Shred-it

May 8, 2016 (full size gallery)

A triple pack Sunday – Easter 7, Ascension and Mother’s Day. The lectionary was Easter 7 with the Ascension mentioned in the Sermon. A special Mother’s Day prayer was heard after the Prayers of the People

After a week of mostly rain, the sun, often a hazy sunlight was appreciated. The iris are spectacular this year with blue and red the front and blue and yellow in the back. Once again, Cookie had arranged Iris in the church windows.

Godly Play had 5 children and "Weaving God’s Promises" had 7 children and adults, the latter featuring the Acts reading this morning – Acts 16:16-34 where a Roman jailer and his family are unexpectedly baptized. Catherine asked us to pick all of the instances of the Holy Spirit work and then how the Holy Spirit has entered our lives. All of this went better with some banana muffins which she brought.

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

Cookie brought a number of pictures from the 150th anniversary of the church in 1986. These are Linda Upshaw’s pictures and both had labelled the backs of the pictures. Additional help was provided by Nancy Long today.  Next week we will celebrate the 180th anniversary of St. Peter’s.

We had  43 in the service. The sermon was an exploration of the ‘Lion King" in relationship to Easter 7 and Ascension. Catherine’s daughter took her to the show in Richmond on Friday.

We celebrated the wedding anniversary of Nancy and Alex Long. They had two of their children and all grandchildren present today. An amazing site! 

Catherine announced we made $980 at the Community Give to benefit the Village Harvest food distribution.

She alluded to the Parish retreat last weekend. Although rainy, the Fishers made it to the top of North Mountain, including Zeke at age 7!

Catherine recognized Charles McGuire as the newest member of the church. His transfer from Christ Church Dover came in this week.

Upcoming events this week include Shredit on Thursday May 12 at 4pm and Susan Tilt’s "Day of art" on Saturday.

We served 86 people on Sept 16, 2015, the second largest number we have had since November, 2014 when the Village Harvest began. 500 pounds of fresh produce was purchased.

We distributed the following:

• Paper towels, toilet paper, and Kleenex
• Tomatoes
• Shredded carrots
• Peppers
• Zucchini
• Fresh Pineapple
• Leeks
• Pears

  Easter 6, Rogation Sunday, May 10, 2015  (full size gallery)

A wonderful week of giving both monetary with the Village Harvest ($1,255) and in terms of paper with Shred-it! ($103). Thanks to all who participated.  

This Sunday was Rogation Sunday and Easter 6. This year alternate readings for the former were done (BCP Pg. 930).  We are in the "Named Sundays" which come at this time of year – commemorating agriculture, the Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. They are four feasts of great importance in the life of the Church.  

Rogation is an old celebration. While it goes back to Rome, the Christian festival is based on decided events – calamities when events overtake the main means of production – agriculture. In 470 that  was in Vienne, France after a series of disasters had caused much suffering among the people. The Goths invaded Gaul. There was an enormous amount of disease; there were fires; there were earthquakes; there were attacks of wild animals. 

Today it is time set aside to appreciate and recognize our dependence upon the land for our food and most importantly upon our dependence of God for the miracles of sprouting seeds, growing plants, and maturing harvest.  It takes on an environmental focus which affects all of us. We praise God for what God has provided but also ask for forgiveness for our mishandling the environment.

The sermon enlarged the concept of rogation beyond our parish, our community to consider the larger picture. "So this Rogation Sunday is a good day to ask for the forgiveness of our transgressions as the early Christians did–especially our transgressions against creation itself.".."The psalmist reminds us that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” and today’s reading from Deuteronomy reminds us that “the eyes of the Lord your God are always on the land, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”".. God gives us the invaluable sacred gift of the earth. The earth, with its gravitational pull, is the foundation beneath our feet. The earth feeds us and clothes us. The beauty of the earth is a constant source of amazement and wonder.

The concern back in 470 was making the harvest which determined whether we would have sufficient crops to live. Now the harvest is different. "Now let’s talk about what it means in this day and age to pray for a good and bountiful harvest. And so on this Sunday, we pray specifically for good and bountiful outcomes for our work."

