Archives: frontpages

June 16, 2019 – Trinity Sunday

Caption – Bishop reception Morgan Key, Bishop Ihloff during his sermon on the Gospel of John, Bishop reception of John Hess, Agape Meal, Duet on “Holy Ground”

Photos and Text from Trinity Sunday

Videos from Trinity Sunday

Text and Videos – Agape Meal

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The Week Ahead…

June 19 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

June 19 – 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.

June 21 – 6:00pm – Friends of Jesus – Spanish Bible Study

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June 23 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

June 23 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, June 23, Readings and Servers

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June 21, 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. This group will meet once a month through the summer. The dates of the meetings are Friday, June 21; Friday, July 26; and Friday, August 23rd. We’ll share a simple supper at 6pm and have a Bible study in Spanish. Come practice your Spanish! All are welcome.

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World Refugee Day is June 20

World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 to honor the contributions of refugees throughout the world and to raise awareness about the growing refugee crisis in places like Syria and Central Africa,

Based on 2018 data, an unprecedented 68.5 million people around the world have been forced from home because of persecution, conflicts or human rights violations.

These people can divided into 3 groups

1. Internally displace people 40 million have not crossed a border to find safety. Unlike refugees, they are on the run at home. The numbers have increased by 50% since 2007
2. Refugees 25.4 million – It is a legal term. People outside their country due to fear of being persecuted for reason race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion is unable to return. Half of the refugees are children.

Most of the refugees are hosted by – Turkey (3.5m), Pakistan (1.4m), Uganda (1.4m), Lebanon (998,900m), Iran (979,400), Germany (970,400), Bangladesh (932,200), Sudan (906,600), Ethiopia (889,400), Jordan (691,000).

3. Asylum seekers 3.1 millions An asylum-seeker is someone whose request for sanctuary has yet to be processed and whose claim for refugee status has not been determined

Bishop Curry on World Refugee Day

Read more about World Refugee Day 

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Way of Love Podcast

This new weekly podcast offers ways to engage with the Way of Love, The Episcopal Church’s intentional commitment to practicing faith by following Jesus. Hear stories and get practical advice from Bishop Michael Curry and others who are putting the Way of Love practices (Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest) into action

You can find it here and/or subscribe

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Lectionary, June 23, 2019 – Pentecost 2

I. Theme – Jesus’ presence changes our lives

 Demon Possessed Man

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – Isaiah 65:1-9
Psalm – Psalm 22:18-27
Epistle –Galatians 3:23-29
Gospel – Luke 8:26-39 

Today’s readings focus on the understanding of how Jesus’ presence changes our lives. Past, present and future unfold before us in today’s scripture readings.

Isaiah describes God’s necessary judgment and promise of final deliverance and cleansing for the people.

The psalm conveys Israel’s experience of God in the past and extols God’s majesty and divine protection. The psalmist’s lips give praise to God, whose identity was never in question. The psalmist yearns for God’s presence, especially in times of suffering.

By the time Paul wrote to the Galatians, the heirs of the promise to Abraham’s spiritual offspring were claiming their inheritance. Justified by faith in Christ, no longer separated by the law from God or neighbor, Jews could be united with Gentiles. The blueprint of God’s kingdom was discernible on earth. Paul writes to the Galatians of their unity and freedom in Christ Jesus.

Following the chronological order of revelation, we move to scenes of those who come to know the mystery and majesty of Jesus. Jesus’ begins his mission to the Gentiles with the expulsion of many demons in this foray across the Sea of Galilee. The healed demoniac and his fellow villagers struggle with the implications of such a powerful figure in their midst. The demoniac is healed and restored to community through Jesus’ power. Although he wants desperately to follow Jesus, the healed man is directed to do his evangelizing first with his own family.

Two questions emerge in today’s readings: “What are you doing here?” and “What is your name?” In responding to those questions, fright and powerlessness are transformed into resolve and agency. Both Elijah and the man possessed by a demon are given the same instruction following their encounter with God, “Return.” Go back to the place where life fell apart; return to the community you fled out of fear and powerlessness.  Go back to your household,  Jesus tells the demoniac. Show your face again, but as a new creation, in the words of Paul, clothed in the mantle of divine power and purpose. What questions do we need to hear to experience healing, transformation, and courage?

God is at work among the people we don’t even know are there for us. God is at work in the restoration that will happen after the destruction. God is at work in our very lives. God is at work in us as a community, for we are the body of Christ. But we are the ones who put up barriers, who raise up walls, who divide and declare who is inside and who is out. We are the ones who do the damage, who divide the body. But Christ is at work in all of us, if we can remember that we are the body of Christ.

Read more from the lectionary 

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Those possessed pigs, Ordinary Time

This is the famous story that everyone knows as the “drowning pigs”. The focus on the story on the demoniac is shifted away to cries of animal abuse. “How could Jesus let the hapless pigs drown?

This story is part of 4 stories in all synoptic Gospels -the stilling of the storm, the Gadarene demoniac, Jairus’ daughter, the woman with the hemorrhage.   It represents another example of Jesus dealing with sinister forces, such as the storms in the preceding this story. In fact both the beginning and ending of this passage mention storms.

Michael Rogness in the “Working Preacher” blog tries to give a contemporary slant to the passage . "All the “demons” Jesus confronts have three things in common: they cause self-destructive behavior in the victim, the victim feels trapped in that condition, and they separate the victim from normal living in the family circle. ..We could call be controlled by demons as being controlled by disease and/or abuse – mental illnesses, schizophrenia, paranoia, addictions, obsessions, destructive habits, and so on."

The demon possessed man was living a life apart from God, living in the tombs, naked, shouting.

The name "Legion" for the demons has a double meaning. Literally, it means, "Many, thousands, multitudes" which indicates the power of the demon that no chain could contol. But it also alludes to the occupying Roman soldier legions which numbered 3,000 to 6,000 each.

This story is interesting when considering the crowd scenes. Previously crowds affirm Jesus action and praise him. However, these people are scared of him Why ? Perhaps they prefer the stability of demonic occupation by Roman legions to the disruption and destruction that might come with them being cast out? As a Gentile, the healed demoniac has no place in the Jewish mission of Jesus, but he may proclaim the mighty acts of God to his own people. Here, we see an echo of the coming Gentile mission.

The crowd begged Jesus to leave. The healed man begged to remain with Jesus, but Jesus sent him away to his friends tell his friends how much the Lord has done for him. That’s our take away from Ordinary Time. We are called to help liberate people from the negative forces, addictions of all kinds that can enslave. We are called to be sources of healing and wholeness and for this we do not need to be part of the medical profession. 

So let’s return to the pigs that drowned when the demons went to them from the man. The pigs here just happened to be in the way. True, pigs did not have the highest reputation – they were seen as unclean by Jews. The blog “Lectionary Studies “ however, states that Jesus’ mission is not to destroy the demonic powers, but rather to deliver a people from their control. The people were delivered though not in the pigs favor.  It must be said that it was the demons who recognized the true identity of Jesus as the Son of God before common and ordinary people did.  

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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 9, 2019 – Pentecost

Caption – downpour on the flowers with day lilies out, “Sweet Sixteen” birthday, Tongues of fire descending on the congregation during concluding hymn “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”, Extinguishing of the Paschal Candle with Pentecost, A Pentecost Cake

Pictures and text from this Sunday, June 9, 2019

Videos, June 9, 2019

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The Week Ahead…

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

June 12 – 5:00pm – 6:30pm, Village Dinner

June 14 – 7:00am, ECM at Hornes

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Bishop Ihloff Visitation

June 16 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

June 16 – 10am – Agape Meal for Corinth with Bishop Ihloff

June 16 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II, Trinity Sunday, Bishop Ihloff

June 16 – 11:00am – Final Collection for UTO, spring ingathering

June 16 – 12:00pm – Lunch in the Parish House with Bishop Ihloff and those being confirmed.

Sunday, June 16, Trinity Sunday Readings and Servers

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“A Cup of Tea and an Hour of Prayer”, June 7, 2019

Eleven people gathered at the home of Cookie and Johnny Davis to enjoy a time of fellowship and to pray together as part of “Thy Kingdom Come”. After the group enjoyed cups of tea and goodies prepared by Cookie, Marilyn Newman led us in prayer accompanied by harp music, and then we prayed by following a finger labyrinth to the music of the harp. Then the group prayed together for a number of people who are dealing with various troubling issues. The time of prayer ended with thanksgiving and The Lord’s Prayer.

More pictures and text here

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Pentecost – Thy Kingdom Come – Concluding video

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St. Peter’s Mobile is here

“St. Peter’s Mobile” is St. Peter’s new mobile phone app and is now available for Android phones. (IPhone to come). Search for it on the Google Playstore (play.google.com/store) by name (St. Peter’s Mobile) or by its package name – com.churchsp.stpm. All of the data is stored on the internet so it has to be working.

Why do we need an app ? You can take church content on the go wherever you are and not be tied to a desktop computer. Yes, we are a mobile society! The modern church is the world!

The app is designed as a scrolling list of recent content. The list will change weekly. Much of it but not all is selected from our website. The idea was to make it very simple and different from a website.

The content can be sorted by date or title, ascending or descending using the drop down button below the church picture. Like email, clicking on on the title gets you to the content. The content can be a mixture of text, photos, sound and/or video.

The bottom navigation bar with 4 buttons is different since it has fixed titles. It is intended to be inspirational, read frequently, generally everyday. “Day by Day” is the popular daily message by Forward Movement that changes with the day. The next icon is the Daily Office read in many Episcopal churches also changes depending on the day. Following those are the Book of Common Prayer and Bible. We are always reading those!

Suggestions and comments are welcome!

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UTO Spring Ingathering, June 2-16, Give Generously

The mission of the United Thank Offering is to expand the circle of thankful people.

Over 125 years ago,  the United Thank Offering was founded  as a women’s ministry to help individuals pay more attention to the spiritual blessings in their lives by making small thank offerings to support innovative ministries in the Church for which the church budget had not yet expanded to fund.  

The United Thank Offering (UTO) Ingathering is set to award $1,535,740.55 in 2019, thanks to increased giving by people from across the church in 2018. UTO funds are granted on an annual basis to support mission across The Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion. The UTO 2018 Ingathering reflects an increase in giving of $15,495.15 over the 2017 thank offerings. Fifty-three Episcopal dioceses increased their giving.

There were two grants in Va.

1. $2,500 -New Church Community at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
2. $30,000 – Charis Hospitality Expansion Project: Charis is an intentional community of young adults living at McIlhany Parish, seeking to follow Jesus through prayer and social action. Our church is intending to declare public sanctuary for people facing deportation, and this grant would allow us to add three bedrooms, a bathroom, and make our home more hospitable to welcoming the stranger.

Thoughts for your UTO Blue Box:   

Give thanks this day for your own health. Drop a coin in your Blue Box as you give thanks and pray for the continued health and improved health of those you love.

Give thanks this day for friendship with others. Drop a coin in your Blue Box as you give thanks and pray for your friendship with others. 

Give thanks this day for the UTO’s work with mission by contributing to their work. Check out the following grants that have been supported by the UTO.  

