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December 20, 2020 – Advent 4

The Annunciation – Leonardo da Vinci (c.1572)

The Week Ahead…

Dec. 20 – Fourth Sunday in Advent

Dec. 20 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am Meeting ID 874 0903 2653 Password 699097

From left to Left, Top to Bottom
1. “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” 2. Lighting of the 4th Advent candle
3. “Candle Glowing” 4. Violin prelude
5. “Soon and Very Soon”

Dec. 20 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 871 1089 1688 Passcode: 097146

Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve

Join our Zoom Christmas Eve service – plenty of room in your own home.

Hymns, including Silent Night, instrumental music, candle lighting, readings including Luke’s Christmas story and an inspiring message.

Dec. 24 – 4:30pm, Christmas Eve – Join here at 4:00pm for gathering – service starts at 4:30pm Meeting ID: 861 7958 8810, Passcode: 213683

Go behind what you will be singing this week to investigate the background of 15 carols we have sung in church.

For each selection there is an introduction, background of the carol, the actual verses (and some alternates) and versions which are chosen Youtube links online.

Course Link or https://www.churchsp.org/course/12daysofcarols/

Christmas , December 25, 2020

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see– I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them

Explore Christmas Eve– A study of the scriptures, art and the meaning of the Christmas Scriptures.

 

Explore the Art of the Nativity from 1200-2002  How the Nativity has been viewed by artists for 800 years. Go to the presentation

Rediscovering the love of God this Christmas- a one minute video from the Acts8Movement of the Episcopal Church 

 

Origins of 30 Christmas Carols

 

Unlikely Christmas Carols: Bruce Cockburn’s “Cry Of A Tiny Baby”

 

 

A post from teacher and theologian David Lose: “So maybe I shouldn’t describe this Christmas carol as “unlikely” in that Bruce Cockburn has explored the Christian story and theology, along with issues of human rights, throughout his forty-year career. But it may very well be unfamiliar to you. If so, you’re in for a treat, as the Canadian folk and rock guitarist, singer-songwriter’s beautiful retelling of the Christmas story blends elements of both Luke’s tender narrative of the in-breaking good news of God to the least likely of recipients – a teenage girl, her confused fiancee, down-and-out shepherds – with Matthew’s starkly realistic picture of a baby that threatens kings by his mere existence.

Here’s the link to a video with the words .

For more David Lose writing about the Christmas Eve and Christmas readings, check out the “Christmas sermon I need to hear.”

“Space in the Manger”

by Meghan Cotter. Meghan is executive director of Micah Ecumenical Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit that offers holistic care to the community’s street homeless

“Some time back, I watched a friend in need attempt to repair five years worth of disintegrating relationships. The library, a local gymnasium, a number of area businesses and even her family had cut off ties in response to her boisterously disruptive behavior.

” She’d picked up criminal charges—a few nuisance violations, a trespassing or two and an assault on an officer. At times, even the agencies trying to help her had been left with little choice than dismissing her from their facilities. But the more the community isolated her, the more volatile became her symptoms. She grew angrier and louder. Her self-appointment as the spokesperson for her homeless peers turned radical, even threatening. Feeling ignored and stripped of personhood, she waltzed into a church one Sunday, intent on being heard. Just in time for the sermon she rose from the congregation, rolled out a sleeping bag and unleashed a number of choice words to convey the plight of Fredericksburg’s homeless.

” The following morning, the church pastor faced a critical decision. In the interest of safety for his congregation, he too considered banning her from his church building. Instead, he made up his mind to find a way to help this woman. By the end of the week, she was hospitalized and taking medications. Within the month she had stepped down to Micah’s respite home, which cares for homeless individuals when they are discharged from the hospital. She realized how sick she really was, and a new person emerged before our eyes. She reunited with family, paid off fines, regained her driver’s license, became remarkably motivated to comply with doctor’s appointments. She set goals—seeking disability, but only temporarily, going back to school, earning a nursing degree and finding a way to productively address the needs of the community’s homeless.

Read More…

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“Christmas on the Edge”
– Malcolm Guite

Christmas sets the centre on the edge;
The edge of town, the outhouse of the inn,
The fringe of empire, far from privilege
And power, on the edge and outer spin
Of turning worlds, a margin of small stars
That edge a galaxy itself light years
From some unguessed at cosmic origin.
Christmas sets the centre at the edge.

And from this day our world is re-aligned
A tiny seed unfolding in the womb
Becomes the source from which we all unfold
And flower into being. We are healed,
The end begins, the tomb becomes a womb,
For now in him all things are re-aligned.

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Alexander Shaia – “Solstice, Shepherds & Your Animal Spirit”

Alexander Shaia is the author of Heart and Mind: The Four-Gospel Journey for Radical Transformation. A number of years we read the book together in Christian ed.

In this video he is talking about the shepherds in Luke’s Gospel. The video starts at the 2:42 mark to get to his main message:

You can read portions of the transcribed text here

“The text is really primarily about your life whenever your life is in the deepest night, when your life is in the deepest dark.”

“The Beauty of the Shepherds story in Luke is that it tells about the journey we make hearing deep in the night of our life an angel announce that there is a birth but that we have make a journey through the night to the dawn where we will see with our own eyes that fresh radiance born before us.”

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A Christmas Message from Bishop Goff – “Where is this stupendous stranger?” 

Link to the video

“So I invite us all to a spiritual discipline in this holy season and that is to spend ome time with someone you don’t ordinarily engage…maybe someone of a different generation either much older or much younger than you or someone of a different race or ethnicity, a different culture or religion, a different economic circumstance.

“Have a cup of coffee together or a meal together, talk and listen deeply. Look for the face of Christ in that person. Because as we come to really know a stranger in our midst we welcome Christ who was himself a stranger and we find surprising connections that we never imagined with other natives of this world God made.

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Christmas Eve , December 24, 1968, at the Moon with Apollo 8

52 years ago on Christmas Eve we witnessed the moving reading of the first 10 verses of Genesis for the largest audience up to that time. They were told to something appropriate. The astronauts have reflected on the event. A newspaper friend of Borman tried to think of what to say and he could come up with nothing after a night’s work. His wife said (raised in convent in France) suggested, “Why don’t you start in the beginning” He said “Where?”. She said “Genesis in the Bible.” They reflected later – “Why didn’t we think of that.” Borman explained they tried to convey not happen stance but power behind world and behind life gave it meaning. As he later explained, “I had an enormous feeling that there had to be a power greater than any of us-that there was a God, that there was indeed a beginning.”

The full story is here

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3 Saints after Christmas Day

1. St. Stephen Dec. 26

Stephen was among the earliest Christian martyrs, stoned to death for his beliefs. St. Paul not only witnessed the event but held the garments of those stoning Stephen which he regretted later on and carried a lasting sense of guilt.

2. John the Apostle Dec. 27

John, one of the Apostles, possibly lived the longest life associated with the Gospel, an author in that time and Evangelist spreading the Gospel to many in the Mediterranean area who were not of Jewish background. He is believed to be the only Apostle not martyred for the cause. He is associated with the Gospel that bears his name, 3 Epistles and possible authorship of the Book of Revelation.

3. Holy Innocents Dec. 28

The term “Holy Innocents” comes from Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 2. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, King Herod, fearing for his throne, ordered that all the male infants of Bethlehem two years and younger be killed. These children are regarded as martyrs for the Gospel — “martyrs in fact though not in will.” This can be compared to the conduct of Pharoah in Exodus 1:16. “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”

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Dec. 27, 2020 – 11am -A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is the Christmas Eve service held in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge England and was introduced in 1918.

Kings College Cambridge holds this service every Dec. 24. The main gate to Kings College opens at 7:30am for the 3pm service.  Many people get in the line by 5am for a 10 hour wait!

Here is their 2019 bulletin.

Here are musical selections from
1994

It was conceived by Eric Milner-White, the Dean of the College, for Christmas Eve 1918 whose experience as an army chaplain in World War I had led him to believe that more imaginative Christmas worship was needed by the Church of England.  He actually reached back to an earlier time for a service structure.

The original service was, in fact, adapted from an Order drawn up by E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for use in the wooden shed, which then served as his cathedral in Truro, at 10 pm on Christmas Eve 1880. AC Benson recalled: ‘My father arranged from ancient sources a little service for Christmas Eve – nine carols and nine tiny lessons, which were read by various officers of the Church, beginning with a chorister, and ending, through the different grades, with the Bishop.”

The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choir music. The readings can vary as can the music. Traditionally, “Once in Royal David City” is the opening hymn. Beyond that the service is flexible.

An opening prayer that is used provides a focus:

“We gather here to recall the mystery of our redemption.
Though sin drew us away from God, he never stopped loving us.
The prophets told of the coming of a Messiah
who would initiate a reign of justice and peace.
This promise was fulfilled in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Let us now reflect with joy on this wondrous mystery.”

The 2018 bulletin is here. Pictures from the services are here.

Lessons and Carols is usually done at the beginning of Advent as an introduction to Advent or towards the end as a summary of all that has happened.

This St. Peter’s service is the perfect culmination of your Christmas week, a joyous celebration along with thoughtful, introspective moments. Plan now to attend.

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King’s College Cambridge – As you have never seen it

The famous church in England, home of Lessons and Carols, built by Henry VII is altered by projectionist, Miguel Chevalier.

To illustrate Stephen Hawking’s research about black holes, Miguel Chevalier imagines an immersive environment made up of thousands of constellations that plunge the guests into the mystery of the universe.

Video Link

More examples

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December 13, 2020 – Advent 3

The Week Ahead…

Dec. 13 – Third Sunday in Advent

Dec. 13 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 874 0903 2653 Passcode: 699097

Bulletin

Sermon

Dec. 13 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 871 1089 1688 Passcode: 097146

Dec. 16 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

Dec. 16 – 3:00pm – 5:00pm. Village Harvest . If you would like to volunteer, please email Catherine or call (540) 809-7489. Pack bags for distribution 1-3PM, Deliver food to client’s cars 3-5PM

Dec. 20 – Fourth Sunday in Advent

Dec. 20 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 874 0903 2653
Passcode: 699097

Dec. 20 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 871 1089 1688 Passcode: 097146

All in One Afternoon, Dec. 9, 2020

During the afternoon of Wed. Dec. 9, 2020, the church was humming:

1. The ECW was making cookies for many members they had not seen for months during the Pandemic.

Photo Gallery

2. The Village Dinner was being prepared for over 40. A wonderful lemon chicken and vegetables to match for the Port Royal community.

Photo Gallery

3. Catherine was in the church filming the music for Sunday, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20

The afternoon sun was the fourth event which unlike the others couldn’t be planned. What a wonderful addition to the day!

Photo Gallery

New Advent Resources

1 Advent Calendar from Mt. Olivet Lutheran

2 All I want for Christmas devotional

a religious takeoff on this phrase

We all know of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” which takes place Christmas and after until Epiphany. What about the “Twelve Days of Christmas Carols?”

We will feature a carol a day that is part of an online course leading up to Christmas. Each day features an introduction, background of the carol, the actual verses (and some alternates) and versions which are chosen Youtube links online.

Course Link or https://www.churchsp.org/course/12daysofcarols/

Advent Continues

The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It is a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.

Advent which begins on Sunday Nov. 29 is like a breath of fresh air -a new church year, a new set of Gospel readings from Mark, and the anticipation of the birth of Christ.

The four Sundays in Advent invite us on a journey. As the days grow shorter each week, we are invited to draw closer and closer to the light of Christ. We are invited to open our hearts a little wider each week to God With Us. In her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor writes: “…new life starts in the dark. Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark.”

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.

The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The Advent Wreath is beautiful and evocative reminder of the life-giving qualities of light. The evergreens used in the wreath are reminders of ongoing life, even in the face of death.

There are 4 candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Three of the candles are purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.

The Third candle is pink, a color of joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here and fasting is almost order. Gaudete Sunday (from the Latin meaning “rejoice”) which is taken from Philippians 4:4-5, the Entrance Antiphon of the day.

Advent begins in a season of darkness but using the Advent wreath we see light winning over darkness. Lighting candles is a way we can keep time in Church And as the season passes, and another candle is lit each week, light finally wins out over darkness with the turn of the solstice in the stars and the birth of Christ on the ground.

At the center of the wreath is a white candle, which is called the Christ Candle. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve as a reminder that Jesus, the light of the world, has been born and has come to dwell with us.

It is a season of waiting, of rest but also a time to find new beginnings. Since the 900s Advent has been considered the beginning of the Church year. It is antidote for our society’s frantic behavior during the holiday season. There is so much in the world that tells you, you are not enough or you haven’t do enough before Christmas but you have to find out during Advent that you are enough.

The first week of Advent is all about hope. Lamentations 3: 21-24: “Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; “therefore I will wait for him.” (NIV).

The altar changes during Advent to represent the new season, particularly in the use of color. Today, many churches have begun to use blue instead of purple, as a means of distinguishing Advent from Lent. Blue also signifies the color of the night sky or the waters of the new creation in Genesis 1. Blue emphasizes the season is also about hope and anticipation of the coming of Christ. Christ is about transformation as the sky changes from dark to light filling our lives with grace.

Advent Traditions

Advent Wreath

A Family Advent

1. Make Your Own Advent Playdough Wreath at Home!

The link

2. Family Prayer for the lighting of the candle

Each week remember one of the virtues Jesus brings us – Hope, Love, Joy and Peace as you light the candle.

3. Antiphons for an Advent Calendar

An antiphon (“voice”) is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung like a refrain in a song. Antiphons were written with pieces of the Psalms and other verses from the Hebrew Scriptures. They also express deep theological convictions!

The singing of Antiphons (as sung by in early Christian communities by the end of the 5th century) had its root in the Synagogue. Early Christians borrowed the Jewish traditions of chanting psalms and of singing hymns together.

We have an Advent Calendar with one antiphon for each day

Advent 1

Advent in 2 minutes Check out this Youtube video

Advent in 1 minute– A 2015 video from St. Mary’s Cypress

Explore Advent, Part 1– Over the next 4 Sundays there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s get started with Advent 1.

Advent is the time when we change to a different year in the Lectionary. This year we move from Year A to B and from a concentration on the Gospel of Matthew to the Gospel of Mark. There are several articles which are a general introduction to Mark 1. Shortest from christianity.about.com 2. Longer from the Catholic Bishops 3. Longest from a catholic source

Interested in the Church calendar ? Matthew’s interest about time in First Advent lends itself to understand how we measure time.

Collected Advent resources

1. Advent resources for 2019 from the Episcopal Church Foundation.

2. From the Episcopal Church

3. From the Diocese of California

4. Advent at home

5. Create your own Advent Calendar

The Season of Advent is alive with colors, candles, wreaths and song. David Bratcher has written a wonderful article on Advent traditions.

There are several articles/presentations about the infancy narratives 1. Brief summary between Matthew and Luke  2. Longer comparison

Advent is a time of music. Here is a link to National Cathedral’s Advent Lessons and Carols on Dec. 1, 2019

Advent 2

Explore Advent, Part 2

“Advent is a time to look for “desert places”: the place of solitude, the place of true silence in which we can become fully awake to our sin and God’s forgiving grace which alone can heal it.”-Br. Robert L’Esperance

This week we focus on John the Baptist through scripture, art and commentary. Let’s move to  Advent 2.

John the Baptist presentation.

John the Baptist in art

St Nicholas Day is December 6. 

Here is a presentation that provides the background of this saint who has had a colorful and varied history over 1800 years.

