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Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
Help us advertise the concert!
Go to the Thirteen page for links including the poster.
| Colors | Season | Dates | |
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| Green | After Epiphany | Jan 7-Feb 10 | |
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, Jan 14- Jan. 21
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14
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15
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16
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[Richard Meux Benson, Religious, 1915, and Charles Gore, Bishop of Worcester, of Birmingham, and of Oxford, 1932] |
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17
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Antony, Abbot in Egypt, 356 |
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18
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The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle |
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Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095 |
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Fabian, Bishop and Martyr of Rome, 250 |
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Agnes, Martyr at Rome, 304 |
A Smaller Village Harvest, Jan 17, 2018 – people but not in food
People served in January, 2018 declined sharply from previous months. 86 people were served which is the lowest since June, 2016 (70). Last month 213 came to the Harvest. A year ago there were 145.
However, food provided was the second highest providing more pounds per person than in any other month. Those that came received the best value ever.
Jan. 14, 2018 – Epiphany 2, Congregational Meeting
Direct links
1. Videos
2. The 2018 Congregational Meeting reports.
We have the reports in several formats – as a spread, pdf format and book formats:
1. Web. (Great for PC ). This shows the reports as a table of contents in the left sidebar and you can click on the reports which will display in the right pane. Below the table of contents are also the PDF and flash formats described below.
2. Pull up a PDF (For PC, smart phone, tablets)
3. HTML 5 Book view. (For smartphones, tablets and PC). Looks like a book with table of contents, searching, etc.
For those who want to compare all of this with 2017, here are the topics and reports of last year’s 2017’s meeting .
The Week Ahead…
Jan. 17 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study
Jan. 17 – 3pm-5pm – Village Harvest distribution
Jan. 21 – 10am – Christian Education for childrren
Jan. 21 – 11am – Holy Eucharist, Epiphany 3
Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 Readings and Servers
The Thirteen began the yearly concert series in 2013. We are pleased to welcome that back in our 6th concert year.
The above description is the concert they will present at St. Peter’s. It fits in well with the "Season of Creation" from last fall.
From their website “Described as having “a tight and attractive vocal blend and excellent choral discipline” (American Record Guide), The Thirteen is an all-star professional choir known for inspired and powerful live performance. Since its founding in 2012, the choir has been at the forefront of bringing invigorating performances to the American choral community in repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the Romantic, from Bach to Bruckner; and from Gregorian chant to the world premieres of new American composers. “
The concert is free but we encourage donations so we can keep this series going.
Help us advertise the concert. The Thirteen page has both informational links as well as 2 posters that you can download and distribute .
Recalling the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jan. 15
1. Trinity Cathedral
2. National Cathedral
Jan 14pm -4pm
Awake and in Motion: Celebrating 50 years of MLK
Here is a general King introduction
The Library of Congress has restored a King documentary, King: A Filmed Record that was released March, 1970 and fterwards revived only in heavily edited version since it was originally 3 hours long. It was contstructed from archival footage and followed King from 1955 to 1968, in his rise from regional activist to world-renowned leader of the Civil Rights movement.
2018 is the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Here is a tribute in Fredericksburg at the time of his assassination in 1968.
Confession of St. Peter
"St. Peter"- Peter P. Rubens
This is the week to remember the confessional of St. Peter. We remember how the Apostle Peter was led by God’s grace to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ from Matthew –Matthew 16:13-20.
A sermon in August, 2014 was all about Peter. Here’s the link
Jan 18 is the day appointed for this event. The collect – "Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. "
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan 18-25, 2018
Theme for 2018:
"Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power;"
(Exodus 15:6)
At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17.21). Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Congregations and parishes all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. The event that touches off this special experience is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Traditionally the week of prayer is celebrated between 18-25 January, between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul.
Brochure for 2018. Readings are here.
"The Churches of the Caribbean were chosen to draft the material for the 2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The contemporary Caribbean is deeply marked by the dehumanizing project of colonial exploitation. Very regrettably, during five hundred years of colonialism and enslavement, Christian missionary activity in the region, with the exception of a few outstanding examples, was closely tied to this dehumanizing system and in many ways rationalized it and reinforced it. Whereas those who brought the Bible to this region used the scriptures to justify their subjugation of a people in bondage, in the hands of the enslaved, it became an inspiration, an assurance that God was on their side, and that God would lead them into freedom.
Today Caribbean Christians of many different traditions see the hand of God active in the ending of enslavement. It is a uniting experience of the saving action of God which brings freedom. For this reason the choice of the song of Moses and Miriam (Ex 15:1-21), as the motif of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2018 was considered a most appropriate one."
Epiphany 3, Year B Lectionary Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018
I.Theme – Discipleship and change
"Christ Calling the Apostles Peter and Andrew" -Duccio, di Buoninsegna, d. 1319
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm – Psalm 62:6-14 Page 669, BCP
Epistle –1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel – Mark 1:14-20
By Bruce Epperly – Process and Faith
"Today’s lectionary readings highlight change – divine and human. Many “orthodox” people see God as impassible – any possibility of change taints divine purity and holiness. What makes God is the absolute discontinuity between God and us: we wither and perish but God endures, always complete in knowledge and power. Before the earth was created, God determined everything without our consultation. Even our turning from evil – or refusal to follow God’s path – is somehow known in advance and since God’s knowledge is always active, determined in advance. Any change on God’s part, such “orthodoxy” maintains, would put in doubt God’s fidelity. But, such changeless visions of God are bought at a price – God is aloof from our world, insensitive to our pain, and – much worse – the likely source of the evils we experience.
