Frontpage, Sept. 29, 2019

Sept. 29, 2019 – Season of Creation 5

Caption, left to right, top to bottom- Molokai, Hawaii where the Lepers landed, Fall coming to our sycamores, Gospel on the River singing promoting the Rappahannock River, Communion, Spanish Bible Study this week, After the service this Sunday

Hawaiian Pilgrimage, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019

Pictures and text from this Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019

Videos from this Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019

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The Week Ahead…

Oct. 2- 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study

Oct. 2- Remembering St. Francis. Pet Blessing at 4:30pm

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Oct. 6- 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Oct. 6- 12:00pm – Potluck Coffee Hour

Sunday, Oct. 6 Readings and Servers

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Come to the Art Gallery! 

Photos and article

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Concluding the Season of Creation – Prayers for the Earth 

Based on the Fifth Mark of Mission

To Strive

God, creator of the universe,
Fill us with your love for the creation,
for the natural world around us,
for the earth from which we come
and to which we will return.    
Awake in us energy to work for your world; 
let us never fall into complacency, ignorance,
or being overwhelmed by the task before us.
Help us to restore, remake, renew. Amen 

To Safeguard

Jesus, Redeemer of the World,
Remind us to consider the lost lilies,
the disappearing sparrows;
teach us not to squander precious resources;                
help us value habitats: seas, deserts, forests  
and seek to preserve this world in its diversity.
Alert us to the cause of all living creatures
destroyed wantonly for human greed or pleasure;
Help us to value what we have left
and to learn to live without taking more than we give. Amen 

Integrity of Creation

Spirit of the Living God
At the beginning you moved over the face of the waters.
You brought life into being, the teeming life                                                 
that finds its way through earth and sea and air
that makes its home around us, everywhere.                            
You know how living things flourish and grow
How they co-exist; how they feed and breed and change
Help us to understand those delicate relationships,
value them, and keep them from destruction. Amen 

To Sustain

God, of the living earth
You have called people to care for your world –
you asked Noah to save creatures from destruction.
May we now understand how to sustain your world –
Not over-fishing, not over-hunting,
Not destroying trees, precious rainforest           
Not farming soil into useless dust.
Help us to find ways to use resources wisely
to find a path to good, sustainable living
in peace and harmony with creatures around us. Amen 

To Renew

Jesus, who raised the dead to life
Help us to find ways to renew
what we have broken, damaged and destroyed:
Where we have taken too much water,
polluted the air, poured plastic into the sea,
cut down the forests and soured fertile soils.
Help all those who work to find solutions to
damage and decay;    give hope to those
who are today working for a greener future. Amen

Anne Richards, Mission Theology Advisory Group, Resources available on www.ctbi.org.uk The Dispossession Project: Eco-House

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Climate Change Summary and What you can do about it?

1. Global annually averaged surface air temperature has increased by about 1.8°F (1.0°C) over the last 115 years (1901–2016). This period is now the warmest in the history of modern civilization. Annual average temperatures are expected to rise by about 2.5°F for the United States, 2021-2050.

2. The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is extremely likely to be the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented over decades to millennia.

3. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. The rate of Antarctica ice mass loss has tripled in the last decade. This has affected the next item.

4. Global average sea level has risen by about 7–8 inches since 1900, with almost half (about 3 inches) of that rise occurring since 1993. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and is accelerating slightly every year.

5. The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.

What you can do ?

Reduce your personal contribution to global warming and set an example for others by using less gasoline, natural gas, oil, and electricity (especially electricity generated from coal-fired power plants) in your daily life. We need to cut CO2 emissions almost in half (45%) by the end of the next decade,” says Kimberly Nicholas, associate professor of sustainability science at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), in Sweden.

18 suggestions to reduce your carbon footprint

1. Reduce the amount of gas you burn by choosing a fuel-efficient car or other transportation that uses less (or no) fossil fuel per person, such as trains, subways, and buses; car pools; walking; and biking. In the U.S., public transportation saves 37 million tons of carbon emissions every year.

2. Keep your tires inflated to the recommended air pressure, or buy new tires marketed to have better rolling resistance.

3. Buy efficient appliances that use less electricity. Look for the Energy Star, awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency.

4. Reduce every day electrical use. Develop a plan to reduce daily electricity use around your home. Ask each member of your household to take responsibility for a different electricity-saving action, such as turning off lights when leaving the room, unplugging appliances when they are not in use, using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), LEDs and only running dishwashers or washing machines with full loads.

You might be surprised to learn that all electronics suck energy when they’re plugged in, EVEN IF they’re powered down. Leave your electronics unplugged at all times, unless you’re actually using them.

