October 14, 2018, Pentecost 21
The bell ringers, Light and dark on the Rappahannock River, Guest minister Ron Okrasinski greets the congregaton after the sermon on the “Rich Young Ruler”, Fall Leaves
Pictures, sermon link and text from this Sunday, October 14
The Week Ahead…
Oct. 17 – 10am-12pm, Ecumenical Bible Study
Oct. 17 – Village Harvest, 3pm-5pm
Help needed: 9:30ish, help needed to unload the truck. Many hands make light work. 1PM, help needed to set up. 3-5PM help needed for the distribution itself. Help the shoppers gather what they need. You can still bring cleaning supplies on the day since these are not available at the Food Bank. Thank you for your contributions of both food and time. Everyone can share in making this important St Peter’s ministry happen.
Oct. 18 – An Afternoon in Guatemala, 4:30pm
Oct. 21 – 10:00am, Living the Good News Christian Ed for children
Oct. 21 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist Rite II
Sunday, Oct. 21 Readings and Servers
October’s Village Harvest, Oct. 17
For Oct’s Village Harvest on Oct 17 we are distributing cleaning supplies. Help needed: 9:30ish, help needed to unload the truck. Many hands make light work. 1PM, help needed to set up. 3-5PM help needed for the distribution itself. Help the shoppers gather what they need. You can still bring cleaning supplies on the day since these are not available at the Food Bank.
Thank you for your contributions of both food and time. Everyone can share in making this important St Peter’s ministry happen. Last month we fed 112 and we had ample foods to serve many more over 13 pounds available per person.
All Saints Remembrances for All Saints Sunday
The All Saint’s Day Service is Nov 4.
Email Catherine by Monday, Oct. 28 with the names of those who have died in the past year that you would like to have remembered.
From Catherine – “We’ll enjoy some traditional Guatemalan food together, and I’ll talk about my time in Antigua, Guatemala. I want to tell you about all sorts of things that I experienced in my time away and to share with you how my experiences affected me. I’ll share some of my photos with you, and please bring your questions.” Please let her know if you will be there so there will be enough food for all!
Email Catherine
Celebrating Luke, Oct. 18
We move to the Gospel of Luke in December as part of the three year Gospel cycle – Matthew, Mark (this year) and Luke (next year) in Year C. Surprisingly, most of the New Testament came from Luke’s hand.
An article on Luke is here.
Lectionary, Pentecost 22, Proper 24
I. Theme – The call to discipleship means service and sacrifice.
Robert Hord’s Chalice
"Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" – Mark 10:38
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Isaiah 53:4-12
Psalm – Psalm 91:9-16 Page 720, BCP
Epistle – Hebrews 5:1-10
Gospel – Mark 10:35-45
Today’s readings confront us with the reality that the call to discipleship means service and sacrifice. In Isaiah, the “suffering servant” of Israel, though innocent, takes on the sin, sorrow, pain and oppression of God’s people. According to Hebrews, Jesus, the full embodiment of the “suffering servant,” identifies with humanity and offers himself as final high priest and ultimate sacrifice.
In the gospel, Jesus reverses our understanding of greatness: those who would lead must serve. One reason we are so disgusted by John and James may be that we recognize a shred of their ambition lurking within ourselves. We have probably all had the experience of launching a project with confident enthusiasm (and utter naivete). Whether it’s a food drive for the hungry, a new family budget or a vow to get shipshape organized, we plunge ahead with dreams of glory.
Like James and John, we gloss over any possible difficulties. Reality hits with a clunk. And then we appreciate the enormous difference between the apostles pre- and post-resurrection. When they rely on themselves, they are a sorry lot: self-seeking, argumentative, downright stupid. Yet Jesus can see beyond all that and can assure them of fellowship with himself. How? Perhaps he sees them as they would become, filled with the Spirit after Pentecost: transformed into courageous witnesses whose dreams of greatness had been replaced by the humble goal of serving the lord they love and others
The Gospel: "Speaking to the Soul: The Next Level"
From the Episcopal Cafe
Mark 10:35-45
"We are two-thirds of the way through Mark’s gospel, and James and John have gotten the message…well, they’ve gotten part of the message, anyway. They have seen the miracles. They have travelled with Jesus and heard him preach the new covenant. And that’s where they get lost. They have seen Jesus in the glory of the Transfiguration. They have come to believe he truly is the Messiah. And they think they deserve a share of his glory. They want the best seats in the house of the Lord… and they’re not shy about asking for them.
"Jesus listens. He sees how far they have come and how far they have yet to go. He knows it’s time to take them to the next level. And it’s not the level they were planning on. They are angling for positions of prestige and power. Jesus is committed to a life of selfless love and sacrificial service.
"Patiently, he explains to them: You don’t understand what you are asking for. Jesus knows the suffering that awaits him. He asks if James and John are ready to share his fate… if they are prepared to drink of the cup that I drink of. In posing the question this way, Jesus is being very forthright with them. This was a common metaphor of the day, used to warn of great peril. But in their enthusiasm and ambition, James and John are blind to the danger. Jesus, knowing the martyrdom waiting for them all, cautions that they will share his fate. And ever in obedience to the will of the Father, he tells them that the honors they seek are not his to give.