Advent 3, Dec. 13 is Gaudete Sunday

The third Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete Sunday.” The day takes its common name from the Latin word Gaudete (“Rejoice”). Its name is taken from the entrance antiphon of the Mass, which is: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. This is a quotation from Philippians 4:4-5, and in Latin, the first word of the antiphon is “gaudete”. We are most of the way through the season, closer to Christ’s birth and so that is the emphasis rather than coming again.

We light the rose colored candle in addition to the other 2 violet ones. Purple is a penitential color of fasting while pink (rose) is the color of joy. Long ago the Pope would honor a citizen with a pink rose (or a rose) Priests then would wear pink vestments as a reminder of this coming joy. Rose is also used during Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday of lent) to symbolize a similar expectation of the coming joy of Christ’s coming in Easter. The third Sunday of Advent is rose (pink) because pink symbolizes joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here. Adult Christian Ed discussed “Rejoice! What promises of God give you cause to rejoice?”

Theologian Henri Nouwen described the difference between joy and happiness. While happiness is dependent on external conditions, joy is “the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing — sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death — can take that love away.” Thus joy can be present even in the midst of sadness. Jesus reveals to us God’s love so that his joy may become ours and that our joy may become complete. As Nouwen says, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

This is break from some of the penitential readings earlier in Advent. How will you express joy this week? Consider the good things that have been given to you.

Besides the emphasis in joy, this is also “Stir up Sunday!” The collect has the words, ” Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins”. Let’s change the “our sins” to “missing the mark.” How can we hit the mark ? One way is to advantage of our opportunities.

“The Great Tree of Christmas”
Author Alexander Shaia talks the Christmas tree, a tradition adopted from the Celts. A fascinating perspective!

Advent Thoughts

Advent is a season of Watching and Waiting. It is a season of leaning into hope

Lord Jesus:
Come into our world and heal its wounds
Come into your church and raise it up
Come into our homes and make them holy
Come into our work and make it fruitful
Come into our minds and give us clarity
Come into our lives and make them beautiful
O Come, O Come Emmanuel

God of the past, the present and the future, grant me patience when I must wait, courage when it’s time to take action, and the wisdom to know when to wait and when to act. Amen.

Golden Hour at St. Peter’s

Come to St. Peter’s in the late fall and early winter between 4pm and 6pm and the beauty is overwhelming. These were taken on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016.

See the pictures

Article

Advent 3

Explore Advent, Part 3 – Over the Sundays in Advent there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s continue with Advent 3 readings.

A. Voices for Advent 3

“In Advent the church emphasizes these ways of continual change: Repentance. Conversion of life. Self-examination. Awakening. Deepening.  “

– Suzanne Guthrie

B. “You Don’t Want to Be a Prophet (Isaiah, Luke)

“Christmas without Anglicans?” – Anglican contributions to Advent and Christmas carols.

Arts and Faith- Advent 3, relating art and scripture

From Art and Faith

On this third Sunday of Advent, we witness the prophetic call of St. John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. Anton Raphael Mengs’ Saint John the Baptist Preaching brings us face-to-face with John, as he addresses us with expressive gestures. Mengs’ portrayal is intensely psychological, inviting us to encounter John’s deep conviction, prophetic presence, and sense of urgency. John’s penetrating look, coupled with his raised arms, make a burning appeal for us to listen, to look for “the one among us whom we do not recognize,” and to wait attentively for the coming of him whose sandal this prophet is not fit to untie.

In this portrayal, Mengs dares to move St. John the Baptist away from more traditional interpretations. Rather than the heroic portrayal of a martyr, the serene portrayal of a devoted servant recognizing the Lord, or a dutiful prophet preaching to a crowd, Mengs shows us a John who is caught up in emotion. This John is making his passionate appeal stirred by the dangerous knowledge of Christ coming, dying, and rising. In this image, John exists not in the historical moment of Jesus’ early ministry, but in the post-Resurrection reality of the Church that now awaits the final coming of the Risen Lord. The red shroud draped across his body and the cross-shaped staff to his right hint at this. The shroud is a symbol of his martyrdom, and the staff points to the crucifixion of Christ. Here John comes to us not as the wild preacher in the desert, but as the saint who has lived the whole story, who exists now in God’s eternal presence, and who intercedes for us as we continue to watch and wait. He is not the light, but he now dwells in it—demonstrated by Mengs by illuminating his body brightly from above.

St. John’s intercession is as intense as his preaching was—a voice that is still crying out with urgency, this time for the Lord’s Second Coming. His urgent voice comes before God filled with love for the Body of Christ, a love that seeks desperately to rouse this Body to readiness.

Advent 4

Explore Advent, Part 4 – Over the Sundays in Advent there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s continue with Advent 4.

From the Presiding Bishop-
Advent Messages 2012-2020 

Feast of the Annunciation –  9 months before we celebrate the nativity there is the related Feast of the Annunciation on March 25 which is described here .

Art of the Annunciation – The Annunication has been depicted in art for a thousand years. Here are 30+ images of that history .

Blessed Like Mary- David Lose invites us to understand that we are Blessed Like Mary .

National Geographic explores – “How the Virgin Mary Became the World’s Most Powerful Woman”

A Digital Nativity.

What if current social media like Facebook, Gmail, etc had been available at the birth of Christ ? Watch the Digital Nativity

Arts and Faith- Advent 4, relating art and scripture

From Art and Faith

John Collier’s contemporary depiction of the Annunciation brings the story of Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel into our present reality. Collier’s The Annunciation stands on the shoulders of Tradition, depicting the encounter in such a way that includes the standard symbols of the past. We see Mary and the angel face-to-face, Mary holding a book as a symbol of her piety. We see the lily as a symbol of her purity, the painted window as a symbol of her virginity, and the dove perching in the background as the symbol of the Holy Spirit. These symbols are the familiar language of many Annunciation scenes and connect this work to those from the great masters of the past.

While using these familiar elements, Collier retells the story for our present day: Mary is a young schoolgirl with a ponytail, still in her uniform, and she lives in a suburban neighborhood. Her shoes are playfully untied—she must have just slipped back into them to come to the door. In bringing together past and present, Collier invites us to see the Gospel scene not as a distant story but as one unfolding in our lives here and now.

As the story unfolds, the encounter between Mary and the angel reveals even deeper meaning. Mary is a young schoolgirl with untied shoelaces, but she is also a figure of strength, steadfastness, and faith. She looks squarely at the angel, who in contrast bows reverently before her, paying homage to God’s grace manifest in his lowly handmaid. The angel’s presence is subtly liturgical—in his dress and posture, he resembles an acolyte serving at the altar, ready to adore the presence of the Lord who will in a moment become flesh in the body of this young girl. The angel-as-server is a beautiful reflection of Christ’s bodily presence in our midst, first welcomed through the faithful “yes” of Mary. Standing at the door with Mary and Gabriel, we are at a liturgy, gathered into one Body to encounter the real presence of Christ in our midst. Like Mary, we are called to say “yes” to this moment and offer ourselves to await his arrival.

December 6, 2020 – Advent 2

Advent 2 procession, 2017

The Week Ahead…

Dec. 6 – Second Sunday in Advent

Dec. 6 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 874 0903 2653
Passcode: 699097

Bulletin

Sermon

Music filmed at St. Peter’s prior to the service – Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring,O Come Emmanuel,
Comfort, comfort ye my people,Prepare the way, O Zion

Dec. 6 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 871 1089 1688
Passcode: 097146

Dec. 9 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

Dec. 13 – Third Sunday in Advent

Dec. 13 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 874 0903 2653
Passcode: 699097

Dec. 13 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 871 1089 1688
Passcode: 097146

We all know of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” which takes place Christmas and after until Epiphany. What about the “Twelve Days of Christmas Carols?”

We will feature a carol a day that is part of an online course leading up to Christmas. Each day features an introduction, background of the carol, the actual verses (and some alternates) and versions which are chosen Youtube links online.

Course Link or https://www.churchsp.org/course/12daysofcarols/

Advent Continues

The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It is a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.

Advent which begins on Sunday Nov. 29 is like a breath of fresh air -a new church year, a new set of Gospel readings from Mark, and the anticipation of the birth of Christ.

The four Sundays in Advent invite us on a journey. As the days grow shorter each week, we are invited to draw closer and closer to the light of Christ. We are invited to open our hearts a little wider each week to God With Us. In her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor writes: “…new life starts in the dark. Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark.”

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.

The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The Advent Wreath is beautiful and evocative reminder of the life-giving qualities of light. The evergreens used in the wreath are reminders of ongoing life, even in the face of death.

There are 4 candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Three of the candles are purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.

The Third candle is pink, a color of joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here and fasting is almost order. Gaudete Sunday (from the Latin meaning “rejoice”) which is taken from Philippians 4:4-5, the Entrance Antiphon of the day.

Advent begins in a season of darkness but using the Advent wreath we see light winning over darkness. Lighting candles is a way we can keep time in Church And as the season passes, and another candle is lit each week, light finally wins out over darkness with the turn of the solstice in the stars and the birth of Christ on the ground.

At the center of the wreath is a white candle, which is called the Christ Candle. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve as a reminder that Jesus, the light of the world, has been born and has come to dwell with us.

It is a season of waiting, of rest but also a time to find new beginnings. Since the 900s Advent has been considered the beginning of the Church year. It is antidote for our society’s frantic behavior during the holiday season. There is so much in the world that tells you, you are not enough or you haven’t do enough before Christmas but you have to find out during Advent that you are enough.

The first week of Advent is all about hope. Lamentations 3: 21-24: “Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; “therefore I will wait for him.” (NIV).

The altar changes during Advent to represent the new season, particularly in the use of color. Today, many churches have begun to use blue instead of purple, as a means of distinguishing Advent from Lent. Blue also signifies the color of the night sky or the waters of the new creation in Genesis 1. Blue emphasizes the season is also about hope and anticipation of the coming of Christ. Christ is about transformation as the sky changes from dark to light filling our lives with grace.

Advent Traditions

Advent Wreath

A Family Advent

1. Make Your Own Advent Playdough Wreath at Home!

The link

2. Family Prayer for the lighting of the candle

Each week remember one of the virtues Jesus brings us – Hope, Love, Joy and Peace as you light the candle.

3. Antiphons for an Advent Calendar

An antiphon (“voice”) is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung like a refrain in a song. Antiphons were written with pieces of the Psalms and other verses from the Hebrew Scriptures. They also express deep theological convictions!

The singing of Antiphons (as sung by in early Christian communities by the end of the 5th century) had its root in the Synagogue. Early Christians borrowed the Jewish traditions of chanting psalms and of singing hymns together.

We have an Advent Calendar with one antiphon for each day

Advent 1

Advent in 2 minutes Check out this Youtube video

Advent in 1 minute– A 2015 video from St. Mary’s Cypress

Explore Advent, Part 1– Over the next 4 Sundays there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s get started with Advent 1.

Advent is the time when we change to a different year in the Lectionary. This year we move from Year A to B and from a concentration on the Gospel of Matthew to the Gospel of Mark. There are several articles which are a general introduction to Mark 1. Shortest from christianity.about.com 2. Longer from the Catholic Bishops 3. Longest from a catholic source

Interested in the Church calendar ? Matthew’s interest about time in First Advent lends itself to understand how we measure time.

Collected Advent resources

1. Advent resources for 2020 from the Episcopal Church Foundation.

2. From the Episcopal Church

3. From the Diocese of California

4. Advent at home

5. Create your own Advent Calendar

The Season of Advent is alive with colors, candles, wreaths and song. David Bratcher has written a wonderful article on Advent traditions.

There are several articles/presentations about the infancy narratives 1. Brief summary between Matthew and Luke  2. Longer comparison

Advent is a time of music. Here is a link to National Cathedral’s Advent Lessons and Carols on Dec. 1, 2019

Advent 2

Explore Advent, Part 2

“Advent is a time to look for “desert places”: the place of solitude, the place of true silence in which we can become fully awake to our sin and God’s forgiving grace which alone can heal it.”-Br. Robert L’Esperance

This week we focus on John the Baptist through scripture, art and commentary. Let’s move to  Advent 2.

John the Baptist presentation.

John the Baptist in art

St Nicholas Day is December 6. 

Here is a presentation that provides the background of this saint who has had a colorful and varied history over 1800 years.

Bishop of Dover, Trevor Willmott, has this message about St. Nicholas and Christmas at the annual Canterbury St Nicholas parade in 2013.

Arts and Faith- Advent 2, relating art and scripture

From Art and Faith

The voice of John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness and gathering great crowds invites us into the Second Sunday of Advent. Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s St. John the Baptist Preaching captures this moment as he presents a wooded wilderness embracing a colorful crowd. Left of center is John the Baptist, clad in camelhair, though we have to search the scene to find him. Instead of standing as a dominating figure, John is one of the crowd, one of the people who serves his peers with prophetic passion.

For Brueghel, the crowd itself seems to be the dominant figure. It fully saturates the landscape as one body that reveals its diversity only upon closer inspection. A chief way Brueghel shows that diversity is through hats, hoods, and headdresses—each signifying a different culture, vocation, or profession. Brueghel shows not only the mix of people that might have been present in the region, but the great diversity of all of humankind as the intended recipients of the Good News that John is heralding. John prepares the way of the Lord to go beyond boundaries, starting with the colorful cavalcade of people who come to hear the prophetic message.

The body of the crowd becomes vertical, as people all around the perimeter climb the trees to get a better view. Sitting on branches, they foreshadow the story of Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, a figure of conversion and repentance from the Gospel of Luke. Thus, the tree climbers also underscore the message of conversion that John is preaching. Ascending the trees also foreshadows the cross itself as the ultimate place of reconciliation.

In the background, we see a clearing in the woods that presents a vista of a river, a walled castle, and misty mountains. This is an invitation to see beyond the immediate message to the possibilities of God’s ultimate home for us. The river, evocative of Baptism, is especially important as it winds like a road into the mysterious beyond.

We too are called to look beyond and see ourselves as part of a body of people who are gathered by the Good News. Like John, we are also sent to share the Good News so as to help open the horizon of possibilities that lead us all into God’s eternal love.

Advent 3, Dec. 13 is Gaudete Sunday

The third Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete Sunday.” The day takes its common name from the Latin word Gaudete (“Rejoice”). Its name is taken from the entrance antiphon of the Mass, which is: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. This is a quotation from Philippians 4:4-5, and in Latin, the first word of the antiphon is “gaudete”. We are most of the way through the season, closer to Christ’s birth and so that is the emphasis rather than coming again.

We light the rose colored candle in addition to the other 2 violet ones. Purple is a penitential color of fasting while pink (rose) is the color of joy. Long ago the Pope would honor a citizen with a pink rose (or a rose) Priests then would wear pink vestments as a reminder of this coming joy. Rose is also used during Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday of lent) to symbolize a similar expectation of the coming joy of Christ’s coming in Easter. The third Sunday of Advent is rose (pink) because pink symbolizes joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here. Adult Christian Ed discussed “Rejoice! What promises of God give you cause to rejoice?”

Theologian Henri Nouwen described the difference between joy and happiness. While happiness is dependent on external conditions, joy is “the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing — sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death — can take that love away.” Thus joy can be present even in the midst of sadness. Jesus reveals to us God’s love so that his joy may become ours and that our joy may become complete. As Nouwen says, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

This is break from some of the penitential readings earlier in Advent. How will you express joy this week? Consider the good things that have been given to you.

