Sunday School, October 9, 2016 21 Pentecost c proper 23

Sunday School, October 9, 2016    21 Pentecost  C proper 23

Themes:

Health, Thanksgiving and Inclusion

Health is both about a person and about the community which a person lives in.

We know about infectious diseases.  When one child get a cold or the flu, the virus or the germs spread and sometimes many of the classmates get sick too.   When one is sick, one has to stay at home to get better but also so as not to spread the germs of sickness.

In the time of Jesus, there were people who had a skin disease of leprosy.  Whenever the skin of a person showed the signs of a skin disease, the priests had a system of rules which required them to keep the person with leprosy away healthy people.  So a sick person could be made to feel doubly bad.  He was had a disease but he also was kept about from people who could care for him.  He would have to go live with other sick people until he became better.  And people who were not sick would be afraid of how a person with a skin disease looked.  They would avoid that person.

Jesus was not afraid of people who were sick.  He did not think that they should be separated from people.  He healed 10 men who had leprosy.  He told them to go and show themselves to the priests.

Out of the 10 men who were healed, only one of them returned to say “thank you” to Jesus.  The one who said, “thank you” was a Samaritan.  The Samaritans and the Jews were enemies.  Jesus was a Jew but he did not treat this Samaritan man with leprosy as his enemy.  And this Samaritan did not treat Jesus as his enemy.  He returned to say “thank you.”  Jesus told him that his faith had made him well.

What does it mean to be well?

To be well means to have faith.   In our lives we can get sick many times and there are many people who have very serious illness.   So how can we be well, even when we are sick?  By having faith.  We can also be well as a community of people who care for people who are sick.  Today we have hospitals, doctors and nurses and many others who help people get better.  We as a parish community need to be well; we need to have the kind of faith in the goodness of Christ to take care of each other when we are sick.

Being well is having faith as a person but also as community of people who care for each other and include people who are sick in our prayerful care.

Sermon:

  How many of us like to be left out?

  What if I said today, only the people wearing the color red today can come and receive communion today?  How would you feel?

  What would you think about that kind of rule?

  You would think that rule was unfair.  You would think that rule does not make any sense.

  Some times in our life we get left out.  And one of the times that we get left out, is when we are sick.

  When we’re sick, we can’t go to school or to church.  And so we get left out.  We don’t get to go to public places when we’re sick.

  But when we’re sick, does everyone leave us out?   No, our moms and dad take care of us.  They give us medicine and orange juice.  They take us to the doctor.  They give us special attention to help us get better.  So even though we are left out of school when we’re sick, we’re not left out of the care of our family and friends.

  During the time of Jesus, there were people who had some skin diseases that did not make them look good, and so people were so afraid of them, that even the priests had made rules to make those sick people live outside of the towns and cities.  They had to beg to get food.

  What did Jesus do?  He was not afraid of their skin diseases.  He told them they could be made better and they did not have to be left out.

  So Jesus invited these sick people to receive care.

  And Jesus taught us that God does not leave anyone out.  Everyone is welcome into God’s family.

  And if we feel welcome into God’s family, that will help us to be healthy and well.  Because we become healthy and well because no matter what sickness we have, we are well if we have people to love and care for us.

  So Jesus teaches us to love and care for sick people and for all people who might feel left out.

  This is a very good lesson that we have learned today: To love and care for all people and always welcome them to be with us in our community of prayer and worship.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 9, 2016: The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; O Be Careful; Wait for the Lord; Awesome God

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: 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

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for 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 Second Letter to Timothy

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David-- that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 66

Be joyful in God, all you lands; * sing the glory of his Name; sing the glory of his praise.

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! * because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down before you, * sings to you, sings out your Name."

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.

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

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)

O be careful little hands what you do.  O be careful little hands what you do.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little hands what you do.

O be careful little feet where you go.  O be careful little feet where you go.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love so be careful little feet where you go.