Bring your boxes back by June 16 , write a check to “St. Peter’s- UTO” and continue the work of this vital ministry.

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Take the Ladies Night Out survey so the ECM can determine the best date to help them schedule the evening at the Riverside Theatre.

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Meet Bishop Ihloff

The Rt. Rev. Robert Ihloff was hired to serve as Bishop Associate in the Diocese of Virginia on a part time basis, beginning in March 2018. Bishop Ihloff previously served as the Bishop of Maryland from 1995 until his retirement in 2007.  He will be with us on Sunday, June 16

Bishop Ihloff earned a B.A. with departmental honors in history from Ursinus College in 1964; an M.A. in modern European history from Central Connecticut University in 1973; an M.Div. from Episcopal Theological School (later Episcopal Divinity School) in 1967; a D.Min from Episcopal Divinity School in 1985.  His thesis/project was in the area Group Spiritual Direction.  He is the recipient of three honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees.

Read more…

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Corinth Agape Meal, July 16, 10am

We are celebrating the end of our study of First Corinthians with a 1^st Century Agape Meal on June 16. It is also Trinity Sunday and Bishop Ihloff will be here playing the role of Paul!

The Agape Meal is known as a Lovefeast and was originally part of the Eucharist in the early church but split off by 250AD.  It was first mentioned by Paul in 1^st Corinthians. The word “agape” is mentioned in  reference to meals in Jude 12.  They symbolize the unity of fellowship in the love of Christ which the saints at rest will share. Signs of the agape are the loving cup and bread.

The Christians of Corinth met in the evening and had a common meal including sacramental action over bread and wine. 1 Corinthians 11:20–34 indicates that the rite was associated with participation in a meal of a more general character. It apparently involved a full meal, with the participants bringing their own food but eating in a common room. Perhaps predictably enough, it could at times deteriorate into merely an occasion for eating and drinking, or for ostentatious displays by the wealthier members of the community, as happened in Corinth, drawing the criticisms of Paul

We know the word “Lovefeast” from the practice of the Moravian church during the church service. Ours will be separate at 10am.

Please come and celebrate the end of our Christian Ed study.

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Trinity Sunday, June 16, 2019

Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, honors the Holy Trinity—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although the word “trinity” does not appear in Scripture, it is taught in Matthew 28:18-20 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 (and many other biblical passages). It lasts only one day, which is symbolic of the unity of the Trinity. 

Trinity Sunday is one of the few feasts of the Christian Year that celebrates a reality and doctrine rather than an event or person. The Eastern Churches have no tradition of Trinity Sunday, arguing that they celebrate the Trinity every Sunday. 

Understanding of all scriptural doctrine is by faith which comes through the work of the Holy Spirit; therefore, it is appropriate that this mystery is celebrated the first Sunday after the Pentecost, when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit first occurred.  

The Trinity is best described in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, commonly called the Nicene Creed. Essentially the Trinity is the belief that God is one in essence (Greek ousia), but distinct in person (Greek hypostasis). The Greek word for person means "that which stands on its own," or "individual reality," but does not mean the persons of the Trinity are three human persons. Therefore we believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are somehow distinct from one another (not divided though), yet completely united in will and essence. 

Read more…

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Introduction to the Trinity – what it is and what it is not

The core belief

The doctrine of the Trinity is the Christian belief that there is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Other ways of referring to the Trinity are the Triune God and the Three-in-One.

The Trinity is a controversial doctrine; many Christians admit they don’t understand it, while many more Christians don’t understand it but think they do.

In fact, although they’d be horrified to hear it, many Christians sometimes behave as if they believe in three Gods and at other times as if they believe in one.

Trinity Sunday, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, is one of the few feasts in the Christian calendar that celebrate a doctrine rather than an event.

Read more…

1. Newcomers – Welcome Page 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 3. St. Peter’s Sunday News 4. June, 2019 Server Schedule 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (June, 2019) 6. Calendar 7. Parish Ministries 8. This past Sunday 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (June 16, 2019 11:00am),  and Sermon (June 9, 2019) 10. Recent Services:  Easter 5, May 19 Photos from May 19 Easter 6, May 26 Photos from May 26 Easter 7, June 2 Photos from June 2

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Block Print by Mike Newman>

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Daily “Day by Day”

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3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.

Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.

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Follow the Star

Daily meditations in words and music.

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Sacred Space

Your daily prayer online, since 1999

“We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance.”

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Daily C. S. Lewis thoughts

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Saints of the Week,  – June 9 – June 16

9	Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597 William Alexander Guerry, Bishop, 1928 Jeanne Guyon, Mystic, 1717
10	Ephrem of Nisibis, Deacon & Poet, 373
11	Saint Barnabas the Apostle
12	Enmegahbowh, Priest and Missionary, 1902
13
14	Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379 Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Apologist and Writer, 1936
15	Evelyn Underhill, Mystic & Writer, 1941
16	Joseph Butler, Bishop, 1752

June 2, 2019 – Seventh Sunday of Easter

Caption for the photo – Anticipating Pot luck luncheon, Communion with church magnolia, Day lilies from the banks of the river, children helping distribute UTO boxes, The Peace

Pictures and text from this Sunday, June 2, 2019

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The Week Ahead…

June 2 – UTO Spring ingathering begins (until June 16)

June 5 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

June 7 – 11:am – 12pm -“Thy Kingdom Come” – Tea, Prayer and Harp at Cookie’s home

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June 9 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

June 9 – 10am – Creating a Scene in Corinth

June 9 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II, Pentecost

June 9 – 12pm – Cake in celebration of Pentecost

Sunday, June 9, Day of Pentecost Readings and Servers

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Thy Kingdom Come – Prayer, Harp and Tea, June 7

Thy Kingdom Come began as an invitation from the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Church of England in 2016. It has since become global and ecumenical; last year, Christians from 65 denominations in 114 countries prayed together for the whole world to come to know Jesus Christ. This year it starts on May 30 and lasts until Pentecost, June 9.

You can sign up for the daily messages here. Here is their video page which has the videos released.

Host a prayer service at your house or the Parish House during the Thy Kingdom Come We have one scheduled for Friday July 7. A Cup of Tea and an Hour of Prayer with Cookie and Catherine,11Am until noon. Marilyn Newman will lead us in a prayerful meditation accompanied by harp music. Come to Cookie’s house (8123 Camden Rd) and we’ll spend an hour praying together during this Thy Kingdom Come season.

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UTO Spring Ingathering, June 2-16, Give Generously

The mission of the United Thank Offering is to expand the circle of thankful people.

Over 125 years ago,  the United Thank Offering was founded  as a women’s ministry to help individuals pay more attention to the spiritual blessings in their lives by making small thank offerings to support innovative ministries in the Church for which the church budget had not yet expanded to fund.  

The United Thank Offering (UTO) Ingathering is set to award $1,535,740.55 in 2019, thanks to increased giving by people from across the church in 2018. UTO funds are granted on an annual basis to support mission across The Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion. The UTO 2018 Ingathering reflects an increase in giving of $15,495.15 over the 2017 thank offerings. Fifty-three Episcopal dioceses increased their giving.

There were two grants in Va.

1. $2,500 -New Church Community at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
2. $30,000 – Charis Hospitality Expansion Project: Charis is an intentional community of young adults living at McIlhany Parish, seeking to follow Jesus through prayer and social action. Our church is intending to declare public sanctuary for people facing deportation, and this grant would allow us to add three bedrooms, a bathroom, and make our home more hospitable to welcoming the stranger.

Thoughts for your UTO Blue Box:   

Give thanks this day for your own health. Drop a coin in your Blue Box as you give thanks and pray for the continued health and improved health of those you love.

Give thanks this day for friendship with others. Drop a coin in your Blue Box as you give thanks and pray for your friendship with others. 

Give thanks this day for the UTO’s work with mission by contributing to their work. Check out the following grants that have been supported by the UTO.  

Bring your boxes back by June 16 , write a check to “St. Peter’s- UTO” and continue the work of this vital ministry.

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Take the Ladies Night Out survey so the ECM can determine the best date to help them schedule the evening at the Riverside Theatre.

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What is Pentecost? 

Pentecost literally means “fiftieth day.” As a religious celebration, it first delineated the fifty days after Passover with a harvest festival. It was also a celebration of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, still celebrated in the Jewish tradition as Shavuot. 

In the Christian tradition, Pentecost marks the end of the 50 Days of Easter. In Acts 2, the apostles and friends are gathered together in Jerusalem. Suddenly there is a great rushing of wind, and tongues of fire rest on each of the apostles. They begin to speak in different languages, and the crowds around them, Jews from across the diaspora, having come to Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks, understand them, although some disparaged them as drunks. It was at this moment that Peter stood up and preached, revealing the will of God in Jesus Christ, as prophesied by Joel, and affirming a continual outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon repentance and baptism. 

Why does Pentecost Matter? 

There are at least three reasons to start with:  

1. It marks the birthday of the church. Pentecost was a turning point. Before the rushing wind, the flames, and the speaking in tongues, the apostles were a group of followers who listened to Jesus and assisted as he helped those who came to him for healing and grace. Without Jesus, they were aimless and confused. After the Holy Spirit enters that room, after Peter preaches repentance and baptism, they no longer look inward. The end of Acts 2 records that they devoted themselves to the teaching and to fellowship, they performed wonders and signs, they gave to others in need…and the Lord added to their number daily those who were saved. 

The Holy Spirit gave the disciples direction and power to form the Christian community, which would become “the church.” So, Pentecost is a birthday, and some churches today celebrate with cake! 

2. Pentecost completes the Trinity. Christian theology is grounded in a doctrine of three in one, and Christians often pray in the “name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Pentecost was the first and definitive moment in which we can say that the Father sent the Holy Spirit to make the Son present. No Pentecost, no Trinity. 

3. Jesus kept his promise. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus told his followers, “I will be with you always, even until the end of the age.” He promptly ascended and was seen no more. What gives? Well, in John 15:26 he says, “I will send you the Advocate-the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me” (NLT). The point is: Jesus is present through the Holy Spirit. Pentecost marks the fulfillment of Christ’s promised presence. 

from buildfaith.org

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Pentecost – The quick version

Click here or on the picture above

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Lectionary, June 9, 2016

I. Theme – The coming of the Holy Spirit  

 Window from St Aloysius’ church in Somers Town, London

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – Acts 2:1-21
Old Testament – Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm – Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Page 736, BCP
Epistle –Romans 8:14-17
Gospel – John 14:8-17 (25-27) 

Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks, celebrated fifty days after Passover.  The literal meaning of Pentecost is “50 days”; it is now fifty days since Easter. The first fruits of the wheat harvest were presented, and the covenant with God was remembered and renewed.

Pentecost power and possibility pulsate through today’s readings on the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is a milestone in the story of salvation. It was on that day that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the believers in an upper room in Jerusalem as they awaited the baptism Jesus told them they would receive. Jesus had promised this event just before He ascended into heaven.

