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Aug. 25, 2019 – Pentecost 11

The Week Ahead…

Aug. 28 – 8:00am – Way of Love Breakfast

Aug. 28 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study

Sept 1 – 10:00am –
Christian Education – The Holy Land—Part 1, Jerusalem

Sept 1 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II, Season of Creation I

Sunday, Sept. 1 Readings and Servers

Last week at St. Peter’s

1. Village Harvest, Aug 21

Fewer clients, plenty of food, August Village Harvest

2. Ladies Night Out, Aug. 23

From 2003 to 2019, Ladies Night Out

Way of Love Breakfast

We have been working this year on an initiative from the Episcopal Church, The Way of Love. This rule of life sums up the way we Christians are already trying to live. People all over The Episcopal Church have joined together to intentionally adopt this way of life in community, and individually. The Way of Love includes the following seven actions—turning, learning, praying, worshiping, blessing, going, and resting. Most of us already do all seven of these things but being intentional and also accountable to a group of people who have also chosen to be intentional will make The Way of Love a powerful spiritual vaccine that can keep us well, and able to walk in love with God and with one another

The 28th will be a breakfast. Way of Love ends just before Bible Study at 10am.

The Way of Love

Christian Education in September

Family Vacation-Let’s go! During September, at 10AM, we’re going to take some trips around the world, specifically to the Holy Land, to Ireland, to Guatemala, and then on the last Sunday of this Season, Along Your Road. Your tour guide will be Catherine. We are going to enjoy traveling together and searching for God along the way. You and your family are invited. Come to the front room in the Parish House, prepared to travel. And hopefully, you’ll find some surprises on these journeys that will hopefully bring us closer to God, to the natural world, and to one another. Jesus spent his ministry travelling, and so we’ll go with Him along the Way.

The first Sunday we will spend in the old and diverse city of Jerusalem

“Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways of Zion.” Ps 84:5

What is the Season of Creation?

During the seasons of Advent, Epiphany, Lent and Easter we celebrate the life of Christ. In the season of Pentecost we celebrate the Holy Spirit. Now, in the season of Creation, we have an opportunity to celebrate creation and the Creator. Thus the Trinity – God the creator, Christ the redeemer of creation, and the Holy Spirit as sustainer of life.

For Five Sundays in September, we join in celebrating with creation. We celebrate Christ, the creator, and the wonders of creation. On September 1 we are invited to celebrate Creation Day with Christians around the world. Creationtide is originally an Eastern Orthodox initiative in 1989, but has now spread widely among Anglican, Roman Catholic and Protestant congregations, bringing Christians together to pray and work for the protection of the environment that sustains everyone.

During the Season of Creation, we unite as one family in Christ, celebrating the bonds we share with each other and with “every living creature on earth.” (Genesis 9:10) The Christian family celebrates the season by spending time in prayer, considering ways to more sustainably inhabit our common home, and lifting our voices in the public sphere.

Dr. William P. Brown of Columbia Theological seminary wrote the following about creation care. “The fundamental mandate for creation care comes from Genesis 2:15, where God places Adam in the garden to “till it and keep it…” Human “dominion” as intended in Genesis is best practiced in care for creation, in stewardship, which according to Genesis Noah fulfills best by implementing God’s first endangered species act.”

Creation Care Prayer

God, maker of marvels,
you weave the planet and all its creatures together in kinship;
your unifying love is revealed
in the interdependence of relationships
in the complex world that you have made.
Save us from the illusion that humankind is separate and alone,
and join us in communion with all inhabitants of the universe;
through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
who topples the dividing walls by the power of your Holy Spirit,
and who loves and reigns with you, for ever and ever. Amen.

-Liturgical Materials for Honoring God in Creation Reported to the 78th General Convention

The Bible and the Season of Creation

One of the pressing issues of creation in our time is climate change

The issue of Climate Change that has enveloped over the last generation has involved both religion and science.

Science and religion are tools to investigate reality from two different angles. Each discipline asks a fundamentally different question.

Science asks: how does the universe work?

Religion asks: why is there a universe and what is its purpose, and what is our purpose of existence as human beings? How should we treat the environment as we realize our connection to the creator God ?

Now, as the Earth is affected by climate change and other environmental problems we need science to learn more about the causes, effects, and solutions to these problems.

So what’s the role of religion? While scientists can tell us what needs to be done, they are usually not able to motivate society to implement these solutions. That’s where we need religion. Religion provides us with the spiritual understanding of our responsibility towards the Earth and towards other human beings including future generations. In other words, religion provides an ethical or moral framework. And it motivates us to act!

The concern of the environment is an interfaith issue and not just Christian. All faiths have talked about it.

The issue in the Bible goes right back to the early Israelites

1. Creation – Genesis 2, emphasizes God’s immanence or intimate relationship with creation  

2. Man – God gave humankind the responsibility to tend and serve the garden (Gen. 2:6), e., to care for “this fragile earth, our island home” (Eucharistic Prayer C). 

God also has given human beings creative powers. We also participate in creation through works of human thought, art and scientific invention (cf. Ex. 31:35).  

3. Deuteronomy. Covenant relationship with the Lord. Land not as token  of the covenant but as partner of the covenant 

Deuteronomy. God’s covenantal gift of the land came with a warning –the Israelites were not to forget God’s commandments; if they did, they would lose the land.  Land and creatures to be  treated justly 

Deuteronomy.  Need to preserve the land –They couldn’t do well unless they maintained the land. It was the source of life and prosperity. The soil was thin and easily eroded. The rain was sparse and came in the winter, the wrong time of year

4 Jeremiah –  Nahala refers to the land that sustains a nation or a people and carries a sense of duty to tend the land lovingly so that it can be passed on to sustain future generations, a mandate that we would call generational justice today. 

In Jeremiah, every family was allocated a farm in the promised land But the Israelites abused God’s hospitality by living in ways that were unjust, ways contrary to Torah, ways that desecrated the land. Time and again God offered to forgive the people if they would only repent and live faithfully. But they refused, and so God’s commitment to the land required that the Israelites be exiled. But exile was not the end of the covenant. It was intended to be a sabbatical to reconsecrate the land and people

5. Redemption and creation – In the Bible redemption and creation are closely tied together, for the God who saves is the very God who creat This message appears in the Old Testament prophet of the Babylonian exile: he assures his people that the God who rescued their ancestors from slavery in Egypt and will redeem them from exile is the same Lord who created the heavens and the earth (Isaiah 40:12, 28; 42:5-6; 44:23).

In the New Testament the writer of Colossians states (1:16, 20) that the Christ through whom “all things in heaven and on earth were created” is the also the one through whom “God was pleased to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross .

A Theme for this Season – Web of Life

Witness the diversity and balance of life and the need to preserve it.

Lectionary, Sept 1 2019 – Season of Creation 1, Year C

Genesis 1:1-25

This passage says much about God and his relationship to humans. Genesis stresses that the created world is a gift in which human beings have particular responsibilities indicated by being made in the image of God to exercise dominion. The latter is to help elements of creation live together in the mutuality and solidarity of Genesis 1. We are to do in our little spheres of influence what God does in the cosmic sphere

There are two life forces or agencies of creation

1. The Spirit of God moving over the face of the water. The Hebrew word ruah is also translated ‘breath’.
2. the Word of God. “God said ‘Let there be light’”; and the pattern continues: “God said…and it was so”. Like the Spirit the Word is also a recurring theme in Scripture, leading to in the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ.

God here exercises divine power through peaceful means. God creates by the word.

In chapter 1, God accomplishes all his work by speaking. “God said…” and everything happened. This lets us know that God’s power is more than sufficient to create and maintain the creation

To be sure, this text emphasizes God’s singular power, even omnipotence in creation. Yet the means is peaceful compared with many people in antiquity who believed the world came into existence through violent combat among the gods. The latter meant that violence was built into the order of creation. Creation by the word suggests that the means of bringing something into existence should be consistent with the end. According to Genesis, violence is not inherent in creation but results from the misuse of creation.

The first three of God’s creative acts separate the formless chaos into realms of heavens (or sky), water, and land. On day one, God creates light and separates it from darkness, forming day and night (Gen. 1:3-5) On day two, he separates the waters and creates the sky (Gen.1:6-8) On the first part of day three, he separates dry land from the sea (Gen. 1:9-10) All are essential to the survival of what follows. Next, God begins filling the realms he has created. On the remainder of day three, he creates plant life (Gen 1:11-13) On day four he creates the sun, moon, and stars Gen 1:14-19) in the sky. The terms “greater light” and “lesser light” are used rather than the names “sun” and “moon,” thus discouraging the worship of these created objects and reminding us that we are still in danger of worshiping the creation instead of the Creator. The lights are beautiful in themselves and also essential for plant life, with its need for sunshine, nighttime, and seasons. On day five, God fills the water and sky with fish and birds that could not have survived without the plant life created earlier (Gen. 1:20-23) Finally, on day six, he creates the animals (Gen. 1:24-25) and—the apex of creation—humanity to populate the land (Gen. 1:26-31)

The central character in the Genesis 1 story is Earth and Sky  Earth is an unformed mass, waiting deep in primal waters, with the spirit hovering above! Earth has not yet assumed its final shape and has not yet been filled with life  Later in verse 9 it is clear that Earth emerges from beneath these waters. The character called Earth is waiting below, a character yet to be developed by  God. God speaks to these waters and summons them to separate. The image of Earth emerging from the waters recalls a birth.

More significant, perhaps, is the word ‘appear’. It is a remarkable that this expression should be used here. The Hebrew term employed is normally used of God’s appearing, what we call a theophany! So the birth of Earth is a revelation, like the appearance of God. Earth is indeed something special, a valued part of the cosmos.

After Earth appears, God calls on Earth to be a co-creator. He summons Earth to bring forth vegetation. God does not say, ‘Let there be plants and trees and flowers’. God works with Earth as a mediator from whom all plant life appears. Earth is the physical source of life.

Read more about the Lectionary….

Carbon

-An element 

-The basis of life of earth

-Found in rocks, oceans, atmosphere, 

-Carbon is an essential component of proteins, fats and carbohydrates which

make up all living organisms 

Carbon cycle – the way carbon moves through organisms and the environment 

1 Plants take in CO2 via Photosynthesis – make organic molecules (glucose) 

2 Organisms release CO2 via Respiration of organic molecules (burning of organic compounds in body) 

3 Fires release C02 from organic molecules 

4 Geochemical  processes can absorb C02 and release it.  Fossil fuel formed over a long period time , heating and cooling water  

What’s your carbon footprint ? A carbon footprint is defined  as: 

“The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbondioxide (CO2).

In other words: When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. (CO2 is the chemical symbol for carbon dioxide). When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also emitted some quantities of CO2.

Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were induced by your activities in a given time frame. Usually a carbon footprint is calculated for the time period of a year.”

You can check calculate your carbon footprint – here. A simpler version is from the Environmental Protection Agenday (EPA).

Aug. 18, 2019 – Pentecost 10

The Week Ahead…

Aug. 21 – 3:00om-5pm Village Harvest with School Supplies

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.

Aug. 23 – 5pm Ladies Night Out at the Riverside Dinner Theatre, Fredericksburg

Aug. 25 – 9:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite I

Aug. 25 – 11:00am – Morning Prayer, Rite II

Sunday, Aug. 25 Readings and Servers

Ladies Night Out – South Pacific, Aug 23.

The story for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 musical, South Pacific, is drawn from a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by James A. Michener, entitled Tales of the South Pacific, which dealt largely with the issue of racism. It is considered by most critics to be among the greatest musicals of the twentieth century. The original Broadway production won ten Tony Awards, including all four acting awards, and many of its songs went on to have a life of their own outside of the musical, including “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair,” “Happy Talk,” “Bali Ha’i,” “Younger than Springtime,” and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.” It inspired a 1958 film adaptation and has enjoyed numerous successful revivals, including Broadway revivals in 1955 and 2008, and West End revivals in 1988 and 2001. The original production featured Mary Martin as Ensign Nellie Forbush and opera star Ezio Pinza, as Emile de Becque.

The musical opens on a South Pacific island, during World War II, where a naive young Navy nurse from Arkansas becomes romantically involved with Emile de Becque, a French plantation owner. In spite of the dangers of the ongoing war, Nellie sings to Emile that she is “A Cockeyed Optimist.” And in “Some Enchanted Evening,” Emile recalls fondly their first meeting at an officer’s club dinner. At the same time, the American sailors are growing restless and bored without and combat to keep them active or women to entertain them in their downtime (“There is Nothin’ Like a Dame”). One sailor, Luther Billis, hatches a plan to travel to Bali Ha’i, a nearby island where the French plantation owners are believed to have hidden their women. Meanwhile, a U.S. marine, Lieutenant Joe Cable, arrives on the island undercover on a dangerous spy mission crucial to the outcome of the war. A middle-aged grass skirt seller nicknamed “Bloody Mary,” one of the few women on the island, takes an immediate interest in Cable.

Read more South Pacific….

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests again in August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Between the Village Harvest dates is the Virginia tax holiday this weekend, August 2-4, 2019. Qualified school supplies $20 or less per item will not be taxed.

Help us win a bench – donate your plastic bags!

St. Peter’s is signed up for a charity program that is offered by the Trex Corporation. Trex Company, Inc. is a leading recycled materials manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railings and other outdoor items

As a non-profit organization we have the opportunity to collect plastics in exchange for a bench made from recycled plastics (it never requires painting and will last for many generations). The bench, if we are awarded one, will likely be placed near our memorial garden in the cemetery.

We are nearing the end of our six month time frame for collection (Oct. 30) and have reached the half way point on collecting 500 pounds. Please help save our environment and get a free bench in the process by bringing your plastics to church.

Our collection container is a large white box with a hole in the top, located in the Parish House hallway. You may also bag it and place it in the back pew at church and someone else will be sure it lands in that box.

Types of plastics to include are:
1. Plastic grocery/store type bags
2. Shrink wraps
3. Ziplock bags (if they are clean)
4. Bread bags (shake out crumbs)
5. Plastic bubble wrap (deflated)
6. Toilet paper/paper towel overwrap
> NO hard plastics (no bottles, straws cups, etc

Here is the link to the program

Lectionary, August 25, 2019 – Pentecost 11, Proper 16

I. Theme – The universality of God’s invitation to wholeness and the difficulty of responding to it.

Woman set free from ailment

The lectionary readings are here or individually:  

First Reading – Isaiah 58:9b-14
Psalm – Psalm 103:1-8
Epistle – Hebrews 12:18-29
Gospel – Luke 13:10-17 

Today’s readings remind us of the universality of God’s invitation to wholeness and the difficulty of responding to it. Isaiah identifies some characteristics of the right relationship with God. The author of Hebrews reminds us that the trials we undergo, though painful, come from the hand of a loving Father who is training us in holiness. Jesus’ words and actions reveal the tension between God’s desire for healing and our need for genuine conversion in order not to hinder God’s plan.

