Easter 7A
1 June 2014
Saint Faith's Anglican Church
Vancouver BC
Focus text: John 17.1-11
Click here to listen to the Sermon as preached at the 10.00 a.m. Eucharist on Sunday, 1 June 2014.
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one."
Every once and a while a question will pop into my mind that has no clear connection to anything that I am doing or thinking. Just recently I found myself asking the question, 'Why do we have so many superhero movies these days?' I decided to go to the source of all knowledge, Google, and typed in my question. Would you believe it? My question was the question of lots of people.
Most of the answers given to the question focused on the facts that superhero movies, especially those based on comic book characters, are easy to make and generate lots of ticket revenue. Other observers waxed eloquently on the lack of imagination in Hollywood and the ease of avoiding the hard work of creating a compelling story by using old story-lines and special effects.
But I found some interesting comments posted at 'wisegeek.com' that looked more closely at 'why' superhero movies appeal to us.
1) Superhero movies allow us to escape, if even for only a couple of hours, from the challenges of our daily lives.
2) In times of conflict, especially armed conflicts, superheroes serve our patriotic instincts. Superheroes fight for justice and peace. They rally the 'home front' by giving us the sense that good will triumph over evil. But often superheroes struggle to live a normal life even as they confront the evils of their times. It's this struggle that allows us to relate to them as human beings.
3) Superheroes offer hope in dismal times. They are often symbols of peace, safety and freedom.
I can understand all these impulses. I was born at the end of the Korean War and lived through the heights of the Cold War. I belong to the last group of Americans who could have been drafted in their nineteenth year into the armed forces of the United States during the Vietnam War. I watched 'Superman' on television during the fifties. Not only might I want a superhero, I would love to be one.
It is tempting to view Jesus as a superhero. After all, he's the Son of God, not an ordinary person like you or me. He walks on water, heals the sick and casts out demons. When everyone thinks that he is dead, he is raised from the tomb and astonishes his followers and frightens the authorities. Forty days after Jesus' resurrection, the writer of the gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles tells us that Jesus ascends bodily into heaven, becoming our spokesperson at the side of God. We sing hymns the celebrate his coming at the end of time to rectify all the wrongs, raise the dead and bring us into glory. It's a powerful story and it has inspired and strengthened Christians for almost two thousand years.
But the real story is not about a superhero, whether divine or otherwise. The real story is about a people, at first a group of Jews living in a troubled area of the Roman Empire in the first century of our era, later a movement that now numbers billions of people on every continent. The real story is that God is not depending upon a superhero to bring about God's purposes for us and for the whole of creation. God is depending upon this people, as diverse as we are, as divided as we can be, as imperfect as we are, to do justice, to love steadfastly and to walk humbly.
This people have the knowledge that Jesus speaks of in today's gospel. We know that love, when shared with many, is not diminished. We know that every human being, made in the image of God, has dignity to be protected and nurtured. We know that we live in a world crafted by the hands of God which we must tend not pillage. We know that death, our ancient foe, is not God's last word.
These are but a few things that we already know and there is more that God is revealing in every generation. We do not need another superhero; we need to be the people we have become through our communion with God in Jesus and the Spirit. We need to be ourselves as God sees us and gives us the means to be rather than the people the powers of darkness want us to think we are, weak, gullible, passive, easily manipulated.
What do we need to be ourselves? On this Sunday between the celebration of the ascension and the celebration of the coming of the Spirit I am going to refrain from answering this question today. I will try to do so next week. But in the meantime I will say that we need courage and we need wisdom. More next week.
In this season of superhero movies I do want to mention two series of films that have appeared over the last few years. Ever since my days in Grade 7 I re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings every two years or so. Many of us have seen the trilogy of films based on The Lord of the Rings and two of three projected films based on The Hobbit have already appeared. In an epic filled with wizards, elves, magical beings, both good and evil, strange creatures, one might think that it is part of the superhero genre. But it is not. The real heroes in J. R. R. Tolkien's tales of Middle Earth are the hobbits, simple folks who love gardens, tall tales, tobacco and good food. They accomplish what all the 'great' folk of the world cannot: the defeat of the evil power that threatens Middle Earth and all its creatures.