"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

The symbol of fire is important for Pentecost.Fire has long represented God and the presence of his Holy Spirit. Fire consumes but is its own energy force. That energy is around action and for the church, mission. Acts is about mission, about speaking, proclaiming, the good news to people everywhere, in languages (and language) they can understand. This is the day in which the mission of the church was given birth. 

The alternate reading form Genesis tells the story of God’s confusing the languages and scattering those building the tower of Babel.

The second reading describes how the Spirit works uniquely in each of us as children of God in the Body of Christ. Paul recognized the Spirit in the diverse gifts, ministries and members of the Corinthian community. The same Spirit nourishes, prods and emerges in multiple ways. In the realm of human activity, the transforming Spirit moves through the discovery of each other, the strength of fidelity, the give and take of loving relationships, the insight of artistic and scientific creation, the stubborn hope, or in its absence, “the sheer grit to go on.”  

The Gospel reveals the intimate connection between Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

There is a need for an educator, a helper, teacher who remains constantly with those who would follow Jesus.Thus Jesus introduces the Advocate, the Spirit. We do not have to fear, because we know God is present with us, always. That is the entity that will remain and continue to instruct the disciples and the followers to come.It is then that Jesus can offer a sense of Peace or satisfaction.Troubled hearts, and fear will be taken away by the gentle comforts of the Spirit. God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is for the final transformation of our world.

For us we recognize that creation is not a one-time event, but an ongoing activity. God’s energizing power is evident here: vivifying, knitting together, upholding and transforming all life.

God has entered our lives in a new way, but yet it is an old, old story. The wind from God swept over the waters in the very beginning of time, in our own Creation story in Genesis 1. But this wind from God—the Spirit (and the word Spirit, wind and breath is the same in Hebrew, ruach, and in Greek, pneuma) continues to move among us and the world and do new things. We are called to break down the dividing walls and to build up one another in Christ. We are called to turn away from the things that separate us from one another and turn instead to the love of God, who calls us to share this love with our brothers and sisters in the world. And God is continuing to do a new thing in us, if we are open to receive and recognize the Spirit’s movement among us.

Read more from the lectionary 

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May 26, 2019 – Sixth Sunday of Easter

From Left to Right – they got the memo about Memorial Day, Sunrise National Cemetery Fredericksburg, Sat. May 25, 2019, Helmut Linne von Berg delivers the Easter 6 sermon, Rogation Day asking for God’s continuing care of the environment and ours as well, Veterans on hand today

We used the prayer from BCP 893 for the veterans – “O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines.”

Pictures and text from this Sunday, May 26, 2019

Videos from this Sunday, May 26, 2019

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The Week Ahead…

May 29 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

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June 2 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

June 2- 10am – Creating a Scene in Corinthians

June 2 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, June 2, Easter 7 Readings and Servers

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Thy Kingdom Come, May 30-June 9, Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost

Thy Kingdom Come began as an invitation from the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Church of England in 2016. It has since become global and ecumenical; last year, Christians from 65 denominations in 114 countries prayed together for the whole world to come to know Jesus Christ. This year it starts on May 30.

Host a prayer service at your house or the Parish House during the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative beginning on Thursday May 30th. until Pentecost, June 9. Please let Catherine know of your plans.

Join Christians all over the world in prayer during these days. You can also host an hour of prayer and use the Parish House as the location. Sign up by contacting Catherine

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Lectionary Easter 7, Year C, May 26

I.Theme –   Forging the glorious unity of God’s people.

 " Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro" – Paul Landowski, 1931

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 16:16-34
Psalm – Psalm 97 
Epistle – Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21
Gospel – John 17:20-26  

We were in the middle between Ascension, last Thursday and Easter 7 which looks a week ahead to Pentecost. Easter 7 is a Sunday of Christian unity in the face of the disciples in their uncertainty. This is a result of the events of the recent past, the Resurrection and Ascension.

After his resurrection 40+ days ago, Jesus has appeared to three followers on the road to Emmaus, to Peter, and to those gathered in Jerusalem. When they have thought that they were seeing a ghost, he has invited them to touch his wounds and eats in their presence. The community is not sure of the outcome of all this. Will he stay ? They feel terrified both as to their own safety.

Today’s readings give us a sense of comfort. In today’s readings, we catch a glimpse of the glorious unity of God’s people. Paul and Silas show their concern even for their Gentile jailer, who becomes a believer through their example. John, in his Revelation, describes the believers’ urgent longing for final union with Jesus. In the gospel, Jesus prays for us, who have come to faith and unity in him through the testimony of the disciples

On the night when He was betrayed, Jesus interceded for His Church — for His apostles and all who believe in Him through their word — that all of His disciples “may become perfectly one” in the Father and the Son (John 17:21–23). For Jesus became flesh and dwells among us in order to reveal the Father and His name, to share with us the glory of His righteousness, and to bring us to the Father in Himself. As the Father loved the Son from “before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24), so He loves the whole world (John 17:23, 26). Through the apostolic witness to the baptism, cross and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:21–22), the Lord gathers His disciples throughout the world “with one accord,” as one body in Christ (Acts 1:14). And so with one voice and by one Spirit, His Bride prays, “Come!” (Rev. 22:17). And He comes to us. He gives us“the water of life without price” to wash our robes and quench our thirst (Rev. 22:17); and He feeds us from “the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit” (Rev. 22:2).

This Sunday, we are reminded that the world-view we hold now is not the same as the ancient Israelites, nor is it the same as the people of Jesus’ day and of the first century, nor will it be the same in the future. We must be prepared for new understandings and insights, new ways of thinking about and understanding God and God’s works in the world

Read more from the lectionary 

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Ascension, May 30, 2019

Biblical scholar Ronald Coleman wanted to be clear on Ascension -"We do not, as a matter of fact, believe that Jesus ended his earthly ministry with the equivalent of a rocket launch, rising a few hundred miles above the earth. Nor do we think Jesus was the first to be “beamed up,” to use the term made so familiar by the television series Star Trek."

The New Testament treats the Ascension as an integral part of the Easter event. 

It is the final appearance Jesus’ physical and resurrected presence on earth. It is the final component of the paschal mystery, which consists also of Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, Death, Burial, Descent Among the Dead, and Resurrection.

Along with the resurrection, the ascension functioned as a proof of Jesus’ claim that he was the Messiah. The Ascension is also the event whereby humanity was taken into heaven.  There is a promise he will come again.

So when is it ? The Ascension in Luke 24 is on Easter Sunday evening or, at the latest, the next day; in John 20, sometime between the appearance to Mary Magdalene (who is told not to touch the risen One because he has not yet ascended) and the appearance to Thomas (who is invited to touch him); in Acts 1, after the forty days (which, however, are symbolic of the time of revelation; there may be no intention to suggest that the ascension actually “occurred” on the fortieth day). We celebrate Ascension on the 40th day, this year Thursday May 30 or the closest Sunday, June 2. 

The main scriptural references to the Ascension are Mark:16:19, Luke:24:51, and Acts:1:2 and vvs. 8-10. Luke 24 says  "While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven". In Acts " he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen." Jesus commissions his followers, rather than simply blessing them; and we have an appearance from two men in white robes.

Mount Olivet, near Bethany, is designated as the place where Christ left the earth. The feast falls on  Thursday, May 25 and it is one of the most solemn in the calendar, ranking with the feasts of the Passion, Easter and Pentecost.

In disappearing from their view "He was raised up and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9), and entering into glory He dwells with the Father in the honur and power denoted by the scripture phrase."

In a way, Jesus’ abandonment of the disciples upon the Mount of Olives is more profound than their abandonment on Calvary. After all, the disciples themselves predicted he would die. But no one could have imagined the Resurrection and the extraordinary forty days during which Jesus dwelled again with his friends. Forty days with the resurrected Jesus – appearing in the upper room, along the way to Emmaus, upon the beach at Galilee! Imagine their despair when this, the Jesus present to them in such an astonishing way, enters the Cloud on the Mount of Olives.

Read more…

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Ascension as the beginning of the Church’s mission

The Ascension is the beginning of the church’s mission.

  1. It is powered by the Spirit 

  2. It is a call to be witnesses 

  3. It is worldwide is scope  

The Ascension holds the promise of Christ’s return.

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The Purpose of the Ascension:

A.  For Man’s Redemption

B.  For Jesus to be our Advocate

C.  So The Spirit Could Come

D.  To Prepare a place for Us

Read the details …

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The Ascension is about direction

1. Looking upwards

Where is heaven ? When the early church confessed that Jesus had ascended into heaven, the emphasis was not so much on a place – the emphasis was on God’s immediate presence. The church was confessing that Jesus had entered into the divine glory – that the risen Jesus now dwelt in the immediate presence of God. This may explain the meaning of the phrase, "a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Oftentimes in scripture, a cloud represents the shekinah glory of God, the sign of God’s presence (cf. Exo. 33:7-11; Mark 9:7).

This day reminds us that Jesus, our Risen Lord and Savior, is “beyond the bounds of time and space and free of their confinement, so he is able to be present everywhere at once.”

2. Heading downwards

Apostles are grouped together in Jerusalem awaiting their next step. "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying…these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer

3. Setting outwards.   

This is an opportunity to reflect on the mission imperative of the church, the dangers of the church looking inward and the strength we gain from a Jesus now in the heavens who equips us for service 

The Ascension marks the exact moment when Jesus, Son of God, commissioned his disciples to begin the gigantic task of converting the whole world. As recorded in St Mark’s Gospel, Jesus said: "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned." This day reminds us that Jesus, our Risen Lord and Savior, is “beyond the bounds of time and space and free of their confinement, so he is able to be present everywhere at once.”

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Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost

Here is a link to enrich your spiritual life from Ascension to Pentecost – 10 days. The nine days from Ascension Day to the Eve of Pentecost are the original novena–nine days of prayer.
 

Before he ascended, Jesus ordered the disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. After his Ascension, they returned to the upper room in Jerusalem where they devoted themselves to prayer. These last days of the Great Fifty Days of Easter can be a time for us to prepare for the celebration of Pentecost. 

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Ascension Art: trying to make it visual.."

The Ascension has always been a challenge to understand through the scriptures. Artists have played a role in giving us a visual depiction of the event. They have been doing this for over a 1000 years.

Read more about Ascension art with a collection of 17 works …

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Our own Ascension art – St. George’s Ascension window

These are earliest windows produced for the church in 1885 and dedicated to Rev. Edward McGuire who served as rector her for 45 years from 1813-1858 and was the rector when the current Church was built in 1849. It was produced in Germany but we do not know the maker. There are three panels increasing the drama and focus. The window is the front of the church directly in front of parishioners.

The Ascension took place 40 days after the Resurrection when Jesus led the disciples to the Mount of Olives. He raised his hands, blessed them and then was lifted up until a cloud took him out of their sight. This is shown in the middle window. He is shown, arms raised, disappearing into a cloud with his feet and the hem of his clothes visible. His feet still show scars of the crucifixion.