We are all too often concerned about rules—either rules such as the Ten Commandments, which throughout tradition we have assumed were passed down from God—or unspoken rules in society, such as who is in and who is out, who gets to speak and who must be silenced. We become so consumed by rules that we forget the original reason for them. The Sabbath was a gift from God to the people, but some leaders had forgotten and made the Sabbath into following rules. Jeremiah didn’t think he could speak because he was only a boy, and only elders (being men) could speak in public, but God called him to do so anyway. God shows us time and again there is another way—when we love one another, show compassion, have mercy, and do justice for others—we are following God’s ways much more than following a list of rules. The writer of Hebrews shows us that Jesus fulfilled a rule—the rule of sacrifice—in order to break it forever. And so must we follow the rule—the law—of love, in order to break the chains that keep us from loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Read more about the Lectionary….

Ordinary Time, Aug. 25, 2019 – “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”

Here is the scripture from Luke 13:10-17 for this week

Jesus continues on the road to Jerusalem but there is a change in venue. Jesus had been speaking to disciples and large crowds. Now, he appears in "one of the synagogues." His presence in a synagogue is his first since leaving Galilee, and he will not visit another in Luke’s gospel. The conflict with Jewish leaders he will experience then is foreshadowed this story.

Jesus enters the synagogue and he seems to be in search of something. Just before this scene, Luke records a parable in which Jesus’ vineyard owner says, “For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none” (Luke 13:7). His sensitivity is heightened as he continues to search for “fig trees” that are bearing fruit.

He enters the synagogue immediately following this parable and will heal a Jewish lady who has been suffering for 18 years. Jesus heals the woman in sacred space (a synagogue, mentioned twice) and within sacred time, namely on a Sabbath (noted no fewer than five times), and he is criticized for this breach of the law. Jesus insists that the synagogue and the Sabbath are not the only things that are holy — so is this woman’s life. He is also guilty of touching a ritually unclean woman in their eyes. Jesus isn’t abolishing the Law of Moses, but helping the people in the synagogue have a better understanding of how to apply the law.

This isn’t his first healing in Luke. Earlier, in Chapter 4, Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit. In Chapter 6, he healed a man whose hand was withered. On both occasions, Luke describes Jesus teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, but we are not informed about the content of his teaching. On both occasions, prominent religious leaders take offense at Jesus’ actions because of their view of what is allowable on the holy Sabbath day. By the end of chapter 13, Jesus’ search will turn into lament, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…” (cf. 13:34-35).

Jesus’ rebuttal is clever, for while untying an ox or a donkey on the sabbath was forbidden in one part of the Mishnah (a Jewish book of laws), it was permitted in another. His point is that the woman is far more important than animals, yet animals are allowed more freedom on the sabbath than is the woman. This woman is a "daughter of Abraham," heir to the same promise as Abraham.

Note the story is not about his teaching or even the faith of the people. Both stories are healing stories but, more significantly, for Luke, is the controversy these healings created due to questions of Jesus’ Sabbath practices. He doesn’t argue about Judaism, or the restriction.

Read more….

 Aug 24 – The Feast Day of St. Bartholomew

Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified as Nathaniel and was a doctor. In Mark 3:18 he is one of the twelve Jesus calls to be with him. He was introduced to us as a friend of Philip, another of the twelve apostles as per (John 1:43-51), where the name Nathaniel first appears.

He was characterized by Jesus on the first meeing as a man "in whom there was no guile.” He is also mentioned as “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee” in (John 21:2). His day is remembered on August 24. After the Resurrection he was favored by becoming one of the few apostles who witnessed the appearance of the risen Savior on the sea of Galilee (John 21:2).

From Eusebius history, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him as serving as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Lycaonia.

Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century. Thus both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is said to have been martyred in in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. His brother consequently ordered Bartholomew’s execution. The 13th century Saint Bartholomew Monastery was a prominent Armenian monastery constructed at the site of the martyrdom of Apostle Bartholomew in what is today southeastern turkey

Aug. 11, 2019 – Pentecost 9

The Week Ahead…

Aug. 11 – 5:00pm – Blessing of the Backpacks

Aug. 14 – 10:00am -12pm Ecumenical Bible Study

Aug. 14 – 5:00pm – 6:30pm – Village Dinner

Aug. 16 – 6:00pm – 8pm – Spanish Bible Study

Aug. 18 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, Aug. 18 Readings and Servers

Blessings of the Backpacks, Sun. Aug 11, 5pm

This was our first separate backpack service, a chance for a more informal service in the late afternoon before school begins the next day. We had one family with 4 eager children ready to go back to school. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon with mild temperatures for Aug. 11

Everyone showed off their new backpacks with all the gear. The service was a shortened communion service with a reading from Deuteronomy, Chapter 6, Verses 4-8 and Luke Chapter 2, Verses 41-52, Jesus as a student

Links:

1. Story

2. More Photos

3. Bulletin

School Supplies for the Village Harvest Aug 21

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests again in August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Help us win a bench – donate your plastic bags!

St. Peter’s is signed up for a charity program that is offered by the Trex Corporation. Trex Company, Inc. is a leading recycled materials manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railings and other outdoor items

As a non-profit organization we have the opportunity to collect plastics in exchange for a bench made from recycled plastics (it never requires painting and will last for many generations). The bench, if we are awarded one, will likely be placed near our memorial garden in the cemetery.

We are nearing the end of our six month time frame for collection (Oct. 30) and have reached the half way point on collecting 500 pounds. Please help save our environment and get a free bench in the process by bringing your plastics to church.

Our collection container is a large white box with a hole in the top, located in the Parish House hallway. You may also bag it and place it in the back pew at church and someone else will be sure it lands in that box.

Types of plastics to include are:
1. Plastic grocery/store type bags
2. Shrink wraps
3. Ziplock bags (if they are clean)
4. Bread bags (shake out crumbs)
5. Plastic bubble wrap (deflated)
6. Toilet paper/paper towel overwrap
> NO hard plastics (no bottles, straws cups, etc

Here is the link to the program

Virgin Mary, Aug. 15

We celebrate her saint day on August 15. 

Mary lived circa 18 BCE- 41 CE. She was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, the daughter of Joachim and Anne and the wife of Joseph, the carpenter. Little is known of her life except when it relates to Jesus life. She remained faithful to him through his death (when his disciples denied, betrayed, and fled), and even after his death, continued life in ministry with the apostles.

The New Testament records many incidents from the life of the Virgin which shows her to be present at most of the chief events of her Son’s life:

• her betrothal to Joseph [Luke 1:27]
• the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel that she was to bear the Messiah [Luke 1:26-38]
• her Visitation to Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist [Luke 1:39-56]
• the Nativity of our Lord [Luke 2:20]
• the visits of the shepherds [Luke 2:8-20] and the magi [Matthew 2:1-12]
• the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple at the age of forty days [Luke 2:22, 2:41]
• the flight into Egypt, the Passover visit to the Temple when Jesus was twelve, [Matthew 1:16,18-25; 2; Luke 1:26-56; 2];
• the wedding at Cana in Galilee [John 2:1-11]
• and the performance of her Son’s first miracle at her intercession [John 2:1-11],
• the occasions when observers said, "How can this man be special? We know his family!" [Matthew 13:54-56, Mark 6:1-3, Luke 4:22; also John 6:42],
• an occasion when she came with others to see him while he was preaching [Matthew 12:46-50,Mark 3:31-35, Luke 8:19-21],
• her presence at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus commends her to the care of the Beloved Disciple [John 19:25-27],
• her presence with the apostles in the upper room after the Ascension, waiting for the promised Spirit [Acts 1:14].   

Read more….

Lectionary, August 18, 2019 – Pentecost 10, Proper 15

I. Theme –   The connection between speaking out for God and making enemies

National Cathedral – "Fire Window"

The lectionary readings are here or individually:  

First Reading – Jeremiah 23:23-29
Psalm – Psalm 82
Epistle – Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Gospel – Luke 12:49-56 

Today’s readings recognize the connection between speaking out for God and making enemies. In Jeremiah , God denounces those false prophets who tell lies in God’s name. The author of Hebrews urges believers to accept hardship as a divine aid to discipline. There are no guarantees that the faithful will thrive. They may be the objects of persecution and violence, but even in adverse situations, their hearts and minds are focused on God’s realm. This may minimize the emotional impact of persecution. Jesus warns that his ministry will bring a time of spiritual crisis.

When we ignore the poor, when we turn away from the cries of injustice in this world, we turn away from Jesus himself. In Jesus’ day, the religious hypocrites would claim to follow God’s ways but had no concern for the very ones God declared concern for through the prophets. To this day, we end up being concerned more about right belief and right doctrine than how we live out our faith. When we look to the prophets and to Jesus, we see God hearing the cries of the poor, the widows and the orphans. We see Jesus eating among the sinners and tax collectors and the prostitutes. We hear the rejection of Jesus by others being a rejection of God’s love for all people, but especially the marginalized and outcasts. This same rejection happens today—we fashion Jesus into being concerned about right belief, when Jesus seems clearly to be concerned with how we love one another. We continue to miss the mark, transforming a love for all, especially those on the margins, into a love for a few who are obedient to a set of rules.

In the maelstrom of conflicting positions and cultural divisions, Jesus challenges us to interpret the signs of the times. Awareness opens us to see the connection between injustice and violence and consumerism and ecological destruction. The causal network has a degree of inexorability: although we are agents who shape the world, we do reap what we sow.

Read more about the Lectionary….

Ordinary Time, Aug. 18, 2019 – “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ”

This a shift of mood in the gospel from last week’s Luke 12:32-48. That passage begins with a beautiful theme of blessing for the crowd. “Do not be afraid, little flock” to this week’s “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” Now there’s a shift ! 

When he is with the crowd, strangers and foreigners, he proclaims the Good News of God’s unconditional acceptance and universal compassion. When Jesus is with the disciples, his teaching is far more demanding and often blunt.

Contradicting the angels’ promise of peace on earth at his birth in Luke 2, Jesus emphatically denies that he’s come to bring peace. Instead, he claims to be the bearer of discord and fragmentation. As he journeys toward Jerusalem, Jesus becomes a source of conflict and opposition when he lays claim to startling forms of authority and power. His words are marked with a sense of urgency and intensity. The road to Jerusalem, after all, leads to a violent confrontation with death.

"Fire Window" – National Cathedral, Washington

Read more….

Clare of Assisi, August 11

Her day on our calendar is August 11  

From Living Discipleship: Celebrating the Saints

"We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimickingof Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed throughtransformation. This means we are to become vessels of God´s compassionate love forothers." – Clare of Assisi

• Clare Offreduccio lived circa 1194-1253 in Assisi, Italy. She was born to the wealthy, noble Offreduccio family and was well-known for her beauty.
   
• At the age of eighteen, Clare heard Saint Francis of Assisi preach the Lenten sermons at her parish church. Inspired by his words, she decided to leave her life of wealth and privilege to join Francis and to follow the teachings of Jesus.
   
• Clare knew her family would not approve, so she left her home in the middle of the night and went to the monks, laying her rich, beautiful garments on the altar and exchanging them for the simple, rough habit of a monk. Francis reportedly cut off her beautiful hair as a mark of her commitment.
   
• She temporarily joined a Benedictine convent, from which her father tried a number of times to abduct her and bring her back home. Her father wanted her to be married, but Clare considered herself the Bride of Christ, and her commitment was to Jesus alone.
   
• Clare soon moved to a small dwelling in San Damiano. There she was joined by other women, including her sister Agnes. Clare became the abbess, or superior, of the order, which was called the “Poor Ladies of Saint Damian.”
   
• Clare was the first woman to write a rule of life for religious women. She based her rule on that of Saint Francis 

Read More about Clare…

Poem for the week – "Kindness" – Naomi Shihab Nye

"Your Life Is a Poem. Growing up, the poet Naomi Shihab Nye lived in Ferguson, Missouri and on the road between Ramallah and Jerusalem. Her father was a refugee Palestinian journalist, and through her poetry, she carries forward his hopeful passion, his insistence, that language must be a way out of cycles of animosity." She has been a poet for most of her life, sending out poems at age 7.

Listen to her read her poem, "Kindness"

She feels this poem was given to her. Here is the background to the poem – she had just married and was with her husband in South America, in Columbia. They were to travel 3 weeks. However, they were robbed on a bus in the first week. It was serious, one person was killed and they lost all their possessions. (She did have a notebook in a back pocket). They had no passports, no money. Where would they go ?

In a plaza a man came up to them on a street and exhibited kindness. He could see their disarray and asked what happened. He listened and was sad for them – he expressed sorrow in Spanish. Her husband was ready to embark alone to go to another city to try to get their travellers checks. As she was alone, a voice came across the plaza as night was coming on and she reached in her pack pocket for the notebook and she felt like as a secretary as a female voice dictated this poem:

"Kindness" – Naomi Shihab Nye

"Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever. 

"Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive. 

"Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth. 

"Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere
 like a shadow or a friend."

Aug. 4, 2019 – Pentecost 8

From Top left to right – Coffee Hour full of sweets, Helping others to the tomato distribution (thanks to Dave and Gibby), New acolytes, Hydrangea from Phil and Kate and arranged by Cookie, Sermon – praying like the early Christians from the congregation and the sermon, Sunlight illuminating the belfry

Photos and Text from Sun, Aug. 4, 2019

Sermon from Sun, Aug. 4, 2019

The Week Ahead…

Aug. 4 – 10:00-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

Aug. 11 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Aug. 11 – 5pm – Blessings of the Backpacks

Sunday, Aug. 11 Readings and Servers

Summer Program wraps up with the Feeding of the 5,000

The last children’s summer program was held on July 31. The Bible story used was the “Feeding of the 5,000.” The 16 children present made little pizzas and enjoyed ice cream (and toppings) on them.