Besides the emphasis in joy, this is also “Stir up Sunday!” The collect has the words, ” Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins”. Let’s change the “our sins” to “missing the mark.” How can we hit the mark ? One way is to advantage of our opportunities.

“The Great Tree of Christmas”
Author Alexander Shaia talks the Christmas tree, a tradition adopted from the Celts. A fascinating perspective!

Advent Thoughts

Advent is a season of Watching and Waiting. It is a season of leaning into hope

Lord Jesus:
Come into our world and heal its wounds
Come into your church and raise it up
Come into our homes and make them holy
Come into our work and make it fruitful
Come into our minds and give us clarity
Come into our lives and make them beautiful
O Come, O Come Emmanuel

God of the past, the present and the future, grant me patience when I must wait, courage when it’s time to take action, and the wisdom to know when to wait and when to act. Amen.

Golden Hour at St. Peter’s

Come to St. Peter’s in the late fall and early winter between 4pm and 6pm and the beauty is overwhelming. These were taken on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016.

See the pictures

Article

Advent 3

Explore Advent, Part 3 – Over the Sundays in Advent there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s continue with Advent 3 readings.

A. Voices for Advent 3

“In Advent the church emphasizes these ways of continual change: Repentance. Conversion of life. Self-examination. Awakening. Deepening.  “

– Suzanne Guthrie

B. “You Don’t Want to Be a Prophet (Isaiah, Luke)

“Christmas without Anglicans?” – Anglican contributions to Advent and Christmas carols.

Arts and Faith- Advent 3, relating art and scripture

From Art and Faith

On this third Sunday of Advent, we witness the prophetic call of St. John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. Anton Raphael Mengs’ Saint John the Baptist Preaching brings us face-to-face with John, as he addresses us with expressive gestures. Mengs’ portrayal is intensely psychological, inviting us to encounter John’s deep conviction, prophetic presence, and sense of urgency. John’s penetrating look, coupled with his raised arms, make a burning appeal for us to listen, to look for “the one among us whom we do not recognize,” and to wait attentively for the coming of him whose sandal this prophet is not fit to untie.

In this portrayal, Mengs dares to move St. John the Baptist away from more traditional interpretations. Rather than the heroic portrayal of a martyr, the serene portrayal of a devoted servant recognizing the Lord, or a dutiful prophet preaching to a crowd, Mengs shows us a John who is caught up in emotion. This John is making his passionate appeal stirred by the dangerous knowledge of Christ coming, dying, and rising. In this image, John exists not in the historical moment of Jesus’ early ministry, but in the post-Resurrection reality of the Church that now awaits the final coming of the Risen Lord. The red shroud draped across his body and the cross-shaped staff to his right hint at this. The shroud is a symbol of his martyrdom, and the staff points to the crucifixion of Christ. Here John comes to us not as the wild preacher in the desert, but as the saint who has lived the whole story, who exists now in God’s eternal presence, and who intercedes for us as we continue to watch and wait. He is not the light, but he now dwells in it—demonstrated by Mengs by illuminating his body brightly from above.

St. John’s intercession is as intense as his preaching was—a voice that is still crying out with urgency, this time for the Lord’s Second Coming. His urgent voice comes before God filled with love for the Body of Christ, a love that seeks desperately to rouse this Body to readiness.

November 29, 2020 – Advent 1

The Week Ahead…

Nov. 29 – First Sunday of Advent

Nov. 29 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am Meeting ID 874 0903 2653 Password 699097

Nov. 29 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 871 1089 1688 Passcode: 097146

Dec. 2 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through ZoomMeeting ID: 847 2545 3511 Passcode: 357194

Dec. 6 – Second Sunday of Advent

Dec. 6 – 10:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

Dec. 6 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID:871 1089 1688 Passcode: 097146

The ECW makes the most of 2020

The ECW (“Episcopal Church Women”) hosts the monthly Village Dinners for the Port Royal community, an outreach project to feed the community and take the profits earned and distribute them to a variety of charities.

This year was a challenge. 3 months were cancelled at the beginning of Covid as people could no longer congregate in our Parish house to eat.

During that time the ECW developed a procedure to reopen. They would prepare the food with masks, socially distanced and would deliver the food outside to cars driving up. People who ordered the dinners were also masked. That way people were fed in a safe manner.

See the rest of the article and the list of donations.

The ECM doubles their support for Port Royal in the holiday season

The ECM (Episcopal Church Men) made the following contributions to the Department of Social Services in support of families in the Port Royal jurisdiction:

• Thanksgiving Dinner/Groceries ($400) – $40 per family for ten (10) families.

• Christmas Children Gifts ($800) – $200 per family for four (4) families.

Thanks to Ken Pogue and Johnny Davis for organizing this project. The total of $1,200 was more than double last year’s $510 and covered more families. Stupendous!

Support the Village Harvest, Dec. 1, Giving Tuesday

Check out our Case statement – Village Harvest at 6

• Food for those who are being challenged economically
• Food for those who lack transportation to get it.

Our goal in #Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1 is to raise 25% or $450 representing 25% of our annual costs. It doesn’t take a large donation to make a difference:

A $10 donation feeds 6 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 72 pounds of food and $430 in total value!

A $20 donation feeds 12 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 144 pounds of food and $864 in total value!

How to Give ? Two ways:

1 Go online on Dec. 1 and use St. Peter’s secured PayPal account and donate via credit card using this link or churchsp.org/givingtuesday2020/

2 On or before Dec. 1 make out a check to St. Peter’s with “Giving Tuesday” in the memo line

St. Peter’s Church
P. O. Box 399
Port Royal, Virginia 22535.

We thank you for your support.

It’s Advent!

The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It is a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.

Advent which begins this Sunday Nov. 29 is like a breath of fresh air -a new church year, a new set of Gospel readings from Mark, and the anticipation of the birth of Christ.

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.

The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The Advent Wreath is beautiful and evocative reminder of the life-giving qualities of light. The evergreens used in the wreath are reminders of ongoing life, even in the face of death.

There are 4 candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Three of the candles are purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as he color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.

The Third candle is pink, a color of joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here and fasting is almost order. Gaudete Sunday (from the Latin meaning “rejoice”) which is taken from Philippians 4:4-5, the Entrance Antiphon of the day.

Advent begins in a season of darkness but using the Advent wreath we see light winning over darkness. Lighting candles is a way we can keep time in Church And as the season passes, and another candle is lit each week, light finally wins out over darkness with the turn of the solstice in the stars and the birth of Christ on the ground.

At the center of the wreath is a white candle, which is called the Christ Candle. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve as a reminder that Jesus, the light of the world, has been born and has come to dwell with us.

It is a season of waiting, of rest but also a time to find new beginnings. Since the 900s Advent has been considered the beginning of the Church year. It is antidote for our society’s frantic behavior during the holiday season. There is so much in the world that tells you, you are not enough or you haven’t do enough before Christmas but you have to find out during Advent that you are enough.

The first week of Advent is all about hope. Lamentations 3: 21-24: “Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; “therefore I will wait for him.” (NIV).

The altar changes during Advent to represent the new season, particularly in the use of color. Today, many churches have begun to use blue instead of purple, as a means of distinguishing Advent from Lent. Blue also signifies the color of the night sky or the waters of the new creation in Genesis 1. Blue emphasizes the season is also about hope and anticipation of the coming of Christ. Christ is about transformation as the sky changes from dark to light filling our lives with grace.

Advent Traditions

Advent Wreath

A Family Advent

1. Make Your Own Advent Playdough Wreath at Home!

The link

2. Family Prayer for the lighting of the candle

Each week remember one of the virtues Jesus brings us – Hope, Love, Joy and Peace as you light the candle.

3. Antiphons for an Advent Calendar

An antiphon (“voice”) is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung like a refrain in a song. Antiphons were written with pieces of the Psalms and other verses from the Hebrew Scriptures. They also express deep theological convictions!

The singing of Antiphons (as sung by in early Christian communities by the end of the 5th century) had its root in the Synagogue. Early Christians borrowed the Jewish traditions of chanting psalms and of singing hymns together.

We have an Advent Calendar with one antiphon for each day

Advent 1

Advent in 2 minutes Check out this Youtube video

Advent in 1 minute– A 2015 video from St. Mary’s Cypress

Advent is about waiting – Advent waiting is expectant. Advent waiting requires making space. Advent waiting is hopeful.

Explore Advent, Part 1– Over the next 4 Sundays there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s get started with Advent 1.

Advent is the time when we change to a different year in the Lectionary. This year we move from Year A to B and from a concentration on the Gospel of Matthew to the Gospel of Mark. There are several articles which are a general introduction to Mark 1. Shortest from christianity.about.com 2. Longer from the Catholic Bishops 3. Longest from a catholic source

Interested in the Church calendar ? Matthew’s interest about time in First Advent lends itself to understand how we measure time.

Collected Advent resources

1. Advent resources for 2020 from the Episcopal Church Foundation.

2. From the Episcopal Church

3. From the Diocese of California

4. Advent at home

5. Create your own Advent Calendar

The Season of Advent is alive with colors, candles, wreaths and song. David Bratcher has written a wonderful article on Advent traditions.

There are several articles/presentations about the infancy narratives 1. Brief summary between Matthew and Luke  2. Longer comparison

Advent is a time of music though many of the traditional services are not scheduled for 2020 due to COVID19. Earlier services are available. Here is a link to National Cathedral’s Advent Lessons and Carols on Dec. 1, 2019

Arts and Faith- Advent 1, relating art and scripture

From Art and Faith

The First Week of Advent, Year B, is based on Mark 13:33–37. The art is William Holman Hunt’s “The Light of the World.”

“Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn.”

At the start of Advent, the Gospel calls us to vigilance—to watch and be ready for the Lord of the house, awaiting his return. William Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World offers us one image of what this arrival might look like. The Light of the World is deeply symbolic, showing Christ arriving at a door at night. It’s an allegory for Christ seeking entry at the door of the human heart. His way to the door is lit by a lantern, casting a soft light on the door to show that it is overgrown with plants; it has not been opened in a while. The plants also show that it is not only a late hour, but late in the year—they are dry, past harvest, and ready to crumble away as winter comes.

Hunt’s image softens any apprehension about the coming of the Lord, as he presents, through the choice of colors and in the representation itself, a warmth and gentleness that shows Christ’s deep love for us as the reason for his coming. A crowned and robed stately sovereign, Christ the King ventures into the darkness and the mess of brambles to seek entry into our hearts. This majestic King whose arrival would be expected to be announced by fanfare instead taps gently at the door to request entry. Our humble King seeks encounter instead of fanfare, our conversion instead of our confinement to darkness.

One of the boldest symbols of the image is the lantern Christ holds in his left hand, which shows Christ as the One that disperses the dark and illuminates the dead places within our hearts. A subtle detail is the fruit on the ground—a symbol of Original Sin, of our fall into the darkness of deception. Yet Christ does not leave us out in the darkness but comes for us, as our Light, into the dead of night.

Finally, a significant detail of the door is its lack of a handle or knob. This is Hunt’s way of showing that the door can only be opened from the inside, through our faithful response to Christ’s steadfast invitation. Watching and waiting for his coming calls us to attentiveness to encountering the Lord above all, even as this busy and frantic season gets underway.

Advent 2

Explore Advent, Part 2

“Advent is a time to look for “desert places”: the place of solitude, the place of true silence in which we can become fully awake to our sin and God’s forgiving grace which alone can heal it.”-Br. Robert L’Esperance

This week we focus on John the Baptist through scripture, art and commentary. Let’s move to  Advent 2.

John the Baptist presentation.

John the Baptist in art

St Nicholas Day is December 6. 

Here is a presentation that provides the background of this saint who has had a colorful and varied history over 1800 years.

Bishop of Dover, Trevor Willmott, has this message about St. Nicholas and Christmas at the annual Canterbury St Nicholas parade in 2013

Arts and Faith- Advent 2, relating art and scripture

From Art and Faith

The voice of John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness and gathering great crowds invites us into the Second Sunday of Advent. Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s St. John the Baptist Preaching captures this moment as he presents a wooded wilderness embracing a colorful crowd. Left of center is John the Baptist, clad in camelhair, though we have to search the scene to find him. Instead of standing as a dominating figure, John is one of the crowd, one of the people who serves his peers with prophetic passion.

For Brueghel, the crowd itself seems to be the dominant figure. It fully saturates the landscape as one body that reveals its diversity only upon closer inspection. A chief way Brueghel shows that diversity is through hats, hoods, and headdresses—each signifying a different culture, vocation, or profession. Brueghel shows not only the mix of people that might have been present in the region, but the great diversity of all of humankind as the intended recipients of the Good News that John is heralding. John prepares the way of the Lord to go beyond boundaries, starting with the colorful cavalcade of people who come to hear the prophetic message.

The body of the crowd becomes vertical, as people all around the perimeter climb the trees to get a better view. Sitting on branches, they foreshadow the story of Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, a figure of conversion and repentance from the Gospel of Luke. Thus, the tree climbers also underscore the message of conversion that John is preaching. Ascending the trees also foreshadows the cross itself as the ultimate place of reconciliation.

In the background, we see a clearing in the woods that presents a vista of a river, a walled castle, and misty mountains. This is an invitation to see beyond the immediate message to the possibilities of God’s ultimate home for us. The river, evocative of Baptism, is especially important as it winds like a road into the mysterious beyond.

We too are called to look beyond and see ourselves as part of a body of people who are gathered by the Good News. Like John, we are also sent to share the Good News so as to help open the horizon of possibilities that lead us all into God’s eternal love.

November 22, 2020 – Christ the King Sunday

Eucharist on the River, Nov 22

The Week Ahead…

Nov. 22 – Christ the King Sunday

Lectionary review

Nov. 22 – 11:00am Holy Eucharist on the River

Photos from the service

Sermon

Bulletin

Nov. 22 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

Nov. 25 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

Nov. 29 – First Sunday in Advent

Nov. 29 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 9:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

Nov. 29 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

Our Wish for Thanksgiving

From a Thanksgiving sermon, Nov. 24, 2010 Deuteronomy 26:1-11;

“Our lesson from Deuteronomy gives us the following helpful suggestions.

“First, take time to open your eyes and see the miracle of this earth, to try to see with God’s eyes, to watch over the earth as God does, to live in relationship with it, knowing that the earth belongs to God, and that the earth itself is part of our covenant with God.

“Second, share what you’ve been given by bringing your offerings—and this offering of what God has given us has to be done thoughtfully, in the context of the story of our ongoing relationship with God.

“And that ongoing relationship is that God brings us out of the messes we get into, back into awareness of our places, here on this earth, secure in God’s love and care for us, because we are part of the ongoing story of God’s love for all of creation.

“Third, God wants us to offer thanks. As we say in our Eucharistic Prayer each Sunday, “it is right to give God thanks and praise.”

Read More…

Supplies for the Detention Center

The chaplain at the Caroline Detention Facility has asked for donations of notebook paper, self-sealing envelopes, and stamps for those who wish to write to their families. Three hundred people are detained at this facility so the need for these supplies is great. Please contact Catherine, stpetersrev@gmail.com, to donate any of these items.

The UTO (United Thankoffering) Ingathering, Nov. 29

The UTO program culminates each year in the spring and fall In-Gatherings, when the offerings of each parish family are collected … offerings that are combined with those of Episcopal parishes everywhere to support projects worldwide for missions and ministry. In 2019, the Diocese of Virginia led Province 3 with donations exceeding $75K.