Continue with the article and a photo gallery …

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An Alternate Take – "The Ascension Never Actually Happened – Ascension is Always Happening"

From a sermon from Pastor Dawn Hutchings.  Full sermon 

Dawn cites the story of Larry Walters who in 1982 ascended to a height of 16,000 in a lawn chair lifted by over 40 helium balloons. He intended to come down by shooting out the balloons with a bb gun. However, he dropped the gun. By luck, he shot out enough balloons to get him down though he wandered into a commercial airline path and almost ran into some power lines. That’s a true story but she cited a movie in Australia base on Larry’s story – Danny Deckchair which is not true.

"The movie’s hero, Danny, is a bored labourer who drives a cement mixer. Danny is an unlikely Christ figure whose story is similar to Larry’s. Danny ascends from his backyard in Sydney during a barbecue and lands less than gracefully in a small town in the Australian outback. By this act of departure and arrival everything changes not only for Danny, but also for those he left behind and those he meets in the outback. Danny’s unique departure inspires those at home to take risks of their own: to live life more boldly, to act on their dreams, to become all they can be.

"In acting out his dream, Danny finds new confidence and becomes the source of inspiration and affirmation for the townsfolk in the outback who used to see themselves as backwater hicks, but now see the importance of their actions in the life of their town. Everyone is transformed by Danny’s ascension. New Life and love accompany his resurrection.

"With that said, let me just say, that the Ascension never actually happened. It is not an historical event. If a tourist with a video camera had been there in Bethany they would have recorded absolutely nothing – but it’s always happening.

"The Ascension story is about the joy the disciples felt about the ongoing ever so real presence of Jesus after his death. The God they saw in Jesus they found in themselves. In Jesus’ departure they discovered that they could love as wastefully as he did. They could live abundantly as Jesus did. They could heal and reconcile just as Jesus did. With Jesus pointing the way they had found God and while Jesus was gone, the God that Jesus pointed to was everywhere, even in them.

"May these realizations live and breath and have their being in you. May you know the joy of seeing Jesus point the way, the joy of finding God, may you know the God Christ points to who is everywhere, even in you. May you love as extravagantly as Jesus loved. May you live as abundantly as Jesus lived. May you be Christ’s Body here and now, in this place in this time!

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May 19, 2019 – Fifth Sunday of Easter

Greeters and others in pink – they got the memo!, Welcoming Jennifer back from Vanderbilt, Greeting friends from St Paul’s King George, Frontpiece with Lord’s prayer (subject of the sermon), Altar flowers

Pictures and text from this Sunday, May 19, 2019

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The Week Ahead…

May 22 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

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May 26 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

May 26 – 10am – Creating a Scene in Corinthians – No class this Sunday

May 26 – 11:00am – Morning Prayer, Rite II

Sunday, May 26, Easter 6 Readings and Servers

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Shred-It, May 18 – the 8th year

Thanks to Andrea Pogue’s work on Shred-it today May 18, 2019, we earned $390, the largest tally in 8 years. The funds go to St. Peter’s outreach ministries. It covers two months of the Village Harvest.

Andrea originated it and has developed it over the period. It is a not only a convenient way to dispose of sensitive, private documents but we find it is a great fellowship event attracting all ages, particularly with all the food Andrea brings to the event! The weather was seasonable but in the sun the temperature rose. The watermelon and popsicles she brought his the spot! Thanks to all who contributed and for Andrea’s leadership.

Photo gallery is here

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Village Harvest and Bible Study, May 15 – A Birthday in Style!

Wed., May 15, 2019 on a gorgeous spring day. On St. Peter’s 183rd birthday – a full house for Bible Study at 10am showing off 3 cakes for the Village Harvest and then the Village Harvest later that day at 3pm. Eunice made a pineapple upside cake, Cherry angel food and Brad contributed a pound cake.

At the harvest, 146 were fed with 1,192 pounds of food – produce, groceries, meats and those birthday cakes! 146 was our best draw in a year. We have fed 593 this year close to last year at this point at 601 though under 2017 with 692.

Read more about the day and view the photos.

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Bishop Michael Curry – Love as a commitment

This is from an interview of Michael Curry in the Harvard Business Review, May-June 2019

Easter 5 featured the following Gospel scripture from John.”I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

“How do you encourage people to bring love into their workplaces?”

“In the past couple years I’ve started thinking of love less as a sentiment and more as a commitment to a way of being with others. As a sentiment, love is more about what I’m getting out of it than what you’re getting out of it. But as a commitment, love means I’m seeking your self-interest as well as my own—and maybe above and beyond mine. That kind of unselfishness is actually how Jesus talked about love most of the time in the New Testament—the Greek word that’s used is agape. That’s the kind of love you see in a person who has done something selfless for you and affected your life for the good: a parent, teacher, Scout leader, or coach. Take that further and you realize that there has been no social good that’s been intentionally done apart from this kind of love. We don’t give people Nobel Peace prizes for selfishness. We recognize those people because they’ve given of themselves without counting the cost to themselves. So, I’ve been playing with the mantra: Is the action I’m contemplating selfish or selfless? I invite folks to just ask that question throughout the day: Selfish or selfless?”

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Thy Kingdom Come, May 30-June 9, Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost

Thy Kingdom Come began as an invitation from the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Church of England in 2016. It has since become global and ecumenical; last year, Christians from 65 denominations in 114 countries prayed together for the whole world to come to know Jesus Christ. This year it starts on May 30.

The Way of Love, the rule of life that helps us to live fully, includes prayer as one of its disciplines. The days between Ascension and Pentecost mark a traditional time of prayer in the Church, beginning with the first disciples who went back to Jerusalem after Jesus ascended. They spent their time in prayer as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. These days give us the opportunity to focus on prayer as one of the blessings and disciplines that we Christians share as part of the body of Christ

Host a prayer service at your house or the Parish House during the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative beginning on Thursday May 30th. until Pentecost, June 9. Please let Catherine know of your plans.

Join Christians all over the world in prayer during these days. Choose five people to pray for. You can also host an hour of prayer and use the Parish House as the location. Sign up by contacting Catherine

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 We are in Eastertide until Pentecost, June 9

Eastertide is the period of fifty days, seven Sundays from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter is not a day but a season and it is one to examine the Resurrection, more broadly and deeply.  There are a number of questions.

Is Resurrection just about death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-56) ? Is Resurrection of Jesus is a precursor to your own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) ? Does it say something about our own ability to expect to see Jesus (Luke 24) ? How does the new Christian community begin to function making Christ the central part of daily life ? (Acts 2)

Jesus physically appears in Easter 2 and 3 making the Resurection tangible. The shepherding part of his ministry is explored in Easter 4. From Easter 5-7, Jesus must prepare the disciples for his departure. He is going to leave them. Jesus prepares his disciples for continuing his ministry without his physical presence.  Themes explored include the holy spirit, the Prayer of Jesus and God’s glory through His Son and the church.

Christ ascends on the 40th day with his disciples watching (Thursday, May 5th). The weekdays after the Ascension until the Saturday before Pentecost inclusive are a preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.This fifty days comes to an end on Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, the beginnings of the Church and its mission to all  peoples and nation.  Note that the Old Testament lessons are replaced by selections from the Book of Acts, recognizing the important of the growth of the church.

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Rogation Sunday, May 26, 2019

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

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

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

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

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Lectionary Easter 6, Year C, May 26

I.Theme –   God dwells with God’s people.

 ” John the Evangelist” – Cimabue (1301-1302)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 16:9-15
Psalm – Psalm 67
Epistle – Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
Gospel – John 14:23-29
Gospel – John 5:1-9

Today’s readings remind us that God dwells with God’s people. In Acts, Paul’s preaching brings about the conversion of Lydia, who opens her home to Paul and Timothy. John, in his Revelation, imagines life in the new Jerusalem, where the lord will be our temple, our sun and moon, our life. In the gospel, Jesus promises us the continuing presence of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.

It’s clear from our Christian Scriptures that the historical Jesus was deeply concerned his ministry be carried on after his death and resurrection. That’s the problem: how do we know what Jesus practically wants us to do in our everyday lives? He certainly didn’t give his followers a step by step journal outlining what he expected. He simply gave them the Holy Spirit, his own Spirit which would not only “remind” us of the things he told his original disciples, but would also “teach” us.

As we prepare for Pentecost, in a sense we are preparing for the renewal of the Holy Spirit. God’s love is powerful and transforming. People we would never expect, like Lydia—a woman who made money by her own means and seemed to have a satisfying life—she was still yearning for more. The man who waited beside the pool for years in the second Gospel of John reading had to help break down the walls of oppression himself before he could escape the oppression that kept him from the healing waters.

From John’s Gospel , we know that the Holy Spirit is working among us and reminding us of what we know, assuring us that we are part of something greater than ourselves, reminding us that God’s love is with us when we love Jesus. And we love Jesus by keeping his words—living out his commandment to love one another.

As we prepare for Pentecost, however, we are preparing for a revival, a renewal, a re-appearing of the Spirit in our lives. Perhaps the Spirit has never left us and has never left the world, but in preparing for it to come again, perhaps we will find the Spirit at work in us in a new way

Read more from the lectionary

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May 12, 2019 – Easter 4

Pictures and text from this Sunday, May 12, 2019

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The Week Ahead…

May 15 – All Day . St. Peter’s 183rd birthday

May 15 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

May 15 – 3:00pm-5pm – Village Harvest food distribution

We’re giving out cake in celebration of St. Peter’s 183rd birthday.

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.

May 15 – St. Peter’s 183rd anniversary

Since St Peter’s 183rd birthday occurs on Wednesday, May 15th, a birthday celebration is in order. The people who come to the food distribution can help celebrate by sharing a piece of birthday cake with us. So let’s all bake cakes and we’ll have plenty of cake to go around that day for those who come by to say “Happy Birthday” St Peter’s, and for those who come to the food distribution. If you will bake a cake—any kind of cake–please let Catherine know of your plans.

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May 19 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

May 19 – 10am – Adult Education – 1st Corinthians

May 19 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, May 19, Easter 5 Readings and Servers

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 First Corinthians schedule for May

We are continuing to read Corinthians through typical people of the time including slaves and freeborn, widows and singles, and a number who have suffered deprivation and sexual abuse – much like typical society in that day. The book shows that Christianity was a subversive force in the brutal Roman Empire. Here is the May schedule:

5/12 Body image (1 Cor 12:12-13:13)

5/19 Competitive Spirituality (1 Cor 12, 14)

5/26 What Gives us hope? (1 Cor 15)

6/2 Taking Care of Business (1 Cor. 16)

6/9 Plan for the Agape meal on June 16.

6/16 Agape meal with Bishop Ihloff.

