We are a small Episcopal Church in the village of Port Royal, Va., united in our love for God, for one another and our neighbor. Check out our welcome.
June is day lilies month!
June 6, 2021 – 11:00am, Pentecost 2 Holy Eucharist . In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278
Blessing from the Sermon
June 6 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195
June 6 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929
Bible Study on Wednesday is taking a well deserved break!
June 9 – 5pm-6:30pm, Village Dinner. Fried chicken, macaroni salad, cucumber salad, a dinner roll and a dessert. Call Susan von Linne von Berg to make a reservation.
June 13 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer
June 13 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475
The ECW Tea, June 1
The St Peter’s ECW held an afternoon tea on June 1 to welcome Linda Kramer and Jan Saylor to St Peter’s. Linen napkins, silver spoons, antique china, as well as the magnolias that graced the table made the delicious food prepared by Cookie Davis and Elizabeth Heimbach even more delectable. Even more delightful than the tea itself was the gift of seeing one another and to be in one another’s company. Linda and Jan received copies of the St Peter’s cookbook as gifts of welcome from the ECW.
A wonderful way to move into both summer and the month of June.
Jamaica Project continues in June
Jamaica Project – May 2 – June 20
An update as of June 5 – $1,300 $1,625 in funds received plus 94 backpacks, 60 pens, 98 rulers, 350 pencils, 18 notebooks, 24 crayons and 50 masks. Wow!
Here are some of the supplies purchased:
This project will provide needed school supplies to the 330 children of the Victoria School, Andrea’s elementary school in Jamaica. As Andrea has said, “Being able to make a positive difference for an institution that has made a positive difference in your life is deeply rewarding and meaningful.” The supplies will be shipped to Jamaica at the end of June in order to arrive before the school year begins.
Three ways you can help:
1. Pray for the success of this project.
2. Contribute money for this project by writing a check to St Peter’s, with Jamaica Project in the memo line or donate through Paypal.
3. Donate some of the needed items by checking out this Amazon website which contains a complete list of supplies needed for the school children.
You can order directly from this list, have the items you have chosen shipped to you, and then just bring your donation to church or give it directly to Andrea.
You ship the items directly to 602 Main St, Box 385, Port Royal, VA 22535, which will get your donation to Andrea’s Post Office Box.
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 Sundays of Ordinary Time.
So What is an Epistle?
By Jack Wellman
“I read a survey many years ago that tested the biblical literacy of Christians. One of the questions was “What were the wives of the apostles called?” There were multiple choice answers and the one answer that received the most votes was the apostles wives were called “epistles” but that is, of course, wrong so let’s find out the answers to the questions: what were the epistles in the Bible and what does the word epistle mean?
Remembering St. Barnabas, June 11
St. Barnabus Curing the Poor – Paolo Veronese.
Collect for his day -“Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the wellbeing of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Who is St. Barnabus and why do we celebrate a feast day for him ?
Three reasons why Barnabas is a famous saint:
1. He was one of the most highly respected leaders in the early church. Born on the island of Cyprus (which means “copper” because of the mines there), his name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”).
2. When Saul (as Paul was still known) appeared in Jerusalem after his conversion, he was spurned by the Christians he had persecuted. Yet when Barnabas “took him by the hand, and brought him to the Apostles”, and spoke up for him, Paul was immediately accepted (Acts 9:27).
He was Paul’s mentor and advocate and was the leader when he and Paul were sent off on the first missionary journey. But Paul’s personality and fervor soon dominated.
Where it had been “Barnabas and Paul”, it was now “Paul and Barnabas”. (See Acts, Chapter 13.)
3. Barnabas was so vital to the spread of the Gospel that he earned the highest accolade that any Christian can receive; “. . . . he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”. (Acts 11:24)
Around 49, at a council in Jerusalem, St Peter helped to carry the argument of Paul and Barnabas that Gentile Christians need not be circumcised.
It is odd, therefore, to discover Barnabas and Peter siding against Paul in refusing to eat with the Gentiles (Gal 2:13). Was this a matter of personal sympathy? The last we hear of Barnabas is of his falling out with Paul over the latter’s refusal to accept John Mark as a travelling companion.
“So sharp was their disagreement, that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed off to Cyprus.” (Acts 15:36-40)
So Barnabas passes from the written record. Tradition holds that he preached in Alexandria and Rome, before being martyred at Salamis.
Lectionary, June 13 , Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
I. Theme – The Surprising and Unexpected Revelations of God
“Mustard Tree” – Katy Jones
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm – Psalm 92:1-4,11-14 Page 720, BCP
Epistle –2 Corinthians 5:6-10,[11-13],14-17
Gospel – Mark 4:26-34
Today’s readings are colored by lovely shades of green, and are filled with images of growth and newness. From the cedars of Ezekiel to the palm tree of the psalm, the flourishing of human beings is part of all creation’s fruitfulness.
In the first readings, Ezekiel gives the Israelites hope that one day God will restore their strength and Samuel sees beyond outward appearances to choose the least likely son of Jesse to anoint as king. Paul reminds his Corinthian communities that our eternal dwelling is not found here on earth but is with the lord.
In the gospel, Jesus uses two parables to describe how God’s dynamic presence—the kingdom—grows in our lives. In Jesus’ parable of the kingdom, seed (God’s word) is scattered broadly. Perhaps as he told this story, Jesus was watching a farmer hand-sow a field. The farmer does not know how the seed sprouts and grows. The process goes on while the farmer sleeps and wakes, not by any effort on the farmer’s part, but by the mystery of growth itself. “The earth produces of itself” and the harvest comes. Jesus is not trying to explain the mystery of growth. He is commanding the same kind of trust in the reality of God’s kingdom that we depend upon in the natural world. Just as we believe a seed is growing in the dark ground while we cannot see it, so we believe the kingdom is growing in our dark world.
For the spiritually perceptive, Jesus himself is the seed God has sown in the world. We believe in the divine kingdom already “planted” in Christ and trust the creative Spirit of God to bring forth the new harvest of redeemed human souls.
The word “harvest” is also used as a biblical note of warning. The sickle is judgment. The grain was ripe when Jesus came into the world. But now the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. God’s kingdom has already sprung up in Christ, and we must decide whether or not to be among the disciples who understand his words and live by them.
God is doing something new, which is the new thing God began in creation. God is bringing the high down low and lifting up the low to be high. God is creating us anew, in a way in which we grow and live together in a way that honors God and each other, and not ourselves. The reign of God is built when we live for each other, building each other up, doing Christ’s work here on earth. The reign of God is built when we recognize that death does not have a hold on us, and that life is worth living when we live for others, not for ourselves. Everything old dies, but in Christ, everything becomes new, and life surpasses death.
Read more about the lectionary…
Make a Gift Today! 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 4. Server Schedule June, 2021 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (June, 2021) 6. Calendar 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (June 6, 2021 11:00am), and Sermon (June 6, 2021) 10. Recent Services: Readings and Prayers, Easter 7, Sunday, May 16 Readings and Prayers, Pentecost Sunday, May 23 |
Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
Readings and Prayers, Easter 7, Sunday, May 16
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 6, 2021 – June 13, 2021
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6
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Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945 |
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7
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The Pioneers of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, 1890 |
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8
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[Melania the Elder], Monastic, 410 Roland Allen, Mission Strategist, 1947 |
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9
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Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597 |
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10
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Ephrem of Nisibis, Deacon & Poet, 373 |
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11
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Saint Barnabas the Apostle |
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12
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Enmegahbowh, Priest and Missionary, 1902 |
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13
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