From Catherine’s July 31, 2011 sermon, 8 years earlier to the day: “In the gospel, Jesus takes the five loaves and the two fish that the disciples bring him, and he, in turn, offers this small offering up to God—because Jesus never wants any glory for himself—he is always pointing beyond himself, in everything he does, to God’s indescribable power and glory.

“God takes whatever little thing it is that we have to offer to God for use for God’s power and glory in some way so wonderful that we cannot even imagine the miraculous ways in which God will put us to work.

“God takes that offering, expands it, and gives it back, complete and full and whole, so that we have all we need to be his true disciples and to do the work that God has given us to do in this world. You see, as disciples, we get to be part of God’s miraculous, healing, restoring work in the world!

“What a joy for us that God would let us help carry out God’s wondrous work in this world! “

Our August newsletter is out

Some of the stories in the August newsletter as depicted in the image:

1. St. Bartholomew’s day, Aug 24 – one of the 12 disciples. We are also remembering St. Mary on Aug. 15.

2. Donations of plastics to Trex to tray to win a bench for the church

3. Village Harvest, our monthly food distribution, which will include school supplies, Wed., Aug 21, 3pm-5pm

4. Spanish Bible Study – Fri, Aug 16, 6pm-8pm. Starts with a meal. Give your Spanish a whirl!

5. Way of Love Podcast comes out every week on the internet. Way of Love breakfast continues Wed., Aug 28, 8am-10am at St. Peter’s

6. Ladies Night out going to the Riverside Theatre on Fri,Aug 23, 5pm to see “South Pacific”

7. Remembrance of the Transfiguration, Aug. 6

8. Blessings of Backpacks, Children’s service with backpack blessing, Sun., Aug 11, 5pm. Simple supper afterwards

Blessings of the Backpacks, Sun. Aug 11, 5pm

Prepare for the school year ahead by coming to St Peter’s on Sunday, August 11 at 5PM for a children’s Eucharist and the blessing of the backpacks. Bring your backpack! A simple supper in the Parish House will follow the service.

School Supplies for the Village Harvest Aug 21

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests again in August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Between the Village Harvest dates is the Virginia tax holiday this weekend, August 2-4, 2019. Qualified school supplies $20 or less per item will not be taxed.

Help us win a bench – donate your plastic bags!

St. Peter’s is signed up for a charity program that is offered by the Trex Corporation. Trex Company, Inc. is a leading recycled materials manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railings and other outdoor items

As a non-profit organization we have the opportunity to collect plastics in exchange for a bench made from recycled plastics (it never requires painting and will last for many generations). The bench, if we are awarded one, will likely be placed near our memorial garden in the cemetery.

We are nearing the end of our six month time frame for collection (Oct. 30) and have reached the half way point on collecting 500 pounds. Please help save our environment and get a free bench in the process by bringing your plastics to church.

Our collection container is a large white box with a hole in the top, located in the Parish House hallway. You may also bag it and place it in the back pew at church and someone else will be sure it lands in that box.

Types of plastics to include are:
1. Plastic grocery/store type bags
2. Shrink wraps
3. Ziplock bags (if they are clean)
4. Bread bags (shake out crumbs)
5. Plastic bubble wrap (deflated)
6. Toilet paper/paper towel overwrap
> NO hard plastics (no bottles, straws cups, etc

Here is the link to the program

The Transfiguration celebrated, Aug. 4

The Transfiguration is a transformation and emphasizes that the mission of  Jesus in the way of the cross. We celebrate this event on Aug. 6

Collect for Aug. 4 O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

From Luke – “Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

In his book, God Has A Dream: A Vision of Home for Our Time, Desmond Tutu tells about a transfiguration experience that he will never forget. It occurred when apartheid was still in full swing. Tutu and other church leaders were preparing for a meeting with the prime minister of South Africa to discuss the troubles that were destroying their nation. They met at a theological college that had closed down because of the white government’s racist policies. During a break from the proceedings, Tutu walked into the college’s garden for some quiet time. In the midst of the garden was a huge wooden cross. As Tutu looked at the barren cross, he realized that it was winter, a time when the grass was pale and dry, a time when almost no one could imagine that in a few short weeks it would be lush, green, and beautiful again. In a few short weeks, the grass and all the surrounding world would be transfigured.  

As the archbishop sat there and pondered that, he obtained a new insight into the power of transfiguration, of God’s ability to transform our world. Tutu concluded that transfiguration means that no one and no situation is “untransfigurable.” The time will eventually come when the whole world will be released from its current bondage and brought to share in the glorious liberty that God intends.

Lectionary, August 11, 2019 – Pentecost 9, Proper 14

I. Theme – Understanding our Heritage and Putting our Trust in God

The lectionary readings are here or individually: 

First Reading – Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm – Psalm 33:12-22
Epistle – Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Gospel – Luke 12:32-40 

This week’s readings help us to understand our heritage of faith and to strengthen our trust in God. In Genesis , Abram puts his faith and his family’s future in God’s promises. The psalmist sings the praises of the sovereign Creator God. The author of Hebrews gives examples from salvation history of the faith that pleases God. There is a sense of urgency about the parables in the gospel for today. Jesus admonished his followers to be ready for action: "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; — Luke 12:35 . Jesus cautions his disciples to live in a manner that reflects the imminent possibility of his unexpected return.

This would have reminded them of the instruction for celebrating the feast of the Passover. At the time of the exodus, when they escaped from slavery in Egypt, they had been told to be ready to move without notice. This urgent readiness was then remembered in the way they celebrated these great events in the Passover every year: so we have the instruction on how the Passover meal was to be eaten hurriedly, in the book of Exodus:

This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. — Exodus 12:11

The Jewish people were used to recalling these directions in scripture every year and would easily have recognized the same idea in the teaching of Jesus about the coming to the Kingdom of God:be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. — Luke 12:36

Today’s readings remind us to seek God’s realm in and beyond our daily responsibilities, and to consider constantly the need to give up certain types of security to be faithful to God’s presence in the persons in front of us and across the globe. We may have an uneasy conscience at times and this is good news, for such uneasiness invites us to mindfulness and intentionality, and reflection on what is truly important in the course of a day and a lifetime.

“See, the eyes of the lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness” (Psalm 33: 18). The Spanish-speaking and Native American peoples have a lovely yarn craft called “Ojos de Dios” or “God’s eyes.” It symbolizes God’s beneficial watchfulness over us.

However, God’s all-seeing, ever-present eye is not a comforting thought to everyone. In order for this to be a soul-warming concept, we must have an understanding of the true nature of God. As the psalmist says, we must be among “those who hope in his kindness.” To those who await only God’s judgment, the thought of God’s eye upon them is threatening rather than comforting.

The opposite of faith is fear. Jesus’ exhortation, “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,” is really an appeal to trust God. Trust and love go together. In our human relationships, we know that we trust more where mutual love exists and trust the least where there is no love. We are told that, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love” (1 John 4:18).

It has been said that every human being responds to God’s existence, either in fear or in love, that is, to judgment or salvation. When we have grasped the good news of God’s steadfast love towards us, the lord becomes our help and our shield. That God’s eye is upon us is our most supportive thought. We can never be lost or alone because God sees us in all times and places. God’s love will provide for us and reward us as we seek God’s will.

We seek God’s will because we are certain that it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. We trust God’s perfect love, and this casts out our fear. We have confidence for the day of judgment. When the lord returns, our lamps will be burning brightly for the celebration that will be like a marriage feast. Hearts that have held the treasure of Jesus’ saving love will tremble with joy at his appearing.

Seeking the kingdom is a tough road and we cannot get caught up in our own world, We are reminded that we may not see the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lifetime. All too often, we put our own worldly hopes and dreams in front of God’s promises, believing that God fulfills promises by blessing people with wealth, health and happiness. This could not be further from the Gospel of Jesus, who told the rich to sell all they had, who told the disciples not to take more than they could carry and to rely on the generosity of others, who told us all to become first we must become last of all and servant of all. This is what Jesus has called us to do—to seek eternity, we must not be wedded to the wealth and success of this world, for it will fall away. Our lives are a witness to the future: did we seek to live for Christ by living for others, or did we seek to live for ourselves?

Read more about the Lectionary….

 The Gospel  -"Do Not Be Afraid Little Flock"

Our verses are part of a larger context of "Readiness for the Coming Judgment" from Luke 12:1-13:9. This section started last week with the Parable of the Fool and will last until Aug 25.

Jesus is in the presence both of his disciples and the large crowds (12:1). He appears to be speaking primarily to the disciples, though within earshot of a large number of people. Even though teaching the disciples, "someone in the crowd" is able to interrupt with a question. Though speaking directly to the inner circle of the movement, Jesus’ teachings are also "overheard" by a large number of people.

This week, he follows the parable of the rich fool (12: 13-21) with exhortations to live without anxiety. Worry about food or clothing is unnecessary in light of God’s providence. "The nations" worry about such things–that is to say, people who think and act in light of the dominant culture’s assumptions will find themselves riven with uncertainty and anxiety.

Basic summary – In the declaration of paragraph one, Jesus puts his hearers at ease. God wants to give you the kingdom where he lives, with pleasure. So you can get rid of your possessions and give alms to the poor because your investment is in the kingdom of the heavens Do this because wherever you invest your life is where your attention will be.

The master is coming soon to celebrate his victory and even his slaves will be blessed in this celebration. The master will serve the slaves the only condition is the slaves must be awake and recognize him when he knocks at the door. It might even be in the middle of the night so vigilance is necessary so as not to fall asleep and miss the arrival of the master. Bill Long in 2007 comes with the key focus of this passage

There are three ever-more-difficult commands that Jesus gives his disciples.

(1) Banish Fear (v.32);

The context in which this passage opens is where Jesus is teaching about worry. He knows the human tendency to be concerned with material goods and the shape of our lives, but Jesus resolutely tells us: "do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you shall wear" (v. 22). Why not? Because the ravens neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them (v. 24). Since we are of much more value than ravens, God will so much more take care of us.

Fear erodes our creativity, occupies our mental space, distracts us from enjoying the true beauties all around us, and ultimately shortchanges us. We tend to be pre-occupied or even obsessed with having "enough" money or resources on which to live. We miss the details around us we don’t recognize the beauty of the lilies of the field, or the arcing flight of a bird. IT grips us

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." We are called a "little flock," a term of endearment also present in Ezek. 34 and other Biblical texts. God’s pleasure is to give us the "kingdom" (i.e., the presence of Jesus), but we are worried about our clothes, our money, our bank account and assuring our future economically

So, how do we get rid of this fear? Find out what your heart says is your true love. Let the sound created by fear ("I need to do X and then Y and then obtain Z and be vigilant on this deal and that investment and that sale") gradually be subsumed by a greater "sound"–the sound of you listening to the alluring music of love.

What is it that you truly love, that you would give yourself to in a moment if you had the courage to give yourself that moment? Perhaps you don’t even know what this is because you are so wrapped up in the life of fear that you don’t even permit yourself the "luxury" to think of what life would look like without being consumed by "what you should wear" or "what you should eat" (to quote Jesus). But when the noise stops and the glitter fades for the evening, what is it that your heart craves? Does it desire to explore other cultures? To learn a skill? To gain certain knowledge? To serve in some capacity to others? To move to a different region? To put on a different "persona?" Fear keeps us from doing these things

Read more….

July 28, 2019 – Pentecost 7

From left to right, top to bottom – Swallow tails butterflies out today, tired after the sermon!,Eunice’s birthday, flowers on the altar, 5 keys for the Lord’s Prayer in the sermon, summer program last Wednesday about the man born blind, Howard and Millie anniversary

Photos and Text from Sun, July 28, 2019

The Week Ahead…

July 31 – 8:00am – The Way of Love Breakfast

July 31 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

July 31 – 1:00pm-2pm – Acolyte Training for children

July 31 – 2:00pm-4pm – Children’s Summer Program

Aug. 4 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Aug. 4 – 12:00pm – Potluck Coffee Hour

Sunday, Aug. 4 Readings and Servers

Way of Love Breakfast, July 31, 8am

During the year, everyone at St Peter’s will have the opportunity to learn more about a way of life called The Way of Love.

This rule of life sums up the way we Christians are already trying to live. People all over The Episcopal Church have joined together to intentionally adopt this way of life in community, and individually. The Way of Love includes the following seven actions—turning, learning, praying, worshiping, blessing, going, and resting. The Way of Love is like a powerful spiritual vaccine that can keep us well, and able to walk in love with God and with one another.

The Episcopal Church has 2 series that cover the Way of Love – “Traveling the Way of Love” where host Chris Sikkema meet people in the country implementing the Way of Love. Then there is the Way of Love Podcast This season, hosts Kyle Oliver and Sandy Milien talk with Bishop Curry and others about the meanings of each of the 7 actions as well as how they have lived them.

This week we will look at Turn. Turn has recently been the subject of the above series:

1. Traveling the Way of Love

2. The Way of Love Podcast Episode 7 here

Join us on July 31 as we learn how to “Turn”.

Help us win a bench – donate your plastic bags!

St. Peter’s is signed up for a charity program that is offered by the Trex Corporation. Trex Company, Inc. is a leading recycled materials manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railings and other outdoor items

As a non-profit organization we have the opportunity to collect plastics in exchange for a bench made from recycled plastics (it never requires painting and will last for many generations). The bench, if we are awarded one, will likely be placed near our memorial garden in the cemetery.

We are nearing the end of our six month time frame for collection (Oct. 30) and have reached the half way point on collecting 500 pounds. Please help save our environment and get a free bench in the process by bringing your plastics to church.

Our collection container is a large white box with a hole in the top, located in the Parish House hallway. You may also bag it and place it in the back pew at church and someone else will be sure it lands in that box.

Types of plastics to include are:
1. Plastic grocery/store type bags
2. Shrink wraps
3. Ziplock bags (if they are clean)
4. Bread bags (shake out crumbs)
5. Plastic bubble wrap (deflated)
6. Toilet paper/paper towel overwrap
> NO hard plastics (no bottles, straws cups, etc

Here is the link to the program

School Supplies for the Village Harvest August 21

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests again in August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Between the Village Harvest dates is the Virginia tax holiday this coming weekend, August 2-4, 2019. Qualified school supplies $20 or less per item will not be taxed.