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May 15 – 183rd anniversary of  St. Peter’s Consecration – Here is the 175th

It’s hard to believe it has been 8 years since we celebrated the day. We had two services that day 11am followed by lunch and then 2pm, Service for our ancestors. The anniversary of the consecration is this week. Here are some links to refresh your memories:

Historical record May 15, 1836   

 In 1836, Bishop Richard Channing Moore’s pastoral address at the Diocesan Council in Fredericksburg, tells of the Consecration of St. Peter’s Church:

“On Sunday, May 15, 1836 I went to Port Royal at which place I consecrated a new Church: a building which is a great ornament to the town, and reflects the greatest credit upon those by “whose munificence it has been erected, and which, I trust, will prove a blessing to them and to their children to their latest posterity. The congregation was very large and attentive during the whole service. Prayers were read by several of the clergy who attended on the occasion — the discourse was delivered by myself — the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered — I baptised three children and confirmed two persons. It gives me the greatest pleasure to mention that a very handsome large silver cup was presented for the use of the altar, by a benevolent gentleman in the Parish; and I have every reason to believe that the sound of an organ will soon accompany the voices of the congregation in singing the praises of God and of the Redeemer of mankind. The Rev. (William) Friend stands high in the estimation of his parish; and I trust will see the work of the Lord prosper tinder his pastoral care.”

175th Anniversary – The Day Description of the Day 175th Anniversary Video, 2pm service Messages from others

May 15, 2011, Services Photo Gallery 11am Bulletin Sermon 2pm Bulletin

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Coming up – Shred-it Sat. May 18

Shred-It is scheduled on May 18, 2019 11am-1pm. This is the 8th year and the first to be scheduled on a weekend. We are hoping to attract many more people. Your donations make this event possible.

Last May we collected $325 or approximately 65 boxes in May, 2018. After paying Shred-it $225 for the truck we made $100 for St. Peter’s Outreach ministries.

Why should you support it ?

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Thy Kingdom Come, May 30-June 9, Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost

The Way of Love, the rule of life that helps us to live fully, includes prayer as one of its disciplines. The days between Ascension and Pentecost mark a traditional time of prayer in the Church, beginning with the first disciples who went back to Jerusalem after Jesus ascended. They spent their time in prayer as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. These days give us the opportunity to focus on prayer as one of the blessings and disciplines that we Christians share as part of the body of Christ

Thy Kingdom Come began as an invitation from the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Church of England in 2016. It has since become global and ecumenical; last year, Christians from 65 denominations in 114 countries prayed together for the whole world to come to know Jesus Christ. This year it starts on May 30.

Here is their promotional video:

“Thy Kingdom Come” at St. Peter’s

This year Catherine would like you to consider hosting a prayer service at your house or the Parish House during the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative beginning on Thursday May 30th until Pentecost, June 9. Choose five people to pray for. Please let Catherine know of your plans.

So, how do you get people to pray for five others ?

Here is our promotional video:

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 We are in Eastertide until Pentecost, June 9

Eastertide is the period of fifty days, seven Sundays from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter is not a day but a season and it is one to examine the Resurrection, more broadly and deeply.  There are a number of questions.

Is Resurrection just about death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-56) ? Is Resurrection of Jesus is a precursor to your own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) ? Does it say something about our own ability to expect to see Jesus (Luke 24) ? How does the new Christian community begin to function making Christ the central part of daily life ? (Acts 2)

Jesus physically appears in Easter 2 and 3 making the Resurection tangible. The shepherding part of his ministry is explored in Easter 4. From Easter 5-7, Jesus must prepare the disciples for his departure. He is going to leave them. Jesus prepares his disciples for continuing his ministry without his physical presence.  Themes explored include the holy spirit, the Prayer of Jesus and God’s glory through His Son and the church.

Christ ascends on the 40th day with his disciples watching (Thursday, May 5th). The weekdays after the Ascension until the Saturday before Pentecost inclusive are a preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.This fifty days comes to an end on Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, the beginnings of the Church and its mission to all  peoples and nation.  Note that the Old Testament lessons are replaced by selections from the Book of Acts, recognizing the important of the growth of the church.

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Lectionary Easter 5, Year C

I.Theme –   Christian communities provide love and encouragement

 “The Last Supper” – Leonardo da Vinci (1495-1498))

A visit to the Last Supper painting in Milan (Washington Post, May 12)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 11:1-18
Psalm – Psalm 148
Epistle – Revelation 21:1-6
Gospel – John 13:31-35

Today’s readings picture the love and encouragement to be found in Christian community. In Acts, Gentiles receive God’s word and the Holy Spirit just as the Jews do. John, in his Revelation, celebrates God’s final descent into our world to bring salvation and a restored world order. In the gospel, Jesus gives us a new command—love one another; by obeying Jesus, we show our discipleship.

God’s intention is to break down the dividing walls, the separations, between us and God, between us and each other, between us and creation. Jesus came to erase the boundaries, and gave us a new commandment to love one another. This commandment reframes the old: no longer are they to be about exclusion, but inclusion. No longer are people to separate themselves for God, but to come together and love one another for God. Even death will no longer divide and separate us. God’s intentions are for us to dwell together with God, as it was in the beginning. God’s desire is not destruction, but restoration. God is making all things new, and desires for us to participate in the breaking down of walls and the building up of the kingdom, or community, of God.

On earth “you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” (John 16:20). Already the Spirit grants you peace and joy through the forgiveness of your sins. For by the cross of Christ, “God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18). His Gospel is “a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household” (Acts 11:14). He gives freely “from the spring of the water of life” (Rev. 21:6), “and death shall be no more” (Rev. 21:4). He dwells with His people, adorning His Church as a bride for her husband, “making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Therefore, as the Son of Man is glorified by His cross, “and God is glorified in Him” (John 13:31), so He is glorified in us by our “love for one another” (John 13:35), which His Spirit works in us by His grace.

Read more from the lectionary

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May 5, 2019 – Easter 3

Pictures and text from this Sunday, May 5, 2019

Videos from Sunday, May 5, 2019

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The Week Ahead…

May 8 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

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May 12 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

May 12 – 10am – Adult Education – 1st Corinthians

May 12 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, May 12, Easter 4 Readings and Servers

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 First Corinthians schedule for May

We are continuing to read Corinthians through typical people of the time including slaves and freeborn, widows and singles, and a number who have suffered deprivation and sexual abuse – much like typical society in that day. The book shows that Christianity was a subversive force in the brutal Roman Empire. Here is the May schedule:

5/5 Body image (1 Cor 12:12-13:13)

5/12 Competitive Spirituality (1 Cor 12, 14)

5/19 What Gives us hope? (1 Cor 15)

No class on May 26—Catherine will be away.

The class will conclude on June 16 with an agape meal with Bishop Ihloff.

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Mother’s Day and Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins listened  sympathetically as a stalwart member of the New York state legislature confessed a political misdeed. Because she barely knew him, she asked why he had confided in her. ‘Well, Miss Perkins,” he said, “all men have mothers.” The young lobbyist for workers’ welfare realized her tricorne hat and sober manner of dress reminded him of his mother.

As the chief advocate and architect of the Social Security Act as Secretary of Labor under Franklin Roosevelt, Perkins succeeded in lifting half the nation’s elderly out of poverty shortly after it became law in 1935. Through it, she also provided unemployment  insurance and workers’ compensation to millions of others and stipends  through age 18 to millions of children who lost a wage-earning parent.

A lifelong associate of All Saints Sisters of the Poor, she spent one day a month in silent retreat at their Maryland convent throughout her 12 years in the New Deal cabinet. Perkins was also ahead of her time in fighting human trafficking in Philadelphia.

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Coming up – Shred-it Sat. May 18

Shred-It is scheduled on May 18, 2019 11am-1pm. This is the 8th year and the first to be scheduled on a weekend. We are hoping to attract many more people. Your donations make this event possible.

Last May we collected $325 or approximately 65 boxes in May, 2018. After paying Shred-it $225 for the truck we made $100 for St. Peter’s Outreach ministries.

Why should you support it ?

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Bake a cake for St. Peter’s 183rd, May 15!

Cake bakers needed for Wednesday, May 15, is St Peter’s 183rd birthday, which is also the day of the food distribution. Let’s have slices of birthday cake available for anyone who comes by St Peter’s that day, including those who come to the food distribution.

Let Catherine know if you can bake a cake, any kind of cake, for that day to help celebrate.

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Thy Kingdom Come, May 30-June 9, Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost

Thy Kingdom Come began as an invitation from the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Church of England in 2016. It has since become global and ecumenical; last year, Christians from 65 denominations in 114 countries prayed together for the whole world to come to know Jesus Christ. This year it starts on May 30.

Host a prayer service at your house or the Parish House during the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative beginning on Thursday May 30th. until Pentecost, June 9

Join Christians all over the world in prayer during these days. You can also host an hour of prayer and use the Parish House as the location. Sign up by calling Catherine.

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 We are in Eastertide until Pentecost, June 9

Eastertide is the period of fifty days, seven Sundays from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter is not a day but a season and it is one to examine the Resurrection, more broadly and deeply.  There are a number of questions.

Is Resurrection just about death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-56) ? Is Resurrection of Jesus is a precursor to your own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) ? Does it say something about our own ability to expect to see Jesus (Luke 24) ? How does the new Christian community begin to function making Christ the central part of daily life ? (Acts 2)  

Jesus physically appears in Easter 2 and 3 making the Resurection tangible. The shepherding part of his ministry is explored in Easter 4. From Easter 5-7, Jesus must prepare the disciples for his departure. He is going to leave them. Jesus prepares his disciples for continuing his ministry without his physical presence.  Themes explored include the holy spirit, the Prayer of Jesus and God’s glory through His Son and the church.

Christ ascends on the 40th day with his disciples watching (Thursday, May 5th). The weekdays after the Ascension until the Saturday before Pentecost inclusive are a preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.This fifty days comes to an end on Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, the beginnings of the Church and its mission to all  peoples and nation.  Note that the Old Testament lessons are replaced by selections from the Book of Acts, recognizing the important of the growth of the church.  

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Lectionary Easter 4, Year C

I.Theme –   Jesus as the Good Shepherd

 "The Good Shepherd" – Daniel Bonnell)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 9:36-43
Psalm – Psalm 23 
 Epistle – Revelation 7:9-17
Gospel – John 10:22-30 

Today’s readings explore the image of God as a caring Shepherd. Scripture frequently uses the metaphor of shepherd and sheep to describe the relationship between the faithful and God. Easter 4 is often referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday,”

In Acts, the apostles’ preaching and miracles bring many Gentiles to believe and follow. The familiar words of Psalm 23 illustrate our understanding of the relationship between the Good Shepherd and his sheep.

The Revelation to John gives us another image of the shepherd. As the seer looks around him, he sees a great multitude that no one can count. They come from all tribes, nations, and languages as they stand before the throne of the Lamb, wearing white robes and waving palm branches. The wrote robes signify their deliverance from tribulation, and the palms their victory over trials. Freed from hunger and thirst, those who were persecuted are now forever in the presence of God, able to worship God day and night in the temple.

In today’s gospel, Jesus pictures his relationship to the faithful as that of a shepherd who works for the life of the sheep. Jesus as a shepherd caring for his own flock provides more than green pasture and still waters. Jesus as a shepherd caring for his own flock provides more than green pasture and still waters – Jesus offers eternal life.

Our Good Shepherd guides us through the heights and depths of life, even during the most difficult times when we feel we are alone and abandoned, even when we feel the absence of God.

