We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

Ben Hicks

Lectionary, Season of Creation II

1 Isaiah 35:4-7a

●Isaiah paints beautiful picture of creation renewed; let us catch that vision and go forth to implement (Is 35).

2 James 2.14-17  Focus: “Faith without works.” “siblings naked, lacking daily food”

● Climate change is impacting agriculture. Food is less nutritious and less plentiful. How are we called to respond in order to feed our siblings now and in future generations?

Link to Food issues

● We proclaim a Gospel of salvation that includes all of Creation, not only human beings. Jesus commissioned his disciples, saying, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). As disciples of Jesus, our mission is to bring good news in word and deed to the whole Creation.

● Christian hope is in the renewal (Mat. 19:28) and restoration (Act. 3:21) of all things. Our participation with God in creating a more just and habitable world and living more gently on Earth is how we share in what Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls the “supreme work” of Jesus Christ, who reconciles us to God, one another, and God’s whole Creation. The good news of God in Christ is for all creatures and the whole Earth.

3. Mark 7.24-37 Focus: the boldness of the Syrophoenician woman

● With whom are we called to be bold to promote climate justice? Focus on how Jesus was open to the cries of the Syrophoenician woman.

● How can we open our ears and hearts to the cries and groans of the earth and thosewho suffer due to climate change?

●It is natural to care most for our own people, but God’s children are called to justice without borders (Mk 7).

A look at the Gospel Story – The Syrophoenician Woman

From the book "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry" – French (15th century)

This is a Gospel story told in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It is somewhat unsettling as Jesus response to a request to a woman was at best harsh and worst a racial slur. It is unique in that it’s the only time in the Bible that Jesus changes his mind over his response. This story appears in Mark sandwiched between the Feeding of the 5,000 (Jewish people) and the Feeding of the 4,000 (Gentiles).

Jesus had moved to Tyre and wanted to remain unrecognized. He was undoubtedly tired and needed a rest.  The last thing he needed was a diversion. However, a woman who was not a Jew approached him, "bowed down at his feet" and said her daughter was tormented by a demon. This could be any number of illnesses. In the Matthew version the disciples advocated sending her away.  

Jesus told this Gentile woman that he was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel and that it wasn’t’ right take children’s food and feed it to the dogs.    

The woman responded that even the dogs under the table will eat the children’s crumbs. Basically she said "give them to me!" Jesus was moved by her faith and love and healed her daughter.

Many writers focus on Jesus. Did he call her a dog ? Is a better translation "puppy" ? Did he stage this as a scene to show the disciples a better way to treat foreigners ? Was he just having a bad day which he later corrected ? Is this story a transition where Jesus’ mission is enlarged from just a Jewish perspective to a Gentile?

The real focus should be on the woman. She risked making a fool out of herself and insisted on help. The upshot is an example of evangelism – she left paganism and idolatry and followed God. This becomes the setting for the Feeding of the 4,000 gentiles.  

The Episcopal Lingo, Part 3: The Wardens

Parish Church

The series will explore words used in the Episcopal Church that may seem arcane to visitors and confusing to old timers. This week’s word is basic – the churchwardens.

The wardens of today’s church is a shortened title from churchwardens. In 1643, the Virginia General Assembly decreed there would be two churchwardens in each parish In many respects the basic functionality is the same – to act in the name of the Vestry in administering the parish’s affairs on a day to day basis. The colonial churchwarden would feel right at home with the present wardens keeping the church in decent repair for small projects or acting for the vestry in large.

Once you get into the specifics one realizes that had many more real functions then. The concept of commission didn’t exist. For instance they directed what staff they had, for instance to make sure salaries were paid and reimbursements made and that other officians such as sextons did their job. They made sure there was sufficient bread and wine for services since there was no altar guild.

In three respects the churchwarden was in another league with a number of civil functions.

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The tipping points of climate change — and where we stand

Johan Rockström at TEDCountdown@BloombergGreenFestival July 2024

Link

Key Points

1 The planet is changing faster than we have expected. We are, despite years of raising the alarm, now seeing that the planet is actually in a situation where we underestimate the risks. Abrupt changes are occurring in a way that is way beyond the realistic expectations in science.

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Summing up end of 2023 progress on Climate Change

From canarymedia.com

1. The U.S. climate law is fueling a factory frenzy.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August 2022, aimed to bring a clean energy manufacturing boom to the U.S. through generous subsidies. So far, the plan is working: In the law’s first year, more than 100 new clean energy manufacturing facilities or factory expansions were announced, adding up to nearly $80 billion in new investment from private companies

2. Renewables are on track to keep getting cheaper and cheaper

While fossil fuels have not gotten cheaper with time, renewable energy costs have plummeted over the past few decades. That’s made them more cost-effective than fossil fuels in many cases — and also more attractive to new investments. These cost declines are not expected to stop anytime soon. In fact, by 2030, technology improvements could slash the price of wind energy by a quarter and of solar by half.

3. Clean energy to make up 84% of new U.S. power capacity in 2023

Though they still make up just 20 percent of overall power generation, solar, batteries and wind account for the most new power flowing to the U.S. grid — and it’s not even close. In 2023, clean energy will have accounted for the vast majority of all new power capacity added to the U.S. grid, while fossil-fueled plants will make up just 16 percent of new capacity.

4. U.S. EV sales are having a record-setting year

All-electric vehicles (also known as battery electric vehicles or BEVs) are powered by an onboard battery that stores electrical energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. Unlike conventional gas-powered or hybrid vehicles, EVs rely solely on electricity for propulsion. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies EVs as zero-emissions vehicles due to the lack of exhaust or tailpipe emissions expelled.

Despite recent gloomy headlines, the U.S. electric-vehicle market has soared. According to marketwatch “Electric car sales have taken off in the U.S. since 2020. About 1.6 million EVs were sold in the U.S. in 2023 — a 60% increase from the 1 million sold nationwide in 2022.