Lectionary, August 4, 2019 – Pentecost 7, Proper 12

I. Theme – Finding True Riches to Enjoy a Happy Life 

"St. Lawrence Delivering the Riches of the Church" –  Master of the Osservanza (1440)

The lectionary readings are here or individually: 

First Reading – Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
Psalm – Psalm 49:1-11
Epistle – Colossians 3:1-11
Gospel – Luke 12:13-21 

Today’s readings encourage us to discover true riches in order to live a happy life. In Ecclesiastes (Track 2), a Jewish wisdom teacher ponders the vanity of human life. The psalmist invites us to bow in worship and praise before God our Maker. The second reading encourages followers of Christ to focus on the things that are above. In the gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool.

God suffers or celebrates, depending on how we live our lives. Injustice is an affront to God; it literally pains God and leaves in its wake divine sorrow and anger. God is not an amoral force, but God’s energy encompasses us all – believer and atheist, pacifist and terrorist, humankind and the non-human world.

To live for earthly things “is vanity and a striving after wind,” and work that is driven by such vanity “is an unhappy business” (Eccl. 1:13–14). The man who lives like that has nothing to show for “all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun … all his days are full of sorrow” (Eccl. 2:22–23). We can’t take it with us. So why do we worry so much about it?

The foolish live their lives solely for their own pleasures on earth and ignore the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized. The Wisdom Tradition of the Bible tells us this is vanity, a chasing after wind, something that will never be fully realized or satisfied. Life is empty. On the other hand, the foolish also live their lives focused solely on heaven and not caring about this life or the people in this world.

So, too, your “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5), makes a god out of that which cannot give you life or happiness. For “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15)

The wise look to living their lives for God, which means living for others. But “Christ who is your life” (Col. 3:4), in giving you Himself, gives you all the wealth of heaven. Instead of striving to lay up treasures for yourself, be “rich toward God” in Him (Luke 12:21). We are called to love and care for others, but especially the ones in need. With that, we live with the hope of resurrection, knowing that life continues after death, though we may not know what that looks like, we hold on to that hope. We live our lives on earth with the same hope for eternity—to live into God’s ways of love and justice that restores and heals and brings wholeness.

Read more about the Lectionary….

Sunday Focus on "attitudes toward stuff" in the Kingdom

The four lectionary texts assigned for this Sunday have a common theme: "wealth". More specifically, the texts are concerned with attitudes toward wealth. The theme is considered in a variety of literary types: a parable, a piece of wisdom literature, a letter, and a psalm.

 Background- Parable of the Rich Fool -Luke 12:13-21

Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem. People seek him out – the Centurion that wants him who servant was on the road to death; in other cases with the widow of Nain he wonders into situations. Some might come to challenge him or justify themselves, like the lawyer who provided the context for the parable of the Good Samaritan (10:25-37). Others came to Jesus with a complaint. We saw this in a previous exposition of the Mary/Martha story (10:38-42). Actually for this story we don’t know the motivation but it leads to another teaching moment. The gospel reading is here.

Jesus is in the middle of encouraging his disciples to confess even when they are under duress, when he is interrupted by one of the crowd who wants Jesus to settle a financial dispute between siblings. Jesus, however, refuses to enter into the family squabble and instead uses the situation as an opportunity to teach about the seduction of wealth.

The problem the man faced was a common and significant one–how to divide the property between siblings. At that time the older son received twice the inheritance of youngers ones – maybe this is a younger. It may be natural to come to Jesus – Rabbi’s were expected to arbitrate on matters of law, but Jesus is unwilling to play this role.

If Jesus had taken up the man’s challenge and entered into his life, he faced two problems: the first is that his intervention might provide the occasion for the brothers both to turn on Jesus; the second is that Jesus’ intervention would just open a Pandora’s box of more questions until Jesus had actually become the man’s attorney. Jesus may be a healer or teacher or proclaimer of the message of the kingdom, but he isn’t a judge in domestic disputes. . He knows his task and his limitations. Thus, Jesus really isn’t a "problem solver."

Do you have a clear sense of what you are about it in life? Jesus has an instinctive sense of what he ought to be doing; of when he ought to enter in and when he ought to keep his distance. Jesus’ explanation is "who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? Jesus doesn’t give an explanation for why he doesn’t want to intervene but finds the heart of the matter (abudance, greed) and throws it back to the questioner. Jesus reframes the question and it becomes a parable.

So how is your barn ? Parable of the Rich Fool

The second part of this scripture is the reframing of the man’s question and the parable -"Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Since there is stuff to be divided there could be “abundance of possessions” and the next step beyond that – greed. 

The Greek word used here for greed means “yearning for more”. It is a form of idolatry. If greed is a desire to get more — then there is never a point where a greedy person has enough. Greed can never be satisfied. It is always looking to get more. In other places, there are writings against greed. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Ephesians 5:3-5. The greedy will not inherit the kingdom of God. It brings God’s wrath. greed can take many forms: the greed for attention, the greed for control, the greed for security.

Luke, by situating the parable of the rich fool right in the middle of Jesus’ predictions of his own death and the plots to kill him, connects this universal human desire for more with universal human insecurity and fear of death.

The parable is about a farmer who does well – he has produced abundantly and has no place to store his crops so he will build larger barns. So what’s wrong with this ? David Lose causes us to assess the situation “He is not portrayed as wicked – that is, he has not gained his wealth illegally or by taking advantage of others. Further, he is not portrayed as particularly greedy. Indeed, he seems to be somewhat surprised by his good fortune as he makes what appears to be reasonable plans to reap the abundance of the harvest. What is wrong, we might therefore ask, about building larger barns to store away some of today’s bounty for a potentially leaner tomorrow?

Lose goes on. “Except for two things. First, notice the farmer’s consistent focus throughout the conversation he has with himself: "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?" Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul…."

The relentless use of the first person pronouns "I" and "my" betray a preoccupation with self. There is no thought to using the abundance to help others, no expression of gratitude for his good fortune, no recognition of God at all. The farmer has fallen prey to worshiping the most popular of gods: the Unholy Trinity of "me, myself, and I." This leads to, and is most likely caused by, a second mistake. He is not foolish because he makes provision for the future; he is foolish because he believes that by his wealth he can secure his future: "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."

Wealth is not the problem but how we use it – wealth for its own enjoyment or own end. It’s thinking that possessions lead to a satisfied life. Bigger barns do not necessarily bring happiness and contentment. They rob us of the person who builds the barns. People retire and set them up to separate themselves from a world they help to build. The man in this story does not have the vision and/or imagination to see beyond his own walls. He is his own prisoner.

The text says that the man decided to gather in these new barns not just the grain from the harvest but "my goods" (v. 18). He is thinking of barns not just for the grain but also for his "goods." He can kill two birds with one stone, but in Jesus’ parable, it is as if he is killing his soul by the expansion project. Then he has thoughts that he has made it and can kick back. The idea of celebrate goes back to the parable of the prodigal son to describe the festive atmosphere at the return of the prodigal.” In the end the grim reaper may be coming for him.

The story ends: "So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

The parable tells us about two different kinds of riches–those toward oneself and those toward God.

Read more….

July 21, 2019 – Pentecost 6

from top left – Johnny Davis as officiant, Cherry greeting preacher Salli Hartman, Sun on the church, Salli Hartman, Vermeer’s painting on the Gospel,Cookie and Phil, Critters of Summer,Helmut Linne von Berg as lector, Altar flowers given by Phil and Kate

Photos and Text from Sun, July 21, 2019

Salli Hartman’s sermon from Sun, July 21, 2019

The Week Ahead…

July 24 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

July 24 – 1:00pm-2pm – Acolyte Training

July 24 – 2:00pm-4pm – Children’s Summer Program

July 26 – 6:00pm-8pm – Spanish Bible Study

July 28 – 9:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite I

July 28 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Acolyte Training, Wed July 24, 1pm

This is scheduled just before the Children’s Summer program which is at 2pm.

This is acolyte training for youth. We last did this 3 years ago in July 26. Being an acolyte is an easy but important way of serving the church

The model for an acolyte comes from Samuel in the Old Testament: “In the meantime, the boy Samuel continued to serve the Lord, wearing a sacred linen apron. Each year his mother would make a little robe and take it to him when she accompanied her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice…The boy Samuel grew up in the service of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 2:18-21

Acolyte means an attendant or follower and Samuel is one of the first examples of an assistant to a priest. The acolyte assists the priest and enhances the worship service to help glorify God. An acolyte is one of the first times a child becomes a minister of the church who is called to serve God.

Read the entire article with a photogallery

July 26, 6pm – Spanish Bible Study returns as “Friends of Jesus”

The people who participated in the Lenten TryTank Estudio Espanol plan to continue meeting as a group as they did in June. This group will meet once a month through the summer. We’ll share a simple supper at 6pm and have a Bible study in Spanish. Come practice your Spanish! All are welcome.

Help us win a bench – donate your plastic bags!

St. Peter’s is signed up for a charity program that is offered by the Trex Corporation. Trex Company, Inc. is a leading recycled materials manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railings and other outdoor items

As a non-profit organization we have the opportunity to collect plastics in exchange for a bench made from recycled plastics (it never requires painting and will last for many generations). The bench, if we are awarded one, will likely be placed near our memorial garden in the cemetery.

We are nearing the end of our six month time frame for collection (Oct. 30) and have reached the half way point on collecting 500 pounds. Please help save our environment and get a free bench in the process by bringing your plastics to church.

Our collection container is a large white box with a hole in the top, located in the Parish House hallway. You may also bag it and place it in the back pew at church and someone else will be sure it lands in that box.

Types of plastics to include are:
1. Plastic grocery/store type bags
2. Shrink wraps
3. Ziplock bags (if they are clean)
4. Bread bags (shake out crumbs)
5. Plastic bubble wrap (deflated)
6. Toilet paper/paper towel overwrap
> NO hard plastics (no bottles, straws cups, etc

Here is the link to the program

School Supplies for the Village Harvest August 21

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests again in August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Between the Village Harvest dates is the Virginia tax holiday August 2-4, 2019. Qualified school supplies $20 or less per item will not be taxed.

Mary Magdalene- Celebrated on July 22

 
 "Noli Me Tangere" (Touch Me Not) – Correggio (1534) 

In Bishop Curry’s book Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus, he writes "We need some crazy Christians like Mary Magdalene and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Christians crazy enough to believe that God is real and that Jesus lives. Crazy enough to follow the radical way of the Gospel. Crazy enough to believe that the love of God is greater than all the powers of evil and death."

Facts from Living Discipleship:Celebrating the Saints:

• We know Mary was from Magdala in Galilee (thus the surname “Magdalene”).
• Luke reports that Jesus cast seven demons out of her (8:2). After her healing, rather than returning to her home, Mary Magdalene followed Jesus for the rest of his life and ministry. While she followed Jesus, she also helped provide financial support (Luke 8:1-3). Unlike most of the other disciples, she was present at his crucifixion, remaining faithfully with him as the others fled and hid (John 19:25). She then accompanies Jesus’ mother to bury the body of Jesus (Matthew 27:51); she is the only one of his followers who is there when his body is laid in the tomb (Mark 15:47).
• All four gospels report that Mary Magdalene was the first witness to Jesus’ Resurrection. As if that were not enough, she is the one who is commissioned by Jesus to go and tell the other disciples this good news (John 20:17-18, Mark 16:9-11). For this reason she is often called “the apostle to the apostles.”

Read more about Mary….

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St. James the Apostle’s day is July 25



St. Josemaria Institute

We celebrate James the Apostle on July 25. With his brother, John, the Gospels (Matthew 4, 21-22; Mark 1, 19-20; Luke 5, 10-11) record that they were fishermen, the sons of Zebedee, partners with Simon Peter, and called by Jesus from mending their nets beside the sea of Galilee at the beginning of his ministry

Jesus nicknamed them ‘the sons of thunder’ – perhaps justified by the story (Luke 9, 51-56) that they once wished to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village which had refused them hospitality.

They made it to key events in Jesus life – the Transfiguration, Gethsemene and at various healings and miracles – Peter’s mother-in-law and raising of Jairus’s daughter. Obviously, James was of Jesus closest followers.

He is known as James the Great to distinguish him from James the Less, or James the brother of the Lord.

About AD 42, shortly before Passover (Acts 12), James was beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great (who tried to kill the infant Jesus–Matthew 2). James was the first of the Twelve to suffer martyrdom, and the only one of the Twelve whose death is recorded in the New Testament.

Read more about St. James….

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Lectionary, July 28, 2019 – Pentecost 7, Proper 12

I. Theme – Relating to God with Boldness and Persistence 



"Enriched Bread" – Corita Kent 

The lectionary readings are here or individually: 

First Reading – Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm – Psalm 138
Epistle – Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)
Gospel – Luke 11:1-13 

Today’s readings encourage us to relate to God with boldness and persistence. The gospel today, Luke 11:1-13, is a collection of Jesus’ sayings about prayer. So the first reading is the story of Abraham’s intercession with God on behalf of some innocent potential victims who live in Sodom. The psalmist gives thanks for God’s strong hand in a time of trouble. Paul warns the Colossians not to exchange the lordship of Christ for human teachings. Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray and illustrates the right attitudes with a story. The readings also present the many faces of God – as challenger, restorer, enemy, parent, and transformer.

Read more about the Lectionary….

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Focus on the Lord’s Prayer

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Lord’s Prayer – Matthew vs. Luke



The prayer as it occurs in Matthew 6:9–13	The prayer as it occurs in Luke 11:2–4
Our Father in heaven,	Father,
hallowed be your name.	hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,	Your kingdom come.
your will be done,	.
on earth, as it is in heaven.	.
Give us this day our daily bread,	Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,	and forgive us our sins
as we also have forgiven our debtors.	for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation,	And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.	.

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Lord’s Prayer in Luke Chapter 11

Another famous story from Luke. The Gospel reading is here. 



""The Lord’s Prayer" -Psalter (2008) 

The irony about Ordinary Time is that it is anything but ordinary. In the heat of the summer doldrums, the lectionary lights up with teaching moments – sending out of the 70, the parable of the Good Samaritan and the story of Mary and Martha. Connecting all are ideas of hospitality, anxiety and the “fatherhood” of God. The latter is explored this week.

The Lord’s Prayer is both in Matthew and Luke. Luke’s version is probably older since it is shorter. There are also a few differences in word choice (“sin” instead of “debt/trespass,” for example)

Luke puts a greater emphasis on prayer than the other gospels. -Jesus is praying at his baptism before heavens open (3:21) -Jesus spends the night praying to God before selecting the twelve (6:12) -Jesus is praying before he asks the disciples, "Who do the crowds/you say that I am?" (9:18) -Jesus is praying on the mountain before the transfiguration. (9:28, 29) -Jesus is praying before the disciples ask him to teach them to pray. (11:1)

It may be that Luke was writing to a group of people unfamiliar with Christian/Jewish prayer, so he emphasizes the importance of prayer as he moves among the gentiles.