The funds go to a series of grants to Diocese and ministries. The 2020 grants were announced in June. They raised $1,548,013.66 in thank offerings compared to $1,484,693.66 in 2019. Of this, $30,600 went to support 6 Young Adult and Seminarian grants.

See the UTO in 2020

Sent your donations to :

St. Peter’s Church
P. O. Box 399
Port Royal, Virginia 22535.

Support the Village Harvest, Dec. 1, Giving Tuesday

Check out our Case statement – Village Harvest at 6

• Food for those who are being challenged economically
• Food for those who lack transportation to get it.

Our goal in #Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1 is to raise 25% or $450 representing 25% of our annual costs. It doesn’t take a large donation to make a difference:

A $10 donation feeds 6 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 72 pounds of food and $430 in total value!

A $20 donation feeds 12 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 144 pounds of food and $864 in total value!

How to Give ? Two ways:

1 Go online on Dec. 1 and use St. Peter’s secured PayPal account and donate via credit card using this link or churchsp.org/givingtuesday2020/

2 On or before Dec. 1 make out a check to St. Peter’s with “Giving Tuesday” in the memo line

St. Peter’s Church
P. O. Box 399
Port Royal, Virginia 22535.

We thank you for your support.

Words for the Season

From Bishop Rob Wright, Diocese of Atlanta

“We are in the midst of a uniquely challenging time in history. The global pandemic has no clear end in sight, systems of racial oppression have no clear resolution, political unrest is at an all-time high at home and globally, and we are seeing in real time the power of climate change all around us.

“Our common life has been disrupted individually and collectively; even our familiar patterns of being together and worshiping have been altered. All of this is true. Still, there is something more true than our trouble: God.

“Were it not for the gift of faith, you and I would be adrift right now. In all of the recent changes to modern life, God remains changeless. God did not cause Covid but God can use Covid! In fact, as the book of James says: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” James I:1-5.

Getting Ready for Advent!

The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It is a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.

Advent which begins on Sunday Nov. 29 is like a breath of fresh air -a new church year, a new set of Gospel readings from Mark, and the anticipation of the birth of Christ.

The four Sundays in Advent invite us on a journey. As the days grow shorter each week, we are invited to draw closer and closer to the light of Christ. We are invited to open our hearts a little wider each week to God With Us. In her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor writes: “…new life starts in the dark. Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark.”

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.

The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. The Advent Wreath is beautiful and evocative reminder of the life-giving qualities of light. The evergreens used in the wreath are reminders of ongoing life, even in the face of death.

There are 4 candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Three of the candles are purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.

The Third candle is pink, a color of joy, the joy that Jesus is almost here and fasting is almost order. Gaudete Sunday (from the Latin meaning “rejoice”) which is taken from Philippians 4:4-5, the Entrance Antiphon of the day.

Advent begins in a season of darkness but using the Advent wreath we see light winning over darkness. Lighting candles is a way we can keep time in Church And as the season passes, and another candle is lit each week, light finally wins out over darkness with the turn of the solstice in the stars and the birth of Christ on the ground.

At the center of the wreath is a white candle, which is called the Christ Candle. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve as a reminder that Jesus, the light of the world, has been born and has come to dwell with us.

It is a season of waiting, of rest but also a time to find new beginnings. Since the 900s Advent has been considered the beginning of the Church year. It is antidote for our society’s frantic behavior during the holiday season. There is so much in the world that tells you, you are not enough or you haven’t do enough before Christmas but you have to find out during Advent that you are enough.

The first week of Advent is all about hope. Lamentations 3: 21-24: “Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; “therefore I will wait for him.” (NIV).

The altar changes during Advent to represent the new season, particularly in the use of color. Today, many churches have begun to use blue instead of purple, as a means of distinguishing Advent from Lent. Blue also signifies the color of the night sky or the waters of the new creation in Genesis 1. Blue emphasizes the season is also about hope and anticipation of the coming of Christ. Christ is about transformation as the sky changes from dark to light filling our lives with grace.

Advent Traditions

Advent Wreath

A Family Advent

1. Make Your Own Advent Playdough Wreath at Home!

The link

2. Family Prayer for the lighting of the candle

Each week remember one of the virtues Jesus brings us – Hope, Love, Joy and Peace as you light the candle.

3. Antiphons for an Advent Calendar

An antiphon (“voice”) is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung like a refrain in a song. Antiphons were written with pieces of the Psalms and other verses from the Hebrew Scriptures. They also express deep theological convictions!

The singing of Antiphons (as sung by in early Christian communities by the end of the 5th century) had its root in the Synagogue. Early Christians borrowed the Jewish traditions of chanting psalms and of singing hymns together.

We have an Advent Calendar with one antiphon for each day

Advent 1

Advent in 2 minutes Check out this Youtube video

Advent in 1 minute– A 2015 video from St. Mary’s Cypress

Explore Advent, Part 1– Over the next 4 Sundays there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s get started with Advent 1.

Advent is the time when we change to a different year in the Lectionary. This year we move from Year A to B and from a concentration on the Gospel of Matthew to the Gospel of Mark. There are several articles which are a general introduction to Mark 1. Shortest from christianity.about.com 2. Longer from the Catholic Bishops 3. Longest from a catholic source

Interested in the Church calendar ? Matthew’s interest about time in First Advent lends itself to understand how we measure time.

Collected Advent resources

1. Advent resources for 2020 from the Episcopal Church Foundation.

2. From the Episcopal Church

3. From the Diocese of California

4. Advent at home

5. Create your own Advent Calendar

The Season of Advent is alive with colors, candles, wreaths and song. David Bratcher has written a wonderful article on Advent traditions.

There are several articles/presentations about the infancy narratives 1. Brief summary between Matthew and Luke  2. Longer comparison

Advent is a time of music though many of the traditional services are not scheduled for 2020 due to COVID19. Earlier services are available. Here is a link to National Cathedral’s Advent Lessons and Carols on Dec. 1, 2019

Arts and Faith- Advent 1, relating art and scripture

From Art and Faith

The First Week of Advent, Year B, is based on Mark 13:33–37. The art is William Holman Hunt’s “The Light of the World.”

“Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn.”

At the start of Advent, the Gospel calls us to vigilance—to watch and be ready for the Lord of the house, awaiting his return. William Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World offers us one image of what this arrival might look like. The Light of the World is deeply symbolic, showing Christ arriving at a door at night. It’s an allegory for Christ seeking entry at the door of the human heart. His way to the door is lit by a lantern, casting a soft light on the door to show that it is overgrown with plants; it has not been opened in a while. The plants also show that it is not only a late hour, but late in the year—they are dry, past harvest, and ready to crumble away as winter comes.

Hunt’s image softens any apprehension about the coming of the Lord, as he presents, through the choice of colors and in the representation itself, a warmth and gentleness that shows Christ’s deep love for us as the reason for his coming. A crowned and robed stately sovereign, Christ the King ventures into the darkness and the mess of brambles to seek entry into our hearts. This majestic King whose arrival would be expected to be announced by fanfare instead taps gently at the door to request entry. Our humble King seeks encounter instead of fanfare, our conversion instead of our confinement to darkness.

One of the boldest symbols of the image is the lantern Christ holds in his left hand, which shows Christ as the One that disperses the dark and illuminates the dead places within our hearts. A subtle detail is the fruit on the ground—a symbol of Original Sin, of our fall into the darkness of deception. Yet Christ does not leave us out in the darkness but comes for us, as our Light, into the dead of night.

Finally, a significant detail of the door is its lack of a handle or knob. This is Hunt’s way of showing that the door can only be opened from the inside, through our faithful response to Christ’s steadfast invitation. Watching and waiting for his coming calls us to attentiveness to encountering the Lord above all, even as this busy and frantic season gets underway.

November 15, 2020 – Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

This Sunday, Pentecost 24 in 2017- Guest preacher Laura Long and a baptism. Below, we have some of the hymns sung that Sunday.

The Week Ahead…

Nov. 15 – Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Nov. 15 – 11:00am Annual Convention service – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID 815 9502 1503 Password 633527

Nov. 15 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

Nov. 18 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

Nov. 18 – 3:00pm- 5:00pm. Village Harvest. 6th year anniversary!

Nov. 19 – 4:00pm- ECW Tea

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 870 2332 8976 Passcode: 984124

Nov. 22 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID 815 9502 1503 Password 633527

Nov. 22 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

The Village Harvest at 6!

On Nov. 19, 2014 we attracted 60 clients and gave out 300 pounds that day. 6 years later in 2020 we are averaging almost twice that number and 4 times are much food.

Let’s go back to its roots. Why was Village Harvest established?

The first notice of this ministry in November, 2014 said “The cost of food continues to rise and knowing that some of our Port Royal community might find it difficult to keep food on the table, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church wants to help. A new food ministry, ‘Village Harvest’ will provide seasonal fresh produce once a month along with other food and other supplies. As we embark on this venture, it is our hope that we can grow it to help meet the specific needs of the community we serve.”

On Nov. 19, 2014 we attracted 60 clients and gave out 300 pounds that day. 6 years later in 2020 we are averaging almost twice that number and 4 times are much food.

6 years later we have served over 7,800 clients over 75,500 pounds of food. This year through October, the average pounds of food per person is almost 13 which at $6 a pound is worth $78. It is clearly one of our more visible and valuable outreach expressions from our church. We are called to do like Jesus – and he fed people both physically and spiritually. Witness the stories of the Feeding of the 4,000 and 5,000.

More about this ministry.

And support us on Giving Tuesday

Events Coming Up

• ECM Thanksgiving, Christmas collection – Nov. 15. Please make a check to St Peter’s with ECM in the memo line. The Department of Social Services will be providing families with secure store specific grocery limited gift cards due to the ongoing pandemic
• ECW Zoom Tea, 4pm, Nov. 19 – Link to be provided. We’ll talk about Village Dinners in the coming year, and about what we can do to support our community at Christmas. The ECW has $2575.29 in its account to allocate to organizations. Join Zoom Meeting
  Meeting ID: 870 2332 8976 Passcode: 984124
  

• UTO – By Nov. 29. Donations this year will be given as grants to support Episcopal/Anglican ministries directly responding to the COVID -19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn
• Giving Tuesday – Dec. 1. This is your chance to support one of our best ministries, the Village Harvest, celebrating its 6th year anniversary. Give online or by check

Fund the Causes in November – ECM, Thanksgiving and Christmas collection

Each year the Episcopal Church Men (ECM) help St Peter’s provide support to those in need during the holidays. The men coordinate with the Caroline County Department of Social Services to provide families in the area with Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts.

This year the Department of Social Services will be providing families with secure store specific grocery limited gift cards due to the ongoing pandemic.

Ken Pogue says on behalf of the ECM, “Your donations are greatly appreciated by the ECM and the recipients of the gifts, especially the children. Thank you so very much in advance from a grateful community for your love and your participation” in this worthy holiday project.

If you’d like to donate, please make a check to St Peter’s with ECM in the memo line. For a Thanksgiving donation, please make your donation by November 15th. Donations after the 15th will be used to assist families at Christmas.

Last year the congregation contributed $510 toward helping families at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The UTO (United Thankoffering) Ingathering, Nov. 29

The UTO program culminates each year in the spring and fall In-Gatherings, when the offerings of each parish family are collected … offerings that are combined with those of Episcopal parishes everywhere to support projects worldwide for missions and ministry. In 2019, the Diocese of Virginia led Province 3 with donations exceeding $75K.

The funds go to a series of grants to Diocese and ministries. The 2020 grants were announced in June. They raised $1,548,013.66 in thank offerings compared to $1,484,693.66 in 2019. Of this, $30,600 went to support 6 Young Adult and Seminarian grants.

See the UTO in 2020

Sent your donations to :

St. Peter’s Church
P. O. Box 399
Port Royal, Virginia 22535.

St. Peter’s sings! Some old favorites, 3 years ago this Sunday, Pentecost 24

Here are selections of three of them:

1. Hymn 680 – “O God, our help in ages past” (40 seconds)

2. Hymn 9 – “Awake Awake” (48 seconds)

3. Hymn 490 “I want to walk as a child of the light” (55 seconds)

Giving Tuesday is coming up Dec. 1 – Support the Village Harvest

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving buying supports us for Christmas;

Giving Tuesday supports non-profits that provide essential services. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good.

More about Giving Tuesday – here or here

Our goal this year to recoup the cost of the Harvest, The average cost is about $150 a month or $1,800 a year. Let’s try to fund 25% of the Harvest, $450

• A $10 donation feeds 6 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 72 pounds of food and $430 in total value!
• A $20 donation feeds 12 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 144 pounds of food and $860 in total value!
• Donating $200 puts you and or your organization into the “Village Club” for special recognition since you have covered the food for one Village Harvest!

How to Give ? Two ways:

1 Go online on Dec. 1 and use St. Peter’s secured PayPal account and donate via credit card using this link or churchsp.org/givingtuesday2020/

2 On or before Dec. 1 make out a check to St. Peter’s with “Giving Tuesday” in the memo line

St. Peter’s Church
P. O. Box 399
Port Royal, Virginia 22535.

We thank you for your support.

We have an online recap of the Village Harvest over 6 years here

We celebrate Christ the King Sunday as the last Sunday of Ordinary Time just before we begin Advent. It is the switch in the Liturgy between Years A, B, and C. This year we will switch from Year A with a focus on Gospel According to Matthew to Year B reading passages from the Gospel According to Mark.

The readings for the last Sunday after Pentecost are full of references to the return of Christ, when evil will be defeated and Jesus will begin his final reign as King of kings. In Advent, the Church year begins with a focus on the final restoration of all creation to its original glory. In preparation, on the last Sunday of the Church year, we proclaim the advent of the Lord of lords and King of kings.

The earliest Christians identified Jesus with the predicted Messiah of the Jews. The Jewish word “messiah,” and the Greek word “Christ,” both mean “anointed one,” and came to refer to the expected king who would deliver Israel from the hands of the Romans. Christians believe that Jesus is this expected Messiah. Unlike the messiah most Jews expected, Jesus came to free all people, Jew and Gentile, and he did not come to free them from the Romans, but from sin and death. Thus the king of the Jews, and of the cosmos, does not rule over a kingdom of this world

Christians have long celebrated Jesus as Christ, and his reign as King is celebrated to some degree in Advent (when Christians wait for his second coming in glory), Christmas (when “born this day is the King of the Jews”), Holy Week (when Christ is the Crucified King), Easter (when Jesus is resurrected in power and glory), and the Ascension (when Jesus returns to the glory he had with the Father before the world was created).

The recent celebration came from the Catholics in the 20th century who saw some dangerous signs on the horizon…

Read more…

Lectionary, Pentecost 25, Christ the King

I.Theme –   Images of Christ the King– Shepherd (one who guides, takes care of restores, rules), Arbiter of justice

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm – Psalm 95:1-7a Page 724, BCP
Epistle – Ephesians 1:15-23
Gospel – Matthew 25:31-46

We have 4 key images this week in “Christ the King Sunday” – God as Shephard (Ezekiel, Matthew), God as rescuer and restorer (Ezekiel), God as King (Psalm), God as judge (Ezekiel, Matthew)

Ezekiel describes God as a shepherd whose love embraces most particularly the lean and oppressed among the flock. God will gather them up, restore them to health, and liberate them from all persecution.

Ezekiel 34 reminds us that while all people are the sheep and God is the shepherd, while God is seeking all of the lost, the least, and the scattered, God will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep; in other words, the judgment is on us, now.

