Sunday School, August 28,
2016 15 Pentecost, C proper 17
Theme: Hospitality
What does hospitality
mean?
It means welcoming people
into one’s life.
How do we practice
hospitality? How do we make people feel
welcomed?
Have you ever arrived at
school or at the playground or dance class and you did not know anyone?
Sometimes it is not easy
to be the new visitor to a place where you don’t know anyone.
How can you feel welcome
or comfortable in a new place?
You can feel welcome when
someone whom you do not knows is friendly to you and tries to introduce you to
help you make some new friends.
And how can we practice
hospitality? We can practice
hospitality by being friendly and kind to new people who have just arrived and
have not made any friends yet.
Do you know what the Holy
Eucharist is? It is a celebration meal
and it is a meal of welcome for all people to come and eat together and share
in what we believe. We share that God
loves us and cares us and has made us sons and daughters of God. So everyone is in God’s family and everyone
is welcome to God’s meal, the Holy Eucharist, the special meal that Jesus gave
to his friends. He told them to keep
having this meal as a way of welcoming new people to know that Jesus loves them
and cares for them and that he is a close to them as the bread and wine that
they eat and drink at the special meal.
We come to church on
Sunday to remember that God practices hospitality. God practiced hospitality by sending his Son
Jesus to live with the people of this world.
He sent Jesus to form a group of people who would always be in this
world to remind everyone that God is a welcoming God. God always invites everyone to come to the welcoming
meal of the Holy Eucharist.
A sermon about being
welcomed
Have you ever felt left out? Not included?
When I was a little boy, I moved with my
family to a new town and so I had to go to a new school. I did not have any friends in the new school.
I felt very lonely on the first day of
school. At recess when everyone was
playing outside, everyone was playing with someone except me. Everyone one seem to have a friend, except
me. They were playing games and they
were playing with the dodge ball, but I didn’t get asked to play. So I did not know if I would like my new
school.
When it came time for lunch, I went to the
cafeteria. I got my tray of food and
when I went to sit down, the tables were already filled with students who were
eating together. There was only one
table open and nobody was sitting there.
So I went to the table and sat down to eat my lunch alone.
Suddenly, a boy tapped me on the shoulder and
he said, “Do you want to sit with us at our table?” And I said, “There isn’t any room.” But he said, “I will get a chair and put it
at the end of the table.” So I did not
have to eat lunch alone. I was invited
to eat lunch by this kind boy and he became my friend and I made new friends in
my new school. And I did not have to be
lonely.
Jesus told his friends that they should be
like the boy who welcomed me to eat lunch with them. Jesus said we should welcome those who are
lonely and don’t feel like they have any friends.
Yes it is nice to have friends and to spend
time with our friends, but it is good if we are always making room for new
people in our lives.
Today, we are here for a special meal. It is called the Holy Eucharist. We eat bread and drink the wine. It is the special meal that Jesus started and
he told us to keep having this meal. And
he told us to invite everyone to this meal.
And so we have the meal every week and we
invite everyone because we know that Jesus is friendly and Jesus invites
everyone to his meal, because everyone is welcome at the table of Jesus.
Let us always remember how friendly Jesus
is. Let us remember how friendly God
is. And let us learn how to be very
friendly and welcome people into our lives.
Since we like to have friends, let us learn how to make friends and
invite others to be our friends.
How many of you like to have friends? How many of you can be a could friend? Let us learn how to invite new friends into
our lives today?
St. John the Divine
Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan
Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy
Eucharist
August 28, 2016: The
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Gathering
Songs: This is the Day; O Be Careful; Father, I Adore You; Give Me Joy in My
Heart
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:
This is the Day (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 232)
This
is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. We
will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it. This is the
day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day,
this is the day that the Lord has made.
(Repeat)
Liturgist:
The Lord be with you.
People:
And also with you.
Liturgist:
Let us pray
Lord
of all power and might, the maker and giver of all good things: Make to grow in
our hearts the love of your Name; help us to be truly religious; nourish us
with all goodness; and let our lives grow the fruit of good works; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God for ever and ever. Amen.
Litany
of Praise: 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 Letter to the Hebrews
Let
mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by
doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Keep your lives
free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has
said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with
confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone
do to me?"
Liturgist: The Word of the
Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist:
Let us read together from Psalm 112
Hallelujah! Happy are they
who fear the Lord * and have great delight in his commandments!
Their descendants will be
mighty in the land; * the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches will be
in their house, * and their righteousness will last for ever.
Light shines in the
darkness for the upright; * the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
Litany
Phrase: 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 Luke
People: Glory to you, Lord
Christ.
Jesus
was went to the house of an important religious leader. Jesus was invited there
to eat the meal on the day of worship, the day they called the sabbath. Since
Jesus was becoming popular, the other guests were watching him closely. And
Jesus was watching their behavior too. He saw how many guests wanted to sit in
the best seats at the main table. So to teach them, Jesus told a parable. A
parable is a story that hides a message within the story. Jesus said,
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at
the best place, because a more important person may come and they might ask you
to go to a seat that is not at the main table. It’s better to take a lower seat
and then be invited by the host to a better seat. For if you are excessively
proud, then you will feel put down and forsaken when a humbling event happens
to you. But if you are humble, you can truly know how people feel about you
when you are promoted to a higher place.” Jesus also said, “When you give a
party do not just invite the people who can return the favor, also invite the
poor and those who are impaired. And so you will be blessed because they cannot
repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
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
Song: O Be Careful (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 180)
1-O
be careful, little hands what you do; O be careful little hands what you do;
For the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful, little hands
what you do.
2-O be careful little feet
where you go……
3-O be careful little eyes
what you see…
4-O be careful little lips
what you say….
Doxology
Praise God from whom all
blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye
heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the
children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of God.”
All become members of a
family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration
of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and
sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the
special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family
of Christ.
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God
thanks and praise.
It
is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us
and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. Therefore with Angels and Archangels
and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of
praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God
of Power and Might. Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the Highest.
(All may gather around the
altar)
Our grateful praise we
offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your
image
And you gave us many men
and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and
Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your
Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be
sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live
better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
the bread and drink the
wine, we can know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as
this food and drink that
becomes a part of us.
And
so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them
by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
our Lord. Bless and sanctify us 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: Father, I Adore (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 56)
1-Father, I adore you; Lay
my life before you. How I Love you!
2-Jesus, I adore you; Lay
my life before you. How I Love you!
3-Spirit, I adore you; Lay
my life before you. How I Love you!
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: Give Me Joy in My Heart (Christian Children’s Songbook, #53 tune only)
1-Give
me joy in my heart, keep me praising. Give me joy in my heart, I pray. Give joy
in my heart, keep me praising. Keep me praising till the break of day.
Chorus:
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna to the King of Kings! Sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna to the King!
2-Give
me in peace my heart, keep me loving, Give me peace in my heart, I pray. Give
me peace in my heart keep me loving. Keep me loving till the break of day.
Chorus
3-Give
me love in my heart, keep me serving. Give me love in my heart, I pray. Give me
love in my heart keep me serving. Keep me serving till the break of day.
Chorus.
Dismissal:
Liturgist: Let us go forth
in the Name of Christ.
People: Thanks be to God!