There is a fallacy that our harvests are only dependent on our own efforts.  "We’ve fallen into the trap of believing that our worth is based on what we produce, and that we can completely control the outcome of any work that we are doing." "Our job is to sow our seeds on the ground. And then, here’s the hard part—to wait." In this process is the need to reclaim the Sabbath as a day of rest. 

Rogation  was celebrated with two gifts of flowers. Cookie produced bouquet of clover for all of the windows. They had flowers of red. The Altar flowers added some Iris. The Iris were again in full bloom today  around the church – purplse, reddish, yellow.  Catherine provided portulaca plants for all the congregation in honor of both Rogation and Mother’s Day. 

The weather was mostly cloudly with periods of sun. Blue wild flowers lined Route17. Also there were several fields of yellow, particuarly striking against the darker clouds.

We had a congregation of 38. BJ and Jim Anderson were back from Texas, BJ bringing her bread making ability. Jim had a heart issue over the winter so it was glad to see him back. Barbara Wisdom is now off a walker and just has a cane.  Justin and Karen Long were back for a visit with her mother. 

The hymns were of note this week for Rogation. The opening hymn was "Not here for high and holy things" is a wonderful hymn back to the 18th century of the environment and stewardship in general

"Not here for high and holy things
we render thanks to thee,
but for the common things of earth,
the purple pageantry
of dawning and of dying days,
the splendor of the sea,"

The last hymn was "All creatures of our God and King". St. Francis wrote this in 1225 shortly before his death and has 7 verses.

"All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
 Thou silver moon with softer gleam!"

The bulletin announcements included one for Susan and Tommy Tilt’s 50th anniversary celebrated next Sat at their home in Colonial Beach  Sat. May 16- email susantilt@mac.com. There were also a list of thank you’s from the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, Hunters for the Hungry and Pope and Lockleir families. 

Commentary on Easter 6 by Canon Lance Ousley, Diocese of Olympia, Washington

The readings for Easter 6 Sunday Year B include Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98 1 John 5:1-6; and John 15:9-17

Stewardship involves a series of choices everyday. We all have people and things that have been entrusted to our care. How we choose to care for theses people and things is how we practice good stewardship or poor stewardship. But these are not the only things that pose choices before us in our world today challenging our hearts to be stewards of the love of Christ that has been entrusted to us.

In the BCP lectionary the Acts reading for Easter 6B is the story of Paul addressing the Areopagus in Athens about their monuments to their many gods and the one true God, the Creator of everything that is, seen and unseen. These other gods were pretty clear in the pagan culture of Athens, demanding their appeasement offerings. But the Acts reading in the RCL lectionary for Easter 6B shows other things that demand our attention that are not so clear. In Acts 10:44-48, we hear that there were cultural barriers to extending open hospitality to some being baptized into the family of Faith because they were believed to be outside the grace of God. Fortunately, Peter made the choice to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit who had chosen to include all people in the family of God, instead of following the tradition of his cultural exclusivity. In this act of acceptance Peter was a good steward of the unconditional love Jesus had entrusted to him.

As we read in our 1 John lesson, we hear John make the case that one of the ways our love is shown to a parent is through our loving their children. As people who believe in the Creator of all that is seen and unseen we understand that God is the Parent of all of humanity. Jesus shows us what it ultimately looks like to love the children of the Parent of all, by choosing over to love them over all other things by laying down his life for them. Jesus stewards all of God’s children entrusted to his care by choosing to love them over the choices that the culture poses the world.

And Jesus has chosen us to be stewards of his love so that others may know the unconditional love of God. He has told us that we show our love of God by loving the way he loves, forsaking the choices that the culture of our world poses us. Jesus has chosen us to reveal God’s unconditional love to, and chosen us to be midwives delivering his love to the world. But we have to choose to steward Jesus’ love to all God’s children over the choices our culture poses to through its many gods that merely want us to appease their (and our) selfish desires. Just as Jesus lays down his life for us, he chooses us to lay down our worldly lives for all God’s children. And so we have been chosen, not to reveal our own salvation but for the revelation of the salvation of the whole world as children of God.

How will we obey Jesus’ commandments, choosing to be good stewards of God’s children laying down our lives to show them the love of the one true God, Creator and Parent of all that is, seen and unseen?