The sheep trust the shepherd. We who follow Jesus trust Jesus. We trust his voice, and we believe because we trust. It’s less a question of doubts verses faith as it is a question of trust verses mistrust. We may have doubts and questions about faith, but if we trust in Jesus, we still have faith. It is when we do not trust that we have lost. Trust leads to faith, and what Jesus calls us to do is to know his voice.

Read more from the lectionary 

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From Ministry Matters – "What Changed after the Resurrection"?

"….We can pile on all the theological implications we want to the resurrection, but they don’t change the fact that even as Jesus was walking out of the empty tomb people in his own country were still dying, still suffering under the oppression of the Roman empire, still being taken advantage of by their neighbors, still suffering and causing others to suffer. It’s continued that way for some 2,000 years now as if nothing happened that holy morning.

"When you think about it that way or when you simply turn on the nightly news, it becomes hard not to ask if anything actually did change after the resurrection and, at least in my case, just as difficult to find the energy to get excited about Easter when the promises of Easter seem like they’re still going unfulfilled.

"But hope is not lost. As challenging as my academic predecessor’s question appears and indeed is, it’s not the question we should be asking.

"Because the Church doesn’t believe something changed after the resurrection. We believe something is changing.

"It’s a subtle difference, but a profoundly important one. As Christians, we are not naïve enough to believe that Jesus walked out of the tomb that first Easter morning and in an instant everything changed, all things were made new and suffering and death were no more. As Christians, we believe that when Jesus walked out of the tomb that first Easter morning everythingbegan to change, all things began to be made new and the reign of suffering and death was finally beginning to come to an end. But in believing thusly, we also profess that the kingdom of God is a present but not yet fully realized reality, and it won’t be fully realized until our Lord returns again."

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Richard Rohr’s sermon preached All Saint’s in Pasadena follows readings from Acts 5:27-32 and John 20:19-31 and pushes us to broaden our visions of the risen Christ as the passage above. "The Resurrection is not a one-time miracle but the revelation of how reality works: that nothing truly dies." Here is the link.

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Guest preacher the Rev. David Casey, David with Catherine, Iris as Altar flowers, River with colorful clouds,azaleas out this week.

April 28, 2019 – Second Sunday of Easter (includes a link to David’s sermon).

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The Week Ahead…

May 1 – 10:00am-12pm – Ecumenical Bible Study

May 4 – MS Walk with Shiloh Baptist.

It is sponsored by the Laura Dobbins Missionary Circle, Shiloh Baptist Church, Port Royal Registration will be at 8:30 at Shiloh on Saturday May 4. St. Peter’s will have a table of water and food – Can you help with water or snacks ? Email Catherine.

MS Walk is a charity walk series that take place in over 550 locations with more than 330,000 people participating annually. When you participate in Walk MS, you help ensure no one ever has to be diagnosed again.

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May 5 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

May 5 – 10am – Adult Education – 1st Corinthians

May 5 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II

May 5 – 12:00pm – 1st Sunday, Potluck

Sunday, May 5, Easter 3 Readings and Servers

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 First Corinthians schedule for May

We are continuing to read Corinthians through typical people of the time including slaves and freeborn, widows and singles, and a number who have suffered deprivation and sexual abuse – much like typical society in that day. The book shows that Christianity was a subversive force in the brutal Roman Empire. Here is the May schedule:

5/5 Body image (1 Cor 12:12-13:13)

5/12 Competitive Spirituality (1 Cor 12, 14)

5/19 What Gives us hope? (1 Cor 15)

No class on May 26—Catherine will be away.

The class will conclude on June 16 with an agape meal with Bishop Ihloff.

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 We are in Eastertide until Pentecost, June 9

Eastertide is the period of fifty days, seven Sundays from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter is not a day but a season and it is one to examine the Resurrection, more broadly and deeply.  There are a number of questions.

Is Resurrection just about death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-56) ? Is Resurrection of Jesus is a precursor to your own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) ? Does it say something about our own ability to expect to see Jesus (Luke 24) ? How does the new Christian community begin to function making Christ the central part of daily life ? (Acts 2)  

Jesus physically appears in Easter 2 and 3 making the Resurection tangible. The shepherding part of his ministry is explored in Easter 4. From Easter 5-7, Jesus must prepare the disciples for his departure. He is going to leave them. Jesus prepares his disciples for continuing his ministry without his physical presence.  Themes explored include the holy spirit, the Prayer of Jesus and God’s glory through His Son and the church.

Christ ascends on the 40th day with his disciples watching (Thursday, May 5th). The weekdays after the Ascension until the Saturday before Pentecost inclusive are a preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.This fifty days comes to an end on Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, the beginnings of the Church and its mission to all  peoples and nation.  Note that the Old Testament lessons are replaced by selections from the Book of Acts, recognizing the important of the growth of the church.  

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Lectionary Easter 3, Year C

I.Theme –   Considering Jesus’ presence with us. 

 "Christ’s Appearance on Lake Tiberias" – Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308-11)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)
Psalm – Psalm 30 
Epistle –Revelation 5:11-14
Gospel – John 21:1-19 

Today’s readings invite us to consider the meaning of Jesus’ presence with us. In the story from Acts, the apostles, empowered by the Spirit of Jesus, preach the gospel despite persecution. John, in his Revelation, describes how being in the presence of Jesus, the enthroned Lamb of God, moves all of creation to bless and praise. In today’s gospel story, Jesus, in another pos t resurrection appearance, provides an abundant catch of fish for his disciples.

In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, the White Queen tells Alice that in her youth, she believed six impossible things every morning before breakfast and counsels Alice to believe in impossibilities as well. The Easter season is a season for mystics and “impossibility” thinkers. We are challenged to believe “more” rather than “less” about the world and its resources. Tempted to think small, we may discover that God is at work in our lives – in the causal events of life – to give us more than we can ask than imagine. Possibilities abound that appear to be “impossibilities” for unimaginative realists. Persecutor Paul encounters the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus; the Resurrected Christ cooks breakfast for the disciples and invites Peter to claim a global vocation; the author of Revelation envisages an enchanted and lively universe, in which all creation praises God; and Psalmist experiences ecstasy and joy amid the maelstrom of external challenges.

The call of the readings is to go out and act on them. There are people who are hungry—we must go and feed them, we can’t be only worried about our own needs. There are people who are mourning, who are sad—we must go and be with them, to help bear their burdens. We must remember that the picture is greater than ourselves. Messages of personal salvation only go so far, to help us feel good about ourselves. Remembering that God’s purpose as Creator is new life, we must do our part to help in all of creation to nurture that new life. "Feed my sheep", "Follow me’

Read more from the lectionary 

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Making Adustments (Lectionary Easter 3)

Suzanne Guthrie

“The disciples have been night-fishing, but as dawn breaks they have nothing to show for their efforts. Jesus appears on the shore, too far away to help. He shouts at them to fish differently, to throw their nets on the unconventional side of the boat. That’s where they find what they’re looking for.”

-Richard Beard
from the novel, Lazarus is Dead (p.219)

“Is it possible that finding what I’m looking requires just the slightest adjustment in my way of seeing? How can pulling up my net, moving it a few feet over, throwing it back in the same waters, make a difference? And yet…

“What other slight adjustments to my life, my character, my thinking, my relating to family, friends, neighbors, the world, might change barrenness to fecundity? At any given moment there’s probably at least 153 ways to begin.

Do you remember the dynamic between the two disciples running to the tomb on Easter Morning? Mary Magdalene, having found the tomb empty runs to wherever the disciples have been hiding and brings back Peter and John. John outruns Peter but hesitates to go in. When Peter arrives he enters the tomb and sees the disarray of cloths. “Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8).

“John understands. Peter acts.

“Here in the boat, the stranger on the shore calls to the men in the boat. Children, have you caught anything? No? Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you’ll catch some. And they did. And could hardly manage the haul of fish. “The disciple who Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

“Peter, who is naked, throws on his clothes and jumps into the water to swim toward shore, leaving the others to manage the miraculous catch of fish.

“John understands. Peter acts.

“When I act first, perhaps I need to understand more. When I understand and fail to act, well, that’s another adjustment I need to make.”

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During the Easter season Jesus reappears in 2^nd and  3^rd Easter as Jesus did from Easter Sunday onward.   The timeline above shows there were at least 10 appearances between Easter Sunday and Ascension.  What do we make of these appearances ?

Gerald Hughes in his book, The God of Surprises mentions three features that are common in all of the resurrection accounts. The most common feature he pointed out is that before Christ appeared everyone was in a negative mood: the women who came to the tomb, came only expecting to embalm Jesus; the disciples on the road to Emmaus are sad and disillusioned; the disciples in the upper room are afraid and living behind closed doors; and Thomas is in doubt.  On Easter 3, no fish were begin caught. In every case, their pain and disillusionment revealed their poverty of spirit and need of God. Yet in each person our Lord’s love met them in the midst of their despair and led them to a life-transforming faith.

The second common feature of those who came to faith was the slowness of those to whom Christ appears to recognize that He really was the risen Christ. The disciples on the road to Emmaus walked several miles with him before they recognized him. “But their eyes were kept from recognizing him” In Easter 3, the disciples go back to being fisherman, their profession before they met Jesus, They catch nothing until a stranger calls to them to put out their nets on the right side. Once they bring in the load of the miraculous catch, Peter finally proclaims, “It is the Lord!” 

A final feature common to the resurrection is that those to whom Christ appeared are commissioned to go and tell others. In  Luke’s Road to Emmaus,  the heartburn of despair had been replaced by a new burning faith. These two were re-energized. They might have been dragging on the way to Emmaus but they were ready to run back to Jerusalem. Before their faces were downcast. Even though it was late, very possibly dark by now—they immediately raced off to Jerusalem.  The lesson is not to prejudge Jesus and expect to find Jesus in the most unlikely places, such as a war-torn country 

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April 21, 2019 – Easter Sunday

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The Week Ahead…

April 24 – NO Ecumenical Bible Study

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April 28 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

April 28 – 10am – Adult Education – 1st Corinthians

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

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Holy Week and Easter retrospective April 14 -21

Links to what went on here last week for each service, below. The full Holy week page is here with all the Holy Week related scriptures and services.  

From Palm Sunday to Easter, 2019 we held 5 services.  The services varied as well as mood – Psalm Sunday with the procession, the darkness and shadows of Tenebrae, the communal footwashing of Maundy Thursday, the musical meditation and tapers of Good Friday and then the wonderful attendance of Easter day.  We also participated in the Port Royal Sunrise service on  Sunday morning. Yes, we did walk with Jesus in his suffering and hardships and then sharing and proclaiming the resurrection.  

• Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019  

  Pictures      Description     Bulletin      Readings 

• Tenebrae, April 17, 2019  

  Pictures      Description     Bulletin      Readings 

• Maundy Thursday, April 18  

  Pictures      Sermon     Description     Bulletin      Readings 

• Good Friday, April 19, 2019 

  Pictures      Sermon     Description     Bulletin      Readings  

• Sunrise Service, April 21, 2019 

  Pictures      

• Easter Sunday April 21,  2019  

Pictures      Sermon     Description     Bulletin      Readings

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 We are in Eastertide until Pentecost, June 9

Eastertide is the period of fifty days, seven Sundays from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter is not a day but a season and it is one to examine the Resurrection, more broadly and deeply.  There are a number of questions.

