Time for May flowers
The Week Ahead…
May 3 – 10:00am – Join here at 9:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am
Readings and Prayers from the service.
May 3 – 11:15am – National Cathedral church service online
May 6- 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom
May 7 – 12pm – National Day of Prayer Service.
You can enter the meeting starting at 11:45AM. The meeting ID is 846-9262-9596 and the password for the meeting is 099600
May 10 – 10:00am – Join here at 9:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am
May 10 – 11:15am – National Cathedral church service online
#GivingTuesdayNow, May 5
This day is sponsored by the same group that schedules the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to support non-profits . Our Village Harvest has benefited from it.
GivingTuesdayNow is different “This is a Day of Global Action for Giving and Unity in Response to COVID-19”. We are channeling our donations not to support our ministries but those who are leading the fight against the Pandemic
Meet the heroes, an article by Time Magazine.
A global threat like COVID-19 affects more than just the infected. A pandemic like this touches every person on the planet, and it presents an opportunity to come together as a global community.
Our donations will go the Community Relief Fund created by the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock Region which supports Caroline County and the counties surrounding Fredericksburg.
The Community Relief Fund was established in October 2019 to prepare for any possible future disaster threat to our community. “Our goal is to work collaboratively with the nonprofit, government, philanthropic and private sectors to accelerate recovery for a thriving, resilient and even stronger Rappahannock River region. We will support organizations that are addressing immediate needs, onger-term effects of the pandemic, and community recovery.”
Please send your checks to St. Peter’s with the memo line “GivingTuesdayNow”
“When Giving Is All We Have” Alberto Ríos – 1952-
We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me
What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made
Something greater from the difference.
Support an alternative food ministry
Support a feeding ministry during the time that we aren’t doing our own food distribution. Check out The Underground Kitchen
Consider writing a card to someone who will receive a meal from Underground Kitchen, a collaborative group in the Richmond area who prepares meals for many different groups of people including hospital workers, those in facilities where out of towners stay near needed medical facilities, families who are unable to leave their
homes, a Latina community, isolated community members. The notes can be whatever is on your heart—a few lines, favorite quote, Scripture passage, prayer, art work. They can be generic or specific to the groups mentioned above. These notes are deeply appreciated by those who receive them.
You can mail your cards to The Rev. Deacon Barbara Ambrose, 501 Roseneath Rd, Richmond, VA 23221, and she will get them to the Underground Kitchen for delivery with the meal packages.
Prayer Events this Week
1. May 7 – The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May. On this day, people of all faiths pray for the nation. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863. There will be a national service on 8pm-10pm or here
At noon on Thursday, May 7, we will pray as the St Peter’s community for the Nation in a short Zoom prayer service.
Please plan to join me in this prayer, which will begin at noon. You can enter the meeting starting at 11:45AM.
The meeting ID is 846-9262-9596 and the password for the meeting is 099600.
2. Julian of Norwich, May 8. What does a 14th Century Mystic have to with us ? One of the first women authors, her visions (“showings”) of Christ continue to inspire.
We also know her by her famous quote “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” We celebrate her day on May 8.
Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love is based on a series of sixteen visions she received on the 8th of May 1373. In her 30th year she was expected to die from an illness. “Then, on the seventh day, the medical crisis passed, and she had a series of fifteen visions, or “showings,” in which she was led to contemplate the Passion of Christ. These brought her great peace and joy. She became an anchoress, living in a small hut near to the church in Norwich, where she devoted the rest of her life to prayer and contemplation of the meaning of her visions.”
Listen to a podcast on her with a brief article.
3. “The Balanced Diet of Prayer” This is an article by the Rev. Canon Dr. Andrew R. Wright.
“However we pray, it’s important to attend to the range of ways that we are invited to respond to God in prayer. One way to remember a “balanced diet” of prayer is the acronym ACTS, which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.” Check out the article!
Mothers in the Bible quiz, Mothers Day May 10
So how well do you know the mothers in Bible ?
We have an online quiz of 10 questions which could stump the best of you. You don’t have to register, give your name, blood type, etc. The results are only known by you. But give it a try.
The quiz is here for all who dare.
One of the great scriptures on mothers – Proverbs 31:26-31:
"26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband too, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates."
A Mother’s Day sermon
It is wonderful that the lectionary’s discussion on the good shepherd works well with Mother’s day. Here is a sermon from Steve Shepherd that gets at the heart of mom’s contributions both the famous and non-famous :
"On Mother’s Day we can’t say enough good things about our mothers, but we’ll try.
And God help us if we don’t!
PROP.- I want to share briefly three thoughts:
1- Her hands work
2- Her mouth speaks
3- Her heart loves
Read the rest of the Mother’s Day sermon
Lectionary, May 10, Easter 5
I.Theme – Mystical experiences from Stephen and the Apostles about the truth and revelation of God and the foundation of the building, the church.
"I am the Road, the Truth and Life" – Vasakyrkan, Gothenburg, Sweden
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
First reading – Acts 7:55-60
Psalm – Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 Page 622, BCP
Epistle –1 Peter 2:2-10
Gospel – John 14:1-14
Today’s readings portray mystical and unitive experiences come from the challenges of life. Mysticism often provides us with a greater perspective that liberates us from self-centeredness and defensiveness, thus enabling us to live compassionately.