The contexts for the Lord’s Prayer in Luke and Matthew are quite different. The audience in Matthew (6:5-15) seems to know about praying. Jesus says, "When you are praying,…" They seem to know how to pray and the importance of prayer, but they need further instructions about prayer. In Luke, the audience, (including the disciples,) don’t know how to pray (at least as Jesus’ followers).

The disciples (and Luke’s readers?) ask Jesus to teach them to pray.

There is a reference to John the Baptist. John’s disciples were known for certain practices, such as prayer and fasting (5:33). These practices served as markers for their identity as John’s followers. Jesus prayer also puts an identity on us as Christians. The prayer is intended to be communal, rather than personal. Note also the plural pronouns in the prayer: "our" and "us." The Lord’s Prayer is a list of those "good gifts", gifts we may ask of God in the sure knowledge that they are ours in the asking.

Clift Notes version – “God is Holy. Ask for God’s kingdom – reign over all things to become a reality in your life and in your world. Live simply; one day at a time. Stay humble and ask pardon for your wrongdoings. Offer pardon to others just as you want that for yourselves and ask for help to stay out of trouble. When you live with these things uppermost in your life, you will begin to live in God’s kingdom with the help of the Holy Spirit to help you”

There are five key words in the prayer 1. Relationship 2. Hope 3 Nourishment 4 Reconciliation, 5 Peace

Read about these five words….

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Why Prayer is Important?



"Give us Today our Daily Bread" -James Hook (1866) 

Michael Foss (Power Surge) lists "daily prayer" as "The first mark of a disciple."

From Yearning Minds and Burning Hearts: Understanding the Spirituality of Jesus by Glandion Carney , William Rudolf Long

“’Prayer changes us.’" The ultimate value of prayer is that it opens us to understand God and the world in fresh ways. Prayer gives us new spectacles to see the world–glasses that put the seemingly huge demands of contemporary life in a new perspective. Prayer helps us listen to the voice of God, accept the will of God and ask for the good things of God

“The practice of prayer is a standing rebuke to the wisdom of the world. The practice of prayer affirms a dimension to life that is unseen and unmeasurable, while the wisdom of the world considers something important only if it is visible and quantifiable. The practice of prayer proclaims that people are spiritual beings, rooted in the heart, while the wisdom of the world assumes that we are economic beings, concerned primarily with our personal net worth and an adequate retirement income. The practice of prayer indicates that God is the watcher, guide and protector of our lives, while the wisdom of the world teaches that unless we stand up for ourselves, no one will. The practice of prayer proves that "nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37), while the wisdom of the world says we need all the resources ahead of time and all the right people speaking up for us or we will not be able to get what we want out of life. The practice of prayer says, "Don’t worry." The wisdom of the world says, "Calculate."

“Prayer is one of the principal ways of enlarging our awareness of God and of the universe. Prayer assumes there is more to the world than we can experience with our five senses. The great diversity of living things in the world should not only increase our sense of wonder, but also give us an awareness of our human limitations

“Prayer is the unique opportunity which God gives us to develop a deeper understanding of God and of the world

The latter is emphasized here -“Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods.” Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972).

Three Characteristics of Prayer:

Read about these characteristics….

July 14, 2019 – Pentecost 5

from top left – Petting Sweetie, Peaceful view toward the river,Reading quietly in the nave amidst the color,Phil Fitzhugh guest preacher on the “Good Samaritan”, Butterfly collecting nectar, light on the gallery, beautiful dragon fly, sunflowers on the altar

Photos and Text from Sun, July 14, 2019

Phil Fitzghugh’s sermon from Sun, July 14, 2019

The Week Ahead…

July 17 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

July 17 – 3:00pm-5pm – Village Harvest Food Distribution

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.

July 21 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, July 21 Readings and Servers

School Supplies for the Village Harvest July 17

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests in July (July 17) and August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Between the Village Harvest dates is the Virginia tax holiday August 2-4, 2019. Qualified school supplies $20 or less per item will not be taxed.

Healthy Harvest Food Bank wins grant!

Healthy Harvest Food Bank in Warsaw has received a $40,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase equipment that will help get food to more than 1,100 people.

Funding came from the Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants program for rural areas. It will be used for a Generac 200kw generator to support a walk-in freezer and cooler used to distribute fresh foods to 28 pantries and meal preparation sites in six counties: Essex, Lancaster, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond and Westmoreland, including Colonial Beach.

Healthy Harvest gets produce from local grocery stores, food drives and more than two dozen farmers who plant produce just for them on more than 75 acres, according to the USDA.

Originally called the Northern Neck Food Bank, the organization began in the back of a pickup in 2008. Two years later, volunteers began working with FeedMore and the Central Virginia Food Bank as a redistribution organization.

In 2012, the food bank surveyed more than 5,000 clients and found that a person in one of every three households it served had Type 1 or 2 diabetes. In response, the food bank shifted its focus to acquiring the most nutritious food available and developed the agricultural program, which has become its signature offering, according to the Healthy Harvest website.

The group also changed its name to reflect its mission of getting fresh produce grown in the fields of the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula onto the tables of those who need it most.

Only the top-grade ears of corn or watermelons are selected at harvest time, leaving behind lots of edible fruits and vegetables that aren’t the perfect size or shape. Often the crops are plowed under or left to rot.

Working with farmers, Healthy Harvest puts volunteers in the fields to pick or “glean” what’s left, a practice that goes back to biblical times. Then, it uses donated funds—and equipment such as the walk-in freezer and generator—to deliver the fresh food to partner pantries for distribution.

“Because of our gleaning and harvesting program, we do not have the challenge of securing fresh produce like many other organizations. We are only limited as to what we can pick from the fields,” its website states.

As a result, at least 40 percent of the food Healthy Harvest provides monthly to more than 12,700 clients is fresh.

50 years , July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Although faith and science have often been in conflict in the past and many see the mission as only a triumph in science, there are examples of faith a part of the Apollo program.

One of first acts performed on Apollo 11, after first landing on the Moon, was a celebration of the Communion by astronaut Buzz Aldrin. In 1969, Buzz Aldrin was an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church in Houston, where he was given the communion kit that he took to Sea of Tranquility. Upon landing on the Moon in the Eagle LM, Buzz made the following announcement to Mission Control:

“Houston, this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way.  

Aldrin reported later  “ In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.

“Eagle’s metal body creaked. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements

It is especially fitting and poignant that Buzz also read Psalm 8: 3-4:

3 “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;

4 “What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals[a] that you care for them?”

Each year since 1969, his church, Webster Presbyterian,  holds a Lunar Communion service to commemorate Buzz Aldrin’s celebration on the Moon.

The mission also carried goodwill not only with the message “We came in peace for all mankind” but also left a special disc. The company Sprague used a photo-etching technique using lithographic thin films to create a long-term alternative to microfiche to engrave letters (scanned and reduced 200x) from the leaders of the world’s nations.   Each letter was photographed, and optically reduced to the point where each letter was ¼ the width of a hair! 

Some like Buzz Aldrin carried their religion to the moon but at least two others felt the tug of religion on their return.

Jim Irwin of Apollo 15 felt the presence of God during his 67 hours on the Moon’s surface. In his autobiography Destination Moon he wrote:   “Before the flight, I was really not a religious man. I believed in God, but I really had nothing to share. But when I came back from the moon, I felt so strongly that I had something that I wanted to share with others, that I established High Flight, in order to tell all men everywhere that God is alive, not only on earth but also on the moon. “

Astronaut Alan Bean recounts another experience on Apollo15, “I can remember when he and Dave were riding along on their rover near the end of their 3rd EVA and Dave said, “Oh, look at the mountains today, Jim. When they’re all sunlit isn’t that beautiful?” Jim answered, “Really is, Dave. I’m reminded on a favorite biblical passage from Psalms: ‘I look unto the hills from whence cometh my help.’ But of course, we get quite a bit from Houston, too.

Lectionary, July 21, 2019 – Pentecost 6, Proper 11

I. Theme – Surprises related to hospitality and the hidden presence of God.

"Christ in the Home of Mary and Martha" – Vermeer (1655)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – Genesis 18:1-10a
Psalm – Psalm 15
Epistle – Colossians 1:15-28
Gospel – Luke 10:38-42 

Today’s readings remind us of the surprises related to hospitality and the hidden presence of God. In Genesis , Abraham receives three heavenly visitors who speak of the imminent birth of Sarah’s son. Paul describes the mystery of reconciliation with God and its implications for the Church. Jesus visits the home of Mary and Martha and reminds us of the importance of paying attention to God’s presence and words.

An extraordinary message runs through today’s scriptures. The theme is best expressed in the question put to Abraham: “Is anything too wonderful for the lord?”

Sarah laughed at the promise that she would bear a child in her old age; thus the name of this son of promise was given before his conception. It means “He will laugh”! The divine communication surrounding the birth of Isaac gives us the delightful feeling that God loves to surprise people. Isaac’s very name seems to convey that God’s joy in fulfilling the promise to Abraham would ring through the universe forever. In this way the messianic line was established by God’s miraculous power.

The scripture readings contain another miracle. The question in verse 1 of the psalm is not found in today’s reading, but it prompts the response contained there: “Who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?” The psalmist answers by saying that only those who lead a blameless life are entitled to abide with God. If this were the only message we had, we might despair, for not one of us would qualify. But if we leap from the psalm to Colossians, the “hope of glory” is electrifying news. Miracle of miracles—Christ dwells mysteriously within us. Through him we stand holy and blameless before God. We can now abide upon God’s holy hill.

Christ for us and Christ in us is a mystery we can never fully understand. Better we stand in humble awe and gratitude than to try to analyze God’s doings. It is enough to know that God’s steadfast love and mercy shine in God’s word and deeds.

The gospel passage continues the line of thought that there are moments when the most important thing we can do is immerse ourselves in the wonder and glory of God’s self-revelation and to enjoy abiding with God. “There is need of only one thing” for God to work miracles in our lives.

It would be wrong to over-generalize specific occasions in scripture. It is possible that the next time Jesus visited that household, Mary served while Martha sat at his feet and Jesus chopped the vegetables. The point is that we must be attuned to the lord’s visit in our own household. We need to strike a balance between serving and simply enjoying the lord’s presence in quiet attentiveness to God alone.

Today’s readings abound in possibilities, including the possibility that we will suffer serious consequences if we deviate from God’s vision. Openness to God’s vision opens us to lively and transformative energies and contributes to the healing the world. Closing off to God’s vision dilutes and weakens the divine energy available to us. We may consider ourselves spiritual, religious, or both but be heading away from God’s vision for our lives and our world.

Read more….

Gospel this Sunday – Christ in the Home of Mary and Martha, Sun. July 17

"Christ in the House of Mary and Martha" – Vermeer (1655)

Another famous story from Luke. The Gospel reading is here. 

Let’s set the scene. We are in the long travel narrative in Luke (9:51 — 19:28). Jesus "set his face to go to Jerusalem" (9:51) and instructs those who would follow that the journey must be their first priority (9:57-58). Jesus sends the seventy ahead with no provisions for the journey and insists they depend on the hospitality of those in towns who welcome them (10:1-11).

Immediately preceding the stop at Martha’s home, Jesus tells a story about a man on a journey who is beaten and left to die. He is saved by an unexpected merciful neighbor (10:30-37). The story of "the good Samaritan" confirms that the journey to Jerusalem is dangerous, and that disciples might welcome the compassion of someone who, in other circumstances, would be considered undesirable.

This week we are in a seemingly peaceful setting – Jesus is invited into the home of Mary and Martha who live with their brother Lazarus in Bethany not far from Jerusalem. This is only reference to Mary and Martha in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). The two sisters and their brother, Lazarus, figure prominently in the fourth gospel, but hardly at all in the synoptics.

This is one of 3 mentions of this family:

1. Jesus was their guest – this week. Luke 10:38-42

2. John 11:1-44 When Lazarus had died, Jesus came to Bethany. Martha, upon being told that He was approaching, went out to meet Him, while Mary sat still in the house until He sent for her. It was to Martha that Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

3. John 12:1-8 About a week before the crucifixion, as Jesus reclined at table, Mary poured a flask of expensive perfume over Jesus’ feet. Mary was criticized for wasting what might have been sold to raise money for the poor, and again Jesus spoke on her behalf.

On the basis of these incidents, many Christian writers have seen Mary as representing Contemplation (prayer and devotion), and Martha as representing Action (good works, helping others); or love of God and love of neighbor respectively.

Martha like the Samaritan is welcoming and is doing what women then were supposed to do – getting the house ready for the visitor. However, she is overwhelmed. We don’t how many guests there are. Where Jesus goes there are at least 12 other guys following him…and then the gravity and reality of the invitation comes crashing down on her. She is distracted. By contrast, Mary is sitting at the master’s feet, intent on listening to him but not lifting a finder to help.

She wants Jesus to tell Mary “get with it” and help out. Instead Jesus turns the tables and praises Mary saying “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”  

So what’s going on here ?  There are a variety of interpretations 

1. The Kingdom being brought to all and in particular women

Jesus is crossing Jewish cultural bounds – he is alone with women who are not his relatives;  a woman serves him; and he teaches a woman in her own house.

Women were not supposed to sit with teachers as the disciples did.  Mary is assuming a male role – at the feet of Jesus.

In the first century, rabbis did not teach women. Outside of being instructed in their proper gender roles according to custom and law, women received no education.

Both in the previous story , The Samaritan and this story, they are moving beyond boundaries. The Samaritan for Luke illustrates the second commandment (‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’). Mary exemplifies the fulfillment of the first commandment. ‘You are to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your energy, and with all your mind.   

2. How do we deal with rivalries ?

The Martha and Mary story is just another in a series of instances of the disciples letting rivalry get in the way. This is similar to James and John and their discussion of  "whom is the greatest?"  

Martha asks Jesus to intervene. "Tell her then to help me."   Martha may be considered a "control freak."

Jesus doesn’t mince words in his response. Calling her by name not just once but twice, in a manner that sounds more like a parent than a friend, he describes the situation.

The rivalries that we live in are the things that distract us. Jesus calls us out of these rivalistic relationships and into the Kingdom. Without the rivalry we can still attended to the daily demands of life, but maybe without seeing ourselves as victims of someone. 