  Shred-It, May 8, 2015  (full size gallery)

This was the 4th year of bringing our paper clutter to St. Peter’s to be professionally shred. It allows people to dispose of private, confidential documents securely  There were stories of people bringing tax records, estate records, bills etc. to be shred that went back decades. We encouraged a donation of $5 a bag all to go to St. Peter’s outreach ministries.

It was a beautiful spring afternoon in Port Royal in the high 70’s under full sunshine. The iris were mostly in full bloom – all colors – yellow, purple, shades of red. It was not only Shred-It but the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) day. A salute goes out to those who fought and worked for that effort.

This year we collected $328 at Shred-It. After paying the Shred-it truck $225 we came out with a profit of $103 for St. Peter’s Outreach ministries. This wasn’t as good as last year but a wonderful contribution to help us give back to others,

Thank you Andrea Pogue for your leadership over these 4 years. Andrea not only negotiates for the truck but also promotes the project to friends, businesses, St. Peter’s and other churches. She distributes fliers and engages others in conversation and serves food for the event. A wonderful spring afternoon to help the environment and a good time for fellowship.

  Easter 5, May 3, 2015  (full size gallery)

We had a split congregation today with our rector and 9 other parishioners with Christ Church Spotsylvania at Shrine Mont. Catherine was responsible for the program ("Stations of Resurrection") and Christ Church would be providing the sermon and service on Sunday. 

We had 21 in attendance this morning on one of the most beautiful mornings of the year – temperatures in the 70’s under clear skies. The Iris were beginning to bloom. There was new growth to trees along the river. Blue wild flowers provided a  lengthy tableau along Route 17.

We had Morning Prayer with preacher John Sellers and officiant Elizabeth Heimbach. John spent 3 years in seminary, was ordained into the Baptist church and served as an assistant minister in Colorado. He later went back for a doctorate which was a doctorate in American History rather than theology. He told me that the job situation was much better in history than theology. While in graduate school he also directed music in a church in New Orleans. His musical talent is in music. John is clearly an intellectual and mult-talented man. His charming wife Sylvia came too.

John’s sermon was on Chapter one of Mark. This is when John the Baptist prepares the way for Christ but John focused on the Holy Spirit. "I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.” John professed that the concept of the holy spirit has been difficult for both theologians and philosophers to get an understanding.

The holy spirit may be best understood through examples. The holy spirit was clearly at work with the early disciples. Andrew and Peter, James and John did not not hesitate but left their callings, their professions and immediately joined Jesus. There was no other reason for their action.

John delved into his own family – his mother very religious brought up in the Episcopal church. He gets his Baptist faith from his father. His mother had several siblings but they ignored religion and the church. John’s parents have benefited from their religious life.

John expressed sadness at own time with people caught up in their own pursuits and did not have a spiritual life. The word "I" is used more than any other in conversation. By contrast, this pronoun did not occur in a great work that John cited, The Gettysburg address.

He felt the best moments for understanding the holy spirit came through prayers. John admitted he did not have a specific method or time of day for prayer and that his prayers were more of an extended conversation with the circumstances. He felt close to the holy spirit with his horses.

This is a giving week coming up at St. Peter’s

1. Community Give. The Community Give is a day of supporting non-profits in the Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline and King George counties. Help support the Village Dinner with a $10 or more donation on Tuesday May 5 which will provide 10 pounds of fresh produce for 20 people. We are now feeding as many people as in our congregation. Also support other non-profits – many do unique work. The link to the Website is https://www.thecommunitygive.org/. Then search for “Harvest”.

For the May Village Harvest on May 17, we need considerably more donations. We are trying to collect especially tuna fish and macaroni but any canned goods will do.

2. Shred It is Friday. $5 a bag – bring all of your paper particularly those items with sensitive private information. Last year we collected $385 and made $175 for Outreach. Thanks to Andrea Pogue for conceiving it and leading it.

