Pictures and text from this Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019
Videos from this Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019
The Week Ahead…
Dec. 3- Giving Tuesday in support of the Village Harvest
Dec. 4- 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study
Dec. 6- 6:00pm-7:30pm – Port Royal Christmas, 2019
Dec. 7- 10:00am – Choir Retreat at Brad’s home
Dec. 7- 5:30pm – Everett’s Christmas
Dec. 8 – 10:00am – Christian Ed . Learn about the women who appear in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of his gospel
Dec. 8 – 11:00am – Advent 2, Holy Eucharist . Coming up today:
1. St. Peter’s Christmas Tree Family. Gift due today Dec. 8th. The gifts will be delivered to Caroline County Social Services for designated families
2. Poinsettia forms are on the back pew. Orders due today, Dec. 8th.
3.Today, Dec. 8, the Bethlehem Walk departs after church. What if you’d been in Bethlehem when Jesus was born? If you’d like to find out, join in this field trip to Salem Baptist Church in Goochland County, VA. This amazing experience is an opportunity to visit a recreation of the village of Bethlehem as it would have been in the time of Jesus.
Sunday, Dec. 8, Second Sunday in Advent Readings and Servers
Support the Village Harvest on Dec. 3, Giving Tuesday
- A $10 donation feeds 6 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 72 pounds of food and $430 in total value!
- A $20 donation feeds 12 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 144 pounds of food and $860 in total value!
- Donating $200 puts you and or your organization into the “Village Club” for special recognition since you have covered the food for one Village Harvest!
How to Give ? Two ways:
1 Go online on Dec. 3 and use St. Peter’s PayPal account and donate via credit card using this link or churchsp.org/givingtuesday2019/
2 On or before Dec. 3 make out a check to St. Peter’s with “Giving Tuesday” in the memo line
St. Peter’s Church
P. O. Box 399
Port Royal, Virginia 22535 or put it in the plate.
We have an online recap of the Village Harvest over 5 years here
It’s Advent!
The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It is a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.
Advent which begins on Sunday Dec. 2 is like a breath of fresh air -a new church year, a new set of Gospel readings from Mark, and the anticipation of the birth of Christ.
The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.
The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The Advent Wreath is beautiful and evocative reminder of the life-giving qualities of light. The evergreens used in the wreath are reminders of ongoing life, even in the face of death.
There are 4 candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Three of the candles are purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.
The Third candle is pink, a color of joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here and fasting is almost order. Gaudete Sunday (from the Latin meaning “rejoice”) which is taken from Philippians 4:4-5, the Entrance Antiphon of the day.
Advent begins in a season of darkness but using the Advent wreath we see light winning over darkness. Lighting candles is a way we can keep time in Church And as the season passes, and another candle is lit each week, light finally wins out over darkness with the turn of the solstice in the stars and the birth of Christ on the ground.
At the center of the wreath is a white candle, which is called the Christ Candle. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve as a reminder that Jesus, the light of the world, has been born and has come to dwell with us.
It is a season of waiting, of rest but also a time to find new beginnings. Since the 900s Advent has been considered the beginning of the Church year. It is antidote for our society’s frantic behavior during the holiday season. There is so much in the world that tells you, you are not enough or you haven’t do enough before Christmas but you have to find out during Advent that you are enough.
The altar changes during Advent to represent the new season, particularly in the use of color. Today, many churches have begun to use blue instead of purple, as a means of distinguishing Advent from Lent. Blue also signifies the color of the night sky or the waters of the new creation in Genesis 1. Blue emphasizes the season is also about hope and anticipation of the coming of Christ. Christ is about transformation as the sky changes from dark to light filling our lives with grace.
Here is 2017’s Advent 1 in pictures. and also 2018
A St. Peter’s Advent and Christmas
Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of Jesus as one of us. Jesus brought God’s light into the world during his lifetime and we expect him to return to reign in glory at the end of time.
1. Port Royal Christmas – Fri., Dec. 6, 6:00-7:30pm at the town Fire Hall. Food , games, songs and the lighting of the Christmas tree. –
2. Choir Retreat – Sat. Dec. 7, 10:00am–The choir will be gathering to rehearse Christmas music followed by lunch. Set aside some time to pray this morning for Brad Volland, our organist, and our dedicated choir.
3. Everett’s Christmas – Sat. Dec. 7, 5:00pm. Gather round the Everett’s table for a delicious pot luck dinner, over the top Christmas decorations, and Christmas caroling. All are welcome.
4. Dec. 8 – Poinsettia form due
5. Dec. 8 – St Peter’s Christmas Tree Family. Bring Christmas gifts for the Christmas family to church for a blessing before they’re delivered to Social Services and then to the Christmas family.
6. Bethlehem Walk, Sun, Dec. 8, After service. This is a life-sized of outside reenactment of the city of Bethlehem at the time of Christ. The tour is outside and takes approximately 45 minutes Salem Baptist Church 465 Broad Street Road, Manakin, VA 23103 (6 miles west of Short Pump)
7. Village Dinner, Wed., Dec. 11, 5pm-6:30pm Braised Pork, Egg Noodles, Carrots, Brocolli, Fresh Apple Cake
8. Spanish Bible Study, Dec. 13, 6pm-8pm, Parish House
9. Dec. 15 – Endowment Fund gifts due
10. Christmas Play on Advent 4 – Sun. Dec. 22, 11am. Videos Each year it’s unique and at the same time a wonderful introduction to Christmas week.
11. Sunday, December 22 Blue Christmas Eucharist, 4:30pm
12. Christmas Eve – Tues., Dec. 24, 4:30pm – Holy Eucharist Rite II. Celebrating Christ coming among us.
13. Lessons and Carols – Sun. Dec. 29, 11am. This traditional Anglican service, developed in England, gives us the opportunity to hear the story of our salvation in Jesus Christ through scripture and song.
14. New Year’s Eve Gala – Tues. Dec. 31, 6pm. Parish House
Two Opportunities for Adult Christian Ed.
1. Sundays in the Parish House during Advent
On the first three Sundays of Advent, learn about the women who appear in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of his gospel. What on earth is a prostitute doing in that list? Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, a young girl, unexpectedly find themselves with child. What is God up to? And what can these two women teach us about our own lives?
2. Advent Online learning. Learn at your own pace, as much or as little:
New this year:
* Dickens, A Christmas Carol and the Bible
* Handel’s Messiah, Prophecy and Birth of the Messiah
From Last year:
Advent 1 links
Explore Advent, Part 2
“Advent is a time to look for “desert places”: the place of solitude, the place of true silence in which we can become fully awake to our sin and God’s forgiving grace which alone can heal it.”-Br. Robert L’Esperance
This week we focus on John the Baptist through scripture, art and commentary. Let’s move to Advent 2.
John the Baptist presentation.
St Nicholas Day is December 6.
Here is a presentation that provides the background of this saint who has had a colorful and varied history over 1800 years.
Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.
Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.
Daily meditations in words and music.
Your daily prayer online, since 1999
“We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance.”
Saints of the Week, – Dec. 1 – Dec. 8
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1
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Charles de Foucauld, Monastic and Martyr, 1916 |
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2
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Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, 1637 |
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3
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Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East, 1552 |
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4
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John of Damascus, Priest & Theologian, c. 760 |
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5
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Clement of Alexandria, Priest & Theologian, c. 210 |
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6
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Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342 |
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7
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Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397 |
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8
8 8 |
Richard Baxter, Pastor and Writer, 1691 Narcisa de Jesús Martillo Morán, Mystic & Worker of Charity, 1869 William West Skiles, Deacon & Missionary, 1862 |