June 21, 2020 – Third Sunday after Pentecost
Solstice and Midsummers Night, June 21-24
The Week Ahead…
June 21 – Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 21 – 10:00am – Join here at 9:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475
2. Readings, Prayers for Readings and Prayers for Pentecost 3
June 21 – 11:15am – National Cathedral church service online
June 24 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom
June 28 – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 28 – 10:00am – Join here at 9:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475
June 28 – 11:15am – National Cathedral church service online
Father’s Day, June 21, 2020
Today on Father’s Day we asked the congregation to supply pictures of their fathers
How do we reopen St. Peter’s ?
Read the document from the Diocese of Virginia on Phase II reopening
In the meantime can we have outdoor services ? YES
Read the document from the Diocese of Virginia on outdoor services
Lectionary, June 28, 2020, Pentecost 4, Proper 8, Year A
I.Theme – Living in a new way
"Calling of the Disciples" – Domenico Ghirlandaio (1481)
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Jeremiah 28:5-9
Psalm – Psalm 89:1-4,15-18 Page 713, BCP
Epistle –Romans 6:12-23
Gospel – Matthew 10:40-42
Today’s readings bring us face to face with the intricate balance of God’s judgment and God’s mercy. Jeremiah challenges his hearers to confront the discomfort of God’s judgment. Paul reminds the Roman community that their baptism was a death to sin and they now have a choice to live for God. In the gospel, Jesus reminds us that the response given to his disciples is also a response to him.
Read 40% of the Bible this Summer
It takes just 70 hours and 40 minutes to read the Bible through “at pulpit rate,” and aloud! So when do you sleep and eat?
There is another way. We have a plan to read 40% of the Bible during June and July in the slower days of summer. This takes about 25 minutes a day to see the big picture of scripture. Within these 60 days, there are 6 days to catchup after 37 days.
Get your mind off of pandemic ! Step into a productive way to spend part of the summer! Schedule is online
Jump into Midsummer’s Night
We pass Midsummer’s Night in June . European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening
The Midsummer’s night celebration began in pre -Christian times when it was believed that forces could slip between this world and the next at a time when there was more light than at any time of the year. Fires were lit to ward off the evil spirits.
We may think of Midsummer’s Night in terms of Shakespeare’s play of the same name. Ironically, most of the play takes place in a dark forest in a wild, mysterious atmosphere, rather than in the light, in which the magical elements of Shakespeare’s plot can be played out. One of the subplots involves the brawl of the ferries, Oberon and Titania which creates a disturbance in nature.
Prayers at the Close of Day. There are many Anglican prayer books in the world- at least 50. The Prayer book is a treasure trove of spiritual richness. Each has unique prayers as we conclude our day. Here are a sample:
From the New Zealand Prayer Book:
“Support us, Lord, all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work done; then Lord, in your mercy, give us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last. God our judge and our companion, we thank you for the good we did this day and for all that has given us joy. Everything we offer as our humble service. Bless those with whom we have worked, and those who are our concern. Amen”
From the Book of Common Prayer (1979)
“O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”________________________________________
“Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.”
This past week was the summer solstice, the beginning of the summer when the sun is highest in the sky. So what does the Bible have to say about summer ?
Psalm 74:17 "You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter."
Luke 21:30 "As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near."
Luke 21:29-36 "And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
Psalm 32:4 "For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah"
Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
Mark 13:28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near."
Praying Differently this Summer
1. With Clenched Hands
Close your eyes and clench your hands tightly.
Imagine all the pressures and worries and tensions you carry here today. We hold on to a lot of things.
Then, in your own time, turn your gripped hands over so that they are facing down. Imagine God’s hands underneath yours and slowly open your hands so that the things you are carrying fall into God’s hands.
You may wish to repeat this several times. Turn your hands face up, but this time with the palms open and ask God’s Spirit to fill you afresh everything.
2.Worry Knots
As you think about these things, tie a knot in the rope to represent each worry and how it ties you up inside.
Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”.
Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
As you untie each knot you made ask God to help you problem-solve when and how you can.
Anything but Ordinary! Ordinary Time
Basically, Ordinary Time encompasses that part of the Christian year that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.
Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary. According to The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, the days of Ordinary Time, especially the Sundays, "are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its aspects." We continue our trek through the both the Gospels of Luke and John- through parables challenges, healings – some great stories and teachings.
Lent is about preparing people to live as disciples of Jesus. Easter Season is about giving especially the newly baptized or confirmed time to focus deeply on the doctrinal foundations of the faith and on discerning the Spirit’s calling and gifts for ministry, culminating in a celebration and commissioning for these ministries at Pentecost. The Season after Pentecost is about seeking the Spirit’s guidance and supporting one another as we undertake these ministries in Christ’s name.
While there are parts of Ordinary Time through the year, we think of Trinity Sunday until Christ the King Sunday or up to Advent as the Ordinary Time.
A Weekful of Saints!
Collect for this week – "Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
June 24th – Nativity of John the Baptist
June 24 is the day that the church observes for birth of John the Baptist, the prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah and who baptized Jesus.
John the Baptist came from a family of priests and has been associated with the Essenes. The Essenes were a Jewish mystical sect somewhat resembling the Pharisees. They have been identified as living at Qumran, a plateau in the Judean Desert along the Dead Sea. Some have linked them to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Despite the remarkable similarities in their teachings, John was never identified as an Essene, was not a member of any community, and cannot be placed definitively at Qumran. He proclaimed his message publicly rather than seeking the shelter of a monastic setting like that of Qumran.
The Birth of John the Baptist, or Nativity of the Forerunner) is a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus and who baptized Jesus. The day of a Saint’s death is usually celebrated as his or her feast day, but Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, while not being exceptions to this rule also have feast days that celebrate their earthly birth. The reason is that St. John (Luke 1:15), like the Blessed Virgin, was purified from original sin before his very birth (in Catholic doctrine), though not in the instant of conception as in the latter case.
June 28 – Irenaeus
Irenaeus (125?-202) was an early Church father, having been taught by Polycarp, who had been taught by John the Evangelist.
During the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor from 161-180 the clergy of that city, many of whom were suffering imprisonment for the faith, sent him in 177 to Rome with a letter to Pope Eleuterus concerning heresy. While Irenaeus was in Rome, a massacre took place in Lyons. Returning to Gaul, Irenaeus succeeded the martyr Saint Pothinus and became the second Bishop of Lyon, the main trading port for Western Gaul (France). During the religious peace which followed the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, the new bishop divided his activities between the duties of a pastor and of a missionary.
We remember him for two things – his work against Gnosticism and the recognition of the four gospels. He apparently did well there, becoming an influential leader against the rising heterodoxy Gnosticism. He first used the word to describe heresies . The Gnostics saw the world as material, and leaves much room for improvement and they denied that God had made it. They saw Jesus more as a spirit than a real flesh human . Before Irenaeus, Christians differed as to which gospel they preferred. Irenaeus is the earliest witness to recognize the four authentic gospels, the same we have today. Irenaeus is also our earliest attestation that the Gospel of John was written by John the apostle and that the Gospel of Luke was written by Luke, the companion of Paul.
Make a Gift Today! 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 4. Server Schedule June 2020 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (June , 2020) 6. Calendar 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (June 28, 2020 10:00am), and Sermon (June 21, 2020) 10. Recent Services: Readings and prayers from Pentecost, May 31, 2020 Readings and prayers from Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2020 |
Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
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, – June 21 – June 28, 2020
|
22
|
Alban, First Martyr of Britain, c. 304 |
|
23
|
|
|
24
|
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist |
|
25
|
James Weldon Johnson, Poet, 1938 |
|
26
|
[Isabel Florence Hapgood], Ecumenist, 1929 |
|
27
|
Cornelius Hill, Priest, 1907 |
|
28
|
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202 |