3. Support Nepal relief. As of Sunday there have been over 7,000 casualties after the recent 7.8 scale earthquake.  Concern now is the condition of the airport.  Episcopal Relief and Development has been there since the event. There is an urgent need for food, water and shelter. Donate here for the Nepal Disaster relief fund

Nancy did a wonderful vocal arrangement at the offertory on "Come Thou Fount". Nancy and Alex are celebrating a wedding anniversary on May 7

Coffee hour was presented by Helmut and Susana and Elizabeth. It featured Helmut’s lentil soup (Susan’s receipe), a wonderful casserole (page 43 of the cookbook), fruit, sandwiches, raw vegetables. Dessert included oatmeal cookies, brownies and Trifle. Cookie provided the punch.  

Ken Pogue has produced some postcards of the church and environment. They are $1 each (extended size). We sold $30 today – available in church and Parish House. A church fund raiser. 

Commentary by Canon Lance Ousley, Diocese of Olympia

Stewards of God’s love bear the life-giving Fruit of the Vine in Jesus Christ.

In the 1st Century water was often in short supply and fresh potable water was even more scarce. So wine was needed to survive. The reality is that wine was a matter of life or death for Jesus and his contemporaries. The image of the vine for Jesus’ 1st Century hearers was poignant because they understood viticulture and its intensive care.

The good vine steward spends much time attending his vines and knows that only with proper care the branches of the vine will produce good fruit. This is year-round work nurturing the vine in each season to produce the abundant harvest that the vine was meant to produce through its branches. The vine is pruned in early spring of the branches that will not produce fruit. In the summer the amount of leaves on the branches are regulated. Too many leaves can rob the fruit of nutrients needed to produce the best fruit and an abundant harvest. The fall brings the harvest of the well-attended fruit. And the winter is a time of mulching and protecting the vine from the elements for the next growing season. All of this care for the vines meant life for the community in the 1st Century. With an abundant harvest the whole community could and would thrive.

Jesus tells his disciples and us that he is the Vine and that we are the branches, and he reminds us that only the branches that are connected to the Vine can produce fruit. God is the Master Vine Steward, who has planted Jesus the Vine in the world so that the world can have life through the Vine and the fruit that it produces. All of God’s tending the Vine and branches is an act of love to give the fruit of abundant life to the world.

John teaches us in his 1st letter to the Church what this fruit is to look like in the world. The fruit of Love that is produced through abiding in Love is shown through our loving one another. And it is in the midst of our loving one another the way God the Vine Steward and Jesus the Vine have loved us that this fruit of abundant life is produced. So we are to be stewards of the same type of loving care the Vine Steward gives the Vine and the Vine gives to the branches sharing this fruit with the world around us. In this stewardship of the fruit of Love, we are branches of the Vine producing fruit through him that gives life not only to the world, but also to us. We truly cannot thrive without producing the fruit God intends for us, and this takes attentive year-round attention like a good vine steward.

So how are you living as a Steward of the fruit of Love, both as an individual and as a community

  Sunday, May 25, 2014, Easter 6  (full size gallery)

Today is a double header – Rogation Sunday and Memorial weekend. The next 4 Sundays are formally named – Rogation, Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity.  It was the most perfect day with the weather – abundant sunshine and pleasant temperatures for the end of May.  A relaxing time on a long weekend.  Most noticeable the fields had corn about knee high looked good considering the excess rain we had a few weeks ago.

We had 8 at 9am and 33 at 11am with two families at least on vacation. We celebrated Jackie’s impending graduation as well as Andrea’s Shred-It which raised $175 on Friday evening.  The osprey are back with a nest at the base of King Street opposite the river. Very majestic!

Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day and originated after the Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. It has been extended further to veterans who have given their time and put their lives on the line while serving for our country. 

There are pictures here from Fredericksburg’s National Cemetery. The luminaria which has been going for 20 years is the famous event on Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend. However, the morning sunrise and afterwards with all the flags on 15,000 graves is a most awe inspiring time.

St. Peter’s has its own flags on its veterans in the grave yard – Civil War (Rev. Friend a chaplain, D. B. Powers one brother of a large family that survived), Austin Hoyt (WW. II) and others.   

Today we had current veterans representing the Army, Navy  and Air Force recognized for their service from World War II to Vietnam. Woody Everett, an Air Force colonial, wore his uniform which fit almost perfectly considering it had not been worn in 31 years!  