Ezekiel’s words are particularly threatening to those who practice economic and relational oppression. They feast on green pastures now, but will eventually receive divine judgment.

But in this passage of judgment, the sheep are not cast out, but rather, made “right.” In other words, judgment in this passage is not about punishment but about putting right what has been wrong. It is about lifting up the poor, not punishing the rich. It is about all having enough to eat. This is the judgment Ezekiel shares, after all the people of Israel have been through, after their leaders failed and the poor were forgotten, all suffered, and with God’s Good Shepherd, all will be restored. This is the reign of the Good Shepherd.

Matthew also uses a shepherd image but rather than restoration, there is separation, in this case the sheep from the goats. On judgment day the righteous, the blessed ones, will be separated from the unrighteous, the cursed ones, the goats. The righteous are blessed because they are compassionate, a compassion that is theirs in Christ. The righteous receive their reward because of their faith and not of their works (living).

However, we should be careful how we live that faith. We are called to a living faith, a way of life that embodies our relationship with God in all that we do. It’s about discipleship. We do not do good works to get into heaven, nor do we simply pray a prayer of salvation to get into heaven. Rather, it is about a transformation that takes place, and that transformation is manifested in us when we see Christ in the needs of others–in the naked, the sick, the imprisoned, the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized. , Jesus declares that there is a judgment, and the judgment is based on how we live out our faith. We separate ourselves based on our actions

Do we live our lives as participants in the reign of God now or are we fattening up for a future time? Are we doing our part to also seek the lost, the least, and the scattered, or are we concerned with our own well-being only?

Psalm 95:1-7a is a psalm of thanksgiving, remembering that God is the Good Shepherd. As congregations in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving Sunday, we give thanks to God for all of creation. We give thanks for all God has done and continues to do in our world. Psalm 100 echoes almost word for word this song of thanksgiving and understanding of God as shepherd, and the people being the sheep of God’s pasture.

In Ephesians 1:15-23 Christ is the ultimate ruler, the fulfillment of all things. Christ is above any authority ever conceived and is the ultimate authority, and all things fall under Christ, and yet the church, the body of Christ, is the fulfillment of Christ on earth.

We are part of the body of Christ, we are the Church. We are part of God’s Pasture, for we are God’s sheep. And so are all people on the earth, part of God’s Pasture. We are called by Christ the King, the Sovereign, the Good Shepherd, to be part of one body. We are called to seek restoration and healing to look after the “least of these”. We are called to seek justice that is restorative, not retributive, as God’s justice is not in part, but in whole. God is redeeming and restoring the world.

Read more about the Lectionary…

“Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.” Amen.

Poem – “Christ Has No Body”

“Christ has no body but yours,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours  “

—Teresa of Avila (1515–1582), mystic, reformer, writer

Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada (later known as Teresa de Jesus) was born in Avila, Spain, 28 March 1515, one of ten children whose mother died when she was fifteen. Her family was of partly Jewish ancestry. Teresa, having read the letters of Jerome, decided to become a nun, and when she was 20, she entered the Carmelite convent in Avila. There she fell seriously ill, was in a coma for a while, and partially paralyzed for three years. In her early years as a nun, she was, by her account, assiduous in prayer while sick but lax and lukewarm in her prayers and devotions when the sickness had passed. However, her prayer life eventually deepened, she began to have visions and a vivid sense of the presence of God, and was converted to a life of extreme devotion.

In 1560 she resolved to reform the monastery that had, she thought, departed from the order’s original intention and become insufficiently austere. Her proposed reforms included strict enclosure (the nuns were not to go to parties and social gatherings in town, or to have social visitors at the convent, but to stay in the convent and pray and study most of their waking hours) and discalcing (literally, taking off one’s shoes, a symbol of poverty, humility, and the simple life, uncluttered by luxuries and other distractions). In 1562 she opened a new monastery in Avila, over much opposition in the town and from the older monastery. At length Teresa was given permission to proceed with her reforms, and she traveled throughout Spain establishing seventeen houses of Carmelites of the Strict (or Reformed) Observance (the others are called Carmelites of the Ancient Observance).

In the Footsteps of Paul: Ephesus

Our Epistle reading is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Some background:

The western quarter of Turkey was called Asia Minor during the Roman period, and Ephesus was its largest city and the center for criminal and civil trials. The city’s theater sat facing the sea at the head of the main road from the harbor into the city. Ephesus had a troubled history with Rome. In the first century BCE, Roman tax collectors and businessmen had run roughshod over the province, outraging the locals with their exploitation and extortion. The Ephesians welcomed the challenge to Roman hegemony posed by an invading eastern king, and with his capture of the city in 88 BCE, its citizens joined in the massacre of the city’s Italian residents. Rome responded with a characteristically firm hand, exacting huge penalties and taxes to keep the city without resources. The economy did not recover until the reign of Augustus.

And, as in Jerusalem, Corinth and Athens, Ephesus attracted a large number of tourists, though smaller than modern standards. Pilgrims came to Ephesus to see the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This temple had been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. The temple Paul would have seen was erected in the fourth century BCE; a forest of marble, it had 127 columns measuring 1.2 meters in diameter, standing 18 meters high. It was a refuge for runaway slaves, and was outside the city proper. The form of Artemis worshiped here was unlike anywhere else, perhaps because she had been assimilated with a local Anatolian earth goddess. Unlike the virgin huntress and twin sister of Apollo most familiar in the stories of the Greeks, Artemis at Ephesus was a fertility goddess, and her physical manifestation was a statue of the goddess festooned with oval protuberances — probably representing testicles of sacrificial bulls — and she wore a stole of bees. Acts repeats a story of how Paul’s success threatened the livelihood of those citizens who relied on proceeds from visitors to the Temple of Artemis.

When Paul arrived in Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila greeted him, introduced him to the congregation that met at their house and briefed him on the status of the local movement. According to Acts, Ephesus had believers who had been baptized by disciples of John the Baptist and followed a teacher named Apollos. He had since left Ephesus for Corinth, with a letter of introduction from Aquila and Priscilla. The Ephesus community knew the teachings of Jesus, but had not heard Paul’s message of the holy spirit. Similar variations, and sometimes rivalry, must have marked many early congregations, varying by teacher, local tradition, and communications with other cities. In his circuit of travels, Paul tried to establish some continuity. Paul would spend three years in Ephesus, and may have been imprisoned for some of that time. His letters indicate that he made visits to Corinth during his stay. And, as in Corinth, Paul earned his keep working as a tentmaker when he could, and depended on the support of his congregations when he could not. With this support he was able to spread his message even while under arrest.

Read more about Ephesus…

November 8, 2020 – Twentieth third Sunday after Pentecost

First week in November.

The Week Ahead…

Nov. 8 – Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Review

Nov. 8 – 11:00am Holy Eucharist on the River

Nov. 8 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

Nov. 11 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

Nov. 15 – Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Nov. 15 – 11:00am Diocesan Annual Convention service on Zoom

Nov. 15 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

Marking Time: Compline, 7pm every Sunday in November on Zoom

The ancient office of Compline from the Catholic Church derives its name from a Latin word meaning ‘completion.’ The office provides quietness and reflection before rest at the end of the day. Compline begins on page 127 in The Book of Common Prayer and was added only for the 1979 Prayer Book.

The Catholics set up 9 prayers are time during the day in the middle ages. It was designed as a means of devoting the whole of one’s daily life to the Lord. It is called the liturgy of the hours.

Compline was a service to close the day before retiring 7pm. It was an opportunity to give thanks for the joys and graces experienced, a chance to confess sins committed throughout the day, and the perfect moment to close the day the same way it started: in prayer. If Morning Prayer is designed to start the day off right then Compline is designed to end it well. It frames you for sleep and puts the day in perspective. You are then ready for the next day.

“Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Events in November

• Village Dinner – Wed., Nov. 10 – Turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, string beans, cranberry salad, and sweet potato pie
• Annual Convention, Diocese of Virginia – Nov 12-13 . On Zoom
• ECM Thanksgiving, Christmas collection – Nov. 15. Please make a check to St Peter’s with ECM in the memo line. The Department of Social Services will be providing families with secure store specific grocery limited gift cards due to the ongoing pandemic
• ECW Zoom Tea, 4pm, Nov. 19 – Link to be provided. We’ll talk about Village Dinners in the coming year, and about what we can do to support our community at Christmas. The ECW has $2575.29 in its account to allocate to organizations
• UTO – By Nov. 29. Donations this year will be given as grants to support Episcopal/Anglican ministries directly responding to the COVID -19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn

Fund the Causes in November – ECM, Thanksgiving and Christmas collection

200″ src=”https://churchsp.org/sites/default/files/images6/ecm2.jpg”

Each year the Episcopal Church Men (ECM) help St Peter’s provide support to those in need during the holidays. The men coordinate with the Caroline County Department of Social Services to provide families in the area with Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts.

This year the Department of Social Services will be providing families with secure store specific grocery limited gift cards due to the ongoing pandemic.

Ken Pogue says on behalf of the ECM, “Your donations are greatly appreciated by the ECM and the recipients of the gifts, especially the children. Thank you so very much in advance from a grateful community for your love and your participation” in this worthy holiday project.

If you’d like to donate, please make a check to St Peter’s with ECM in the memo line. For a Thanksgiving donation, please make your donation by November 15th. Donations after the 15th will be used to assist families at Christmas.

Last year the congregation contributed $510 toward helping families at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“Let Us Beat Swords into
Plowshares”                         “Tragedy of War”-Michael LaPalme

Veterans’ Day, November 11  

From a Litany for Veterans by Robb McCoy-“God of love, peace and justice, it is your will for the world that we may live together in peace. You have promised through the prophet Isaiah that one day the swords will be beaten into plow shares. Yet we live in a broken world, and there are times that war seems inevitable. Let us recognize with humility and sadness the tragic loss of life that comes in war. Even so, as we gather here free from persecution, we may give thanks for those that have served with courage and honor. ”  Here is an English Veterans’ Service.

All gave some, Some gave all.

While the US has “Veterans’ Day” celebrating and honoring all veterans who have served, Europe and Canada has “Remembrance Day” about the end of World War I  on November 11, 1918.  The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem “In Flanders Fields”. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I; their brilliant red color became a symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

Mark Knopfler wrote “Remembrance Day” about this day. The song and  illustrated slideshow are here .

From “Remembrance Day”

“Time has slipped away
The Summer sky to Autumn yields
A haze of smoke across the fields
Let’s sup and fight another round
And walk the stubbled ground

“When November brings
The poppies on Remembrance Day
When the vicar comes to say
May God bless everyone
Lest we forget our sons

“We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them”

November Sundays- JUDGMENT!

Matthew concludes this Lectionary Year A with the weighty subject of judgment from 3 stories from Chapter 25:

Matthew 25:1-13 – Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (Nov. 8)
Matthew 25:14-30 – Parable of the Talents  (Nov. 15)
Matthew 25:31-46 – The Sheep and Goats  (Nov. 22)

The three parables in Matthew 25 examine the procedure, preparation, and intention required to enter the Kingdom of God.  Here is a Youtube video that covers these three stories.  There are some similiarities:

First, in each parable the judgment occurs at the consummation of this age. While the timing of that event is unknown, each follower is to be ready for and anticipate the coming kingdom.

Second, the judgment will render decisions that are eternal in nature,reflecting the status of each human being with regard to his or her eternal relationship to the kingdom. Phrases such as “the darkness outside,” the  “fiery furnace,” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” describe eternal separation from the kingdom. They are not simply expressions of grief over a Christian life that did not count for much in the kingdom, for they are figures and phrases representing an eternal exclusion from the presence of God.

With this in view, it has been suggested that salvation in these parables is viewed as a “whole,” not simply as a point of entry. The “sons of the kingdom” and the “sons of the evil one” (Matt 13:38) are on opposite sides of the soteriological divide. Those who are rejected are permanently excluded.

Third, the basis for this eternal judgment is the individual’s works. In some cases the emphasis is on faithfulness to a job assigned: perhaps in a picture of preparation for an event, or a picture of the fruit of the believer. But however it was pictured, works were the key to the judgment.

However, Works are not separated from the faith one exercises for entrance to the kingdom for works are evidence of that faith. A true change of heart will be reflected in a person’s life. A lack of that change is apparently enough to prevent entrance into the kingdom. Works are never ultimately separated from the faith of the individual, for it was also shown that works are not in themselves enough to impress the Son of Man positively in His role as judge.

Lectionary, Pentecost 24, Nov. 15

I.Theme –   The way of abundance is using and acting on what you have now. Squandering your talents is a sure way to be caught up on the wrong side of the “Day of Judgment.”

 “Parable of the Talents -John Morgan (1823-1866)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Zephaniah 1:7,12-18
Psalm – Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12 Page 717, BCP
Epistle –1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Gospel – Matthew 25:14-30

God asks us to make appropriate use of our gifts and talents
1. Matthew – Parable of the Talents
2. Thessalonians – Paul – quit worrying about the time of Jesus return and live fully as Children of the light
3. Zaphaniah announces God’s coming judgment against the self-indulgent and complacent
4. Psalm contrast the realm of God with man’s limits but encourages man to live fruitfully within these limits

All of these scriptures, as we prepare for Reign of Christ Sunday, remind us to be prepared to do our part in the reign of God here and now, as we await Christ to come into our lives in a new way. We are called not to become content with the status quo, not to take our fill and turn away from the poor as the people did in Zephaniah’s time. Rather, we are called to do what the first two servants did in the parable of the Talents–to risk what we have been given in order to do greater good in the reign of God. That might mean our reputations in standing with the marginalized, or our own possessions in standing with the poor, or our own contentment in standing with the oppressed. We are called to live as participants in the reign of God here and now. This is not something we are waiting for at the end of our lives, but something we are active in now.

Zephaniah cries out and proclaims the day of the Lord is drawing near, a day of judgment. Zephaniah prophesied just before King Josiah carried out great reforms, both politically and religiously. In Zephaniah’s time, Israel (Northern kingdom) had fallen one hundred years before. Judah (Southern kingdom) was in danger of falling to their enemies and the kings had continued to be corrupt, to worship other gods, to let the wealthy elite stay wealthy and trample upon the poor. Josiah, upon the rediscovery of portions of the Torah that had been lost, will reform the political and religious sphere, but Zephaniah writes just before this time. Zephaniah proclaims judgment for those who have forsaken God’s ways, who have betrayed their people and their God.

Psalm 90: 1-12 remarks on how short human life is, in contrast to the vastness of the life of creation. God is beyond time; God is beyond our understanding, and our lives are short, so we should be humble, grateful for what we have, and repent where we have gone wrong. We are called not to waste our days, but to count them, so “that we may gain a wise heart”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 are words of encouragement for Paul in this time of waiting for the reign of God to come, in this time of waiting for Christ to come again in a new way into our lives, but also a reminder, as last week’s parable taught us, to keep awake. To be ready. To be prepared for the coming reign of God. This reading is in contrast to the darker tone in early readings from the book.

Matthew 25:14-30 is the second parable of this last chapter before Christ’s anointing, before the preparation for his death. . In the previous parables, he has told us that we need to be prepared for the Second Coming at all times.