O be careful little lips what you say.  O be careful little lips what you say.  There’s a Father up above and he’s looking down in love, so 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.

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 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: Wait for the Lord (Renew! # 278)

Wait for the Lord, his day is near. 

Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart

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: Awesome God (Renew! # 245)

Our God is an awesome God.  He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love. 

Our God is an awesome God.

(Sing three times)

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God! 

Planting Mustard Seeds?

20 Pentecost, C p 22, October 2, 2016
Lamentations 1:1-6  Psalm 37:1-10
2 Tim. 1:6-14     Luke 17:5-10     

       A  waiter is a person who serves food to customers at a restaurant or other eating establishment. 

  So what if I am in a restaurant at a table and my waiter comes to my table and stands there waiting without saying anything.  And so things get rather uncomfortable with him just standing there, so I ask him if he could take my order or get me some water.  But what if he replies, "I am waiting to sit down in your seat and I am waiting for you to serve me.  I deserved to be served by you."

  What's wrong with this scenario?   Well, by the definition of the roles within the context, I am the customer and he is the waiter.  How is it that he expects to be waited on by me?  I would be happy to do it and even if it violates the roles but I am not an employee of the restaurant and I would not know immediately all of the procedure for even serving the waiter. 

  Jesus told a parable to indicate how we can be confused by our roles in our relationship with God.   God is the creator and the owner of the world and yet we pretend that we want to be in that role.  Even though we did not create the world, and we cannot sustain the world, we can feel entitled to be treated as those who own the world.

  Though we may be offended with the language of slavery; Jesus used the example of the slave who wanted to be treated as the owner to illustrate how confused we can be about our role in life vis a vis God as the creator and owner of all things.  As a servant of God, it is our role to have faith.  It is blind of us to wrongly demand that God be our servant and exercise faith towards us when God truly has faith toward us and has served us by creating us and sharing with us all of creation.

  Jesus was pointing out how childish we can be when it comes to faith.  There is a difference between being childish and childlike.   Childlike is the attitude to wonder and exploration that we can have in life.  People of faith need to be childlike in having this sense of wonder in the exploration of the goodness of our lives and our world.

 Sometime childlike behaviors carried out by adults can be childish.  Children like magic;  they like stories about marvelous things happening.  A child also likes and needs positive reinforcement.  A child likes instant gratification of needs. Children need encouragement and congratulations for even the things that they need to do.  We congratulate children for eating, for walking, for putting on their clothes;  we give them reinforcement to perform acts which will enable them to become independent adults.

  At some point it should be unnecessary to give praise and congratulations to an adult who is performing normal self-maintenance tasks. 

  In the life of faith, it should be unnecessary to be congratulated for doing things which are just plain good and excellent.   It has come to be that charity and faith are now regarded to be heroic acts rather than the normal practice of the virtuous lives.  Too often we have become so pampered that we want to be congratulated for doing good things for our lives.

  The parables of Jesus give the secret to the uncanny success of faith.   Casting a mulberry tree into the sea by faith defies logic.   What was the uncanny success of the church?  A crucified prophet takes over the Roman Empire.  How unlikely was that?

  How did it happen?  Daily and moment by moment, mustard seed acts of faith.  These small house churches just began spreading one by one in neighborhood by neighborhood.  People shared their experience of the Risen Christ and the excitement of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  The accumulation of millions of millions mustard seed acts of faith brought about the conversion of the Roman Empire.

  We may be childish in wanting things to come with instantaneous success.   And if things don't come easy and instantly we might just give up and without exercising our faith deeds, we cannot accumulate the resume of faith that result in the sea change events to occur.

  The secret of life then is mustard seed faith; just keep on keeping on doing faithful deeds and those deeds of time, talent and treasure will eventually build character and accomplish some wonderful outcomes.