The other celebration is Rogation Sunday. Rogation" means "asking". In the agrarian culture of yesterday, it was common for the church to gather on the Rogation Days to ask God to bless the crops being sown. We would have asked Him to send rain and to bless us with a good harvest later in the year. A common feature of Rogation days in former times was the ceremony of beating the bounds, in which a procession of parishioners, led by the minister, churchwarden, and choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year.

We call this Sunday "Rogation Sunday" because the 3 days which follow it are ancient Rogation Days, these being the 3 days leading up to the great Feast of the Ascension of our Lord, this year on May 29. Rogations Days have been a part of the Christian year from early days. There used to be both a Major Rogation (April 25) and 3 Minor Rogation Days (the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday proceeding Ascension Day). Thus originally, this Sunday was not a Rogation Day – the change being made in 1662, after the Major Rogation had dropped away. Rogation days are days of prayerful supplication before God. Today Rogation can be made into a study of the environment and how we can improve it. The readings are here

The sermon provided a metaphor for understanding today keeping the rogation theme – "Imagine a huge radiating golden circle, a circle great enough to hold all of God’s creation, including this earth, with its amazing diversity of life, and all people. Let’s call this huge golden circle The Body of God, based on one of the metaphors that theologian Sally McFague uses to describe God in her book, Models of God. We know that we are made in the image of God, and Jesus came to dwell among us, to pitch his tent among us, in a human body, the body of God. And Jesus also described himself with images from God’s creation. Jesus is bread made from grains of wheat ground and baked into a loaf, and Jesus is wine, made from the crushing of grapes.The Holy Spirit appears as a bird, as wind, as flame, as the breath of life itself. Water flows through our scripture and liturgies, gushing up to eternal life, as Jesus puts it."

"And Jesus describes this great golden circle, The Body of God, to his disciples in the comforting and strengthening talk that he shares with them before being lifted up on the cross. They have already known what it is like to be surrounded by and to live in The Body of God—and Jesus reminds them of this fact when he says to them, “You know him (the Spirit of Truth—Jesus, that is), because he abides with you, and he will be in you.And the disciples will live even more completely in The Body of God when Jesus departs and sends the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, to abide with them… "At the beginning of today’s gospel, Jesus said to the disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” "And the two great commandments are to love God with all our hearts and minds and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. And our neighbor includes the natural world around us."

"Today is our day to love Jesus, and to keep his commandments.

"Today is our day to let ourselves be drawn into that great radiating golden circle that is the Body of God, to find God present in those around us and in all of creation,

"Today is our day to live and love in Jesus, to care for one another and for all of God’s magnificent creation,

"And today is our day to be enfolded and embraced and healed and strengthened and empowered within the Body of God."

Easter 6 , May 5, 2013  (full size gallery)

First Sunday in May, Easter 6, felt like the first Sunday in April – cool and overcast. Small congregation of 38 for the first Sunday. We did have a few guests – Eleonore, Alan and Wendy and a newcomer Tony.

The Iris in the front were completely out in the front and the yellow iris near the Parish House are beginning.

This was a busy week with the Vestry retreat on Tuesday, Village Dinner on Wed, and jail ministry on Thursday. The retreat was written up here and the May newsletter. It also figured prominently in the sermon today.  The readings are here.

We celebrated Alex and Nancy’s 30th wedding anniversary. Nancy also contributed an arrangement of fresh flowers for the altar.

It was Rogation Sunday. In honor of this event we used Eucharistic Prayer 2 from Enriching our Worship and a selection from David Adam for the Prayers of the People. There was an emphasis on God and creation, wise use of the resources and praises for those who till the land. 

A great coffee hour compliments of the Carpenters and the Fishers – Tuna and Barbecue sandwiches, cheese, salad and Trifle and cookies for desert. Very filling!

The Ascension is this Thursday. Catherine was planning a service but her mother has an operating this week in NC. Friday is the shredding event at 4pm. Next week is an all-in-one service – Ascension, Easter 7, Mother’s Day and Founders’ Day.

Jesus continues to prepare his followers for his departure. The Gospel passage is both to instruct and provide promise for the disciples. The readings are here

Judas, son of James (one of the twelve in Luke’s list of disciples) has asked him: “‘how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’” (v. 22). What the disciples are likely to fear most: isolation from their teacher and friend. All that they have done has been about being part of Jesus’ life and journey. But Jesus’ promises mean that they will not be alone.