Read more….

Vermeer’s painting- “Christ in the House of Mary and Martha” (1654-1656)

The painting is inspired by Luke 10:38-42 where Jesus enters the home of Mary and Martha. It happens after the Good Samaritan. The passage only occurs in Luke’s Gospel.

Martha greets Jesus but is preoccupied with tasks. Mary chose listening to the teachings of Jesus over helping her sister prepare food. Jesus is friends with this family who live in Bethany. Later, just before the crucifixion, Jesus will raise Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus.

The three figures are bound in a circular composition. Circular compositions were frequently employed to unite complex figure groupings and impede the viewer’s eye from straying aimlessly around the picture If, however, the implied circle becomes too influential, the observer may feel subliminally entrapped. As a remedy Dutch artists often included a sort of escape route Vermeer provided a similar visual relief in the half-opened doorway  to the dark recess of the upper left-hand corner of the composition.

The work is known for the handling of light and shadow. The play of light on different surfaces such as the loaf of bread or the different fabrics  (Mary seated) is noted. There is color contrast in Mary’s clothing. Martha is statuesque with her downcast eyes. She seems to ignore Jesus pointing. The painting seems to be echoing the last verse. But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Read more….

What Mary gets that Martha doesn’t – Colossians 1:15-29 – "Christ in You"

"This mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations
 but now is revealed to God’s saints… is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

—Colossians 1.27-28

A poem by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

"Never mind the lonely trek across the desert to find your elusive teacher, nor does your Savior have to come to you. The Beloved lives inside you, breathing here, moving in you, moving you, the silence shimmering in your lungs, the heat rising, pulsing, pushing, straining to get out and love this crazy world.

"The life in you is of God. The Chosen One is in your blood, your flesh, even your wounds, bleeding sometimes, and when you bleed you bleed glory, and when you are weary the splendor of God rests, and when you suffer the Gentle One silently accepts your lashes, and quietly rises again and again.

"The Beloved lives inside you, working miracles, or speaking to you in that silent language, or sometimes sitting still, eyes closed, with a little smile, or maybe just relaxing, looking around, being at home. 

We have to look inside to see our own unique gifts that are a part of our community . These appear in soul searching as a result of our faith if we take the time to search them out. And we have to be ready to receive the gifts of others as well.

Martha as well as May has the opportunity to receive God’s grace through faith through their identification with Christ. Martha needs to see that she needs nourishment. She needs to be "renewed in faith and strengthened for service." Jesus is the host with many gifts to give. We have to take the time to "get it."

This scripture represents Paul’s dealing with those in Colossae who believe that obedience to the law through the Torah provided the basis for God’s promised blessings. Not so, says Paul. When a person believes in Christ, Christ enters into their being and they receive, as a gift, the full benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection. Thus with "Christ in us" we possess the "hope of glory." We can all share in his glory It was his effort to preach and incorporate the Gentiles into the body of Christ.

July 7, 2019 – Pentecost 4

Photos and Text from Sun, July 7, 2019

The Week Ahead…

July 8 – 4pm – Vestry

July 10 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

July 10 – 2:00pm-4pm – Children’s Summer Program

July 10 – 5:00pm-6:30pm – Village Dinner

July 12 – 7:00am-ECM at Hornes

July 14 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, July 14 Readings and Servers

July 4, 2019 at Peter’s

1. Pictures and article

2. Videos

Summer Program for Children started Wed., July 3

The Summer Program continues July 10^th between 2pm-4pm. We had 9 children on the first week. See the photo gallery

Activities included free play, getting to know one another, an introduction to the program, God and Family, which included some games and a short Bible study. God and Family is a Cub Scout merit badge curriculum which we have done before. The children enjoyed some watermelon and cookies before the end of their time together.

We’re going to do it in the afternoon in hopes that we might be able to continue it as an after school meeting if the kids would want to keep coming.

School Supplies for the Village Harvest July 17

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests in July (July 17) and August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Between the Village Harvest dates is the Virginia tax holiday August 2-4, 2019. Qualified school supplies $20 or less per item will not be taxed.

Lectionary, July 14, 2019 – Pentecost 5, Proper 10

I. Theme – God’s call challenges us to obedience, compassion and action for justice

"The Good Samaritan" – Van Gogh (1890)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Psalm – Psalm 25:1-9
Epistle – Colossians 1:1-14
Gospel – Luke 10:25-37 

Today’s readings focus on God’s call challenging us to obedience, compassion and action for justice. In Deuteronomy (Track 2), Moses assures the people that God’s call to obedience is not too difficult nor is it hidden. Paul writes that Christ, the image of the invisible God, is our Creator, Sustainer and Reconciler. Jesus answers a lawyer’s question by telling the story of the Good Samaritan.

What we say about ourselves is not nearly as important as how we live out what we say—how we live out our lives with Christ. We are called by God throughout scripture and tradition to care for the poor, the outcast, the oppressed, and the marginalized—but throughout our history and scripture, we have found ways to make excuses. We have put ourselves before others and have justified our way of life, while others around us and in the world continue to suffer. We cannot remain ignorant of the struggles of others. Eventually, justice catches up to us

Moses warned the people in the wilderness, and they did not listen. Jesus questions the lawyer who wants the right answer to be given, who wants to speak aloud the truth, and helps him to realize that it is about a love that shows mercy, a way of living towards others. How are we living out our faith? Are we just saying what we believe in? Is it more important to have the right statements of faith, or is it more important to do what Jesus has called us to do and live out our faith?

How often have we passed by persons in need or deferred social involvement to keep our own schedule ? We are not bad persons either; we simply place our broad spectrum vocational callings ahead of the concreteness of God’s call in the present moment.

Our challenge is to grow in stature, so that we can creatively and lovingly balance our personal and institutional responsibilities, including our self-care and care for families and congregations, with the unsettling challenges to go beyond our immediate responsibilities so that we may become God’s partners in healing the world. Jewish mystics remind us that to save one soul is to save the world. From a God’s eye view, this means to care for our loved ones and ourselves as well as those who are loved by God and beyond the walls of our communities. This will lead to agitation but our agitation will find completeness and comfort in feelings of wholeness which emerge when we join our well-being with the well-being of our most vulnerable local and global companions.

Read more from the lectionary 

This Week – Focus on the "Good Samaritan"

Compassion without Boundaries -Background of the "Good Samaritan" in Luke from author Alexander Shaia

Some background of the Gospel of Luke provides insight of why this story appears in this gospel and no others. Luke wrote in the 80’s AD after both Matthew and Mark (and before John). Jesus resurrection was 50 years earlier.  He wrote it in Antioch in Turkey at a time when Christianity was expanding to the Gentiles all throughout the Mediterranean. How was Christianity to unite these peoples ?   

The issues are taken up in The Hidden Power of the Gospels: Four Questions, Four Paths, One Journey by Alexander Shaia. (We used this book as the basis for a Christian Ed class early in 2011).Here is what he wrote:

“Nero had executed the Jewish Christus followers of Rome twenty years earlier, although persecution had not extended to Christus believers throughout the rest of the empire at that time. Then in 70 CE, Vespasian leveled the Great Temple of Jerusalem and massacred all its priests, throwing Judaism into total disarray. In the steps that religion took to survive, a process began that still resonates in the lives of Christians and Jews.

“The slaughter resulted in a complete lack of religious authority. The Pharisees, educated teachers of Jewish religious law but not officially con­nected to the Temple, stepped into the vacuum. By the mid-80s CE, the time of Luke’s gospel, their role had significantly increased. In many Jewish communities, their voices rose to roles of clear leadership. In others, they represented merely one of many voices struggling to advise how best to move forward in the face of great loss. Eventually, the Pharisees became the primary voice of the Jewish community, reunifying the people in the ab­sence of the Temple and its priests—but not before  Luke began to write.”

And as part of their ascension “The Pharisees advocated for the removal from Judaism of all variant sects who believed that the Messiah had already come. Chief among these were the "Followers of the Way"’ (the Christus sect), who maintained that the Messiah had arrived for the salvation of all people, not just Jew

“They carried pain, and some of them likely had a touch of ar­rogance attached to their lingering resentments. They had also migrated all over the Mediterranean basin, which presented them with persecution from another quarter. The Roman government was more than nervous about the Christus followers—it was terror-stricken.

"The fear of this message led to its oppression of the Christus communities—and the persecution increased steadily.

Read more….

The Good Samaritan – ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’

"Good Samaritan" – Van Gogh (1890)

This is one of the most practical Bible lessons.  

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? This is a basic, universal question that is asked by almost all human beings, even today. In Mark and Matthew, the question is more of a Jewish question. That is, “What is the greatest/first commandment of the law?” Mark and Matthew were asking a fundamental Jewish question; Luke was asking a fundamental universal question.

Luke was written to a larger world which he knew as a follower of Paul. This was the first time the idea of Dt 6:5 (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” being combined with Levticus 19:18 (“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.”)

Jesus is challenged by a lawyer. The lawyer’s presence and public questioning of Jesus shows the degree of importance his detractors are placing on finding a flaw they can use. He is trying to see if there was a distinction between friends and enemies. Luke in the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”) had eliminated the distinction and the lawyer was trying to introduce it again. As Jesus’ influence with the crowds continues to grow, the alarm of the religious establishment grows as well.

His first question is “what must I do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus answers “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. The lawyer follows up with a second question, also a very good one. If doing this, i.e., loving God and loving neighbor as oneself, is a matter of eternal life, then defining "neighbor" is important in this context. The lawyer is self-centered, concerned only for himself.

Jesus shifts the question from the one the lawyer asks — who is my neighbor?–to ask what a righteous neighbor does. The neighbor is the one we least expect to be a neighbor. The neighbor is the "other," the one most despised or feared or not like us. It is much broader than the person who lives next to you. A first century audience, Jesus’ or Luke’s, would have known the Samaritan represented a despised "other."

Of the four characters in this story (besides the robbers and the victim) – the lawyer, levite, priest and Samaritan – the first three were known in Jewish society. The Samaritan is the outsider.

Read more….

Martin Luther King on the Good Samaritan

Anything but Ordinary! – Ordinary Time

Beginning Sunday, June 16, Pentecost 2, we enter the Church year known as Ordinary Time. After Easter, Jesus’s ascension into heaven, and the coming of the Holy Spirit to us at Pentecost, we accept responsibility for being and becoming Christ’s body in the world. We are called by Jesus to live in community, our lives together guided not only by the example of Jesus, but by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 

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.  

Vestments are usually green, the color of hope and growth. Green has long been associated with new life and growth. Even in Hebrew in the Old Testament, the same word for the color “green” also means “young.” The green of this season speaks to us as a reminder that it is in the midst of ordinary time that we are given the opportunity to grow. 

Ordinary Time, from the word "ordinal," simply means counted time (First Sunday after Pentecost, etc.). we number the Sundays from here on out in order from the First Sunday after Pentecost, all the way up to the Last Sunday after Pentecost The term "ordinary time" is not used in the Prayer Book, but the season after Pentecost can be considered ordinary. 

The Church counts the thirty-three or thirty-four Sundays of Ordinary Time, inviting her children to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ – his life, miracles and teachings – in the light of his Resurrection.

You may see Sundays referred to as "Propers". The Propers are readings for Ordinary Time following Epiphany and Pentecost, numbered to help establish a seven day range of dates on which they can occur. Propers numbering in the Revised Common Lectionary begins with the Sixth Sunday in Epiphany, excludes Sundays in Lent through Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and resumes the Second Sunday after Pentecost (the first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday), usually with Proper 4. 

In some ways, it might be right to think of this time as “ordinary”, common or mundane. Because this is the usual time in the church, the time that is not marked by a constant stream of high points and low points, ups and downs, but is instead the normal, day-in, day-out life of the church. This time is a time to grapple with the nuts and bolts of our faith, not coasting on the joy and elation of Christmas, or wallowing in the penitential feel of Lent, but instead just being exactly where we are, and trying to live our faith in that moment.  

It is a reminder of the presence of God in and through the most mundane and ordinary seasons of our lives. . It is a reminder that when God came and lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ, he experienced the same ordinary reality that we all experience. And that God, in Christ, offered us the opportunity to transform the most ordinary, mundane experiences into extraordinary events infused with the presence of God. God is there, present in the midst of the ordinary, just waiting for us to recognize it.  

Only when the hustle and bustle of Advent, Easter, and Lent has calmed down can we really focus on what it means to live and grow as Christians in this ordinary time in this ordinary world. It is a time to nurture our faith with opportunities for fellowship and reflection. It is a time to feed and water our faith with chances for education and personal study. It is a time to weed and prune our faith, cutting off the parts that may be dead and leaving them behind. And we have a lot of growing to do, so God has given us most of the church year in which to do it.  

June 30, 2019 – Pentecost 3

A view of St. Peter’s graveyard from an adjoining yard, an abundance of flowers left from a funeral on June 26, a new stole for Catherine

The Week Ahead…

July 3 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

July 3 – 2:00pm-4pm – Summer Program for Children

July 4 – 10:00am-2pm – July 4 at St. Peter’s

July 7 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

July 7 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, July 7 Readings and Servers

July 4 at St. Peter’s

 St. Peter’s will be open from 10am until 2pm on July 4.

Historic Port Royal events for July 4 will be taking place at St. Peter’s. Many St Peter’s parishioners are involved in the July 4th Historic Port Royal event. Mike Newman, Town Crier, will be reading the Declaration of Independence. The men will be selling lunch foods to benefit St Peter’s.

Historic personalities visiting St. Peter’s include Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Martha Washington, wife of our first president and Revolutionary War patriot Fielding Lewis.

St Peter’s history and graveyard pamphlets are available on the website. (Find them on-line by clicking on these links, history brochure, graveyard brochure. )

Drop in at St Peter’s for the hymn sing, and while you’re there, offer up some prayers for our nation. The Book of Common Prayer contains several specific prayers for the United States and for the people who govern. You can find these prayers (contemporary language) on pages 242, 258, 820-823, and 838-839.

This is a great event to help promote St. Peter’s and show off the church!

All About the Declaration:

1. Religion in the Declaration

2. The Real Purpose of the Declaration

3. The Signers – by the Numbers

School Supplies for the Village Harvest July 17

We plan to distribute school supplies at the Village Harvests in July (July 17) and August (Aug 21). Caroline Schools begin Aug. 12. Please bring them and leave them on the back pew .