Is Resurrection just about death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-56) ? Is Resurrection of Jesus is a precursor to your own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) ? Does it say something about our own ability to expect to see Jesus (Luke 24) ? How does the new Christian community begin to function making Christ the central part of daily life ? (Acts 2)  

Jesus physically appears in Easter 2 and 3 making the Resurection tangible. The shepherding part of his ministry is explored in Easter 4. From Easter 5-7, Jesus must prepare the disciples for his departure. He is going to leave them. Jesus prepares his disciples for continuing his ministry without his physical presence.  Themes explored include the holy spirit, the Prayer of Jesus and God’s glory through His Son and the church.

Christ ascends on the 40th day with his disciples watching (Thursday, May 5th). The weekdays after the Ascension until the Saturday before Pentecost inclusive are a preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.This fifty days comes to an end on Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, the beginnings of the Church and its mission to all  peoples and nation.  Note that the Old Testament lessons are replaced by selections from the Book of Acts, recognizing the important of the growth of the church.  

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Earth Day, 2019 – April 22

Earth Day was founded in 1970 and included environmental teach-ins that educated  Americans about environmental and species conservation issues, and connected those issues to their health and well-being.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to call for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and  universities organized demonstrations and teach-ins against the deterioration of the environment.

Earth Day 1970 activated a bipartisan spirit that motivated the passing of the Clean Air,  Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.  2019 is the 50^th Earth Day

This year’s focus is the threat to species on the planet.

Read more…

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Lectionary, Easter 2

I.Theme –   Joining resurrection faith with experiences of community 

 "Incredulity of Thomas" –  Duccio, di Buoninsegna (1308-1311)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 5:27-32
Psalm – Psalm 118:19-24  OR Psalm 150
Epistle –Revelation 1:4-8
Gospel – John 20:19-31 

Today’s readings celebrate the power of the risen Christ demonstrated in the faith and life of the early Christian community.

As we enter into the season of Easter, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, remembering how the early Christians fared in the days after Jesus’ resurrection. We hear the beginnings of the early church, the house-meetings, the agape love feasts, the witnesses and martyrs, and all of the disciples of Jesus. John, in his Revelation, attests to the love of the triumphant Christ for the faithful. In today’s gospel, Jesus promises greater blessings for those who believe in him though they do not see him.

Divided into two major segments, the Festival Half, and Ordinary Time, the Church Year has now reached the mid-point of the Paschal Cycle in the Festival Half of the year. Eastertide extends from the Great Vigil of Easter to Pentecost, some fifty days later. Eastertide is constructed as a “Great Lord’s Day” with each of seven Sundays named as a “Sunday of Easter”

The first two Sundays emphasize appearance stories Details introduced into appearance stories are generally limited to making one of two essential points. Some stress discontinuity between Jesus’ risen body and his previously imperfect, earthly frame. Other details, emphasize essential continuity of the glorified Lord with the historical Jesus of Nazareth — here, gaping wounds which recall His Passion.

Jesus came not to upbraid us for faithlessness or to condemn but only to bestow "peace," full reconciliation with God that replaces fear of deserved judgment, with eschatological "joy." This is accomplished through an efficacious sign — "breathed upon them" — interpreted by words. The same divine life by which Jesus had been resurrected was not passed on to His disciples, through whom it is further mediated. These represent the Church, the divinely intended means through which Jesus offers forgiveness to all willing to accept it. Thus, the Church’s mission of bringing reconciliation to the world comes to concrete expression through word and sacraments.

Thomas represents all who would demand a personal appearance of the risen Lord in order to ground their own faith commitment. Jesus summoned Thomas — and through him, all succeeding generations — to a mature and well-grounded belief founded on the testimony of reliable eyewitnesses, rather than a personal encounter. Today’s reading makes two foundational statements about the Church. First, it is the official witness to the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection for every generation. Second, the Church alone is empowered to determine the requisite conditions for reconciliation, and even more, the only means to effectively bestow it upon an alienated humankind.

Read more from the lectionary 

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Who was Thomas ?

Thomas’ name has come down to us as "Doubting Thomas. "  He’s been labeled a "doubter" for his inability to understand Christ’s resurrection from the dead following his crucifixion.  It’s not so much that he doubted the resurrection but that he needed a personal encounter with Jesus to make the resurrection real. His request that he see the wounds on Jesus’s hand left by the nails before he would actually believe that he was speaking to the risen Christ, has provide/ad us with the phfont-family: Georgia; font-size: 18pxrase "Doubting Thomas."   That makes it appear to doubt is not a part of faith which it is. 

National Geographic – "Thomas’s moment of incredulity has proved a two-edged sword in the history of Christian thought. On the one hand, some theologians are quick to point out that his doubt is only natural, echoing the uncertainty, if not the deep skepticism, felt by millions in regard to metaphysical matters. How can we know? That Thomas challenged the risen Christ, probed the wounds, and then believed, some say, lends deeper significance to his subsequent faith. On the other hand, his crisis of doubt, shared by none of the other Apostles, is seen by many as a spiritual failure, as a need to know something literally that one simply cannot know. In the Gospel of John, 20:29, Christ himself chastises Thomas, saying, "Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Loyalty was closer to his character. As one of the disciples, when Jesus announced His intention of going to the Jerusalem area, brushing aside the protests of His disciples that His life was in danger there, at which Thomas said to the others: "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:7,8,16) If Thomas was pessimistic, he was also sturdily loyal and determined. He wanted to get it right

Before the Doubting Thomas episode, he was honest and sincere. At the Last Supper, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you…. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." Thomas replied: "Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?" To this Jesus answered: "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:1-6)

Thomas is mentioned again (John 21) as one of the seven disciples who were fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias) when the Risen Lord appeared to them. Aside from this he appears in the New Testament only as a name on lists of the Apostles. A couple of centuries later a story was circulating in the Mediterranean world that he had gone to preach in India; and there is a Christian community in India (the Kerala district) that claims descent from Christians converted by the the preaching of Thomas.

Following Christ’s ascensio, the apostles divided the world for missionary purposes. Thomas was assigned to travel to India to spread Christianity. He objected to this group decision. He said he wasn’tt healthy enough to travel. But he couldn’t possibly be successful there, he told the others, contending that a Hebrew couldn’t possibly teach the Indians. It’s even said that Christ appeared to him in a vision encouraging him to travel to India. Thomas remained unmoved by this revelation as well.

A merchant eventually sold Thomas into slavery in India. It was then, when he was freed from bondage that this saint began to form Christian parishes and building churches. It’s not surprising that to this day, St. Thomas is especially venerated as The Apostle in India. According to legend, Thomas built a total of seven churches in India, as well as being martyred during a prayer session with a spear near Madras around the year 72 C.E.  

He is often pictured holding a spear. Paintings of martyrs often show them holding or accompanied by the instruments with which they were put to death. 

A recently discovered work called the Gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus,

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The Legacy of Thomas in India

The National Geographic -"He traveled farther than even the indefatigable Paul, whose journeys encompassed much of the Mediterranean. Of all the Apostles, Thomas represents most profoundly the missionary zeal associated with the rise of Christianity—the drive to travel to the ends of the known world to preach a new creed."

"Thomas is said to have raised the first cross in India and performed one of his earliest miracles: When he encountered a group of Brahmans throwing water into the air as part of a ritual, he asked why the water fell back to Earth if it was pleasing to their deity. My God, Thomas said, would accept such an offering. He then flung a great spray into the air, and the droplets hung there in the form of glistening white blossoms. Most onlookers converted on the spot; the rest fled."

"St. Thomas still stands as the direct link between his converts in Kerala and the founding Christian story on the shores of the Mediterranean, clear across the known world of the first century. Unlike later Christian groups in Asia who were converted by missionaries, Thomas Christians believe their church was founded by one of Christ’s closest followers, and this is central to their spiritual identity. "They are an apostolic church," Stewart said, "and that’s the ultimate seal of approval for a Christian group."

"The community was historically united in leadership and liturgy, but since the 17th century have been split into several different church denominations and traditions. 

"Historically the Saint Thomas Christian community was part of the Church of the East, centred in Persia.They are a distinct community, both in terms of culture and religion. Though their liturgy and theology remained that of East-Syrian Christians of Persia, their life-style customs and traditions were basically Indian.  

"In the 16th century the overtures of the Portuguese padroado to bring the Saint Thomas Christians into the Catholic Church led to the first of several rifts in the community and the establishment of Syrian Catholic and Malankara Church factions. Since that time further splits have occurred, and the Saint Thomas Christians are now divided into several different Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, and independent bodies, each with their own liturgies and traditions." 

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April 7, 2019 – Fifth Lent

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Videos from April 7

1. Elizabeth Heimbach’s talk on Roman foods to the First Corinthians class (excerpts)

2. Eucharistic Prayer, Lent 5 C.

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The Week Ahead…

April 10 – 12:00am – Hymnody with Susan Onderdonk

April 10 – 4:00pm – Vestry

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

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

April 12 – 7:00am – ECM at Horne’s

April 12 – 6:00pm-8pm – Estudio Biblico

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April 14 – 10am – Children’s Education Living the Good News

April 14 – 10am – Adult Education – 1st Corinthians

April 14 – 10:45am – Litany of the Palms – outside the Parish House

April 14 – 11:00am – Palm Sunday, Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday, April 14, Palm Sunday Readings and Servers

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Holy Week Links

Just the Lenten Calendar

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Bishop Curry sets the scene for Palm Sunday

"It’s taken me some years to realize it, but Jesus didn’t just happen to be in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. He wasn’t on vacation. He wasn’t just hanging out in town. Jesus was in Jerusalem on purpose. He arrived in Jerusalem about the time of the Passover when pilgrims were in the city. When people’s hopes and expectations for the dawn of freedom that Moses had promised in the first Passover might suddenly be realized for them in their time.

"Jesus arranged his entrance into Jerusalem to send a message. He entered the city, having come in on one side of the city, the scholars tell us, at just about the same time that Pontius Pilate made his entrance on the exact opposite side of the city. Pilate, coming forth on a warhorse. Pilate, with soldiers around him. Pilate, with the insignias of Rome’s Empire. Pilate, representing the Caesars who claimed to be son of god. Pilate, who had conquered through Rome the people of Jerusalem. Pilate, representing the Empire that had taken away their freedom. Pilate, who represented the Empire that would maintain the colonial status of the Jewish people by brute force and violence.

Read more with a video link.

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Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019

We are nearing the end of Lent. Lent proper began on Ash Wednesday and ends on Palm/Passion Sunday, a day that in turn inaugurates Holy Week. 

While Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem,  the events of that day set in motion Jesus’ death 5 days later before the Passover begins. Zechariah had forecast "Zion’s king" coming "righteous and victorious" on a donkey. It looked like Jesus was proclaiming himself King of Israel to the anger of some of the Jewish authorities.