From this question, it sounds as if Judas is expecting Jesus to reveal secrets, to give his followers knowledge hidden from the world at large Jesus answers, but not directly. In the era to come, when the Father and Son come, separation between God and those who love him will no longer exist (v. 23).

The word used is “abide”, used over 40 times in John’s Gosepl .How do we prepare for Jesus to abide with or in us? Abide signifies to stay, to remain, to dwell, to lodge, to last, to persist, and/or to continue. We are to make time and space now to welcome Jesus in his relationship to the Father and the Spirit into our lives

By keeping Jesus’ commandments (14:15) and by loving Jesus, which inevitably and inextricably means keeping his word. Loving Jesus implies obeying him. This is not a totalitarian obedience but a freely voluntary participation is essential to John’s vision. It is closer to holding, paying attention to and protecting Jesus word

The results of loving Jesus and keeping his word in v. 23 are: The Father will love that one . The Father and Son will come to that one. The Father and Son will make a dwelling with that one

We prepare for Jesus to abide in us by welcoming his gift of peace (14:27) and responding to his presence with faith in the absence of sight (14:18).

Jesus commands that we serve one another – just as Jesus washed his disciples feet, so he expects us to serve each other (13:14-15). Jesus commands that we love another, even that we love another as Jesus loved us! (13:34). And Jesus commands that we love one another even to the point of giving our life for one another (15:12-13).

John’s language can seem polarizing. This aspect of John’s vision is partly result of his circumstances in which his community was under attack and persecution; you either were a fully devoted, loyal participant of John’s community or you were a danger to the community. This historical context does not need to be repeated, and does not have any theological significance for understanding John. The key is see John’s passage as organic. Everything comes as a complete package and so our experience of any part will only be as rich as our experience of the part we least participate in.

The message Jesus brings is “from the Father” (v. 24); Jesus is his agent. Jesus’ words will be complemented by the actions of the “Holy Spirit” (v. 26), who will be “Advocate”, i.e. helper and counsellor to believers. He will cause the disciples to remember (“remind”) what Jesus has said, and help them to understand the true significance of Jesus’ words and deeds (“everything”).

Jesus gives to his followers “peace”, (v. 27, shalom) – a very different gift from worldly gifts. ). He does not describe the peace he offers, though from his words in John 14:27, we may conclude that his peace offers the disciples both comfort for troubled hearts and courage in the midst of fear. It is not the same as absence of war but an internal feature of wholeness, completeness. It envisions the full prosperity of a people of God living under the covenant of God’s demanding care and compassion are rule

The command to love the promise of peace are all bundled up. And like love, peace is a mark of true discipleship that is required of the disciples — then and now.

This is not a passive peace. It is an active working toward peace in multiple situations. This Spirit and peace will propel the disciples and later the church into active discipleship and mission

In loving God, we come to know him. If they really knew Jesus, they would rejoice at his coming departure (v. 28). The Father has sent him into the world to do his will, so in that sense “the Father is greater than I”. Jesus has told them this so that when they see his manner of leaving (“it”, v. 29), they “may believe”.

Recall Judas’ question "How is it that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" (John 14:23). These are the ways those who love Jesus will continue to see and know him after he goes away: in the home that the Father and the Son make with them, in the work of the Spirit to call to mind everything that Jesus taught, and in their ongoing experience of peace that comes from him and not from the world.

By telling us what is going to occur in advance, we may be confident that the ruler of this world actually has no power over Jesus; what is about to happen is because Jesus is keeping his Father’s commandment (and thereby showing his love).

Easter 5 , April 28, 2013  (full size gallery)

Today was a two service Sunday at the end of the month on Easter Five – Holy Eucharist, Rite 1 at 9am with 10 and and Morning Prayer at 11am with 35.

We also had an adult ed on climate change emphasizing what we can do to be better stewards of the environment.  The relatonship of  earth and God was mentioned at several points in the lectionary. Psalm 148, a praise psalm had  "Let them praise the Name of the LORD, for his Name only is exalted, his splendor is over earth and heaven."  The passage from Revelation 21:1 starts this way "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

The weather began sunny but became overcast and by 1pm was raining. This is the first week of the Iris blooming in numbers with more coming next week.