We have a list of requested supplies for Grade 1 to Grade 5 by grade and item. The list is here – School Supplies 2019-2020

The most prevalent items are glue sticks, crayons and gallon size ziploc bags, requested in all five grades. Four of the five grades request these items: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, headphone or earbuds, highlighters, quart-size Ziploc bags.

Between the Village Harvest dates is the Virginia tax holiday August 2-4, 2019. Qualified school supplies $20 or less per item will not be taxed.

Coming Up – Summer Program for Children starts Wed., July 3

The Summer Program will be held on Wednesdays beginning July 3 and going through August 7^th between 2pm-4pm.   

We’re going to do it in the afternoon in hopes that we might be able to continue it as an after school meeting if the kids would want to keep coming.  

The curriculum for the summer will be God and Family, a Cub Scout merit badge curriculum.  We’ve done this one before when Tucker was younger.  It’s something fun that all kids can get something out of, not just scouts.  All children are welcome. 

Lectionary, July 7, 2019 – Pentecost 4, Proper 9

I. Theme – God’s Call and Response to us, being sent out on mission

"Harvesting"- Jorg Breu (1500)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm – Psalm 66:1-8
Epistle – Galatians 6:(1-6)7-16
Gospel – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 

Today’s readings focus on the Christian experience of being sent by Jesus to continue his mission. This Sunday’s lectionary readings reflect on God’s call and our response, and how this affects the shape of grace and healing in our lives.

Isaiah speaks words of peace and hope for God’s people because God’s love never fails. Paul closes his letter to the Galatians with some final counsel on behavior within the Christian community. Luke tells of the mission of the 70 disciples and their success in defeating Satan.

How do we live out God’s faithfulness in our lives? How do we witness to others? When we read of the message to the seventy, Jesus is not calling them out to condemn and cause fear but instead to heal and proclaim Good News. God has brought Good News through Jesus Christ, but it is human beings who have drawn the dividing lines. It is human beings who will not receive the message of peace, who turn away from God’s love, who restrict and condemn others. God desires restoration, healing, and forgiveness, and offers us new life, if we choose to accept

Transformation emerges through a dynamic process of divine-human call and response. Our openness and efforts make a difference to the quality and extent of God’s presence in our lives. As scripture says, Christ is always standing at the door, knocking and seeking our attention and partnership in the quest for planetary and personal wholeness. Whether and how we the open the door to God’s graceful, intimate, and visionary energy can make all the difference in the world.

The central message this week is simple but significant – do not despise the saving power of small things. God’s commitment to justice, restoration and healing is proclaimed strongly through the Psalms and Isaiah’s song, but the way God’s saving work comes into being is often through small, ordinary people and actions

The picture of God’s care and comfort in Isaiah is that of an ordinary, familiar domestic scene – a child being nursed by its mother. Galatians speaks about the work of following Christ in the every day terms of our relationships with one another (correcting each other and sharing burdens), taking responsibility and doing good for all. And Jesus sends his disciples out to share the message of God’s reign, while accepting hospitality along the way – a very ordinary practice for travelers. Even when they celebrate overcoming demons, Jesus downplays it.

The power of the church to bring wholeness to society is in the grace, kindness and mutual encouragement that comes form living as the letter to the Galatians instructs. And, in every individual, the willingness to receive God’s grace and healing through ordinary means frees us to become channels. Our impact is often less about how we structure our services or what kind of music we use or how “prominent” we are in our community. Often it is in the quiet work of nurturing care and service within our community, and in doing the slow, transformative work of growing into caring, serving Christ-followers in our homes, workplaces and sports clubs (as Galatians calls us) that ultimately determines how effective our ministry is.

When, instead of pointing fingers at “the world” we are willing to accept its “hospitality” speaking blessing, and offering grace and mercy and justice in every situation and with every person (as the disciples were called to do), then people begin coming to us to learn more about our faith and the One we follow. But, if we fail to do this, then no amount of words or programs will be enough to compensate for our lack of grace and goodness. It’s significant that, even when the disciples were told to “shake the dust off their feet” when they were not received in a village, they were, nevertheless instructed to tell the people that God’s Reign had come to them. It was not that they were “judging” the people, so much as using a graphic and powerful image to challenge them about what they had rejected. God’s love and grace remained available to the people. In the same way, we can confront the small injustices in our communities, while still offering grace. And, in the end, what is important is not the dramatic confrontations, but the people whose names are “written in heaven” – who have discovered life in the dream of God.

In practical terms, this move toward “ordinary justice” has very significant implications. If we are to reverse the impact of climate change, it will take small but significant shifts in the habits of many ordinary people. If our world is to become more peaceful, it will mean ordinary people must learn to understand and respect one another, recognizing our common humanity. If wealth is to be equitably distributed, it will mean changing the values by which ordinary individuals live from consumerism to simplicity and from accumulating to giving. If these shifts were just taken seriously by Christ-followers alone, the impact would be nothing short of miraculous. As Christians around the world join together in peace-making, hospitality, taking responsibility for the change we can bring and doing small acts of goodness, the Gospel message is preached clearly and powerfully, with very few words necessary.

The one reading that appears to be out of place is the alternative Psalm (66) – but here the focus is on the Exodus, which, although proclaimed through retelling the miraculous story, is about the very ordinary human longing for liberation and salvation – which is, of course, the essence of the message that Jesus’ disciples would have preached.

Read more from the lectionary 

This story speaks of the seventy whom Jesus sent out. Working Preacher calls it a kind of “internship,” a training time while Jesus was still with them. This story is a series of instructions by Jesus . Jesus sends out the twelve earlier in the story and gives them instructions about what they are to do (Luke 9:1-6). The mission of the seventy is an extension of the mission of the twelve. One major difference is that this is a mission in Samaria. This is a peace mission among Samaritans who were often hostile to Jews in Galilee and Judea.

Our passage today, unique to Luke, is intimately related both to Jesus’ words in 9:1-6, when he sends out the 12, and 9:51-62 (last week), where he rather harshly dismisses potential followers who have to “take care of things” before they follow Jesus. He possibly was sending out all of his followers in this lesson.

The number seventy is reminiscent of the seventy elders of Moses in Numbers 11:16-17. Just as these seventy men were destined to become the leaders of the Old Testament community, the seventy missionaries/disciples in Luke were destined to become the leaders of the New Testament community. In the Old Testament, the Lord God said that he would “take some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on them/the seventy that they could also bear the burden of the people.” In the New Testament, the implication is that the Spirit of Jesus would be transferred to these seventy missionaries/disciples, and that they would be equipped for leadership in the new movement of faith. It is representative of the number of nations in the world.

The urgency of the mission is emphasized. Jesus begins by using an agricultural metaphor. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” The Day of Judgment (harvest) is close at hand so there is a need to look to the Lord to supply a full complement of missioners. In Jesus’ day, people intuitively understood when the fields were ripe for harvesting. Plowing, planting, watering, caring for, weeding are all different activities before harvesting. Harvesting means that the plants are ready to be gathered in or picked off the tree or from the field. Jesus was saying that people were ready to be harvested.

This was certainly true in Jesus’ day: a myriad of people were ready to belong to the kingdom but what was needed were more workers.

The mission was the same as Jesus’ own ministry: “cure the sick” and “say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

In any case, Verses 1-11 give us a snap-shot into the life of an itinerant preacher-teacher-healer at the time of Jesus.

Jesus sends them “ahead of him … to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” He “set his face to Jerusalem” in last week’s lectionary and will probably travel through villages where he has not been before. Rumors of what Jesus is doing have undoubtedly spread into Samaria so the seventy emissaries will announce his coming by giving people a preview of his own work. They were vulnerable in this land.

But when we look at the material in 10:1-12, it is not really about preparing people for the visit of Jesus, but rather about the mission of the disciples. It is also a preview of the ministry Jesus gives us today. We go “ahead of him,” bringing his message where we go. They are to travel “in pairs.” We think of groups doing mission work door-to-door, always with two people. We can assume that Jesus’ directive is for safety and for mutual encouragement. It’s also a sign that “we’re in this together” as followers of Jesus. When the disciples go out they will be vulnerable to rejection and persecution

Jesus’ advice on the mission was to “go light.” They were to come only with who they were and await local response In our terms the equivalent advice would be, “Don’t let stuff get in the way or conflict with your ministry of the gospel.” Travelling without personal possessions was an indicator of one’s humility and possible holiness. It also made one wholly dependent on the hospitality of strangers.

They have not expectations of how they are to be received. Once you find like-minded people, work with them. So don’t get distracted by “success.” The credit for that all belongs to God anyways. Instead, stay focused on your relationship with God who has written your name on the palm of His hand

There are two basic tasks 1. Bring the message, “God’s kingdom has come close to you!” All this is in the present tense and not the future. 2. Show by action. Bring deeds of the kingdom. (Namely, heal the sick.) Tell them the good news that “the kingdom of God has come near to you” (v. 9): it’s partly already here! The teams went out with an urgent message. “Turn around people – and seek peace – God’s reign has come close to you!” The message is timeless.

The early Christians saw themselves participating in this great climax of hope. Paul appears to have developed his strategy of visiting the cities of the world (of his time) and bringing an offering from the Gentiles to Jerusalem against this expectation. His apostleship was playing a role in the divine plan of bringing in the Gentiles.

The action plan of the disciples and doubtless of Jesus, himself, made hospitality central, especially the shared meal. The response of faith was about willingness to share food, to be together in mutual acceptance and fellowship at a meal. This was also a central symbol of hope. In their radical way Jesus and his disciples after him were precipitating hope in meals in the here and now. These became celebrations of hope, but also of inclusion and healing.

When you find a receptive person, a person of peace, God’s peace will be on him or her (v. 6). Accept their hospitality (“the laborer deserves to be paid”, v. 7) and “eat what is set before you” (v. 8, i.e. ignore Jewish dietary laws)

Reception was closely linked to hospitality. The ancient world had strong customs about hospitality. Larger Palestinian houses were such that you could freely enter the front half of the house from outside – it was public space. These disciples would then face the owners with the choice of being part of the kingdom movement by offering hospitality and enjoying its benefits through healing and teaching or of turning away these uninvited would-be guests.

The owners had a dilemma. The visitors claimed to be envoys of peace and wholeness, including healing. They claimed to be announcing the reign of God and by their actions, bringing its reality into life in the here and now. To receive them was to receive the one who sent them and to receive him was to receive God, to be open to the kingdom. To reject someone who is not an enemy, to refuse to offer hospitality, was shameful. It brought disgrace and promised misfortune. That is the expectation here, too. Reject these messengers and you reject Jesus; reject Jesus and you reject God; reject God and you invite judgment. Shaking dust off the feet is probably symbolic of such judgment

Vv. 11-16 tell the seventy how to handle hostile situations: tell such people that they will be ignored; the kingdom has come anyway. If people don’t accept your message, he says, shake their dust off your feet and move on. At the end of the era, they will be judged harshly (v. 12). Then v. 16: in hearing the good news from a disciple, people hear Jesus; if they reject a disciple, they reject Jesus and the Father (“the one who sent me”).

Notice how Jesus only tells them what they should do and doesn’t say anything about measuring their success. The version 16 paragraph closes with another note about success. We are not to rejoice about our success in our various ministries, but to rejoice “that your names are written in heaven,” that is, that we are part of this kingdom of God which we are proclaiming. So, the essence of the mission is to live out the relationship with God that has been given to us through Jesus Christ. And this is what it looks like; don’t travel alone, do travel light, not worry about what is up ahead, just share peace and healing if you can.

It is not about selling a brand name (‘Christian’), but sharing a vision of change in such a way that means real participation in making it real in the here and now. People who really care recognize others who really care.

Historically the growth of a household churches was a result. Households (half public communities in themselves) committed to caring in the name of Jesus became church communities. The travelers became ‘apostles’ (envoys), the link people. Link people and locals were a loose movement for change, people for the poor, people convinced they were participating in God’s initiative to bring hope. It was all about being bearers of this hope. As the movement grew the link people spawned local leadership patterns, which evolved into structures for order, now reflected in formal orders of ministry.

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He/Jesus gave his disciples power and authority over the demons and unclean spirits. The disciples were more effective when they knew that they had been invested with authority. With authority, the disciples told about the power of God in their lives. Jesus had an inner spiritual authority which drew people to him. The opposite of having power and authority in one’s faith is to have a doubting, half believing faith. A doubting, half believing faith lacks credibility, power and authority

Read more  

Anything but Ordinary! – Ordinary Time

Beginning Sunday, June 16, Pentecost 2, we enter the Church year known as Ordinary Time. After Easter, Jesus’s ascension into heaven, and the coming of the Holy Spirit to us at Pentecost, we accept responsibility for being and becoming Christ’s body in the world. We are called by Jesus to live in community, our lives together guided not only by the example of Jesus, but by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 

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.  

Vestments are usually green, the color of hope and growth. Green has long been associated with new life and growth. Even in Hebrew in the Old Testament, the same word for the color “green” also means “young.” The green of this season speaks to us as a reminder that it is in the midst of ordinary time that we are given the opportunity to grow. 

Ordinary Time, from the word "ordinal," simply means counted time (First Sunday after Pentecost, etc.). we number the Sundays from here on out in order from the First Sunday after Pentecost, all the way up to the Last Sunday after Pentecost The term "ordinary time" is not used in the Prayer Book, but the season after Pentecost can be considered ordinary. 

The Church counts the thirty-three or thirty-four Sundays of Ordinary Time, inviting her children to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ – his life, miracles and teachings – in the light of his Resurrection.

You may see Sundays referred to as "Propers". The Propers are readings for Ordinary Time following Epiphany and Pentecost, numbered to help establish a seven day range of dates on which they can occur. Propers numbering in the Revised Common Lectionary begins with the Sixth Sunday in Epiphany, excludes Sundays in Lent through Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and resumes the Second Sunday after Pentecost (the first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday), usually with Proper 4. 

In some ways, it might be right to think of this time as “ordinary”, common or mundane. Because this is the usual time in the church, the time that is not marked by a constant stream of high points and low points, ups and downs, but is instead the normal, day-in, day-out life of the church. This time is a time to grapple with the nuts and bolts of our faith, not coasting on the joy and elation of Christmas, or wallowing in the penitential feel of Lent, but instead just being exactly where we are, and trying to live our faith in that moment.  

