Frontpage, May 10, 2020

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."

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 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

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184 years of St. Peter’s!

A party in 2019

On May 15 back in 1836, Bishop Richard Channing Moore came to St. Peter’s for the consecration of the church which had been finished in late 1835:

“On Sunday, May 15, 1836 I went to Port Royal at which place I consecrated a new Church: a building which is a great ornament to the town, and reflects the greatest credit upon those by “whose munificence it has been erected, and which, I trust, will prove a blessing to them and to their children to their latest posterity. The congregation was very large and attentive during the whole service. Prayers were read by several of the clergy who attended on the occasion — the discourse was delivered by myself — the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered — I baptised three children and confirmed two persons.”

9 years ago we celebrated the 175th anniversary. There is more of that day here

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 Lectionary, May 17,  Easter 6

I.Theme –   We will know Jesus after his resurrection in the Holy Spirit.  This Spirit, the Spirit of Truth will abide in us as Jesus abides in us. 

 "The Advocate"  –Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú. 

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 17:22-31
Psalm – Psalm 66:7-18 Page 674, BCP
Epistle –1 Peter 3:13-22
Gospel – John 14:15-21

This week is somewhat philosophical in the search for meaning – who will support the disciples after Jesus is gone ?

Paul goes to Athens and tries to build a common basis with Greek philosophy and Christ though Christ divinity was hard to muster with the Athenians. There is an appeal to universal wisdom.

So too does the writer of first Peter  by presenting Jesus as proclaiming salvation to the lost souls in Hades during the time between Good Friday and Easter morning.  The writer tries to ease the suffering of those at his time saying "even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed." This week brings in the Holy Spirit. 1st Peter says "He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

John’s Gospel tries to provide of meaning of the Holy Spirit. The readings are shifting from Jesus physical presence to the presence of the Holy Spirit which will help the disciples carry on his work.   The Holy Spirit is called the advocate, communicating the truth and to be a consistent presence with both the community and the disciple. This Spirit will abide in us as Jesus abides in us. 

The Spirit is sent in Jesus’ name and reminds us of what he taught. The spirit is the advocate – one who will support, help and intercede for them. The Paraclete (counselor, helper) comes to speak to us for Jesus. Jesus emphasizes the intimate unity of Jesus, God, the Spirit, and the believer. 

Read more…

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Rogation Sunday, May 17, 2020

Rogation Sunday, a time of celebration and prayer, is a time set aside to appreciate and recognize our dependence upon the land for our food and most importantly upon our dependence of God for the miracles of sprouting seeds, growing plants, and maturing harvest.

The Rogation Days, the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day, originated in Vienne, France in 470 after a series of natural disasters had caused much suffering among the people.  Originally, the Christian observance of Rogation was taken over from Graeco-Roman  religion, where an annual procession invoked divine favour to protect crops against mildew.   Archbishop Mamertus proclaimed a fast and ordered that special litanies and prayers be said as the population processed around their fields, asking God’s protection and blessing on the crops that were just beginning to sprout.

The Latin word rogare means “to ask”, thus these were “rogation” processions. The tradition grew of using processional litanies, often around the parish boundaries, for the blessing of the land. These processions concluded with a mass. The Rogation procession was suppressed at the Reformation, but it was restored in 1559. The poet George Herbert interpreted the procession as a means of asking for God’s blessing on the land, of preserving boundaries, of encouraging fellowship between neighbours with the reconciling of differences, and of charitable giving to the poor. The tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ has been preserved in some communities. In the latter   a group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands. Others maintain the traditional use of the Litany within worship. In more recent times, the scope of Rogation has been widened to include petition for the world of work and for accountable stewardship, and prayer for local communities, whether rural or urban.

The Sunday before the Rogation Days came to be considered a part of Rogationtide (or “Rogantide”) and was known as Rogation Sunday. The Gospel formerly appointed for that day was from John 16, where Jesus tells his disciples to ask, and ye shall receive.

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Since May 2016, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the people of Thy Kingdom Come have been bringing the world together in prayer. St Peter’s has been part of this international prayer initiative for several years. In the gospel according to Luke, before Jesus ascended, he told the disciples to go to back to Jerusalem and await the coming of the Holy Spirit. They did as he asked, spent ten days absorbed in prayer as they waited, and the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost. Through these prayerful disciples, the Holy Spirit brought the Church to birth. Following the example of these disciples, we can spend time in intentional prayer during these ten days, praying for people around the world to be filled with the Spirit and to come to know Jesus more fully.

How can you participate ? 3 Ways to start:

1. Listen to Tom Wright’s podcast (below and less than 5 minutes each day) or here

2. Pray for 5 people

Download the card. This card will easily fit inside your wallet, purse or book. Choose five people you would regularly like to pray for and write their names down onto a list. If you’re not sure who to pray for, ask God to guide you as you choose. Once you have settled on 5 names, commit to praying for them regularly. Use this card as a daily reminder to pray for them.

3. Go deeper with a Prayer Journal

Each day there is a passage from the Bible, a short reflection, a prayer, and a suggestion for action. There is also space each day for your own notes. Did a phrase jump out at you? Did God bring something to your mind as you prayed that day? When you tried to take action, how did it go? Make a note so that you can remember what God has been saying to you through your reading, your prayers, and your action

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Thy Kingdom Come resource – a Daily Podcast from N. T. Wright

Listen to the Bishop Tom Wright’s podcast over the next 11 days (May 21-May 31) from Ascension to Pentecost. Wright is a both a prominent theologian and author

Here is the Podcast Link, one for each of the 11 days.

The podcast on Day 1 is all about the roots of evangelism which emphasizes “bringing God’s promise of Comfort into life where it matters most – in the heart mind and file not the least the grieving.. to anyone who will listen.”

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