The children joined Catherine at 11am on a hymn ("In My Life Lord Be Glorified) from LEVAS that showed the themes of the lectionary and sermon.  We also continued to sing the Psalm.

The life of the church was explored in the announcements. We announced we had collected $1,320 for the Haiti toilet project. The recent Region One meeting was described with $2,000 – provided $1,000 for Church repair at St. John’s in King George and $1,000 for two missioners. We have a shredding project coming up on May 10 which Andrea advertized. Apparently you have to remove staples and other things from the papers to be accepted!

The sermon was on the concept of glorious love based on the Gospel reading ."This glorious love isn’t just the garden variety love that we create on our own.  This glorious love that Jesus talks about is reflective of the glorious love that God has for us, and we glorify God in our lives when we love one another as God has loved us. "

-This glorious love is free.
-This glorious love is sacrificial
-This glorious love is abundant.
-This glorious love is healing. 
-This glorious love is full of praise. 
-This glorious love is new.
-This glorious love is full of God’s freedom and justice. 
-This glorious love is visible to the world.   

This week the Gospel is about extending love in the world. There are plenty of reasons in the world not to love but equally there are just as many to extending love.

This is the beginning of what scholars call the “Farewell Discourse”, or more properly, “Farewell Discourses” in John. The “Farewell Discourses” take up several chapters in John’s gospel, in which Jesus directs his teachings no longer at the crowds in general, but at his disciples in particular. Jesus’ goal is to prepare the disciples to continue on without him after he dies, is raised, and finally ascends into heaven – in the case of this first discourse, Jesus is preparing his disciples for his crucifixion.

David Lose provides the following thoughts on the Gospel reading of John:

"In terms of the larger structure of the Gospel, we are early into the “second book” of John (the first being the “book of signs," chapters 2-12) that relates the story of Jesus’ “glorification” in the cross, resurrection, and ascension.  

"This section begins with the account of the Last Supper and the moving words that summarize the whole: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” As this particular passage commences, Jesus has already washed the feet of his disciples, Judas has just departed to betray him, and the rest of the disciples are in a state of confusion. At just this moment of drama and tension, Jesus’ offers these words, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

"Think about it: when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, Judas was there. Further, he will now demonstrate just how much God loves the world by dying for those who manifestly do not love him. Love is hard because it is self-sacrificing. It means putting the good of the other first, even when it hurts.

"I find it striking that these are the words Jesus’ leaves with his disciples. I mean, he could have said, “Go out and die with me.” Or, “keep the faith.” Or, “when I am gone go out and teach and preach to all the world.” Or, well, any number of things. But instead he offered this simple and challenging word, “love another.” Why? Because this kind of love is the hallmark not just of God and Jesus but also of the Christian church. As in the old camp song, Jesus agrees that the whole world will know we are Christians not by our sermons or our sacraments or our festivals or our buildings or our crucifixes or our family values … but by our love. It’s just that important.  

"Second, having set the scene so that we can hear again and anew the import of these words, remind us that we actually can and often do love one another. Sometimes the love command seems so challenging we assume it’s an ideal, a lofty goal that none of us will ever reach. But while we may not love perfectly, we do love, and sometimes one of the most powerful things you can hear in relation to a command is the affirmation of your ability to keep it.  

"Perhaps it was looking out for the interests of a colleague, or overlooking the slight of a friend, or putting aside one’s own goals to help someone else achieve theirs. Maybe it was a large act of love, or maybe it was much smaller. But each of us, I’d wager, did in fact “love one another” this past week and it would be good to call that to mind. "

Suzanne Guthrie, priest and writer, provides an elaboration of what this love is. "Love in all forms (meditation one) to live and die for love (meditation two) embodying the qualities of gentleness and generosity (meditation three). As we mature in love, our love and our actions have no boundaries (the Last Word.)"