5. Eat a plant based diet or reduce consumption of meat. Meat and dairy production is estimated to be responsible for 12-17% of total greenhouse gas emissions, while throughout the world, the global livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, trains and ships combined.

Sticking to foods that are grown locally, in your own city or surrounding area, helps to reduce the carbon footprint created by shipping foods from elsewhere.

Red meat is particularly to blame, consuming 11 times more water and producing 5 times more emissions than its poultry counterparts. You don’t have to become a vegetarian, but eating meat less frequently (the average American eats 8.5 ounces of meat per day!) will significantly help the environment. To get a single pound of beef, it takes over 5,000 gallons of water – as the number one consumer of freshwater in the world, animal agriculture is drastically increasing the problem of water scarcity.

6. Reduce Food waste

•Plan ahead when you shop and buy only what you need.

•Use your freezer. While there are plenty of benefits to eating fresh food, frozen foods can be just as nutritious. They also stay edible for much longer.

•Be creative with leftovers. Before you shop, use the food you already have. Websites like Big Oven, Supercook, and MyFridgeFood allow you to search for recipes based on ingredients already in your kitchen. You can also use apps like Epicurious and Allrecipes to make the most of what’s in your fridge and pantry.

•Blend, bake, or boil. Try using your wilting, browning, or imperfect produce to make sweet smoothies, bread, jams, sauces, or soup stocks.

7. Avoid one plane flight – There is hardly any other activity in which a single person can emit such large quantities of CO2 in such a short time.

8. Check insulation in your home

9. Recycle and compost

10. Conserve water by running the dishwasher less frequently

11. Creating more spaces for plants, grasses, and trees. We all know plants absorb carbon dioxide – a beneficial relationship for humans, that we should all be seeking to nurture. Plant some bee-friendly flowers, a few trees, or a vegetable garden. Creating more spaces for plants, grasses, and trees can mitigate this effect and lead to better cooling, which will be a necessity with worsening climate change.

12. Avoid plastic – Almost every plastic is produced from fossil fuels – and in every single phase of its life cycle, plastic emits greenhouse gases.

13. Line dry your clothes. One dryer load uses 5 times more electricity than washing – by simply line-drying your clothes, you can save 1/3 of their carbon footprint.

14. Weather strip and caulk around windows and doors.

15. Get setback, or programmable, thermostats, which automatically reduce heating and cooling in rooms when no one is present. Turn down thermostat by three degrees, eight hours a day in winter.

16. Install automatic lights or dimming switches, or post reminders by light switches to turn off lights when they’re not being used.

17. Open and close window blinds depending on the season. In the summer, turn on fewer lights and rely on natural light. In the winter, keep blinds closed to keep heat from leaking out through windows.

18. Use a portable fan and/or ceiling fan together with your air conditioner.

From the NY Times – “How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint”

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PhilHarmonia is a 28-voice community choir that sings classical and contemporary choral music from Philadelphia. Founded in 2013, and now in its sixth season, PhilHarmonia continues to delight audiences with its commitment to musical excellence, and its diverse range of choral programs.

They will be here Sat. Nov. 2, 2019 to share their music.

Website

Music Samples

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A Pet Blessing for St. Francis day 

We will bless our pets beside the Parish House, Oct. 2, 4:30pm. (St. Francis day is Oct 4 but Catherine is away that day)

The creatures who keep us company bless us in so many ways. Bring your pet to St Peter’s on St Francis Day for a blessing, and to give thanks for these companions on our journeys. There will be blessings to go for those of you who would like to take blessings home to your pets. Our time together will include Elizabeth Heimbach’s delicious mouse cookies and other treats for both animals and humans. All who attend can enter a drawing for a gift certificate to PetSmart. Be present to win!

The blessing -"Our pets have already blessed us. On St Francis Day, we get to bless our pets. St Francis of Assisi, who lived from 1182 to 1226, had a great love for animals and the environment. He understood the earth and everything in it as God’s good creation and believed that we are brothers and sisters with everything in creation. So on this day, we remember St Francis and thank God for the gift of our pets.

"When you have a moment with your pet, offer this blessing written by Bishop Mark S. Sisk:

Live without fear. Your Creator loves you, made you holy, and has always protected you. May we follow the good road together, and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.

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"Who was St. Francis? " – a link collection

Brief biography

St. Francis movie on Youtube

"Brother Sun, Sister Moon"- trailer

Director Franco Zeffirelli’s "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" focuses on the early years of Francis of Assisi in this 1972 film.

