Frontpage, February 16, 2020

February 16, 2020

St. Peter’s in 2014 with snow on the roof.

Pictures and text from the Epiphany 6, Feb. 16, 2020

Videos from Eiphany 6 Feb. 16, 2020

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The Week Ahead…

Feb. 19, 10:00-12:00pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

Feb. 19, 3:00-5:00pm – Village Harvest

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.

Feb. 21, Spanish Bible Study, 6pm-8pm in the Parish House.

The theme word this month is “peace.”

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Feb. 23, 9am, Holy Eucharist, Rite I

Feb. 23, 10am, Christian Ed – Genesis

Feb. 23, 11am, Morning Prayer, Rite II – Last Sunday after the Epiphany

Feb. 23 – Last Sunday after the Epiphany Readings and Servers.

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The Souper Bowl collection on Feb. 2, 2020 raised $130 for the Village Harvest and collected 50 cans for Caroline Social Services. This was less than the previous two years $210(2019), $175(2018) but slightly over $125 in 2017.

We have been involved in the program since 2012 and we have collected $1.4K during that time.

Thanks to all who contributed and helped with this year’s collection!

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Epiphany Christian Ed on Genesis continues on Feb. 23, 10am

 

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. We saw this on Jan 19 with the deception of the snake and explusion of Adam and Eve from the garden. Here are the notes.

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 during Sundays in Epiphany as this pivotal book. Next week on Feb. 23 is
“A Blended Family”, Genesis 30:1-24.

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From Epiphany to the Transfiguration

At the beginning of February, we are about halfway between the beginning of Epiphany and on that of Lent

Epiphany is about 2 revelations – Christ to the world through the wise men as well as revelation of Christ to us through baptism. On the first Sunday after the Epiphany, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. His baptism is seen as the primary baptism, the one on which all baptisms follow, the recognition that his followers belong to God as “Christ’s own forever.”

During the three to eight weeks after the Epiphany, we learn in the gospel lectionary readings about Jesus’ miracles of healing and his teachings. This is a continuation of the theme of the revelation of Christ to his followers. “Come Follow Me”. Jesus has not only arrived but through him the kingdom of God as one who fulfills and extends God’s teachings through the Sermon of the Mount. The last Sunday in Epiphany, the transfiguration can be seen as the bridge between Epiphany and Lent.

At the beginning of the Epiphany season, at the Baptism of Jesus, the liturgical color was white. In the Gospel reading in Matthew at his baptism said, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” In the Transfiguration which we will celebrate on Feb. 26, the 8th Sunday after Epiphany, the Gospel of Matthew records, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” The liturgical color once again is white.

Transfiguration serves as the culmination, the climax, of Jesus manifesting his glory and his identity as the Son of God. From this point on, Jesus sets out to Jerusalem, to suffer, die and be resurrected. We will see this story during Lent beginning March 1. This same glory he will return to, once he has completed the saving mission for which he came. Coming full circle, we will one day be in life with Christ as “Christ’s own forever.”

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 Lectionary, Feb. 26 , Last Epiphany

I.Theme –   The Promise : God’s Glory and its revelation in the Transfiguration 

“Transfiguration (detail) ” – Raphael (1516-1520)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Exodus 24:12-18

Psalm 2 Page 586, BCP

Psalm 99 Page 728, BCP

2 Peter 1:16-21

Matthew 17:1-9

God’s glory is explored in two mountain top scenes in the Old Testament and Gospel stories during the last Sunday in Epiphany, a week before the beginning of Lent.  The example of the transfiguration is itself transformed into hope for a future king  and that God’s purpose will prevail.  The promise.

The psalms talk about kingship and particularly the ideal future king. There is praise of God as King who has helped people in need, given them just laws and punished and forgiven them where appropriate

1st Peter, the New Testament reading, looks  and forward to Christ coming again in all his glory. The emphasis is on the future – Here the transfiguration becomes a sign of hope for the future that God’s purpose will prevail and be fulfilled… through God’s goodness in Christ.

The Gospel story is an appropriate conclusion to Epiphany. We began this season with Jesus Baptism and conclude with the Transfiguration.    In both cases, God (“voice”)   proclaims “This is my Son, the Beloved…”.  In both points the heavens and the earth intersect. As he has just predicted his own suffering and death (Mt 17:21-23), now God previews his post-resurrection glory.  Also, Matthew 16:28 had just reported Jesus’ role as judge to come, who would judge all according to their performance, a theme also in the context of the baptism in Matthew

This story is reccounted in not only Matthew but also in Mark and Luke. Only Matthew includes “in whom I am well-pleased,” which exactly repeats the words at Jesus’ baptism (3:17). This connection wouldn’t have been made by the disciples, since they weren’t present at the baptism, but it is a connection the readers to make. Why is God pleased with Jesus? At his baptism, it may come from Jesus desire “to fulfill all righteousness” (3:15). At the transfiguration, the “righteousness” is more clearly defined by Jesus’ first passion prediction. Doing what God requires (righteousness) is more important than Jesus’ own life.

In the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John witness Jesus’ clothes and garment shining like the sun.  An argument can be made that this is also Peter’s transformation.  David Lose writes “On the mountain Peter’s transformation begins…”  “Peter’s transfiguration begins — when he fails, falls, and is lifted up again and realizes that above and beyond everything else, he is called to listen to Jesus.”  That is much like us.

Read more from the lectionary

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Raphael’s Transfiguration – story of a painting

Raphael (1483-1520) was a master painter of the Renaissance. Raphael considered the Transfiguration to be his greatest masterpiece though he died before he could finish it at age 37. A student finished it.

In his final delirium he asked to see his painting for the last time. His friends brought it to him, and placed it on the bed in which he died on Good Friday, 1520.

Giorgio Vasari, the sixteenth century Italian painter, writer, historian said of the painting that is was “…the most famous, the most beautiful and most divine…”

Cardinal Giulio de’Medici (who later became Pope Clement VII), commissioned Raphael to paint Transfiguration for the city of Narbonne, in France. The painting was kept personally by the Pope after Raphael’s untimely death, until he donated it to the church of San Pietro in Rome.

The painting is now housed in the Vatican Museum and is large – 15 feet, 1.5 inches by 9 feet, 1.5 inches. Raphael preferred painting on canvas, but this painting was done with oil paints on wood as chosen mediums.

The “Transfiguration” was ahead of its time, just as Raphael’s death came too soon. The dramatic tension within these figures, and the liberal use of light to dark was characteristic of the next age – the Baroque.

On the most obvious level, the painting can be interpreted as the split between the flaws of men, depicted in the lower half, and the redemptive power of Christ, in the upper half of the painting.

Two scenes from the Gospel of Matthew are depicted in Raphael’s Transfiguration. One the transfiguration itself, Christ reaching to the heavens symbolic of a future resurrected stage and an epileptic boy falling to the ground in a seizure, lies there as if dead and then ‘rises’ up again.

The only link between the two parts of the picture is made by the epileptic boy, who is the only person in the lower half of the picture whose face is turned to the transfigured Christ in the upper part of the painting

• At the top, it is Mathew 17:1-9. Christ has climbed Mount Tabor with the Apostles, and there he is transfigured—appearing in his glorified body, flanked by Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets).

We see the transfigured Christ floating aloft, bathed in a blue/white aura of light and clouds. To his left and right are the figures of the prophets, Moses and Elijah. White and blue colors are used symbolically to signify spiritual colors.

Read more about this painting

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