A master, before leaving on a journey, entrusts his slaves with his money, “each according to his ability” (v. 15). (A talent was about 15 years’ wages for a laborer, a large sum of money.) Two servants invest the money and earn more (vv. 16, 17); the third simply buries it (v. 18). When the master returns (v. 19), he praises the investors; they, he says, will be made responsible for “many things” (vv. 21, 23), and will “enter into the joy of your master”. But the third slave, admitting that he was afraid of his master’s wrath (v. 24), simply returns the original sum (v. 25). The master chastises him for his wickedness and laziness. This slave loses what he has been given (v. 28) and is condemned to “outer darkness” (v. 30). This would have caused a stir in Jesus’ day, for a rabbinic maxim commends burial of money as a way of protecting it.

But this parable is about the kingdom of heaven, so what is the lesson it teaches? “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 30) is a stock phrase for condemnation of the wicked at the Last Day. The master stands for God and the servants for various kinds of people. Yes, God both rewards generously and is a stern judge. He expects us to be good stewards of his gifts. We will be commended and rewarded for faithfully carrying out his mission. Failure to use what he gives us will result in punishment – by separation from him, the essence of goodness. We are expected to make it grow. He is free to distribute his gifts as he sees fit (vv. 28-29).

Read more about the Lectionary…

Fully Alive

“Recently, a friend of mine wrote me about an experience some years ago that had changed her life. She had gone to an artist’s studio to have her portrait drawn. The artist took his time, asking her a number of questions aimed at drawing her out. Eventually he asked her what she feared most. Her first answer was nuclear war. She mentioned that she had repeatedly had nightmares about nuclear holocaust.

“But the artist said, “No, I don’t believe you. That can’t be right. Something more personal.”

“Nancy thought and thought. Finally it dawned on her. “What I fear most is getting to the end of my life and realizing that I had been too fearful — too careful — that I never really used my talents.”

“That’s it,” the artist said.

-Robert Ellsberg
Sermon, St. Augustine’s Church, Croton-on-Hudson
November 12-13, 2005

-“He that had received one” – made his having fewer talents than others a pretense for not improving any. Went and hid his master’s money – Reader, art thou doing the same? Art thou hiding the talent God hath lent thee?”

–John Wesley 1703-1791 Wesley’s Notes on the Bible

See Preston Smiles in this Youtube video tell the story and talk about the key messages of the Parable of the Talents.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  “Should Christians be Afraid of Ebola or Climate Change or ISIS or…?”

Odyssey Networks – On Scripture

“Fear is in the air.

” Ebola. War. Conflict. Economic turmoil. Political victories. Political losses. This is the stuff of the nightly news. And everywhere we look we have a new villain to worry about, a new threat against which we ought to brace, a new sense of hopelessness.

” This is nothing new, of course. The world has always been a scary place. If anything, we have become inured to the greatest threats we might face. With roofs over our heads and weather forecasters to warn us of impending storms and economic structures to cushion us from financial catastrophe, we keep vany dangers at bay.

” And yet in the midst of so much safety and comfort, we seem to search compulsively for something to fear, something to raise our ire, something that will keep us up at night. It is not enough to feel safe apparently; for some reason, fear is too tempting.

” Anytime these world disasters emerge—whether disease or storm or war or financial crash—some Christian or another will step to the microphone to declare the end of days. Things have never been this bad before. The global crisis is unprecedented. This can only mean the dawn of the end as we know it.

” Then again, the same could have been said in the days when the plague was ravaging Western Europe. The same could have been said by the victims of Western expansion in the Americas. The same could have been said by our grandmothers and grandfathers as the economic system crumbled before their eyes in the Great Depression. The same could have been said by a Jew facing the Holocaust. The same could have been said by the Nigerian girls who were stolen for the sake of a deluded ideology.

” Disasters are not new. Recent disasters do not erase old ones. And old ones do not discount new ones.

” And yet our current compulsion to call today’s tragedy the worst ever is the arrogance of the present day. We feel that we must be the center of history, the moment when everything changes, the hinge upon which Jesus’ return will occur. That compulsion is driven by fear not sobriety, by anxiety not hope.

” And most troubling may be that all that misdirected energy keeps us from loving our neighbor near and far and addressing the real dangers we face as a people. As we worry about some fantastical fear, the reality of a yawning gap between the wealthy and the poor can seem too ordinary and thus not worthy of our attention. While we tremble at the prospect of an international war that may well be averted or at the threat of a disease that we have a minute chance of catching, we don’t see the victims of that potential war, that ravaging disease. While we worry about the remotest possibilities, the real, daily cries of our neighbor go unrequited.

Read more …

“Since We Have to Wait, We’d Better Get to Work” (Matthew 25)

Summary of article by Matthew L. Skinner for OnScripture

“What does the Christian life consist of? What does God expect from us?

“Here’s Jesus’ answer, according to Matthew’s Gospel: “Wait faithfully. Together. Or else.”

“Sure, that isn’t an exact quotation, but it sums up — again, according to Matthew — what Jesus says to his followers when he instructs them about how they should live after he has departed from this earth.

“If there’s any good news in these parables it resides in their insistence that judgment (whatever it is to look like — remember, these parables speak metaphorically) is God’s prerogative, not ours. And this judgment is not arbitrary, for it discloses and affirms those people whose lives express the virtues Jesus embodies: faithfulness, perseverance, readiness, obedience, and compassion.

“This brings us to the reason why we must wait faithfully together, which is also one of the primary reasons why I go to church: on my own, I’m not capable of expressing those virtues. I need a community to help me, so we can work at them together, relying on God’s help. Individually, none of us can muster the endurance or the faithfulness we need; nor can we fully trust our private motivations.

Faithful readiness must be active readiness.

“And so faithful readiness expresses itself actively, sometimes through impatience with suffering. It may express itself in outrage over yet more incidents of gun violence in the news and over the ongoing cowardice that keeps politicians from taking up measures to combat the problem.

“Faithful readiness can express itself in bold solidarity. Consider medical professionals who travel into West Africa to combat Ebola and to provide care to its victims while ignorant and fearful people try to isolate Africa even further, acting as if this is another continent’s problem, or another people’s problem.

“Faithful readiness can express itself in impulses for change and longings for freedom and human dignity. We may see it in some who participate in the Umbrella Movement on the streets of Hong Kong and among those who support those people with prayer and material or strategic support.

“Faithful readiness can express itself in a refusal to accept closed doors, to borrow and refashion an image from the parable. This happens especially when doors are locked to keep out the vulnerable and to buttress our prejudices.

Watch the inspiring stories of active readiness expressed by people of faith who advocate for children who flee to the United States only to be apprehended at borders, including some of the 74,000 captured this year alone. These young people, “the least of these,” deserve the same kind of care, support, and regard that we would give to Christ himself.

Read entire article …

November 1, 2020 – All Saints’ Sunday

The Week Ahead…

Nov. 1 – All Saints, Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost

Nov. 1 – 11:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 10:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am Meeting ID 810 9876 6092 Password 593073

Nov. 1 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

November 4 – 11:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

November 8 – Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

November 8 – 11:00am Holy Eucharist on the River

November 8 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

Marking Time: Compline, 7pm every Sunday in November on Zoom

The ancient office of Compline from the Catholic Church derives its name from a Latin word meaning ‘completion.’ The office provides quietness and reflection before rest at the end of the day. Compline begins on page 127 in The Book of Common Prayer and was added only for the 1979 Prayer Book.

The Catholics set up 9 prayers are time during the day in the middle ages. It was designed as a means of devoting the whole of one’s daily life to the Lord. It is called the liturgy of the hours.

Compline was a service to close the day before retiring 7pm. It was an opportunity to give thanks for the joys and graces experienced, a chance to confess sins committed throughout the day, and the perfect moment to close the day the same way it started: in prayer. If Morning Prayer is designed to start the day off right then Compline is designed to end it well. It frames you for sleep and puts the day in perspective. You are then ready for the next day.

“Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Events in November

• Village Dinner – Nov. 11 – Turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, string beans, cranberry salad, and sweet potato pie
• Annual Convention, Diocese of Virginia – Nov 14. On Zoom
• ECM Thanksgiving, Christmas collection – Nov. 15. Please make a check to St Peter’s with ECM in the memo line. the Department of Social Services will be providing families with secure store specific grocery limited gift cards due to the ongoing pandemic
• ECW Zoom Tea, 4pm, Nov. 19 – Link to be provided
• UTO – By Nov. 29. Donations this year will be given as grants to support Episcopal/Anglican ministries directly responding to the COVID -19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn

Fund the Causes in November – ECM, Thanksgiving and Christmas collection  

Each year the Episcopal Church Men (ECM) help St Peter’s provide support to those in need during the holidays. The men coordinate with the Caroline County Department of Social Services to provide families in the area with Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts.

This year the Department of Social Services will be providing families with secure store specific grocery limited gift cards due to the ongoing pandemic.

Ken Pogue says on behalf of the ECM, “Your donations are greatly appreciated by the ECM and the recipients of the gifts, especially the children. Thank you so very much in advance from a grateful community for your love and your participation” in this worthy holiday project.

If you’d like to donate, please make a check to St Peter’s with ECM in the memo line. For a Thanksgiving donation, please make your donation by November 15th. Donations after the 15th will be used to assist families at Christmas.

Last year the congregation contributed $510 toward helping families at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Next 3 Sundays- JUDGMENT! 

Matthew concludes this Lectionary Year A with the weighty subject of judgment from 3 stories from Chapter 25:

Matthew 25:1-13 – Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (Nov. 8)
Matthew 25:14-30 – Parable of the Talents  (Nov. 15)
Matthew 25:31-46 – The Sheep and Goats  (Nov. 22)

The three parables in Matthew 25 examine the procedure, preparation, and intention required to enter the Kingdom of God.  Here is a Youtube video that covers these three stories.  There are some similiarities:

First, in each parable the judgment occurs at the consummation of this age. While the timing of that event is unknown, each follower is to be ready for and anticipate the coming kingdom.

Second, the judgment will render decisions that are eternal in nature,reflecting the status of each human being with regard to his or her eternal relationship to the kingdom. Phrases such as “the darkness outside,” the  “fiery furnace,” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” describe eternal separation from the kingdom. They are not simply expressions of grief over a Christian life that did not count for much in the kingdom, for they are figures and phrases representing an eternal exclusion from the presence of God.

With this in view, it has been suggested that salvation in these parables is viewed as a “whole,” not simply as a point of entry. The “sons of the kingdom” and the “sons of the evil one” (Matt 13:38) are on opposite sides of the soteriological divide. Those who are rejected are permanently excluded.

Third, the basis for this eternal judgment is the individual’s works. In some cases the emphasis is on faithfulness to a job assigned: perhaps in a picture of preparation for an event, or a picture of the fruit of the believer. But however it was pictured, works were the key to the judgment.

However, Works are not separated from the faith one exercises for entrance to the kingdom for works are evidence of that faith. A true change of heart will be reflected in a person’s life. A lack of that change is apparently enough to prevent entrance into the kingdom. Works are never ultimately separated from the faith of the individual, for it was also shown that works are not in themselves enough to impress the Son of Man positively in His role as judge.

Lectionary, Pentecost 23, Nov. 8

I.Theme –   Prepare for Christ – The Second coming – Be Prepared !

 "Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins"

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Amos 5:18-24
Psalm – Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20
Epistle –1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel – Matthew 25:1-13 

Amos warns that justice and righteousness, not empty ritual and thoughless offerings are how to prepare. Amos’s words speak warning to the people who desire the day of the Lord, the day of judgment. God warns those who desire the day of judgment, thinking God is on their side, because God will execute justice and it will be darkness, not light, for those who seek it. This passage is a warning to those who are so religious they put being religious above doing the teachings of their religions. God says “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies” (vs. 21). God does not desire our best religious persona, our best religious face to the public–rather, God desires justice and righteousness (vs. 24). God desires for us to do what our faith teaches us–to lift up the poor and help the oppressed. Do we serve our religion, or do we serve our God? Do we serve a particular religious culture or religious politics, or do we serve God? Do we serve a particular religious image, or do we serve the God who created all of us?

Psalm 70 is a cry for help, a cry for deliverance, a reminder that God desires justice, mercy and righteousness, not religiousness. It is a reminder that we choose to serve God, and that we need to be wary of assuming we are on God’s side. But the plea is for God to remember God’s part of the covenant, too.

The Wisdom readings emphasize we desire wisdom for living now toward our future meeting with Christ and to discover better ways to be prepared. Wisdom encourages us to actively seek wisdom and its rewards

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 also looks ahead to the “day of the Lord,” this time of the reign of Christ coming to fulfillment on earth. When he wrote it, the contemporary Christians, including Paul, expected Jesus to come again in glory quite soon, certainly within their own lifetimes. These paragraphs address a troublesome point: will the few Christians who die in this short period somehow miss out on the benefits of Jesus’ return. Paul says no (although he doesn’t say it simply), because what God has wrought in the death and resurrection of Jesus is powerful enough to save even those already "fallen asleep."

Paul speaks of the faithful who have died rising with Christ, and those who are left being taken up to be with Christ, meeting in the air. It is a beautiful image, and we are reminded in Paul’s day of the belief that heaven was in the sky, the earth was flat and the land of the dead was below (Sheol or Hades). The language loses no beauty even with our greater understanding of the cosmos–something beautiful will happen when Christ comes into our lives in a new way.

Matthew 25:1-13 is the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. This begins a three-parable series in the Gospel of Matthew, the last three parables Jesus tells before he is betrayed. These parables look to the coming reign of God–it has already begun, but it has yet to be fulfilled. 

Jesus tells a story about a party of ten bridesmaids or torchbearers for a procession,chosen to participate in a wedding. Each of the ten virgins is carrying a lamp or torch as they await the coming of the bridegroom, which they expect at some time during the night. Five of the virgins are wise and have brought oil for their lamps. Five are foolish and have only brought their lamps.  

At midnight, all the virgins hear the call to come out to meet the bridegroom. Realising their lamps have gone out, the foolish virgins ask the wise ones for oil, but they refuse, saying that there will certainly not be enough for them to share. While the foolish virgins are away trying to get more oil, the bridegroom arrives. The wise virgins then accompany him to the celebration. The others arrive too late and are excluded.

Each of the wise bridesmaids has made her preparation; she is prepared spiritually but preparedness cannot be transferred to others, so their refusal to give oil to the foolish bridesmaids may be intended to show that each one of us is expected to make our own preparation – by living a godly, ethical life. Two surprising events, the door being shut (v. 10) and the failing to recognize the foolish bridesmaids (v. 12), are probably another way of saying that the unprepared will be refused entry to the Kingdom – just as the wicked servant will be punished. We are to be prepared at all times for the end of the age, the Second Coming of Christ

“The Second Coming of Christ is the medicine our condition especially needs” – C. S. Lewis

Read more about the Lectionary…

Matthew’s Bridesmaid story – Some background on Jewish weddings  

The Way of Jewish weddings!The groom and his family gather at their household (married couples tended to remain living with the groom’s parents for as long as the parents survived). The bride and her family and guests gather at her household.

The groom and his family make their way to the bride’s house to collect the bride to escort the bride to his father’s house. The dowry had to be agreed Last minute haggling between the groom and his father-in-law over the dowry was commonplace. Such haggling symbolized the esteemed value of the bride, but many times delayed the wedding.

The wedding party would take the longest route through the village to finally arrive at their home. The more houses they visited, the more well-wishes (and gifts) they received. You didn’t want to leave one home out because no one wanted ill feelings on a wedding day. That could bring bad fortune. This day was an opportunity to reach out to break down some old barriers and to be generous to the poor or forgotten. Along the way there would be much jovial visiting and exuberant hospitality.