I have no illusions about the difficulties human beings face in this world, difficulties more often than not generated by our own acts of injustice, our own failures to love steadfastly and our own arrogance. I have no vision of healing all the world in a generation. I know that you and I are called to achieve God's purposes here in Metro Vancouver, perhaps British Columbia, even Canada. If others tend their 'gardens', then the cumulative effect will be more than we can ask or imagine.
I enjoy superhero movies, but I don't need a superhero. I just need ordinary people of faith to be and to become who God intends them to be by following the way, the truth and the life God reveals in Jesus of Nazareth. That will be enough. Amen.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Morning and Evening Prayer from Ascension to the Sunday after Trinity
Dear Friends,
I have just posted, in two formats, a draft Order for Morning and Evening from Ascension to the Sunday after Pentecost. This is part of the on-going work of the Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada. At this point this is just my draft and does carry any authority other than my own long-time work on the revision of the Office.
Click here for Ascension to the Sunday after Pentecost in PDF.
Click here for Ascension to the Sunday after Pentecost in DOCX.
I have just posted, in two formats, a draft Order for Morning and Evening from Ascension to the Sunday after Pentecost. This is part of the on-going work of the Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada. At this point this is just my draft and does carry any authority other than my own long-time work on the revision of the Office.
Click here for Ascension to the Sunday after Pentecost in PDF.
Click here for Ascension to the Sunday after Pentecost in DOCX.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Some Liturgical Resources for Easter 7 Year A
Liturgical Resources for Easter 7 Year A
1 June 2014
Gathered by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett
28 May 2014
Collects of the Day
Almighty God,
you have exalted
your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph
to your kingdom in heaven.
Mercifully give us
faith to know
that, as he
promised,
he abides with us on
earth to the end of time;
who is alive and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for
ever. Amen. [1]
O God the King of
glory,
you have exalted
your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph
to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you,
leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy
spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the
place where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and
reigns with you,
in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for
ever. Amen. [2]
Risen, ascended
Lord,
as we rejoice at
your triumph,
fill your Church on
earth with power and compassion,
that all who are
estranged by sin
may find forgiveness
and know your peace,
to the glory of God
the Father. Amen. [3]
O God of glory,
your Son Jesus
Christ suffered for us
and ascended to your
right hand.
Unite us with Christ
and each other
in suffering and in
joy,
that all the world
may be drawn
into your bountiful
presence,
through Jesus
Christ, our Saviour and Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and
forever. Amen. [4]
God our Father,
glorify your Son
in the lives of the
people called by his name.
Through no merit of
ours,
you have made us
your own,
to be your witnesses
on earth.
Keep us true to the
name we bear,
that people
everywhere may know
that you are the God
and lover of us all.
We ask this through
Jesus Christ,
the resurrection and
the life,
who lives and reigns
with you
in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
God for ever and
ever. Amen. [5]
Christ our lover
to whom we try to
cling:
as you have reached
into our depths
and drawn us to love
you,
so make us open,
freely to let you go;
that you may return
in unexpected power
to change the world
through us,
in your name. Amen. [6]
Jesus Christ,
you left your
disciples,
only that you might
send the Holy Spirit
to be our advocate.
Grant us the Spirit
of truth
to convince the
world
that you are risen
from the dead. Amen. [7]
Eternal God,
you have given your
Son authority
in heaven and in
earth;
grant that we may
never lose
the vision of his
kingdom
but serve him with
hope and joy. Amen. [8]
O God of glory,
your Son Jesus
Christ suffered for us
and ascended to sit
at your side in honour.
Unite us with Christ
and each other,
in suffering and in
joy,
so that all your
children may be drawn
into your bountiful
dwelling. Amen. [9]
Threefold One,
relationship in
unity,
love given and received
through all the ages
long:
give us that unity
which is not
enclosed
but alive and
accepting
with the open heart
of love;
through Jesus Christ,
the glory of God. Amen. [10]
Prayers over the Gifts
Source
of all joy,
receive
our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Keep
us in the love of Christ
and
bring us to the vision of his glory;
through
the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [11]
Blessed
are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth.
Day
by day you shower us with blessings.
As
you have raised us to new life in Christ,
give
us glad and generous hearts,
ready
to praise you and to respond to those in need,
through
Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.
Amen. [12]
Prayers after Communion
Eternal
God,
may
we who share Christ’s banquet
be
one with him as he is one with you.