"Jonah no doubt expected hell-fire and brimstone to rain down on Nineveh. He preached doom and gloom as the natural – or divinely ordained – consequence of their wickedness. I suspect Jonah believed that humans don’t change – once evil always evil, once corrupt always corrupt. Although the scripture telescopes this ancient story, the only words from Jonah’s mouth are “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Repentance and moral reformation aren’t even part of his message. But, the people change their ways, perhaps hoping to avert disaster. Regardless of their motivation, they are saved. As the story goes, because they change, “God changed God’s mind” and the city was spared.
"Two key theological points emerge. First, this passage describes the vision of a changing God, who not only calls but also responds. In the dance of relationship, when we change, God also changes. God is not bound by God’s past eternal or temporal decisions. God is free to act creatively in relationship to our creativity. Second, this vision begs the question: does God choose to destroy cities and nations, or is there a dynamic synergy of acts and consequences which leads to certain results to which even God must respond? The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead takes the latter viewpoint: God’s aim or vision for each moment is the “best for that impasse.”
"Always contextual, God’s movements in our lives respect our autonomy. Just as unbelief in Jesus’ hometown limits his healing power – he could no great work, but some small acts of transformation – our thoughts and actions shape and may limit the extent of God’s work in the world. Sometimes the best God can do in certain situations is to attempt to place boundaries on pain and evil-doing, rather than achieving something of great beauty. God never gives up – in relationship to Nineveh or us – but must respond creatively to our actions.
"The Psalm invites us to contemplate God’s faithfulness and loving power. When we pause amid the storm and stress of life, we will see a pattern of divine fidelity. The affairs of life are seen for what they are – temporary in light of God’s enduring love. This perspective enables us to be active in the world without becoming overly attached to the results of our actions. This enables us to be committed to justice without polarizing and to seek transformation without succumbing to the culture wars.
"The passage from I Corinthians highlights the perpetual perishing character of life. All flesh is grass. Only God endures. Accordingly, we must take our commitments seriously but not urgently. The key to a spiritually centered life is to affirm our current commitments, yet experience freedom in relationship to them. Relationships change and grow, mourning passes, possessions fade away, and rejoicing turns to sorrow. There is something Taoist about Paul’s words. When we experience the flow of life without clinging to what eventually passes, we experience the peace that passes all understanding.
"The Gospel reading describes Jesus’ inaugural message. “The realm of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” Divine intimacy challenges us to change. In changing our ways, we open the door to hearing the good news. We believe ourselves into transformed actions and we act our way into transformed beliefs. The good news is that you can be changed – as Paul asserts in Romans 12:2, “be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
"Mark began his gospel with "the good news of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God," and now we hear Jesus’ version of just what that Good News is. The first disciples abandon their jobs and homes, their security to follow him.
"In the Epiphany season of divine revealing, we challenged to ask: Where do we need to be transformed? What changes do we and our institutions need to make to be faithful to God? We can change and in our changing, we are responding to God and enable God to do new and innovating things in our lives and the world."
Read more about the Lectionary…
How do we follow Jesus ? (Mark 1:14-20)
by David Lose, president of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
"So perhaps Mark’s message to those reading back in the first century – as well as to those of us following along in the twenty-first – was more about following Jesus in general than it was about any following him only by leaving everything to proclaim the coming kingdom of God. Except that we can never follow “in general.”
"We follow him in particular and distinct ways that may or may not be like the first disciples. And that, I think, is the point. Perhaps we follow by becoming a teacher. Perhaps we follow by volunteering at the senior center. Perhaps we follow by looking out for those in our schools who always seem on the outside and invite them in. Perhaps we follow by doing a job we loathe as best we can to help others. Perhaps we follow by doing a job we hate but contributes to supporting our family and helping others. Perhaps we follow by being generous with our wealth and with our time. Perhaps we follow by listening to those around us and responding with encouragement and care. Perhaps we follow by caring for an aging parent, or special needs child, or someone else who needs our care. Perhaps we follow by….
Discovering New Worlds: Mark 1:14
By Lawrence
Here in v14 is the Man and his Message – his Gospel. This is a summary statement of Jesus’ message: “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the Good News!”
We have already been given strong hints that the Kingdom of God is something that is going to cause huge ructions. This is a message of confrontation between the powers of Imperial Rome and the religious authority of the Temple and its leaders. This isn’t a message that will be received with the enthusiasm that Nineveh showed! The message of the Kingdom will set Jesus and those who respond on a collision course with those who will oppose it. It is the beginning of a life and death struggle.
This is not a message to be assimilated quietly and easily. To “repent and believe” requires a fundamental reorientation and the embracing of a whole new set of values and norms. It will change forever the way in which those who respond – the disciples – will view the world and live in it. It is a call to take up the Struggle against the Strong Man and all the powers that hold the world and its people captive – demons, sickness, hatred, discrimination, political and religious authorities.