It is a reminder of the presence of God in and through the most mundane and ordinary seasons of our lives. . It is a reminder that when God came and lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ, he experienced the same ordinary reality that we all experience. And that God, in Christ, offered us the opportunity to transform the most ordinary, mundane experiences into extraordinary events infused with the presence of God. God is there, present in the midst of the ordinary, just waiting for us to recognize it.  

Only when the hustle and bustle of Advent, Easter, and Lent has calmed down can we really focus on what it means to live and grow as Christians in this ordinary time in this ordinary world. It is a time to nurture our faith with opportunities for fellowship and reflection. It is a time to feed and water our faith with chances for education and personal study. It is a time to weed and prune our faith, cutting off the parts that may be dead and leaving them behind. And we have a lot of growing to do, so God has given us most of the church year in which to do it.  

June 23, 2019 – Pentecost 2

Photos and Text from Sun, June 23, 2019

The Week Ahead…

June 26 – 11am – Rachel Schnakenberg’s Funeral

June 30 – 9:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite I

June 30 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

June 30 – 11:00am – Morning Prayer, Rite II

Sunday, June 30, Readings and Servers

Village Harvest – a 6 month checkup

A 6 month checkup of our Village Harvest food ministry, June, 2019 using some charts. We want to compare people served, total pounds served which are measures overall of the harvest and then look at the benefits to individuals. How many pounds are being provided per person and what is the value?

Overall, we we are not at the 2018 level but we are above 2016, 2017.

The top two charts show our numbers of the harvest. This year the number of people served closely fit the 2018 results and are the second highest over 4 years. Pounds distributed are also the second highest with 2018 and 2019 considerably above the previous two years, 2016-2017. Pounds in 2019, however, are below last year despite more people coming to the harvest. It is difficult to forecast what level of food is needed.

The third chart provide pounds per person. What do our clients take home ? Pounds per person are consistently over 10 pounds in the last 2 years. Focusing on value in the foods distributed in the fourth chart, shoppers are leaving with foods valued at $73 in 2019 the second highest in the last years.

Read the entire article…

Spanish Bible Study Returns

Spanish Bible Study returned as “Los Amigos de Jesus” (Friends of Jesus). They last met during Lent and wanted to continue their fellowship and study.

Eight people gathered for the Los Amigos de Jesus Bible Study on on Friday, June 21 and shared supper together. We got to enjoy some traditional Latin American food, plaintains with mole, along with fruit and cheese stuffed pasta shells. Then we listened to some music and then studied scripture together.

The group will meet again on Friday, July 26th. All are welcome.

Coming Up – Summer Program for Children starts Wed., July 3

The Summer Program will be held on Wednesdays beginning July 3 and going through August 7^th between 2pm-4pm.   

We’re going to do it in the afternoon in hopes that we might be able to continue it as an after school meeting if the kids would want to keep coming.  

The curriculum for the summer will be God and Family, a Cub Scout merit badge curriculum.  We’ve done this one before when Tucker was younger.  It’s something fun that all kids can get something out of, not just scouts.  All children are welcome. 

A Non-Episcopalian Learns About the Episcopal Church

“The Ten Minute Bible Hour” visits Christ Episcopal Church in Las Vegas, led by Rev. Barry Vaughn. The host came in knowing little about the Episcopal Church its history, worship and traditions. What follows is an amazing journey into the Church its history, sacraments and traditions and led by Rev. Vaughn. It is 40 minutes but no time is wasted. This is appropriate for those who know little about the church and those who consider themselves “veterans.”

UTO Grants for 2019 announced

The UTO offering is collected in two “ingatherings” yearly. In 2018 St. Peter’s spring ingathering was $325.35 and the corresponding Fall collection was $563.32. Total for 2018 was $888.68.

The Funds go to the Diocese of Virginia UTO representative and then on to the national fund. There are no administrative costs taken off – every contribution is given away. What was the result ? On June 18, the church awarded grants of “33 grants for a total of $1,507,640.55 for the mission and ministry of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.” The focus granting process was “Go: crossing boundaries created by race, culture, and economics to create communities that listen deeply and learn to live like Jesus.”

Here are ten examples of implementing that mission:

1. Greenhouse
2. Peace garden
3. A program to welcome, partner and integrate a Latino congregation recently displaced;
4. Education for refugees
5. Tutoring between Spanish speaking and English congregations
6. Birthing center for partner church in South Sudan;
7. Diocese in partnership with Honduras – Teach Them to Fish: Microindustry Mission
8. Corner shower laundry in Detroit
9. Afterschool program Sophie’s House residential recovery program for women who are survivors of addiction, incarceration, and trafficking.
10. Interfaith grant to bring together faith leaders to tackle serious community problems – failing schools, affordable housing, criminalization of childhood

A complete grants brochure is here

Lectionary, June 30, 2019 – Pentecost 3, Proper 8

I. Theme – Our relationship with God always comes at a price

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21
Psalm – Psalm 16
Epistle –Galatians 5:1,13-25
Gospel – Luke 9:51-62 

Today we learn that our relationship with God always comes at a price. In 1 Kings, we hear the story of how God first called Elisha as Elijah’s successor. Paul urges the Galatians to use their spiritual freedom to live in the Spirit. Jesus teaches his disciples the cost of following him.

What a familiar response we hear to the call to discipleship in today’s stories. When Elijah anoints Elisha to be his successor, Elisha begs to return home first to say farewell to his family. Elijah grants him leave. This does not seem to be an unreasonable request.

By contrast, Jesus dismisses with blunt retorts the excuses to put off following him. Why does Jesus sound so irascible and demanding? Does he really require such total renunciation of all natural and material considerations of every would-be follower? We know that most of the time we can look on Jesus’ own life as a model for ours. And he had gone exactly to this extent to serve God. He had renounced home, family and worldly possessions, even to having “nowhere to lay his head.”

Perhaps this is one of the times we are justified in interpreting a New Testament scene in the light of its historical context. Jesus knew he was on his way to death in Jerusalem. He had just been refused even basic accommodations in a Samaritan village. His message and ministry had been met generally with rejection, apathy, controversy, misunderstanding and open opposition. Time was running out. He was faced with finding a band of followers whose dedication would be equal to the task of continuing his mission after he was gone.

Nothing but total detachment from normal life would qualify them for such an awesome calling. Jesus’ disciples needed to know the urgency and the primacy of the commitment. In the passage we have read today, Jesus was in the process of sorting out the ones who could meet the cost of discipleship at that particular time.

Such detachment is not a blanket assignment for all Christians. The Church is perpetuated largely by Christians who live normal lives involving family, home, work and participation in society in general.

Some are called to religious orders or into the mission field or work among the needy. They are called to follow Jesus’ example in renunciation of natural and material attachments in order to be totally consecrated to their mission. The Church has been richer and more inspired because of their commitment.

To those of us who are not called in such a way, the example of self-denial and self-discipline remains a vital factor of our discipleship. We still have to count the cost of following Jesus. We still have to make service to God our first priority and acknowledge God as our “good above all other.” However we choose to serve and follow the lord, it is the Spirit who enables us to do it. The Spirit does set us free from being overly concerned about our earthly ties and treasures. The whole law is fulfilled as we love our neighbors as ourselves.

We know that God keeps God’s end of the covenant, even when we go astray, even when we have willfully rejected God, God cannot reject us. It is our own rejecting of God that separates us, our own clinging to worldly ways and values that keeps us from following God’s ways of love and justice. It is this failure to leave worldly understandings that built up the walls between Jewish and Gentile believers in Paul’s day, and causes us to continue to keep walls and boundaries between others today. We are called to break down those walls by following Jesus, and we are called to leave those worldly values and understandings behind.

In the spirit of the passage from Galatians, God is moving through every aspect of our personal and congregational life, bringing all of the strands together in ways that promote wholeness individual, community, and planet. We need to let go of egocentrism and self-interest, to seek the well-being of our most vulnerable companions and to express God’s love in deed and word. Such actions are bold indeed; they will cost us something, but they will also bring us more than we can ask and imagine in blessings and power to heal the Earth. Grace enables us to become large-souled persons who see our own well-being and the well-being of others as intimately connected.

Read more from the lectionary 

Introduction to Galatians

We will be reading Galatians as the Epistle on June 23, 30 and July 7. Here is some background to Paul’s letter.

In the face of Jewish opposition, the southern region of Galatia had been fertile soil for Paul’s ministry as he traveled with his companion, Barnabas, through cities recorded by Luke in Acts 13 and 14 . However, after Paul left the area of Galatia he received news that some trouble-makers were agitating the believers . Although Paul was not completely sure of the identity of his opponents (Galatians 5:10), apparently a group of Jewish Christians, or possibly local Jews, were teaching that submission to the Jewish law was a requirement of salvation. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was a result of the challenges the Galatians were facing, but also reflected a continuing debate regarding the applicability of the Torah in Jerusalem and Antioch in Syria.

Paul’s opponents viewed adherance to the law as an integral part of maintaining and, likely, procuring a relationship with God . In order to further their agenda, the agitators attempted to undermine Paul’s authority, claim Paul’s gospel was not true, and charge that the gospel preached by Paul would lead to immorality. Paul addressed the issues of the law with various arguments.

The crucial language utilized by Paul arguing for the sufficiency of the Christian faith climaxes with “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 5:20) which naturally leads to the recognition that righteousness, which the Jewish Christians were attempting to accomplish through the futility of human effort, can only be realized by grace via faith. In other words, “Christ in me” imputes righteousness not the Law, otherwise, “Christ died needlessly” (Galatians 5:21-3:2).

Longenecker in the book The Cambridge Companion to St Paul identifies four significant Pauline points which decimate the opponent’s gospel which, of course, is no gospel at all (Galatians 1:6-7):  

1 Morality –Paul emphasizes that a morality is central to a life with Christ. This righteousness frees believers from the need to acquire significance or justification from immoral idolatries such as human performance by realizing the very thing we are striving for already exists.

2 The Law -Paul explains the entirety of the Law is fulfilled in one word: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). In other words, through “service to others the expectations of the law are fully concretized in unrivalled fashion.” Self-giving is magnified completely fulfilling the Law in an unbridled extension of love for others.

3. Walk in the Spirit. Paul refers metaphorically to the purpose of the law as pedagogue (Galatians 3:24) which is “relieved of its duty once the child comes of age,” just as the function of the law terminated with Christ’s arrival Accordingly, Paul now directs us to “walk by the Spirit” not by the Law, for if led by the Spirit, we are not under the Law (Galatians 5:16-17).

4. Finally, Paul plunges a dagger into the motivation of his opponents by accusing them of championing teaching of the law for the purpose of self-promotion Galatians 4:17).

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 25th – Nativity of John the Baptist

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. 

June 29 – Feast of Peter and Paul

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul commemorates the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles St. Peter and Paul of Tarsus, observed on June 29. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being either the anniversary of their martyrdom in 67AD or of the translation of their relics. They had been imprisoned in the famous Mamertine Prison of Rome and both had foreseen their approaching death. Saint Peter was crucified; Saint Paul, a Roman citizen, was slain by the sword.  Together they represent two different Christian traditions.

Why do we remember them ? Peter is pictured on the left with the keys – the keys to the kingdom. In Matthew 16, Christ says " And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven." They keys since then have been symbols of Papal power.  Peter represents that part of the Church which gives it stability: its traditions handed down in an unbroken way from the very beginnings, the structures which help to preserve and conserve those traditions, the structure which also gives consistency and unity to the Church, spread as it is through so many races, cultures, traditions, and geographical diversity

Paul is pictured with the Bible. He, on the other hand, represents the prophetic and missionary role in the Church. It is that part of the Church which constantly works on the edge, pushing the boundaries of the Church further out, not only in a geographical sense but also pushing the concerns of the Church into neglected areas of social concern and creatively developing new ways of communicating the Christian message. This is the Church which is constantly renewed, a Church which needs to be constantly renewed 

Anything but Ordinary! – Ordinary Time

Beginning Sunday, June 16, Pentecost 2, we enter the Church year known as Ordinary Time. After Easter, Jesus’s ascension into heaven, and the coming of the Holy Spirit to us at Pentecost, we accept responsibility for being and becoming Christ’s body in the world. We are called by Jesus to live in community, our lives together guided not only by the example of Jesus, but by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 

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.  

Vestments are usually green, the color of hope and growth. Green has long been associated with new life and growth. Even in Hebrew in the Old Testament, the same word for the color “green” also means “young.” The green of this season speaks to us as a reminder that it is in the midst of ordinary time that we are given the opportunity to grow. 

Ordinary Time, from the word "ordinal," simply means counted time (First Sunday after Pentecost, etc.). we number the Sundays from here on out in order from the First Sunday after Pentecost, all the way up to the Last Sunday after Pentecost The term "ordinary time" is not used in the Prayer Book, but the season after Pentecost can be considered ordinary. 

The Church counts the thirty-three or thirty-four Sundays of Ordinary Time, inviting her children to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ – his life, miracles and teachings – in the light of his Resurrection.

You may see Sundays referred to as "Propers". The Propers are readings for Ordinary Time following Epiphany and Pentecost, numbered to help establish a seven day range of dates on which they can occur. Propers numbering in the Revised Common Lectionary begins with the Sixth Sunday in Epiphany, excludes Sundays in Lent through Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and resumes the Second Sunday after Pentecost (the first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday), usually with Proper 4. 

In some ways, it might be right to think of this time as “ordinary”, common or mundane. Because this is the usual time in the church, the time that is not marked by a constant stream of high points and low points, ups and downs, but is instead the normal, day-in, day-out life of the church. This time is a time to grapple with the nuts and bolts of our faith, not coasting on the joy and elation of Christmas, or wallowing in the penitential feel of Lent, but instead just being exactly where we are, and trying to live our faith in that moment.  

It is a reminder of the presence of God in and through the most mundane and ordinary seasons of our lives. . It is a reminder that when God came and lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ, he experienced the same ordinary reality that we all experience. And that God, in Christ, offered us the opportunity to transform the most ordinary, mundane experiences into extraordinary events infused with the presence of God. God is there, present in the midst of the ordinary, just waiting for us to recognize it.  

Only when the hustle and bustle of Advent, Easter, and Lent has calmed down can we really focus on what it means to live and grow as Christians in this ordinary time in this ordinary world. It is a time to nurture our faith with opportunities for fellowship and reflection. It is a time to feed and water our faith with chances for education and personal study. It is a time to weed and prune our faith, cutting off the parts that may be dead and leaving them behind. And we have a lot of growing to do, so God has given us most of the church year in which to do it.