We
ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
the
risen and ascended Lord. Amen. [13]
Eternal
God, giver of life and power,
your
Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the world
to
preach the gospel of his kingdom:
confirm
us in this mission,
and
help us to live the good news we proclaim;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [14]
Life-giving
God,
in
the mystery of Christ’s resurrection
you
send light to conquer darkness,
water
to give new life,
and
the bread of life to nourish your people.
Send
us forth as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection,
so
that we may show your glory to all the world,
through
Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. [15]
King
of kings, Lord of lords,
you
have ascended your royal throne
carrying
the crossbar for your crucifixion.
Now
you are lifted high,
exalted
to draw us all to your love.
You
are the captive saviour,
who
has led us in triumph
from
the sin, the anxiety, and the doom
which
held us captive.
May
we whom you have redeemed
and
called to be guests at your table
receive
and put to use the gifts you offer us.
Praise
and glory to you, God of space and time,
humble
saviour, king of love. Amen. [16]
Give
praise to God,
for
the risen Christ is with us now
in
power and majesty,
in
grace and peace.
May
we live in him as he lives in the glory
of
the eternal Trinity. Amen. [17]
Eternal
Giver of love and power,
your
Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the world
to
preach the gospel of his kingdom.
Confirm
us in this mission,
and
help us to live the good news we
proclaim. Amen. [18]
[1]
The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 344.
[2]
Common Worship (2000), 404.
[4]
Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 35.
[5]
International Commission on English in the Liturgy, Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language (1997), 48.
[6]
Janet Morley, All Desires Known, 3rd ed. (2006), 23.
[9]
Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002), 125 alt.
[10]
Stephen Shakespeare, Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009), 25.
[11]
The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 344.
[12] Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (2006), 64.
[13]
The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 345.
[14]
Common Worship (2000), 405.
[15] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 65.
An Order for the Eucharist on Easter 7 (1 June 2014)
Seventh Sunday of Easter
1 June 2014
The Gathering of the
Community
Entrance
Hymn
‘Let Streams of Living Justice’ Common Praise #575
Greeting
Alleluia!
Christ is risen.
The Lord is
risen indeed. Alleluia!
May his grace and peace be with you.
May he fill
our hearts with joy.
Canticle
‘Alleluia No. 1’
Common Praise #405
Collect
of the Day
Let us pray.
O
God of glory,
your Son Jesus Christ suffered for us
and ascended to sit at your side in
honour.
Unite us with Christ and each other,
in suffering and in joy,
so that all your children may be drawn
into your bountiful dwelling. Amen.
[i]
The Proclamation of the
Word of God
The
First Reading
A Reading from Isaiah (45.1-7).
Thus
says the Lord
to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations
before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him — and the
gates shall not be closed: I will go
before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and
riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God
of Israel, who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by
your name, I surname you, though you do not know me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me
there is no god. I arm you, though you
do not know me, so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the
west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make weal
and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to
God.
The
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 21.1-7 with Refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain (twice):
Gracious God, may your peace
dwell in our hearts.
1 The king rejoices in your strength, O Lord; *
how greatly he exults in your victory!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire; *
you have not denied him the request of
his lips.
3 For you meet him with blessings of prosperity, *
and set a crown of fine gold upon his
head.
Refrain: Gracious God, may your peace dwell in our
hearts.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him; *
length of days, for ever and ever.
5 His honour is great, because of your victory; *
splendour and majesty have you bestowed
upon him.
6 For you will give him everlasting felicity *
and will make him glad with the joy of
your presence.
7 For the king puts his trust in the Lord; *
because of the loving-kindness of the
Most High,
he will not fall.
Refrain: Gracious God, may your peace dwell in our
hearts.
The
Second Reading
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (1.6-14).
So
when they had come together, they asked [Jesus], “Lord, is this the time when
you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the
Father has set by his own authority. But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be
my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” When he had said this, as they
were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up
toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand
looking up toward heaven? This Jesus,
who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you
saw him go into heaven.”
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the
mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey
away. When they had entered the city,
they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and
James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of
Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves
to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as
well as his brothers.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to
God.
Hymn
before the Gospel
‘Alleluia’ Common
Praise #715
The
Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And also with
you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to John (17.1-11).
Glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ.
After
Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the
hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have
given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have
given him. And this is eternal life,
that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have
sent. I glorified you on earth by
finishing the work that you gave me to do.
So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I
had in your presence before the world existed.
