St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Port Royal, VA
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, who are still here, and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.
This week was the culmination of the Lenten part of God’s Garden. They reviewed the Palm Sunday story which they had heard earlier. They made beaded crosses to hang around their necks. Finally, after working on the Lord’s Prayer with hand movements earlier in Lent they presented their work to the congregation today on Palm Sunday, March 24,2024
1. Reviewing the story on Palm Sunday
2. Creating crosses
3. Reciting the Lord’s Prayer – Palm Sunday in Church
“We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.”
The creeds claim that the church is an essential part of the faith.
But what exactly is church? How would you define the church?
Ecclesia, being called out
The Christian church began when the people who had followed Jesus during his ministry came to believe in his resurrection and gathered together in a fellowship. This happened in Jerusalem in 30CE. The birth of the Christian church coincides with the emergence of the resurrection faith.
On the week before Palm Sunday, the children created “Resurrection Eggs”. There were 12 numbered plastic eggs each with an object, a symbol of the events on that day of Holy Week. The children numbered the eggs, put an object in the eggs and heard a story. For example, the first was a palm branch for Palm Sunday. The story is taken through Holy Week to the Resurrection.
Here are the two handouts followed by the video segments:
“Worship the Holy Spirit” – Lance Brown
I believe in the Holy Spirit
Collect for Trinity Sunday – ” Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever.” Amen
This session completes the Trinity with the Holy Spirit. There were 6 participants.
The Holy Spirit
In Hebrew and in Greek, the word spirit means “breath.” Our spirit is the breath of life that allows us to be active. God’s spirit is God’s activity throughout all the ages, beginning with creation and continuing into our lives today.
When we say the Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed at baptisms and at Morning Prayer and the Nicene Creed when we celebrate the Eucharist), we are stating our belief in what the church believes, in faith, about God—that God is one being in three persons—that is, three “persons” within the one Godhead.
It’s easy to say these words without much thought because they are so familiar. And yet, they are the words that create community among Christian believers around the world, past, present, and future, the Apostles’ Creed being the most widely used of all of Christianity’s confessions of faith. These words are so important that they are permanently attached to our altar wall, along with the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. The creeds not only bind us together in communities of faith, but these words, if taken into our hearts, can lead us to a deeper faith.
During this season of Lent, we will study these creeds, learning about how they came to be, what they mean to the Church, and we will also reflect on how they may help us grow in faith as Christians.
The study is scheduled for five Wednesday nights of Lent—Weds Feb. 21st, 28th, and March 6th, 13th, and 20th at 7PM on Zoom ID: 833 7014 5820 Passcode: 528834
Welcome all children ages 5-9!
They are still working on their Lord’s Prayer for Easter but will be learning about Holy Week beginning on March 10.
We had 8 participants. Thanks to all who attended.
The second part of the creed deals with Jesus (Who do you say that I am?) Look at the creed, The first part of section 2)
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.
Lord—The very oldest Christian creed is one sentence. “Jesus is Lord.” (I Corinthians 12:3) The Greek term is Kyrios, which means Sir, this term is also used for pagan gods. When early Christians confessed that Jesus was their Lord, they deliberately rejected the many lords and at some personal risk, also challenged the claims to dominion on the part of secular rulers. To call Jesus Lord is to testify that our lives are oriented around Jesus and his teaching about the will of God for our lives.
The name Jesus—comes from the Greek version of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning Yahweh is salvation. Both Matthew and Luke write in their gospels that Mary’s son be given this name.
Christ, Greek Christos, is a translation of the Hebrew Messiah, the anointed one. A king, descended from David, who would conquer the enemies of Israel in a decisive battle, and establish a universal kingdom of peace and justice for all. We can’t know precisely why the early Christians called Jesus the Messiah, but it is clear that they found his kingship to be other than a geographical realm on earth. “My Kingdom is not from this world.”
God’s Garden took up Mark 10:13-15 – “Let the Children Come to Me”
“13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.”
This is one story they can identify with and see Jesus as a great friend!
The class featured a variety of activities – two directly involving the children and two directed by the teacher. First one child read it. Jan explained it. The children played a game getting them to Jesus. Finally, Jan read them another story expanding on the Gospel for our time.
1. Children read the story
What the Creeds have to say about God and how that understanding influences our own relationships with God. There were 7 participants.
The session started with Psalm 134
A song of ascents.
1 Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord.
The catechism was reviewed (beginning on Page 845), Book of Common Prayer. It has 5 questions
Q. What do we learn about God as creator from the
revelation to Israel?
A. We learn that there is one God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and
unseen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. This means that the universe is good, that it is the work of
a single loving God who creates, sustains, and directs it.
Q. What does this mean about our place in the universe?
A. It means that the world belongs to its creator; and that
we are called to enjoy it and to care for it in accordance
with God’s purposes.
Q. What does this mean about human life?
A. It means that all people are worthy of respect and
honor, because all are created in the image of God, and
all can respond to the love of God.
Q. How was this revelation handed down to us?
A. This revelation was handed down to us through a community created by a covenant with God.
The Nicene Creed presents a more complete picture than the Apostles Creed:
“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. (Nicene Creed) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. “
Let’s break it down:
We had 8 people online for the first class, Feb 21, 2024.
Weekly Sessions
1. Why we have the creeds and the origin?
2. Creed about God – “I believe in God, the Father almighty”.
3. Creed about Jesus.
4. Creed about the Holy Spirit.
5. Creed about baptism, resurrection.
Creeds are ultimately for the unity of the Church containing the beliefs that are central to the faith. They hold us together. They are used to teach new members.