At the end of a year, we try to present a wrap-up article that includes the events significant in the life of St. Peter’s. We include the event title, a short description, a photo and a link to the story. We then try to go a step further. Was there a theme (or themes) that ran through the events of 2019 ? We think so for 2019 – Building Community Relationships.
Building Community Relationships. One of the threads that runs through 2019 is extending our reach and activities through the Port Royal Community and beyond. You can see it in the Spanish Bible Study that started in Lent and continued through the year, Hunters for the Hungry twice during 2019, the MS Walk as well as Shred-It in May, the Childrens’ Summer Program, the Season of Creation in Sept, the Way of Beauty retreat in November, the monthly Village Harvest which celebrated its 5th anniversary also in November, the Blue Christmas service at the end of the year.
See the pictures and stories through over 40 events in 2019.
Note, there is a table of contents with the list and links for the events covered. If you click on an event, it will scroll to it. There is usually a link to the event’s story and a related photo. There is a corresponding arrow on the right side of the screen that will take you back to the top.
The Week Ahead…
Jan. 6, 7pm – Epiphany Service
The Epiphany service was enjoyed by 12 hearty souls which began the “season of light” leading up to Lent on Feb. 26. The service begins in darkness and candles are lit representing God’s light shining again for all peoples. (One of the videos shows the lighting of the altar candles).
Links:
Sermon
Photos
Videos
Description
Jan. 8, 10:00-12:00pm – Ecumenical Bible Study
Jan. 12, 10am – Christian Ed on Genesis.
Jan. 12, 11am – The First Sunday after the Eiphany, Holy Eucharist, Rite II.
Jan. 12 – The First Sunday after the Epiphany Readings and Servers
Epiphany – Jan 6 until Lent begins Feb. 26, 2020
Adoration of the Magi – Bartholomäus Zeitblom (c. 1450 – c. 1519)
The English word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means “appearing” or “revealing.” Epiphany focuses on God’s self-revelation in Christ.
Epiphany celebrates the twelfth day of Christmas, the coming of the Magi to give homage to God’s Beloved Child.
The Epiphany celebration remembers the three miracles that manifest the divinity of Christ. The celebration originated in the Eastern Church in AD 361, beginning as a commemoration of the birth of Christ. Later, additional meanings were added – the visit of the three Magi, Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River with the voice from heaven that identifies Jesus as God’s son, and his first miracle at the wedding in Cana. These three events are central to the definition of Epiphany, and its meaning is drawn from these occurrences.
The Epiphany readings for Jan 6
The Epiphany readings are about travel, journey and ultimately sharing Christ’s light. But it is not easy as the opponents of Christ are present. Link to the readings:
Epiphany means “appearance of the Lord.” In the East, where it started, this feast was instituted not to recall the Magi, but the birth of Jesus, the Christmas, the appearance of the light. In the West—where Christmas was celebrated on December 25—it was received in the fourth century and became the feast of the “manifestation of the light of the Lord” to the Gentiles and the universal call to all people to salvation in Christ. Magi reveal the truth of John 1:9 – the true of God, coming into the world, enlightens all creation and every person. Every child is an incarnation of our beloved Savior.
Epiphany Christian Ed. on Genesis begins Jan 12
“Let’s start at the very beginning..” So starts “Do Re Mi” in the “Sound of Music” film. But it also applies to Christian Ed in 2020 during Epiphany.
Genesis is foundational to the whole Bible, and to every human life. Genesis tells us who God is, who we are, how things went wrong, and the plan that God has put in place to return the earth to the way it was meant to be.
In Genesis, God’s purposes for the heavens and earth are distorted by sin spreading through all the earth. Even after Adam and Eve sin and are punished, the promise is given that the offspring of the woman will defeat the serpent and restore the earth. The focus is on one man: Abraham. Through him and his family God would bring blessing to all nations.
This promise is traced throughout the book in its genealogies, which provide the backbone of the entire book. Key divisions are traced by “These are the generations of,” tracing out the stories of key figures, starting with “the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 2:4–4:26), and going on to Adam (Gen. 5:1–6:8), Noah (Gen. 6:9–9:29), the sons of Noah (Gen. 10:1–11:19), Shem (Gen. 11:10–26), Terah (Gen. 11:27–25:11), Ishmael (Gen. 25:12–18), Isaac (Gen. 25:19–35:29), Esau (Gen. 36:1–37:1), and Jacob (Gen. 37:2–50:26). An amazing story, it is the longest book in the Bible.
Join us at 10am in the Parish House beginning Jan. 12, 2020 as we explore the very beginnings.
The Setting for Sunday, Jan 12
We have just celebrated the birth of Christ and will experience his death and resurrection on April 12. However, one key event we should put in the same category is Jesus’ baptism. This Sunday is one of the weeks set aside for baptisms since we remember the baptism of Jesus early in Epiphany. We usually include the section in the prayer book for the renewal of the Baptismal Covenant in the service. In the past we have also "sprinkled" people.
We have many of our baptism articles one page, the Baptism Page.
