Sunday School, December 10, 2017 2 Advent B
Theme:
John the Baptist
Who was he? He was a
cousin of Jesus. His dad was Zachariah,
a retired priest, and his mother was Elizabeth.
John took a special religious vow, the vow of the
nazirite. He did not shave his hair and
he did not drink wine. He lived his life
in the wilderness. Perhaps he learned
and studied with a group of people who lived there.
John wore a camel hair jacket and he ate grasshoppers and
wild honey.
John began to preach and baptize in the area around the
Jordan River.
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.
There were many people who followed John the Baptist. He was their leader and teacher.
His main message was to asked people to repent and be
baptized. To repent is a special kind of
education. We learn how to be better and
then we do something about it to make our lives better.
If we have lied, we quit lying and tell the truth. If we have stolen things, we quit stealing
and respect what belongs to others. To
repent means to learn when we have done wrong, to correct it and never do the
wrong thing again.
John the Baptist was very bold. He even tried to correct the bad behavior of
King Herod. And because of this he was
killed.
During and after the life of John the Baptist, many of his
followers became the first followers of Jesus.
John the Baptist was not jealous of Jesus; he was happy that
his followers became followers of Jesus.
Why do we study John the Baptist during the season of
Advent?
Advent is a season of preparation for the birth of Christ.
John was a person who prepared people to receive Jesus
Christ.
In Advent, we are supposed to live a simpler life and share
some of our extra time, food and money with people who are in need.
John lived a very simple life. He showed us that we do not need much to
live He showed that we can make our
lives simpler and if we simplify our lives we have more time to share with God
and with other people.
Also from John the Baptist, we learn that we are to live and
prepare others to love and accept Jesus Christ.
Questions:
What do you think about John the Baptist’s clothes and his
diet?
How do you think that you can simplify your life during
Advent? What is something that you can
do without during Advent?
What projects can you do in Advent to help other people who are
in need?
Sermon:
What does a blocker do in football for a
running back? He pushes and shoves
tacklers out of the way so the running back can run far with ball.
What do we use bulldozers and earthmovers
for? We used them to build straight and
level roads so we can get places quicker in our cars.
Today we read about a man named John the
Baptist. And John the Baptist is a
person who was like a blocker or like a bulldozer.
He was like a blocker, in that he pushed
aside everything, to prepare a way for Jesus Christ. He was like a bulldozer in that he was trying
to help people come directly to knowledge of God.
John the Baptist lived a very different
life. He camped out all the time. He lived out amongst the wild animals all the
time. He probably slept in caves. He wore a camel hair robe and do you know
what he ate: He ate grasshoppers and
honey?
John came and he wasn’t very popular, because
he saw some things that were wrong that needed to be corrected. And no one likes to be corrected, do we? When our parents or teachers correct us, it
is not always fun. But why do they
correct us? Because they want us to be
better.
John the Baptist corrected people, because he
believed that they could be better. And
he really wanted them to be introduced to Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ
was an important gift from God to us.
Today, when we think about John the Baptist,
let us remember that sometimes we need to be corrected so that we can get
better. What If we never were corrected, then we could not get better. It does not always feel good to be corrected,
but remember we do want to get better.
And the only way to get better is to have someone show us how.
Jesus
Christ showed us how to be better. He
showed how to love God with all our hearts and how to love our neighbors. Let us be thankful today for the people that
God gives to us to help correct our behavior so that we can become better. That is what the season of Advent is about:
Correcting our behavior so that we can be better. Amen.
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
December 10, 2017: The Second Sunday of Advent
Gathering Songs: Light
a Candle, Prepare the Way of the Lord; Jesus Stand Among Us, Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
Song: Light A Candle
(tune: Jimmy Crack Corn)
Light a candle for hope today, light a candle for hope
today, light a candle for hope today.
Advent time is here.
Light a candle for peace today,…….
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.
Liturgist: The
Lord be with you.
People: And
also with you.
Liturgist: Let us
pray
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with
great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let
your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now
and for ever. Amen.
First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)
O God, you are Great!
Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us! Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior! Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family! Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins! Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead! Alleluia
Liturgist: A reading
from the Prophet Isaiah
A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way
of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley
shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground
shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 85
I will listen to what the LORD God is saying, * for he is
speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hearts to him.
and to those who turn their hearts to him.
Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together; * righteousness and peace
have kissed each other.
Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)
Liturgist:
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 Mark
People: Glory
to you, Lord Christ.
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. As it is written in the prophet
Isaiah,
"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: `Prepare the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people
from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going
out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their
sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his
waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is
more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and
untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
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. (chanted)
For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have
mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have
mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in
our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have
mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have
mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have
mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.
Liturgist: The
Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving
of an offering.
Offertory Song: Prepare the Way of the Lord (Renew! # 92)
Sing four times
Prepare the way of the Lord.
Prepare the way of the Lord,
and all people will see the salvation of our God.
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 our birth into the family of
God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to
his 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 can we love God and our
neighbor.
On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the
blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take,
eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of
me."
After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and
said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which
is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink
it, do this for the remembrance of me."
Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we
eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the
life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in
our future.
Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a
special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ. May we forever live with praise to God to
whom we belong as sons and daughters.
By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of
the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
is yours, Almighty
Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,
Our Father: (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: Jesus Stand Among Us, (Renew! #17)
1-Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our
sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather
here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
2-So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land. Christ the love between us at the
joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather
here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
3-Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us
as one body as we worship Your, our Head.
O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and
take away our fear.
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: Lord, I Lift Your Name on High (Renew! # 4)
Lord I lift your name on high; Lord, I love to sing your
praises. I’m so glad you’re in my life;
I’m so glad you came to save us. You came from heaven to earth to show the
way,
from earth to the cross my debt to pay. From the cross to the grave, from the grave
to the sky;
Lord, I lift your name on high.
Dismissal
Liturgist: Let us
go forth in the Name of Christ.
People: Thanks be
to God!