In the course of his inquisition and martyrdom, in the First Reading Stephen has a vision of God. It enables him to experience his death fearlessly and compassionately. Like Jesus before him, he faces persecution with forgiveness, recognizing from his larger spiritual perspective than the utter ignorance of his persecutors. Their actions are based on a wrong perception of reality; they experience grace as threat and resurrection as destructive of their religious tradition, rather than pathways that will lead to a transformation and expansion of their faith. Stephen’s own forgiveness, based on his mystical experience, may create a ripple effect, opening the door to new possibilities for divine action in his persecutors’ lives.
The Psalmist gains courage through a larger perspective. Threats are all around, danger abounds, but the Psalmist proclaims “my times are in your hand.” The gift of a larger spiritual perspective enables him to experience God’s love shining upon him.
The author of I Peter reminds his listeners to feast on spiritual soul food. They have tasted the goodness of God, and from that nurture, they are able to be “built into a spiritual house.” Growing in spirit enables us to become a royal priesthood, living by life-giving values and sharing good news by our words and actions. This spiritual priesthood is not set apart as better than others, but given the call to healing and transformation, of not only sharing good news but becoming good news to the world.
John 14:1-14 begins with metaphor to a house – In God’s realm there are many dwelling places; Jesus as the Christ prepares a place for us – a future and a hope we can rely on – that enables us to experience eternal life in the here and now. We can face persecution, aging, and death because of our faith in God’s everlasting love. The trials we face now are part of a larger adventure of growing with God.
The passage becomes complicated by the words “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” Perhaps, Jesus is saying, “I am providing a way. It’s not up to you to decide who’s in and who’s out. Look at my life and you will see the heart of God. You will see God’s love for the lost and broken. Don’t place a wall where I have placed a bridge. Don’t decide the scope of salvation, and exclude those I love.” God’s way addresses us in many ways – just as there are many mansions – and we would do well to be generous rather than stingy about the scope of salvation.
Then, Jesus describes his own unitive experience with God. Just look at Jesus and you will see the heart of God: God is in me, and I am in God. The unity of God and Jesus is a unity of vision and aim, an alignment of spirit that releases divine energies in our world.
The passage concludes with the promise that we can align ourselves with God, and then do greater things than we can imagine. What could these greater things be? Given the vision of Jesus’ life presented in the gospels, we could do greater acts of hospitality, spiritual nurture, and healing. We have powers we can’t imagine that can be released when we align ourselves with Christ’s way, letting Christ be the center of our experiences and letting God’s vision guide us moment by moment.
We are always on holy ground. We all can be mystics in our own unique ways, seeing deeply into the universe, and we can have powers to heal and embrace through our relationship with God, individually and as congregations.
Easter 5 -"Many Rooms" – Jan Richardson
"Many Rooms" -Jan L. Richardson
Jan Richardson is an artist, writer, and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. She serves as director of The Wellspring Studio, LLC, and travels widely as a retreat leader and conference speaker. Known for her distinctive intertwining of word and image, Jan’s work has attracted an international audience drawn to the welcoming and imaginative spaces that she creates in her books, online blogs, and public events. Here she is providing the art and writing on the lectionary.
From the Painted Prayerbook by Jan L. Richardson
"Many years ago, a recurring dream began to take hold of my nighttime brain. The details shift and change each time it visits, but the essence of the dream remains the same: I am wandering through shops—not a mall, but a series of connected stores. The stores are the kind that I love to browse through, the sort that I find in communities that value artistry. As I wander among the stores that spill into one another, I savor what I see: richly hued artwork, finely crafted jewelry, beautiful pottery that calls out for me to touch it.
"In the dream, no matter the changing details, I always find a bookstore. Often it’s a used bookstore, crammed with volumes and with more shelves around each turn. Once the bookstore contained a case of gorgeous hand-bound books, displayed like artwork. I marveled at the colors, textures, and designs, knowing as I touched the books, I want to do this, to create books like these.
"Along with the persistent presence of a bookstore, one other detail of the dream never changes: it always begins with my walking down a familiar street. I turn a corner and suddenly find myself among the shops, thinking, Of course—that’s where they were! These treasures were in my neighborhood the whole time, waiting for me to find them.
"And you know the way to the place where I am going, Jesus says to his disciples on the night before his death. Here at the table where they share their final meal before his crucifixion, there are many things Jesus wants to tell them. His hunger for them to know—which we see again and again in the gospel texts in this Easter season—becomes particularly acute as Jesus gathers with them just hours before his death. And so he will go on to tell them aboutz the Holy Spirit whom he will send, and how this Spirit will be in them. Jesus will tell them that he is the true vine in which they will abide. He will tell them—command them—to love one another, and how the world will hate them. He will tell them that their sorrow will turn to joy. Jesus is desperate for them to know these things, and more.
Make a Gift Today! 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 4. Server Schedule April , 2020 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (May , 2020) 6. Calendar 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (May 10, 2020 10:00am), and Sermon (May 3, 2020) 10. Recent Services: Photos from Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 Photos from Easter 2, April 19, 2020 |
Block Print by Mike Newman
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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, – May 3 – May 10, 2020
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3
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[Elisabeth Cruciger], Poet & Hymnographer, 1535 |
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Monica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387 |
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5
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[Martyrs of the Reformation Era] |
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6
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7
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8
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Julian of Norwich, Mystic & Theologian, c. 1417 |
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Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, 389 |
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Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Prophetic Witness, 1760 |