As a result no one ever knew when the wedding party would show up at their home (where the final festivities occurred).

At this time, town criers would proclaim the arrival of the groom. Such proclamations alerted those who did not stay at the bride’s house or who waited for the ceremony to begin. Since this was an all-night celebration, napping between events in the wedding was reasonable.

One thing we need to remember about Christ’s era was that there were no street lamps. Therefore, the role of the bridesmaids was more than a cultural display of symbolism. Their lamps lit the path home for the wedding party and all the attendees. It is also important to revisit that God chose to have his Son to be born in an occupied country. The law of that time allowed no one to be on the street after dark without a lamp. To find yourself in that situation was to risk arrest—particularly for these residents of an occupied territory. The great sadness is that it is still that way in many parts of Palestine.

The Bridesmaids would literally provide legitimacy to the homecoming party so they would be safe from the occupying government. They would have to provide their own lamps. Without their lights, the party would look like an insurrection or a mob disguised in wedding attire. Certain religious zealots would have undoubtedly thought of using just such a ploy to attack the Romans.

Having your lamps ready would provide for both the safety and direction of the wedding party. To be ill prepared for the arrival of the wedding party wasn’t just a social faux pas, it meant exposing the entire wedding party to Roman attack.

Because of the political climate and the dangers of the time, once the Host’s gates were shut that is how they would remain. Furthermore, if you truly cared about a family you would not expose them to the risk of a knock on the door in the middle of the night.

Missing a wedding party would be a great loss. There was not a whole lot to celebrate for the masses of impoverished workers in Christ’s day. So a wedding was a grandiose affair generally lasting from the close of one Sabbath to the beginning of the next.

During that week all stops were pulled out and for one short week of their life the bride and groom were called prince & princess. In a life of oppressive drudgery and servitude this was their moment in the sun and everyone shared in their joy.

Interpretations of the Bridesmaids story for us 

Here a couple of ways it can be applied:

1. Second Coming can be participated in now

Link  (from Rev-o-lution) 

"Again, this “Day of the Lord,” this “Second Coming of Christ” may not be a specific moment, but rather something that is continuing to unfold before us. Christ is entering our lives in a new way, as we understand grater our global community, our family of God, our responsibility to be good stewards of creation, and the way systemic sin corrupts our relationship with each other and with the earth. Christ is coming again. Christ is doing something new in our lives now. We don’t have to wait until an “end time.” We can participate now. Keep awake. Be alert. Don’t worry about putting out a “religious face” to the world, that you need to fit in with a particular religious-social-cultural-political identity. Follow God. Don’t be religious but do what your religion teaches you. Be prepared for Christ to enter your life in a new way, and know that you will not be the same. You will be compelled to build up the reign of Christ on earth, if you are truly ready, alert for your opportunity to participate." 

Interpretations of the Bridesmaid story…

Dr. King and the Book of Amos 

Our reading from the Old Testament this week is from the Book of Amos. Martin Luther King focused on this book throughout his life.  In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963), King applied Amos to his situation, quoting from Amos 5:24. Amos gave his message to the Israelites in 750 BCE.  Amos warns the people of Israel that the Lord is displeased with their behavior. People are overly concerned with earthly possessions, bodily desires and there is a shallow adherence to their religious values. Amos tells the people that God will soon judge them for their sins.

"But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God."

He also quoted Amos in the "I Have a Dream" speech, 5 months after the above letter – Dr. King declared, “we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’”

Here is a musical adaptation of the words from Amos

Amos inspired Dr. King’s entire ministry.  

Read more about King and Amos…

October 25, 2020 – Twenty – First Sunday after Pentecost

Late October at Shrine Mont

The Week Ahead…

October 25 – Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost

October 25 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer, Zoom Church Meeting ID: 880 4622 4178 Passcode: 315208

Nov. 1 – 10:00am Morning Prayer – Join here at 9:30am for gathering – service starts at 10am Meeting ID 810 9876 6092 Password 593073

Nov. 1 – 7:00pm Compline – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 839 9039 4934 Passcode: 521853

Village Harvest, Oct. 21 – Words of Assurance

A creative and enterprising parishioner associated the food we distributed in October with certain words which could be considered “words of assurance.” They were written in the food bundles that people received.

How do we live our lives in this time of pandemic?

National Farm Worker Ministry is a faith based organization which supports farm workers as they organize for justice and empowerment. The have written the following “Our God is a God of grace and transformation. When we ask, God will give us the courage and strength to live out our faith in the workplace and the marketplace, as well as in the sanctuary.”

We served 115 people this month, the largest number since before the pandemic in February of this year. Specifically, we had chicken & beef person as well as potatoes and 🥔 onions bagged apples 🍎, cereal, muffins, soups and tuna.

…Read more…

Request for Names for All Saints Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020

We remember those who have died on All Saints Sunday, Nov. 1 since the last All Saints Sunday.

If you have a name you would like to submit, please email Catherine by Mon., October 26.

Civil Conversations in Uncivil Times.

A Free course from ChurchNext through Oct 26.  Link

Starts October 12th.
Registration closes October 26th

Takes about an hour.

Host – Ray Suarez is a renowned journalist and author as well as a lifelong Episcopalian. He was a senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour for many years and also hosted America Abroad. He currently co-hosts the program and podcast WorldAffairs, which is broadcast on NPR affiliates across the country.

In this class, Ray Suarez discusses an approach that does help — one by which we stand for our principles and use our energy to work toward a more just world without tearing each other apart. In lesson one, he talks about how social and political discourse in America descended to its current level. In lesson two, he discusses the scriptural basis for treating one another with civility. In lesson three, he describes methods by which we may avoid villainizing one another and ways to compromise productively on important issues without backing down in the face of injustice or giving in to oppression. In lesson four, students have an opportunity to ask Ray questions. He will answer from time to time over the two weeks the class is offered. In lesson five, Ray talks about about how we can get to the point of living this way.

1. Forward Movement (Oct. 9 – Nov. 9)

2. National Cathedral – 25 Days of Prayer (Oct. 1 – Oct. 25)

The Reformation began Oct. 31, 1517

Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31, alongside All Hallows’ Eve, in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities. It is a civic holiday in some German states.

It celebrates Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg in Germany on Oct. 31, 1517. The event is seen as sparking the Protestant Reformation.

There are some questions of fact. The event was not publicized until 1546 by Philipp Melanchthon and no contemporaneous evidence exists for Luther’s posting of the theses. At the time, it was common for scholars to post their debate points on the door where people could read them. Copies of Luther’s theses and his fiery follow-up sermons were mass produced on a relatively new invention the printing press.

Luther’s movement began as a criticism of Catholic practices, not to split off from the Catholic church. Sinners could buy God’s forgiveness by purchasing an indulgence. Luther preferred justification by faith.  He also wanted people to read the Bible in their own languages and not just in Latin

The Reformation led to the split from one Catholic church to Protestant ones. There are now nearly 45,000 Protestant denominations around the world, including mainline Protestants, Anglicans, Evangelicals, Pentecostals and more.

It has been seen as the most significant event in Western Christian history and mirror in which we measure ourselves today.  Many of the differences that promoted the reformation have been solved – indulgences, justification by faith and having the Bible printed in multiple languages. Others such marriage of priests, same sex marriages are still divisive.  Will they be able celebrate communion together ?  That may take another reformation.

Here is an impromptu performance after the 11am service on Oct. 27, 2019 of part of Luther’s famous hymn. He wrote the words and composed the melody sometime between 1527 and 1529:

Links

1. PBS (video and transcript)

2. How Martin Luther Changed the World

3. Reformation Day

4. Transcript from Christianity: First 3000 years

5. The English Reformation extended from this event which created the Church of England, the ancestor of the Episcopal Church. Henry VIII was made Supreme Head of the Church by an Act of Parliament in 1534. The country was still Catholic but the pope’s power had been ended. By the time of his death in 1547, the Lord’s Prayer was said in English in the English Bible (written in English) and the monasteries have been dissolved. The first prayer book was in 1549 in the time of Henry’s successor Edward.  Read More

The End of October, Early Nov. – a summary

Halloween originated in Celtic cultures the day before Samhain, the beginning of the Celtic winter. It focused on death blending in the supernatural. The Catholic Church incorporated non-Christian traditions into its holidays to bring people to the church. It scheduled All Saints (Nov 1 ) and All Souls (Nov. 2) after Halloween. All Soul’s focused on those who had died without the supernatural. All Saints celebrated all who believed and were baptized The word saint originally meant “holy”. Later it became a feast day commemorating all martyrs.

All Saints Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020

 “Saints are those who by their life and work make it clear and plain that God lives.”––Nathan Söderblom

In our Baptismal Covenant we, along with traditional Christians around the globe, profess in the ancient Baptismal Creed the words: “I believe in… the communion of saints, … the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” (Book of Common Prayer, page 304)

From its very beginning, the Church understood the Body of Christ to encompass all baptized persons, both the living and the dead. Christ’s kingdom transcends time and space; and not even death can sever the relationship that the faithful have in Christ.

All are united in a mystical communion with Christ by virtue of baptism (1 Corinthians 6:11). The term saint was used by Paul to designate all baptized Christians (Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1), even the unruly ones (1 Corinthians 1:2)!

In the New Testament, all those who believe and were baptized were referred to as saints. The word saint originally meant “holy”.

On All Saints Day, we make celebrate this idea in the here and now by recognizing and celebrating our relationship, not only with those around us today, but also with all those who have gone before us in all times and place. They are connected in one communion.

All Saints is also a time for welcoming new members. Traditionally baptisms are held in the Episcopal Church at the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord,  Easter, Pentecost,  All Saints and when the Bishop visits.

It wasn’t until round about the third century that the church began using the word saint to refer to those who had been martyred for the faith. The early Church especially honored martyrs, those who had died for their faith. Praying for the dead is actually borrowed from Judaism, as recorded in 2 Maccabees 12:41-45 of the Apocrypha.

Local churches kept a record of their own martyrs and each year celebrated their “birthdays,” the dates of death when they were “born” into eternal life.

By the fourth century many parts of the Church had set a day of observance for their martyrs, their confessors (those who had been punished for their faith but did not die), and their virgins, all of those known by name and unknown.

The celebration of All Saints’ Day on November 1 began as a feast day commemorating all martyrs, confessors and virgin, including those whose names were not known. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV officially established All Saints’ Day in order to honor all the saints at one time.

…read more…

“The Saints Song”

Here’s a fun romp through history, with a little inspiration from Gilbert & Sullivan.

How many of these saints are you familiar with?

All Saints (Nov 1.) and All Souls (Nov 2)

All Souls began with the emphasis on remembering those who had died, broader than just the martyrs. In addition it was cast wide into Catholic theology. In that tradition , the church commemorated all of those who have died and now are in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial (forgiven) sins and the temporal punishments for the mortal sins that they had confessed and atoning before entering fully into Heaven.

 Read more about the connection

All Souls (Nov. 2) and Halloween (Oct. 31)

Halloween originated in Celtic cultures and  spread to Christian.

The word Halloween is a contracted form for All Hallows’ (holy persons or saints) Evening- the day before All Saints.

Halloween has been on Oct 31 because of the Celtic traditions.   Halloween also not only focused on death but on the  concept of death blending in the supernatural.    The Church scheduled All Saints and All Souls after Halloween.   The emphasis on All Soul’s  focused on those who had died only and did not dwell on stories surrounding death.

More about Halloween

All Saints Sunday – A Time of Baptism

• McKenna Long – Jan. 2, 2011
• Alexander Long VI – Nov. 4, 2012
• Owen Long – Aug. 4, 2013

Baptism of Scarlett Joy Long is on Nov. 1, 2015.  Congratulations! Baptism is one of the sacraments of the Episcopal Church and is one of the times of the year appointed for baptism.

Here are the 3 Whys of Baptism

Lectionary, Pentecost 22, All Saints, Nov. 1

I.Theme – Experience of God’s salvation allows to consider life with the perspective of faith and to celebrate all the saints. The way of life should be based on the Gospel reading, the Beatitudes.

 "Sermon on the Mount"– Henrik Olrik (1860) Denmark

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm – Psalm 34:1-10, 22 Page 627, BCP
Epistle –1 John 3:1-3
Gospel – Matthew 5:1-12

The readings this week provide guidelines how saints should live their lives – in the present based on the Beatitudes while mindful that life isn’t easy, persecution abounds but that we live in God’s presence and that the hope of salvation remains.

The larger context of Revelation 7:9-17 is the opening of the seven seals (Revelation 6:1-8:5), which describe apocalyptic catastrophes that will accompany the close of this age. Revelation 7 is often described as an interlude between the sixth (Revelation 6:12-17) and seventh (Revelation 8:1-5) seals.

The chapter separates between a description of the Church being persecuted at the close of the present age (vv. 1-8), and a picture of the Church in heaven in the new age after the saints have passed through the period of persecution (vv. 9-17). These portraits of the Church have been contrasted by past interpreters as the Church militant in the present age and the Church triumphant in the age to come. The lectionary lesson for All Saints Day is the latter half of chapter 7, the picture of the Church triumphant in the age

The passage presents a vision of God’s eternal presence which is both profoundly Christ-centered and universal in its scope. It consists of a conversation between “one of the elders” and John, the author of the Revelation, giving details of what John saw in his vision and why the vast multiitude from every nation is to gather before the throne of God.

At the close of the age they were the ones who were persecuted (v. 14), and they now live in the eschatological age (vv. 15-17). The power of this text lies precisely in this discontinuity, for it states that our experience in this world cannot be a reliable indicator of the character of God or even of the quality of our salvation.

All Saints is a celebration of the same mysterious, sovereign power of God, for in commemorating the dead we are in fact celebrating life. This feast is in many ways an affront to our everyday experience, because in celebrating it, we share in John’s end-time vision

The good news of Revelation 7:9-17 was that God’s salvation is better than anything that we might experience in our everyday lives. The central metaphor used to convey this message was that God can make white from red, salvation from blood and persecution.

The Psalm is a response to the Revelation reading. The main purpose of the psalm is to celebrate with gratitude the saving power of Yahweh. It expresses great confidence and trust in Yahweh’s special care for the righteous. 

Viewed from a wider perspective, the psalm points to the constant mercy and love with which Yahweh watched over and delivered Israel from innumerable disasters. At the same time it draws more attention to the individual believer who trusts in Yahweh than to the nation as a whole. This too has been the attitude of saintly Christians through many generations.

The psalm has been chosen for All Saints Sunday because of the reference to the "saints" in v. 9 (NRSV translates the Hebrew "you his holy ones"). The reference to the people of God as saints is unusual in the Old Testament, because this term usually refers to supernatural beings. This is probably the only reference where the people of God are identified as the saints.

The psalm is concerned with the experience of God’s salvation. The exploration of salvation is done in the first person in v. 4, when the psalmist recounts an experience of deliverance, and it is repeated in v. 8 when the other worshipers are encouraged to taste and to see that the Lord is good.

With a deep understanding of God’s ultimate purpose for the end of history, the Epistle of John attempts to describe just what we shall be like and how that will come about. He declares the simple faith that because God loves us and because we are the children of God, in the end we shall be like God. He spoke in spiritual terms, of course, which means that we shall be spiritual as God is Spirit. 

The 1st Epistle of John contains many references to a congregation of Christians being under severe threat by a dissident group. These dissidents may have been either Greeks who rejected Jesus as a truly human person or Hebrews who rejected Jesus as the divine Messiah; or both. The epistle came from a time near the end of the 1st century CE, when those who believed in Jesus Christ and followed the Christian way had to be both clear about their faith and strong in their commitment.