Poem by Jan Richardson from the "Painted Prayerbook"

Addressing myths about St. Francis

St. Francis preaching to the birds

Rhonda Mawhood Lee: "Go a little crazy on St. Francis Day", a sermon preached at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Durham, N.C

"It’s appropriate to go a little crazy on St. Francis Day, because during his own lifetime, many people thought Francesco Bernardone was insane." 

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Past Celebrations of St. Francis at St. Peter’s

The 2018 event

The 2017 event

The 2015 event
The 2013 event
The 2012 event
The 2011 event
The 2010 event

The service in 2013
The prayer of St. Francis

2018 Gallery

2017 Gallery
2015 Gallery
2013 Gallery 
2012 Gallery
2011 Gallery

Here’s is a link 2013’s animal kingdom.

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Oct. 6 is also "World Communion Sunday"

What is World Communion Sunday? Churches this Sunday all over the world celebrate oneness in Christ in the midst of the world ever more in need of peacemaking and the universal and inclusive nature of the church. The tradition originated in the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in 1933, was adopted throughout the US Presbyterian Church in 1936, and subsequently spread to other denominations. The Episcopal Church also remembers students serving abroad, particularly the Young Adult Service Corp in the Episcopal Church.

Poem for World Communion Sunday 

THE TABLE WITH NO EDGES by Andrew King

We will sit down where feet tire from the journey.
    We will sit down where grief bends the back.  

We will sit down under roofs wrecked by artillery.
    We will sit down where cries sound from cracked walls.  

We will sit down where heat beats like hammers.
   We will sit down where flesh shivers in cold.  

We will sit down where bread bakes on thin charcoal.
   We will sit down where there is no grain in baked fields.  

We will sit down with those who dwell in ashes.
   We will sit down in shadow and in light.  

We will sit down, making friends out of strangers.
   We will sit down, our cup filled with new wine.  

We will sit down and let love flow like language.We will sit together at the table with no edges.
   We will sit to share one loaf, in Christ’s name, in one world.  

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Lectionary, Oct. 6 2019 – Pentecost 17, Year C

Donatello – The Prophet Habakkuk (1386?-1466) 

The lectionary readings are here or individually:  

First Reading – Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4
Psalm – Psalm 37:1-10
Epistle – 2 Timothy 1:1-14
Gospel – Luke 17:5-10 

Today’s readings call us to believe in God’s ability to make the impossible possible. Habakkuk  is called to patience and faith in the face of incomprehensible evil. Paul encourages Timothy to endure in power and love, guarding the truth of the gospel. Jesus teaches that faith thrives in simple obedience in Luke’s Gospel

Faithfulness, endurance, patience—these are the themes of walking the faithful life with God. For the people in the prophet’s time, it was to endure in faithfulness through generations in exile. In the time of Jesus, it was for the disciples to find their way to trust in Jesus, because Jesus couldn’t just give them the ability to magically trust and be faithful. For Paul’s day and following, it was for the followers to continue to live in faith by what they had been taught and had witnessed. For us, we are called to be faithful because of our tradition, our teaching, but also still, hope for the New Day, which began long ago and we can read through the prophets, through the Gospels, and through the Epistles: hope that God will continue to do a new thing, and that we will remain faithful to God.

Everywhere we turn, we see the need for reform. Sometimes our society seems like a house we can’t get clean. We get one room in order, but then another confronts us with disarray. If we improve the environment, we still have problems with education. If we manage political reform, we are still troubled by the unjust allocation of resources or the abuse of children.

Our frustration with the public scene can be mirrored in our own lives. There we find the same ups and downs: a career achievement offset by a damaged relationship; progress toward a personal goal–the setback of an illness. How does faith view this roller coaster?

In today’s gospel, Luke consoles us with the good news that even minimal faith will suffice in the face of both worldly concerns and our own particular challenges. To the apostles who picture grandiose schemes, Jesus offers the image of a tiny seed. Perhaps we won’t reform the world in our lifetime, he seems to say. What matters more is the simple service, the generous response to the demands of our particular situation. Jesus uses the ordinary example of providing food and drink, a service many people perform so often we don’t even think about it. Faith transforms duty so that even our unconscious efforts nurture many.

Peace activist John Dear writes: “Without our faith, nothing happens. The mountainous violence of the world doesn’t budge. But with our faith–behold! All things become possible. Non-violence. Disarmament. Justice.” The scriptures offer us confidence, vision, reassurance. How do they clarify our own vision?

These passages point to the importance of living in the spirit of Jesus and aiming high in our faith journeys.  Aiming low leads to personal and social destruction.  In contrast, a life of faithful discipleship creates circles of well-being that transform families, communities, and nations

Read more about the Lectionary….

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