“I have made your name known to those
whom you gave me from the world. They
were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given
me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and
they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have
believed that you sent me. I am asking
on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those
whom you gave me, because they are yours.
All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in
them. And now I am no longer in the
world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that
you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to
you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The
Sermon
An
Affirmation of the Resurrection
Let us affirm the message of the resurrection.
Goodness is
stronger than evil;
love is
stronger than hate;
light is
stronger than darkness;
life is
stronger than death;
victory is
ours through Jesus who loved us. [ii]
The Prayers of the
Community
Intercessions,
Petitions and Thanksgivings
The
Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of the risen Christ be with you all.
And also with
you.
The Holy Communion
Offertory
Hymn
‘The Living God Be Praised’ Common Praise #348
The
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth.
Day by day
you shower us with blessings.
As you have
raised us to new life in Christ,
give us glad
and generous hearts,
ready to
praise you and to respond to those in need,
through Jesus
Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [iii]
The
Thanksgiving at the Table
The Lord be with you.
And also with
you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them
to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right
to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed
are you, gracious God,
creator
of heaven and earth;
we
give you thanks and praise
through
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who
after his glorious resurrection
appeared
to his disciples,
and
in their sight ascended into heaven
to
prepare a place for us;
that
where he is, there we might also be,
and
reign with him in glory.
Therefore
we praise you with angels and archangels
and
with all the company of heaven,
who
for ever sing this hymn
to
proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy,
holy Lord,
God of power
and might.
Heaven and
earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in
the highest.
Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Blessed are you, O God of the universe.
Your mercy is everlasting
and your faithfulness endures from age to age.
Praise to you for creating the heavens and the
earth.
Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters
of the flood.
Praise to you for bringing the Israelites safely
through the sea.
Praise to you for leading your people
through the wilderness to the land of milk and
honey.
Praise to you for the words and deeds of Jesus,
your anointed one.
Praise to you for the death and resurrection of
Christ.
Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on all
nations.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup,
gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink,
saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness
of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
With this bread and cup
we remember our Lord’s Passover from death to life
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has
died.
Christ is
risen.
Christ will
come again.
O God of resurrection and new life:
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Bless this feast.
Grace our table with your presence.
Come, Holy
Spirit.
Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the
bread.
Raise us up as the body of Christ for the
world.
Breathe new life into us.
Send us forth, burning with justice, peace and
love.
Come, Holy
Spirit.
With the ever-blessed Virgin Mary,
blessed Joseph, blessed Faith
and your holy ones of all times and places,
with the earth and all its creatures,
with sun and moon and stars,
we praise you, O God,
blessed and holy Trinity,
now and forever.
Amen. [v]
The
Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in
heaven,
hallowed be
your name,
your kingdom
come,
your will be
done,
on earth as
in heaven.
Give us today
our daily bread.
Forgive us
our sins
as we forgive
those who sin against us.
Save us from
the time of trial,
and deliver
us from evil.
For the
kingdom, the power,
and the glory
are yours,
The
Breaking of the Bread
Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now we are
raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now we share
in your resurrection.
Live in us,
that we may live in you.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to
God.
Communion
Hymn
after Communion
‘Hallelujah!
We Sing Your Praises’ Common
Praise #82
The Sending Forth of the
Community
The
Prayer after Communion
Life-giving God,
in the
mystery of Christ’s resurrection
you send
light to conquer darkness,
water to give
new life,
and the bread
of life to nourish your people.
Send us forth
as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection,
so that we
may show your glory to all the world,
through Jesus
Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. [vii]
Glory to God,
whose power,
working in us,
can do
infinitely more
than we can
ask or imagine.
Glory to God
from generation to generation,
in the Church
and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and
ever. Amen.
Closing
Hymn
‘Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise’ Common Praise #247
vv. 1, 2, 5, 6
The
Dismissal
Let us go forth in the name of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to
God. Alleluia, alleluia!
[i]
Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002), 125 alt.
[ii]
Desmond Tutu as quoted in Janet Morley, ed., Bread for Tomorrow: Prayers for the Church Year (1992), 117.
[iii] ‘Offering Prayer
for Easter’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 64.
[iv] Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (2006), #525.
[v] ‘Thanksgiving at
the Table IV’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 111.
[vi] Songs for a Gospel
People #12.
[vii] ‘Prayer after
Communion for Easter’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 65.
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