Baptism in the Episcopal Church
From the Episcopal Library "This is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body, the church. God establishes an indissoluble bond with each person in baptism. God adopts us, making us members of the church and inheritors of the Kingdom of God (BCP, pp. 298, 858). In baptism we are made sharers in the new life of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins. Baptism is the foundation for all future church participation and ministry."
From the Diocese of New York
We owe much to the Apostle Paul who, through his writings, left a record of how the early Christian community understood Baptism.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by Baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).
Baptism was, for the early Christian community, a sacramental action to convey that one was experiencing spiritual conversion and renewal–the end of one life and the beginning of another in Christ. By using the metaphorical language and imagery of death, burial, and resurrection, the early community ceremonially expressed, that in Baptism, we die to our destructive and distorted ways of being, relating, and acting, and that by the goodness and faithfulness of God, we are raised from death to a new life, guided by and filled with the Spirit of God. It was an outward and visible sign of the spiritual transformation God was doing in one’s life. It was a symbolic action performed to depict what was happening within the life of one on a spiritual journey towards communion with God, the people of God, and all God’s creation.
Although the metaphor of being raised from death to new life is the dominant image of Christian Baptism in the New Testament, no single image or metaphor can exhaust the rich meaning of one’s conversion and experience of spiritual renewal. Consequently, there developed other images and metaphors in Scripture that express how the early Chrisitan community spoke of their conversion of life and experience of renewal in the Holy Spirit. Among them are:
Spiritual Rebirth (John 3:3-10)
Spiritual Awakening (Romans 8:37-39)
Initiation into the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-13)
Transformation of the whole person (Romans 12:1-2)
Made a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)
To turn from darkness to light (Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:11-14)
To be saved (Titus 3:3-7)
One 0f the questions in baptism is whether infants or children should be baptized automatically or there is a specific age ?
Lectionary Epiphany 1, Jan 12 – The Baptism of our Lord
I.Theme – The Promise of Christ and the revelation of the Trinity
"Epiphany"
This is the Sunday for the Baptism of the Lord. It takes us back first to Isaiah.
Isaiahs foreshadows the role Jesus will play. Isaiah promises justice and places the eventual Jesus in God’s sphere. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight, I have bestowed my spirit upon him.” Like God he is to be “light to the nations” and to look after the downtrodden (bring out the prisoners from the dungeon) and those that suffer handicaps (eyes that are blind). There are new things to be declared.a
The Psalm speaks on the role of God noting God’s supremacy, glory,strength and even with a powerful voice that ultimately gives peace to the people. The power of God is particularly evident in nature (waters, trees, the wilderness) . The Psalmist, speaking of God’s covenant with David to be fulfilled in the messianic promise (Psalm 29), is told that he will be named as God’s “first born – highest among the kings of the earth.”
With Isaiah, this story shares the theme of God’s concern for all humankind being impartial, and not limited to the Jews.
The New Testament readings bring Jesus to this mix. Peter is visiting Cornelius in the Epistle, an officer of the occupying Roman army and already a believer in God. Peter breaks Jewish law by visiting a Gentile. The story in Acts 10:34-43 tells of the missionary zeal of the early church in bringing this Good News of the Messiah, the King of Kings and servant King – not only to the household of Israel but to the Gentile world as well. The conversion of Cornelius marks an important turning point in which the Holy Spirit has broken through with a clear new direction, and Peter preaches to this Gentile convert of how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.”
With the Gospel, it shares the theme of Baptism. “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. The reading is a capsule summary of Jesus meanings.
Jesus baptism by John is to "fulfill all righteousness" Jesus baptism in Matthew shows his continuity with God’s will seen in the Old Testament: the coming of the “Spirit of God” (v. 16), an Old Testament term, shows he is the Messiah; the words spoken by the heavenly “voice” (v. 17) are much like Isaiah 42:1: Jesus is the agent of God who will suffer for others – not the kind of Messiah people expected.
Christ’s baptism in the Jordan was “theophany,” a manifestation of God to the world, because it was the beginning of our Lord’s public ministry. It was also a “theophany” in that the world was granted a revelation of the Holy Trinity. All three Persons were made manifest together: the Father testified from on high to the divine Sonship of Jesus; the Son received His Father’s testimony; and the Spirit was seen in the form of a dove, descending from the Father and resting upon the Son.
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm – Psalm 29
Epistle –Acts 10:34-43
Gospel – Matthew 3:13-17
2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (Jan., 2020) 6. Calendar 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (January 5, 2020 11:00am), and Sermon (Jan. 5, 2020) Epiphany Bulletin (January 6, 2020 7:00pm) 10. Recent Services: |
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Saints of the Week, – Jan. 5 – Jan. 12, 2020
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5
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Sarah, Theodora & Syncletica of Egypt, Desert Mothers, 4th – 5th c. |
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6
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The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
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7
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8
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Harriet Bedell, Deaconess and Misisonary, 1969 |
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Julia Chester Emery, 1922 |
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10
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William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1645 |
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11
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Mary Slessor, Missionary, 1915 |
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Aelred of Rievaulx, Abbot & Theologian, 1167 Caesaria of Arles, Monastic, c.465 |