We can also look at this passage in a more narrow way based on what was happening to the church during John’s time.  Jesus doesn’t tell his disciples to love their neighbors, Gentiles or Samaritans, victims or Others. Jesus tells his disciples to love one another – those who are already in the community of Christ (John 13:35). In the context of John’s church, which was beset with tension both from without and within, this was important and necessary advice. In order to bring the good news of Christ to the nations, it was necessary that the followers of Christ take care of one another, that in the midst of disagreements about doctrine and struggles in establishing the church, the disciples of Jesus needed to love one another. The politics of a world beset against Christianity required it.

Indeed, in a world in which Christianity too often finds itself beset against itself in wars over scriptural authority, denominationalism, separation of church and state, and the like, the advice of the Johannine Jesus continues to be excellent advice – setting aside all our differences, as disciples of Jesus, we are called to love one another.  

In the Acts reading, Jesus sends Peter to the home of Gentiles, commanding him to “make no distinction” between himself and them (Acts 11:12). Indeed, as a result of this encounter with those whom he would have otherwise avoided as Others, not only are Peter and the whole Jerusalem church opened to a larger view of ministry, but everyone in that household – including, one would assume, slaves, women, and children (more Others in the first century world!) are baptized and experience Christ’s salvation. Through Peter’s love of the Other, they are thereby brought into the community of Christ.  

Multitasking May 11 – Bible study in the morning and Shred-it in the afternoon

Weekly Bible Study– 7 people studied the scriptures for this Sunday Easter 5 from 10am to noon.
Highlight – Gospel John ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Shredit – Professional shredding done right for all who wanted their documents shred . We collected $1,000 for Shredit- and after costs we made $605 for outreach ministries at St. Peter’s. This was our 10th year of providing professional recycling for the community. Andrea Pogue devised the event and has continued to lead it during these years. Thanks to all who participated.

Over 10 years the event has generated $2,570 for outreach ministries.

A cooler day with temperatures in the mid to high forties. Rain overnight and continuing partially into Sunday. A low Sunday with 19 in the church and 7 on Zoom

We thank Elizabeth Heimbach for the beautiful arrangements adorning the altar

The sermon featured a quiz on sheep with some surprising results of the abilities of sheep.

The sermon described Peter’s giving new life to the deceased Tabitha. The only difference with Jesus is that Peter pauses to kneel and pray, thereby illustrating that the authority to raise the dead is not his own like it was Jesus’, but is an extension of the presence of Christ.

The highpoint of the sermon -“In this miraculous moment, Peter is one with Jesus, united with Jesus in Jesus’ lifegiving, healing mission to the world. And in this oneness with Jesus, through which new life flows into Tabitha, people see for themselves the evidence of God’s love, and many believe in the Lord.

“In Bible study on Wednesday, Helmut pointed out that we suddenly seem to have so many friends who need our prayers. Our prayer list continues to grow.

“We can pray for them the way Peter prayed that day in Joppa, by removing the other voices that nag at us even in prayer, and then be intentional about listening for the voice of Jesus, reflecting on Jesus’ love for each of us, Jesus’ love for the person for whom we’re praying, and then to open ourselves as a channel for Jesus’ healing, life giving resurrection love to flow where it will, out into the world, and into the person for whom we are praying. We are united with Jesus in Jesus’ lifegiving, healing mission to the world.

“Jesus says that he gives his sheep eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of his hand. So when we pray, we really can simply listen for the voice of Jesus and reflect on his life giving love in prayer, resting in the assurance that all is well, and that all will be well, even when life is falling apart around us, and even if we are full of fear for ourselves, for those we love, or more broadly, for the state of the world itself.

“After all, we are praying for what is not now, but for what will be. We are praying in the now for the not yet of God’s reign, here and completed on this earth, when the words of Jesus have finally been realized.

As Jesus says earlier in Chapter 10 as he is talking about being the good shepherd, “There will be one flock, one shepherd.”

“That shepherd is the Lamb at the center of the throne in the book of Revelation who guides us to the springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

“This is the same God who in this life pursues us with goodness and mercy all the days of our lives and wants us to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, the one who wants us to have life, and to have it abundantly.

This week coming up is Shred-It on Wed May 11. We don’t know the time until Tuesday night. It is a service to the community and a money maker for St. Peter’s Outreach ministries

 Fourth Sunday After Easter, May 8, 2022(full size gallery)