  A parish church seems like a very ordinary unsung human achievement; there are so many different churches and our own may not seem so big or imposing or important.  But we have been around for sixty years here at St. John's.  We stand on the shoulders of many forgotten, unknown, and unremembered deeds of faith of people in our past who just gave without fanfare or recognition.  But they have given us the foundation and they handed us the baton of the local Episcopal tradition for us to carry in the lap of the race that given to us in our time.

  The message to us today is for us not to become weary in doing the little and obvious faithful things which lie at hand for us to do.  We don't need fanfare or congratulations from God for doing things which are just plain good for us and our community.

  Fortunately we have each other to encourage each other.  One of my favorite roles as rector is to be able to thank you, even though I know that you perform deeds of faith for God and for the good of our parish.

  Let us be inspired today to continue in this wonderful Gospel of Christ and perform the mustard seed deeds of faith.  If we do this, we may look back someday and say, "Wow, did God really do that through us?"  Amen.

Sunday School, October 2, 2016 C proper 22

Sunday School, October 2, 2016     20 Pentecost, C proper 22

Themes

One can use the C proper 22  or themes associate with St. Francis and The Blessing of the Animals

At St. John the Divine, we use the liturgy and the occasion as a time to promote awareness of stewardship role toward our animal friends but also highlight our responsibility to care for our beautiful creation.

The Blessing of the animals and the blessing of the beauty of creation is inspired by our thanksgiving for our animal friends and for the beauty of creation.

Our thanksgiving come enjoyment.  From thanksgiving we move to blessing.  We ask for a joyful relationship with our animal friends and with creation.

But with enjoyment, thanksgiving, blessing joyful relationship we move to our responsibility.  To show our responsibility we make vows to be those who take good care of our animals and the beautiful creation.

In our blessing of the animal liturgy we make vows; we promise to good care of our animal friends.

How do we care for our animals and our beautiful creations?

We take care of our pets.  We treat them with kindness.  We also help with the animal shelters.  We promote the humane treatment of animals.

We promise to take care of our environment.  We recycle.  We pick up trash.  We preserve our water.   We support laws which will make sure that people after us will be able to enjoy the beautiful earth.

Gospel theme

Jesus told parables about mustard seed faith.  What he meant by this is faith is not some superhero act; faith is all of the very small faithful things that we do which collect and they grow to be big and important things.

Do you graduate from college when you start kindergarten?  No.   But when you graduate from college it means that you have faithful to study and learn every day for about 22 years.  Graduating from college is a great achievement but it does not happen overnight with magic.  It happens because all of the small individual faith acts of learning.  So Jesus reminds us that if we want to accomplish big and important things, it starts with each individual “small” act of faith.  This is what Jesus meant by mustard seed faith.

Sermon for the Blessing of the Animals.

Today we celebrate the life of St. Francis.  St. Francis was a man who came from a wealthy family.  But he decided to leave the family business and try to live his life just like Jesus lived his life.

  He decided to live his life with people who were poor.  He decided to take care of people who were sick and poor.

  St. Francis became a friend of animals; the birds used to fly down and rest on his shoulders because they were not afraid of him.

  Today, we are going to honor the life of St. Francis by blessing the animals of our lives.  But we are also going to do something else.  We are going to make promises to God to take good care of our world.  We are going to promise to care for the air, water, plants and trees.  Why?  Because we want all people in the future to be able to enjoy them.  We are going to promise to take care of our pets and animals too. 

  The world of plants and animals provide so much to help us live.  So we need to be good at protecting our world so that our world will continue help people live for a long, long time.

  Today, we thank God for our wonderful world of animals, trees and plants. 

  And the way that we thank God, is to promise to take good care of the world that God has given to us.  And to take care of the pets that we enjoy as our friends.

 

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

and Blessing of the Animals

October 2, 2016 The Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost

Gathering Songs:

Morning Has Broken, If I Were a Butterfly, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, All Things Bright and Beautiful

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: Morning Has Broken (Blue Hymnal # 8)

Morning has broken like the first morning; blackbird has spoken like the first bird.  Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!  Praise for them springing fresh from the word.

Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dewfall on the first grass.  Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where his feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight!  Mine is the morning born of the one light Eden saw play!  Praise with elation, praise every morning, God’s re-creation of the new day!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First 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 Book of Lamentations

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 8

You give men and women mastery over the works of your hands; *you put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, * even the wild beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, * and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For our animal friends and pets, past and present. Thanks be to God!

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.

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Fr. Cooke:

Collect for the Feast of St. Francis

Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfect joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Vow to Creation

Celebrant:  Will you cherish the beauty of the Good Earth that God has entrusted to you, and will you do all in your power to preserve its beauty for own age and for the people of the future?

Response:  I will with God’s help.

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Word of God that issued from God’s mouth and created all things and God’s Spirit moved over the deep and made creation happen; you have called creation good, and we celebrate the goodness of creation which you have given to us to enjoy and tend; Bless the Good Earth and its fruits, and us as we commit ourselves to stewardship, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Vow to our Animal friends

Celebrant:  Will you promise to love, enjoy, and care for all God’s creatures, and especially for the pet whom you present for a blessing?

Response:  I will, with God’s help.

Blessing:

Lord Jesus Christ, your friends, have brought to you these special friends:  Bless we pray these delightful creatures, and grant that those who tend to their care will take delight in all of God’s creation, in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Song sung during the blessing of each Animal: If I were a Butterfly

1-If I were a butterfly, I’d thank you Lord for giving me wings.  And if I were a robin in a tree, I’d thank you Lord, that I could sing.  And if I were a fish in the sea, I’d wiggle my tail and I’d giggle with glee, but I just thank you Father for making me ‘me.’

Chorus:  For you gave ma a heart and you gave me a smile.  You gave Jesus and you made me your child.  And I just thank you, Father for making me, ‘me.’

2-If I were an elephant, I’d thank you, Lord, by raising my trunk.  And if I were a kangaroo, you know I’d hop right up to you.  And if I were an octopus, I’d thank you Lord, for my find looks, but I just thank you Father, for making me, ‘me.’  Chorus

3-If I were a wiggly worm, I’d thank you, Lord that I could squirm.  And If I were a Billy goat, I’d thank you, Lord for my strong throat.  And if I were a fuzzy-wuzzy bear, I’d thank you, Lord, for my fuzzy-wuzzy hair, but I just thank you, Father, for making me ‘me.’  Chorus

Youth Liturgist:          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 Song:  I Sing a Song for the Cat and Dog, Tune (blue hymnal # 293)

1-I sing a song for the dogs and cats

Rabbits and donkeys too,

Their big soft hearts will love us still no matter what we do.

And one is a pony and one is a hen

And one is a pig waiting in a pen.

As I care for these saints and the earth around,

I’m learning to be one too.

2-I sing a song for our furry friends,

loyal and faithful and true,

who bark and mew and fetch and scratch for the love of me and you.

And one was a rabbit and one was a cat

And one was a Schnauzer and one was a rat.

They are all God’s creatures - - great and small

and we honor one and all!!!

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 up 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 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, 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 may rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

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, 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!

Word of Administration.

Communion Hymn: Prayer of St. Francis

Make me a channel of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.  Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord, And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.  Refrain

Refrain:  Oh, Master, grant I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.  Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.  Where there is darkness only light, and where there’s sadness ever joy.  Refrain

Make me a channel of your peace.  It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, in giving to all men that we receive and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.  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: All Things Bright & Beautiful (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 12)

Refrain:  All things bright & beautiful, all creatures great & small, all things wise & wonderful, the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, he made their glowing colors, he made their tiny wings.  Refrain

The purple-headed mountain, the river running by, the sunset, and the morning that brightens up the sky.  Refrain

He gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God Almighty, who has made all things well.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

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

People: Thanks be to God!