Because of the challenges they encountered every day from both imperial authorities and public hostility, they could never know when their faith would bring them face to face with death.

The dissident members of their own congregation proclaimed a false teaching which sought to undermine the true understanding of the person and redemptive work of Christ. The dissidents broadcast far and wide that Jesus was not the Christ and therefore could not be the Saviour. How was it possible for them to maintain their commitment under such circumstances?

They could be certain of only one thing: that they were loved by God; they were God’s holy children. A life rooted and grounded in love would bring them to the only worthwhile end. Whatever fate might bring upon them, and in particular rejection or even martyrdom for their faithfulness, they were constantly reassured that they would not only be with God, but would be like God.

The Gospel reading is Matthew’s account of the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes set forth how Jesus saw those who are to inherit the reign of God’s gracious, redemptive love. While this description may seem to project beyond current reality into a far distant future, it also set forth a value system on the basis of which we can live from day to day because that reign of God has already begun. This is the way of life lived by the saints now and eternally. 

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is a collection of sayings Jesus may have uttered at different times and places, rather than delivered all at once in a single discourse.  These have been influential over time. Dr. King often pointed out that it was Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that inspired the "dignified social action" of the civil rights movement. His notion of "creative suffering" – borne by civil rights activists who endured persecution and police brutality – came from his Christian faith in the redemptive suffering of Jesus.

The Beatitudes summarize the revolutionary values intended to guide those seeking to follow Jesus. Each one is a sermon in itself, and the whole passage has generated many a sermon series from pulpits of yesteryear. Those who would have a little variation from the lectionary would do well to select this passage for such a continuum.

Beatitudes appear in the OT according to a single pattern beginning with the Hebrew word for blessed or happy) after which they usually described someone worthy of praise. Matthew quoted Jesus using the same method and adding the reason for this happy state.

The main difference from OT beatitudes, however, is their stress on eschatological joy of sharing in the reign of God as opposed to receiving rewards for living righteously here and now. The reign of God comes, the beatitudes insist, not by implementing human schemes of moral and social improvement, but by the gracious gift of God.

Another feature to be noted is the paradoxical quality of the Matthean beatitudes. They contradict the normal expectations of ordinary people and their reactions to human experience. The people Matthew identifies are not supposed to be happy – the poor, the mourners, the persecuted. Many martyred witnesses to the faith went to their death believing that a vastly better life awaited them in the heavenly realm.

Yet the message of the Matthean beatitudes is not exclusively for a distant future. Rather, it is for the present. The words were spoken to generate trust in God in difficult circumstances, not simply to enable us to endure hard times.

The beatitudes define the way that Jesus himself lived to the point of death as a rejected religious revolutionary and unjustly condemned criminal. Such spiritual power comes not through our most noble human efforts, but through the gift of grace the Spirit gives us.

Read more about the Lectionary…

October 18, 2020 – Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

A Poem for Autumn, “Grace” by Wendell Berry

The woods is shining this morning.

Red, gold and green, the leaves

lie on the ground, or fall,

or hang full of light in the air still.

Perfect in its rise and in its fall, it takes

the place it has been coming to forever.

It has not hastened here, or lagged.

See how surely it has sought itself,

its roots passing lordly through the earth.

See how without confusion it is

all that it is, and how flawless

its grace is. Running or walking, the way

is the same. Be still. Be still.

“He moves your bones, and the way is clear.”

The Week Ahead…

October 18 – Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

October 18 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer on the River

October 18 – 11:15am – National Cathedral church service online

October 21 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

October 25 – Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

October 25 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer, Zoom Church

Returning your pledge card for 2021

We hoped to get most back by Oct. 18

Stewardship is … “Using the gifts that God gives us to do the work God calls us to do.” No gift is too large for God’s work. We give back as we are given by God.

Pledging should be about growing your faith. As your faith grows so should your giving.

The Commitment

A better word than pledge card is commitment card.  We commit so we can give:>

• Commit to help us reduce hunger in this area, through the Village Harvest Distribution
• Commit to us to bring hope to our community,
• Commit to help us bring comfort to those suffering in sickness or loneliness,
• Commit to help us in Christian education and encourage fellowship.
• Commit so we can make a difference.  

What should be our commitment to what God has given us ? 

God calls us to share in God’s mission of caring for the world, using all the gifts God has given us. Our gifts includes those of treasure. Over 80% of the funds used to support and plan for ministry in a year come from pledges.

Got Questions ?

Is my stewardship defined only by the money I give to the church?

Why should I pledge ?

How much should I give ?

See our Faq

Why Give to St. Peter’s

• Giving is an act of worship along with prayers, sermons and music. Get your money’s worth of the service and give—it is a blessing to be able to do so. Moreover, give till it feels good!
• Giving allows our ministries to expand. As Scott Gunn writes at Forward Movement, “Jesus was always taking his followers to new places, literally and metaphorically… As followers of Jesus, I think we’re called to go to new places.”
• Giving acknowledges the reality is that all we have was given by God anyway. All that we are is a gift . From Deuteronomy – The Lord “gives you power to get wealth” which includes labor, influence, finances and expertise.
• Giving is part of our responsibilities in the baptismal covenant (look in the Prayer Book, pgs. 304-305). We commit our lives to reconcile ourselves to God and to one another. Lives are transformed with our gifts to change and repair a broken world as we reconcile ourselves to God. As Bishop Curry likes to say -“change the world from the nightmare it often is into the dream that God intends.”
• We freely receive from God so we should freely give back. We mess up in so many ways in our lives but grace is never held back by God so don’t withhold your gifts from God.

Request for Names for All Saints Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020

We remember those who have died on All Saints Sunday, Nov. 1 since the last All Saints Sunday.

If you have a name you would like to submit, please email Catherine by Mon., October 26.

Civil Conversations in Uncivil Times.

A Free course from ChurchNext through Oct 26.  Link

Starts October 12th.
Registration closes October 26th

Takes about an hour.

Host – Ray Suarez is a renowned journalist and author as well as a lifelong Episcopalian. He was a senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour for many years and also hosted America Abroad. He currently co-hosts the program and podcast WorldAffairs, which is broadcast on NPR affiliates across the country.

In this class, Ray Suarez discusses an approach that does help — one by which we stand for our principles and use our energy to work toward a more just world without tearing each other apart. In lesson one, he talks about how social and political discourse in America descended to its current level. In lesson two, he discusses the scriptural basis for treating one another with civility. In lesson three, he describes methods by which we may avoid villainizing one another and ways to compromise productively on important issues without backing down in the face of injustice or giving in to oppression. In lesson four, students have an opportunity to ask Ray questions. He will answer from time to time over the two weeks the class is offered. In lesson five, Ray talks about about how we can get to the point of living this way.

1. Forward Movement (Oct. 9 – Nov. 9)

2. National Cathedral – 25 Days of Prayer (Oct. 1 – Oct. 25)

Create a Gratitude Pumpkin and show it off

During a pandemic, focusing on what we’re thankful for is so essential. So much has been taken away from us. When we focus on the things we’ve lost–time with family, school, time with friends, sports, playdates–we can easily spiral into unhappiness.

Instead, focus on what you are grateful for during the pandemic. What brings peace, pleasure and happiness with what you have now and where you are? It can be a simple as a walk during the fall, a podcast, a video, watering the flowers. What about today was amazing?

Make a Gratitude Pumpkin to remember these things. All you need is an uncut pumpkin and a sharpie

Every evening when you eat dinner, discuss with those around you what you’re grateful for and write it down. Start at the top of the pumpkin and write, “We are grateful for…” or “We are thankful for…”

You will find it might look like this soon:

By Oct 26, take a picture of what you have done and email it to Catherine. Also include any thoughts about doing this project, what you learned,etc. We are anxious to see what you come up with. Thanks!

Lectionary, October 25, 2020, Pentecost 21,  Proper 25, Year A

I.Theme –    Love as the greatest of God’s commandments.

 "The Greatest Commandment "  – From Wortle

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18
Psalm – Psalm 1 Page 585, BCP
Epistle –1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Gospel – Matthew 22:34-46

These passages this week echo the challenge of the Christian journey. We have moments when we see God’s reign breaking through in this world–moments of justice, of hope, of peace–and other times, it seems like war, poverty and famine will continue forever. But we do not lose hope, and we know that our part counts in the reign of God. And our part is to create equitable relationships with those around us. We can’t expect to save the world but we can seek to maintain relationships with those around us. 

Leviticus provides a taste of the holiness codes of Israel, on how to live in community with one another. Leviticus is one of the most difficult books to read in the Bible, mainly for the listing of codes and laws that do not necessarily make sense in today’s society, and we are missing the context, both historically and culturally for understanding the application of them. However, the theme of how to live together in community is a theme that transcends some of the cultural and historical context–when decisions or judgments have to be made in the context of community, you can’t show partiality, but you have to be just. In connection with the Gospel the statements on our neighbors concern us – avoiding hatred, vengeance, grudges and basically love your neighbor

In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Paul shares about his journey to Thessalonica, not physically, but rather how he has come to be there on his journey of faith–coming not to judge or to trick them or to test them, nor to please them or flatter them, but simply coming as they are, people who follow God. Echoing back to the passage in Leviticus, Paul is coming as a person of the community of faith–treating the Thessalonians as such, and expecting the same treatment in return. Paul tells them “so deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our very selves” (vs 8). To Paul, telling about God is one thing–living it out is what we are called to do, by sharing ourselves fully with the members of the faith community–being our honest and true selves, without trickery or deceit, without slander or gossip or hate in our hearts–but to be genuine people that follow Christ.

Psalm I extols the blessedness of one who avoids the path of the wicked and walks in the way of wisdom and life. The psalm is built around two contrasting images, that of a tree planted by streams of water and that of chaff in the process of winnowing the grain. The former is an image of the righteous, the latter of the wicked. The former person is ‘happy’ or ‘blessed’, the latter is perishing.

The tree prospers by fulfilling its purpose of bearing fruit in its season. God has ordained that this is a process which takes time, indeed, a different time for each individual. We prosper by growing in grace, coming to maturity, and bearing fruit. Material prosperity is not the principle focus of this text.

The law was not only the source of specific rules and regulations, but it was also intended to teach the Israelites principles which would govern their actions. The fundamental issue underlying the Sermon on the Mount was over the interpretation of the Old Testament law

Matthew’s passage is on the Greatest Commandment. Jesus has been leading up to this pinnacle teaching in his parables and teachings about the kingdom or reign of God.  This passage represents the third of three attempts to entrap Jesus, after he has entered Jerusalem in triumph, riding on a donkey, with a large crowd spreading cloaks and branches on the road as they shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” 

After the Pharisees and the Sadducees have questioned him, a lawyer asks him which is the greatest commandment. On the face of it, the question appears very honest. The Pharisees identified 613 commandments in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Two hundred forty-eight were positive (“thou shalt”) and three hundred sixty-five were negative (“thou shalt not”). How could anyone remember all of them? Were some more important than others?

And Jesus sums up the commandments in the recitation of the Shema, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and with the call “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He was the first to place both of these side by side.

Both of these commandments sum up the Ten Commandments, for the first four are about relationship with God and the last six are about relationship with each other in the community. But Jesus goes further in saying, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” In Jesus’ day, the Bible that the Jews knew had the Torah, the Law, the first five books–and it contained the books of the prophets (the Psalms and other writings were still being compiled). Basically, Jesus is saying that this is the point of the whole Bible. Everything else hangs on it. All other laws, codes, rules, ordinances and such fall under these two commandments. This is the point of the whole thing.

After answering this question, however, Jesus poses a question to the Pharisees about whose son the Messiah is. Jesus is trying to emphasize that the Messiah is the son of God, not just of David–in other words, the Messiah, while prophesied about in Hebrew scripture and understood in Jewish culture, is a Messiah for the world, not just for the people. Jesus is not just the son of David as a descendant of David, but Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore a Messiah for all people. And therefore Jesus’ teachings about loving others and loving God are beyond the community present but are teachings to be lived out by all who follow Jesus. They are beyond the law and culture of one people, but for the whole world.

Read more about the Lectionary…

Concept of Love in Biblical Times  

By John Pilch

"What does Jesus understand by love? Mediterranean cultural anthropology sheds some light. Remember that our ancestors in the faith were strongly group centered. The group was family, village, neighborhood, and factions (like the Twelve, the Pharisees, etc.) which a person might join. 

"The group gave a sense of identity, a sense of belonging, and advice for actions to be taken or avoided. The group was an external conscience exerting enormous pressure on its individual members. 

"In this context, love and hate are best understood as group attachment and group disattachment. Whether emotion or affection is involved is beside the point. The major feeling in love and hate is a feeling of belonging or not belonging, respectively. 

"Thus, to love God with all one’s heart is to be totally attached to God. To love neighbor as self is to be as totally attached to people in one’s neighborhood or immediate circle of friends (i.e., fellow Israelites) as one is to one’s family group. This has been and continues to be the normal way of life in the Mediterranean world, unless feuding develops. 

"To “hate one’s father, mother,” and others as Luke’s Jesus (Lk 14:26) requires of his followers means to detach oneself from family and join the Jesus group. Paul says the greatest among the virtues faith, hope, and charity is charity, that is, love or attachment to the group. 

"The group-attachment aspect of love poses a challenge to individualistically oriented, emotional American believers. 

Read more…

Gospel Reflection  

Glen Mitchell

"There are people I know who live their lives very sacrificially, just like Moses and Paul did. Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, something he was not willing to do at first; but God persisted, supporting Moses in his sacrifice doing what God wanted. The people I know do this too. They respond to God’s call to care for the poor, the naked, the hungry and those in prison. In loving their neighbor, often far away from their own country, they live sacrificially to love God and their neighbor.

"Paul delights in this: “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.” (1 Thes: 2:8) Paul wants “to please God who tests our hearts.” (1 Thes: 2:4)

"The people I know live sacrificially; they could easily earn much more if they lived in the United States or Canada, and live much more securely; they have chosen to not follow the advice of the wicked. They really are “like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” (Psalm 1:3)

The people I know have a different sense of how they prosper. Their currency of exchange is really not money, but how much they love their God and their neighbor. Elizabeth of the Trinity, a 19^th century Carmelite nun, said, “Let us ask God to make us true in our love, to make us sacrificial beings, for it seems to me that sacrifice is only love put into action.”

"Christians who love God and their neighbor have the currency of the baptismal covenant to guide us. Our currency is God’s love. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad our days.” (Psalm 90:1) In rejoicing and in being glad our all days, God’s love is all we need to prosper.

"In our baptismal covenant Christians declare their belief in God, Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit. We, with God’s help, declare that we will continue in fellowship, the breaking of the bread, prayer, resisting evil and repenting, proclaiming the Good News, seeking and serving Christ in all persons and loving our neighbor, striving for justice and peace and respecting the dignity of every human being. In Canada, Anglicans also agree to strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation and respect, sustain, and renew the life of the earth.

"The people I know live their lives sacrificially in the way that Elizabeth of the Trinity suggested we all do. In rejecting the rampant consumerism of the age, in rejecting the disparity between the super-rich and the poor, we are called to live sacrificially as we live out our baptismal covenant, loving God and loving our neighbor just as the people I know do, as did Moses and Paul."

Glen Mitchell served as the Stewardship and Gift Development Director for the Diocese of New Westminster. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from the Vancouver School of Theology