"Overhearing this talk of honors and rewards, the other apostles want to get in on the action. They start to grumble that James and John are getting too big for their britches. Then Jesus shuts down the whole brouhaha, telling them that they’ve got it all wrong. The disciples accept Jesus as the Messiah, but they still don’t have a clue about what that really means. Jesus wants to take them up to the next level, to have them fully understand what it means to follow him. He tells them that to be a Christian means to serve, not to lord it over people. It did then and it does now.
The Epistle: Hebrews 5:1-10 in today’s world – Magdalene
by Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort for OnScripture
"Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people." – Hebrews 5:1-3
"Hebrews 5:1-10 invites us to consider an alternative vision of leadership in Christ, the High Priest. Instead of power, the writer describes Jesus’ service in terms of compassion and mercy, even citing weakness as the source of his efficacy as high priest. Even though he was a Son, "he learned obedience through what he suffered."
The video from OnScripture describes the story of Magdalene . Magdalene is a residential program in Nashville that helps women who have survived lives of violence and prostitution. Through a related organization Thistle Farms they provide a 2 year residential program and advocacy services for up to 700 women year. The women are employed in diverse enterprises- cafe, paper and sewing studio, and global marketplace. An excerpt of the article with a video following:
"The emotional, physical, and spiritual violence that we inflict on one other is a sign that something is amiss in our world. The statistics from the World Health Organization on sex work and disease , paint the terrible truth that sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse are on the rise across the globe. The sex and drug industry “will tear up women and use them ‘til they throw them out” as Rev. Rebecca Stevens, Executive Director of Magdalene Ministries. Magdalene is a recovery program in Nashville, Tennessee for women who have histories of substance abuse and prostitution. Stevens has helped countless women get off the streets and put their lives back together. Yet there are so many more in need. It is clear that something is persistently bent on the annihilation of our bodies and souls. What can we say or do?"
The Season of Creation year B encompassed all 5 Sundays in September, 2018 and through St. Francis Day, Oct. 4. .
This is our second year doing the Season as alternative liturgy during Pentecost. Personally I think it is the most important part of our church year behind Advent and Lent. It connects us all to the world around us and unites us all to the common goal of being both in awe of God’s Creation and making us aware of our shortcomings in our day of being God’s stewards. With that said I can see real improvements being made with steps in process for the future.
Here’s the complete retrospective with a summary below
6 Takeaways
1. The Season of Creation as with last year focuses on God the Creator. God Creates the world God’s sustains the earth, promotes renewal for the entire creation, gives us the ability to take action where needed in the world.
2. The final creation was not at the beginning of Genesis and left as it was. The world is in constant creation.
3. As the Pope has said many times, “We are the guardians of Creation” and “everything is connected.” We must be the stewards of our earth and be on guard for its exploitation.
4. When we choose to live in God’s new creation, we grow, and contribute to the good of the world around us, loving one another.
5. The Season of creation is about images and symbols to depict creation and our roles through scripture and the sermon. We used the sower, miracles, butterflies seeds, gardens, and mandalas to convey the meaning this year.
6. During the season we highlighted 5 areas of the environment – water, earth, food, climate change and energy that have been endangered over a generation. Grading the environmental quality of the Rappahannock River, controlling sand and gravel operations in Caroline County, expanding feeding ministries at the same time focusing on waste, reviewing the global increase of temperature and effect and seeing the growth of renewable energy sources were all a part of the study.
One Year After Irma and Maria
Reported from Reuters – “Shuttered businesses, blue tarp roofs and extensively damaged homes can still be seen throughout Puerto Rico and access to electricity and fresh water remain spotty.”
“The storm knocked out power and communications to virtually all of island’s 3.2 million residents, while destroying the homes of thousands. More than 472,000 homes across Puerto Rico were damaged by Hurricane Maria
“Even before the Category-4 storm hit, Puerto Rico was financially bankrupt with $120 billion in debt and pension liabilities it cannot pay. A year after Maria, the island is far from prepared for the next big storm, with an ever-fragile power grid, damaged infrastructure and the same crippling debt.
“There are still some 45,000 homes with so-called “blue roofs,” or tarps installed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The San Juan mayor has noted that the island has seen only a fraction of almost $50 billion in recovery funds Congress approved, including the $20 billion in HUD funds.”
Read more about the hurricanes
2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (Oct, 2018) 6. Calendar 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (Oct. 21, 2018 11:00am), and Sermon (Oct. 14, 2018)
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Saints of the Week, Oct. 14 – Oct. 21
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14
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Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky & Channing Moore Williams, Bishops & Missionaries, 1906 & 1910 |
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15
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Teresa of Avila, Mystic & Monastic Reformer, 1582 |
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16
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Hugh Latimer & Nicholas Ridley, Bishops and Martyrs, 1555 |
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17
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Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Martyr, c. 115 |
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18
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Saint Luke the Evangelist |
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19
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Henry Martyn, Priest and Missionary, 1812 |
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20
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21
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