Palm Sunday has two liturgies – the Liturgy of the Palms where we consider Jesus arrival in Jerusalem from Galilee and the Liturgy of the Passion, a foreshadowing of Holy Week.   

At 10:45am we will meet in the yard beside the parish house for the Blessing of the Palms followed by our Palm Sunday procession into the church which will feature the Liturgy of the Passion.

Palm Sunday is the hinge between Lent and Holy Week. Lent has been the 40 day season of fasting and spiritual preparation intended to understand in practices, ritual and disciplines critical to living in the way of Jesus and Holy Week. Holy Week is a time of more intense fasting, reading and prayers in which we pay particular attention to the final days, suffering, and execution of Jesus.

Here is a page of the significance  Palm Sunday– meanings, the path and art of this important day.

The following week is Holy Week.  We have both a timetable and links to this most important week in our tradition.

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Palm Sunday: The Setting: "We are going up to Jerusalem"

From Killing Jesus – Bill O’Reilly, Martin Dugard 

"Jerusalem is just a forty-minute walk from the village of Bethany, where they stop for the night. They stay at the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, rather than risk traveling after sundown and on the start of the Sabbath. This will be their base throughout Passover week, and Jesus and the disciples plan to return here most nights for the promise of a hot meal and easy rest.  

"Just on the other side of Bethpage, the two disciples stand waiting. One holds the bridle of a donkey that has never been ridden. The animal is bareback. A disciple removes his square cloak and lays it across the animal’s back as an improvised saddle. The other disciples remove their cloaks and lay them on the ground in an act of submission, forming a carpet on which the donkey can walk. 

"Following this example, many of the pilgrims remove their own cloaks and lay them on the ground. Others gather palm fronds or snap branches off olive and cypress trees and wave them with delight. This is the sign everyone has been waiting for. This is the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. “Blessed is the king!” shouts a disciple. The people join in, exalting Jesus and crying out to him. “Hosanna,” they chant. “Hosanna in the highest.” 

Read more from Killing Jesus 

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Voices about Palm Sunday

1. David Lose – The Key to the Story

"Jesus suffers, that is, so that when we are suffering we know God understands and cares for us. Jesus is utterly alone by the end of the story so that when we feel alone we know God understands and is with us. Jesus cries out in despair so that when we become convinced the whole world has conspired against us and feel ready to give up, we know that God understands and holds onto us. Jesus dies because so that we know God understands death and the fear of death and reminds us that death does not have the last word. "All that we see and hear, all that we read and sing, all of this is for us.

Read more…  

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Why was Jesus Killed ? 

Arland J. Hultgren

"People colluded to have Jesus killed. The most certain fact we have about Jesus as a historical person is that he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, just as we say in the Apostles’ Creed. Even though he had no intentions of being an earthly king, some people thought that that was what he wanted to be. The title on the cross says it all: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews" (27:37). As such, his crucifixion was a political act by the Roman government. If Jesus claimed to be King of the Jews (which Pilate does not actually think, but others in power do), that was treasonous, requiring his death."

Mark Roberts –

From a Roman perspective, why did Jesus have to die?

• Because he disturbed Roman order.

• Because he spoke seditiously of a coming kingdom other than that of Caesar.

• Because he allowed himself to be called “King of the Jews.”

• Because he made a nuisance of himself at the wrong time (Passover), in the wrong  place (Jerusalem), in the presence of the wrong people (Pilate and the temple leadership under his command).

 • Because his crucifixion would be a powerful deterrent that might keep other Jews from following in his footsteps.

 Father Jim Cook 

"Jesus was executed for three reasons, says Luke: "We found this fellow subverting the nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King" (Luke 23:1–2). In John’s gospel the angry mob warned Pilate, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar" (John 19:12).  

"In short, "He’s subverting our nation. He opposes Caesar. You can’t befriend both Jesus and Caesar." They were right, even more right than they knew or could have imagined.  "

Read more…  

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 Lectionary, April 14, Palm Sunday

I.Theme –   "Strength is concealed in humility, pain is hidden in triumph, victory, in defeat, life, in death, God, in human form" -Diedrik Nelson 

"Palm Sunday" – Giotto (1305-06)     "Betrayal & Arrest of Christ" – Fra Angelico (1450)

The lectionary readings are here or individually: 

Old Testament – Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm – Psalm 31:9-16 Page 623, BCP 
Epistle –Philippians 2:5-11 
Gospel – Luke 22:14-23:56

"Borg and Crossan (The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Final Days in Jerusalem) imagine not one but two political processions entering Jerusalem that Friday morning in the spring of AD 30. In a bold parody of imperial politics, king Jesus descended the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem from the east in fulfillment of Zechariah’s ancient prophecy: "Look, your king is coming to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Matthew 21:5 = Zechariah 9:9). From the west, the Roman governor Pilate entered Jerusalem with all the pomp of state power. Pilate’s brigades showcased Rome’s military might, power and glory. Jesus’ triumphal entry, by stark contrast, was an anti-imperial and anti-triumphal "counter-procession" of peasants that proclaimed an alternate and subversive community that for three years he had called "the kingdom of God."

This week has two liturgies – Liturgy of the Palms and Liturgy of the Passon.

"The church is called to reckon with paradox on this week: triumph and rejection, death and rebirth." So writes Melinda Quivik in Working Preacher. The week begins with Jesus triumphant arrival and by the end of the week he is killed.  Next week we trace the path day by day.  God is sacrificed by those he brings life. 

"Strength is concealed in humility, pain is hidden in triumph, victory, in defeat, life, in death, God, in human form" -Diedrik Nelson 

The theme is established by the first lesson. The servant is disciplined by suffering so he may bring strength and refreshment to the oppressed, but there are those who oppose him. Willingly he submits to those who torture and humiliate him. But God is his helper, so he is not disgraced or shamed. God vindicates him, no one can convict him.

The servant willingly suffers humiliation at the hands of his adversaries. He is not disgraced or put to shame because Yahweh vindicates him and helps him; no one can declare him guilty.

The servant of the Lord is opposed (Isaiah), is obedient to death (Philippians). He is betrayed, tortured and crucified by those who should have listened to him, and is seen as an innocent man by a centurion (Luke). He will be vindicated (Isaiah), exalted by God (Philippians), and honored by the unexpected one of the criminals- (Luke).

Read more…

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 Parallel Traditions:  The Passion Narratives 

This year we concentrate on Luke’s story of the Passion (last year Mark) who used Mark as a source. 

Each of the Gospels stresses something different about the event according to Catholic writer Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.:

• Mark: the suffering of Jesus, how he was tragically rejected, unfairly condemned, viciously beaten, horribly insulted, and cruely mistreated by multiple groups .
• Matthew: the kingship of Jesus, how the de-facto ruling powers (esp. Pilate & Caiphas) conspired to get rid of someone they saw as a political threat.  
• Luke: the innocence of Jesus, how Pilate said he did not deserve death, and others (Herod Antipas, centurion, repentant thief) also recognized his innocence.
• John: the exaltation of Jesus, how he remains in charge, driving the all action, completing the will of the Father, and being glorified as he is lifted up.

Episodes Only In Luke and John, but not Mark or Matthew: 

• Much longer dialogues at the Last Supper (Luke 22:24-38; John 13–16)
• Pilate stresses Jesus’ innocence (Luke 23:4, 13-16, 22; John 18:38b; 19:4, 6, 12)

Episodes Only in Luke:

• Jesus is tried before the Sanhedrin at dawn (Luke 22:66-71).
• Jesus is taken and questioned before Herod (Luke 23:6-12).
• Jesus speaks with women on the Way to Calvary (Luke 23:26-33a).
• Jesus forgives those who are crucifying him (Luke 23:34a).
• Jesus speaks with the “repentant thief” (Luke 23:39-4.

Episodes Only in John

• Jesus washes his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20).
• Jesus’ long prayer to the Father (John 17:1-26).
• Jesus has a much longer trial before Pilate (John 18:29–19:16).
• Jesus’ last words on the cross (see above; John 19:26-27, 28, 30).
• After Jesus’ death, his side is pierced, but his bones not broken (John 19:31-37).

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Luke’s Passion Narrative – 6 key themes

1.   The passion narrative is part of the Journey. Together with Jesus’ predictions of his own death, the death of a prophet – 9:31, 51; 12:50; 13:32-33; 17:25, it forms the climax of a journey to the cross upon which Luke has taken us.

2.  Jesus dies an innocent man, a victim of injustice. Pilate states three times that Jesus is innocent, or has done nothing wrong. The thief on the cross declares that Jesus has done nothing wrong. Finally, in one of Luke’s most interesting redactions, the centurion at the foot of the cross declares that Jesus is innocent (as opposed to being the Son of God, as in Mark and Matthew).

3. Jesus is in control of his fate , accepting it and triumphing in it as opportunities for forgiveness and renewal of those He came to save arise. However healso says his death fulfils scripture

The Jesus who calmly faces death is one who had already set his face deliberately to go to Jerusalem (9:51), affirming that no prophet should perish away from Jerusalem (13:33). In the Lucan account of the ministry, Jesus showed tenderness to the stranger (the widow of Nain) and praised the mercy shown to the Prodigal Son and to the man beset by thieves on the road to Jericho; it is not surprising then that in his passion Jesus shows forgiveness to those who crucified him.

And, of course, Jesus’ death and the manner of it fulfils Scripture. In his account of the last supper, Luke (alone) has Jesus quote Isa 53, identifying himself with the suffering servant, who is counted as a criminal (numbered among transgressors) although he is innocent, for his sheep. The risen Jesus explains that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer all of these things in order to ‘enter into his glory’. And old Simeon’s prophecy to Mary is fulfilled as she suffers the pain of seeing her child on his cross, pain like a sword entering her heart.

4. Jesus also dies for the thieves on the cross and for those who crucify Him, although only two of them understands this. In one of the most famous sayings of Jesus reported only in Luke, he asks His Father to forgive those who are crucifying Him, on the grounds that they do not understand what they are doing. To the thief who takes pity on Him as He hangs, an innocent man, on the cross, the promise is greater. ‘Today you will be with me in Paradise.’ Jesus’ authority to forgive penitents has been a theme throughout the gospel -see the story of Zaccheus – and reaches it’s climax here.

As Jesus is dying he prays for his executioners (above), promises paradise to the penitent thief calls God ‘Father’. This is exclusive to Luke, and reflects the intimate and trusting relationship that Luke protrays between Jesus and the Father, seen most strongly in the words of Ps 31:5 quoted at 23:46 ‘Father into your hands I commit my spirit’ – a prayer said by Jews (and many Christians) as they settle down to sleep

5. His death brings a reaction too that only Luke reports. Some leave the scene of his death ‘beating their breasts’, a classic symbol of admission of guilt and request for repentance. (23:48) Perhaps these are some of the ones who are converted at Pentecost (Acts 2:23; 37)

6. Luke’s merciful depiction of the Disciples

Luke, who has described the disciples/apostles with extraordinary delicacy during the ministry (unlike Mark who dwells on their failures and weaknesses), continues a merciful portrayal of them during the passion, never mentioning that they fled.

Read more…

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