of wisdom, hope and faith.  Amen. 

Sunday School, January 3, 2016 2 Christmas C

Sunday School, January 3, 2016     2 Christmas C

Sunday School

Taking a long trip

Did you ever drive on a long trip with your family for a special vacation?  To Disneyland?  Disneyworld?  Lego Land?  

Do you remember the trip?  Do you remember how excited you were as you waited to arrive at your destination?

The story of the Magi or Wise Men is about three people who took a long trip because they could not wait to arrive at special event, the event of the birth of a very special person who would change their lives and the life of this world.

The Magi or Wise men were foreigners.  They came from other countries to travel to Bethlehem to see Jesus.

This journey is the story of the early church.  The early church was a large group of foreigners who left their homes and their ways of living with the gods of the Roman Empire and they accepted the God who was known to them because of Jesus Christ.  They experienced the birth of Jesus Christ into their lives and so they gave everything, all of the most important gifts of their lives to follow Jesus Christ and to share this message of the Gospel to everyone.

Remember that sometimes we have to take journeys to reach important destinations in our lives.  We have to take a journey through school and education to learn important things which will make ourselves better.

Think about your life as a journey.  The star of God is leading you to new discoveries in your life.  We celebrate the story of the Wise Men because it shows us that we are on a journey to know what the birth of Christ means in our life.

Sermon

  Is Christmas over?  Yes and No.  Christmas Day is gone but the season of Christmas last for 12 days.  Perhaps you’ve heard the song about the 12 days of Christmas.  The song is about getting to open one Christmas gift for each day of the Christmas season.  How many of you opened all of your Christmas Gift on Christmas gifts on Christmas day?  How many of you adults said in July after buying something expensive,”   Dear this is my Christmas and birthday gift?”  How romantic!

  So today is the 10th day of the Christmas Season and when will the Christmas Season end?  It  will on Tuesday night at midnight because, do you know what day Thursday is called?  It is called The Epiphany.  And what season begins on The Epiphany?  Epiphany.

  Today we have read about the wise men who came to see the baby Jesus.  Did any of you play a wise man in the Christmas Pageant?  What did the wise men bring the baby Jesus?  They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Most of us might like gold for a gift…but frankincense and myrrh?  It depends upon how much one is into aroma therapy to appreciate those two gifts.

  How many of you like getting gifts at Christmas?  Well, if you like getting gifts at Christmas then you should thank the wise men, because they are the ones who inspired giving gifts at Christmas.  So let us say to the wise men.  Thank you for starting the gift tradition.

  But the wise men are not just important for the giving of gifts at Christmas time.  They are important for something else.

  Did you know that the wise men were from a different country than Jesus?  And they travelled a long distance to come and visit him.

  Let me ask you a question.  Do you like chocolate?  How many people in this room like chocolate?  If someone who had never had chocolate came to visit us, should we let them have chocolate?  Why should we share our chocolate?  If is it good an sweet, why should we share it?  Does everyone have the right to taste and enjoy chocolate?

Now if we like chocolate and if we should share chocolate with everyone, what about God?

  If we know that God is close to us, should we let everyone know that God is close to them to?  Or should we hide it from them.  Should we let other people know that God loves them and is close to them too?  Why?  Because the best things in life have to be shared with everyone.  The wise men were looking for the best thing in life and they came a long distance to find it.  They found the best person in life in Jesus Christ who is person who taught us that God is very close to us and who taught us that God loves us.  Should we keep that a secret or should we share it?  Just like everyone should be able to enjoy chocolates, everyone should be able to know that God loves them and that God is close to their lives.  That is one of the meanings of the story of the wise men today.  Let us remember that God’s love is for everyone even for the people whom we don’t know.  So let us always be ready to share God’s love with the new people we meet.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 3, 2016: The Second Sunday after Christmas

Gathering Songs:

 We Three Kings of Orient Are, Away in a Manger

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

People: And Blessed be God’s Kingdom, Now and forever. Amen.

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

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

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

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: We Three Kings ( Blue Hymnal # 128)

1-We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar, field and fountain moor and mountain, following yonder star.  O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

2-Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain, gold I bring to crown him again, King for every ceasing never, over us all to reign. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O God,  you have wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: All us to share in the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our human life, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and 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 Letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Please join in reading from Psalm 84

How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! * My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.

The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; * by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.

Happy are they who dwell in your house! * they will always be praising you.

Litany of Thanksgiving: Chant: Thanks be to God!

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 Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

In the time of King Herod  when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him honor to this king of the Jews." When King Herod, who was also called the King of the Jews, heard this, he was frightened, and as well as the people of Jerusalem.  He called together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search for the child; and when you have found him, come and tell me so I can go honor him too. When they had heard the king, the wisemen went in the direction of the star until it stopped over the place where the baby Jesus lay. The wisemen were joyful to arrive at their destination. They enter the house and they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and honored him.  Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod so they left for their own country without telling Herod where the Christ child could be found. 

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:

Children’s Creed

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

Since God is so great and we are so small,

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

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

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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

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

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

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

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

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People:                        And also with you.

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

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

Song: We Three Kings (Blue Hymnal # 128, vss.3-4)

3-Frankincense to offer have I: incense owns a Deity nigh; prayer and praising gladly raising, worship him, God most hight. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

4-Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom; sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in the stone-cold tomb. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

Doxology

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

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

Prologue to the Eucharist

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

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

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

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

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

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

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

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

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

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

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

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

You have made us in your image

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

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

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

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

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat the bread and drink the wine, we can know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as this food and drink that becomes a part of us.

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,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments) 

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: Away in a Manger

1-Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.  The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

2-The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.  I love thee, Lord Jesus!  Look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

3-Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me for ever and love me I pray.  Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

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: We Three Kings (Blue Hymnal # 128, verse 5)

5-Glorious now behold him arise, King and God and sacrifice; heaven sings alleluia: alleluia the earth replies. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!