Photo by Elizabeth Heimbach on the Rappahannnock
Aug.28, 11:00am – Morning Prayer
This Week
Sundays
Sunday Links for July 31, 2022 – Pentecost 8
July 31, 11:00am – Eucharist
Youth Sunday
We had Youth Sunday on July 31, 2022 in part of a common activity and to provide a celebration on going back to school. We had 10 youth participating during the church service on July 31 in bell ringing, the sermon, communion distribution and communion prep. They also helped to write the Prayers of the People.
The lectionary, particularly the Gospel Luke 12:13-21 on the Parable of the Rich Food, was particularly apropos dealing with greed, excess possessions, and ultimately fate. The youth came to the altar during communion. Using popcorn kernels each youth received a different number of kernels. This prompted interesting discussions. How to handle friends who were given much less ? In Luke’s scripture there is no thought to using the abundance to help others, no expression of gratitude for his good fortune, no recognition of God at all who is responsible for all possessions. The man in the Gospel is not evil. Wealth is not evil in itself – only how you use it. Some real world lessons in church today about building justice and how we lead our lives toward that end. Great to see smiles during the sermon!
Sunday Links for July 17, 2022 – Pentecost 6
July 17, 11:00am – Eucharist
Mary and Martha
Guest preacher, the Rev. J. Lee Hill
- Zoom link for July 17
- Bulletin July 17, 2022
- Lectionary for July 17 2022, Pentecost 6
- Videos for July 17
- Photos for July 17
- Commentary July 17, 2022
- Last Sunday to donate markers or a monetary donation for distribution by Caroline’s Promise for school children
July 20, 3:30-5pm – Village Harvest
Please email Andrea to volunteer at wakepogue.public@gmail.com, or (540) 847-9002. Pack bags 1-3PM, Deliver food to clients’ cars 3-5PM.
We had 24 in house and 7 online for Pentecost with Rev Lee Hill, Diocese missioner for racial justice and healing. His sermon was on the story of Mary and Martha a short story that appears abruptly in Luke when Jesus visits their home in Bethany. Both Mary and Martha serve, yet Mary understands the priority and necessity of choosing to be present with Jesus at his feet which was the key point to Rev. Hill. Martha is doing everything to get ready except be with Jesus. Jesus seems to favor Mary’s approach . Both of them were not typical of the time – Mary a female sitting with a prominent male guest and Martha a female head of household.
As of Sunday, we have collected 182 markers out of a total of 250 for donation to Caroline’s Promise for the news school year. We hope to make up the rest this week.
We celebrated BJ’s birthday. BJ is our bread maker for Sunday communion.
Another unique Sunday for music. Larry on guitar and Helmut on violin teamed up for the prelude, “Sweet Hour of Prayer”. Larry took the offertory, “Because all men are brothers”. The tune is Bach. Tom Glazer wrote the words in 1947. Peter Paul and Mary’s version in 1965 is probably the best known. It also fit the work and message of Rev. Hill
Lunch was held in the parish house in honor of Rev. Hill. A portion of the “Sacred Ground” group met with Rev. Hill during Lunch. Hill’s work is to encourage Sacred Ground as a prime responsibility. He is also promoting a second ground that is intended for Black and Indigenous populations. Another activity is help congregations handling racially related issues. For example, he is working with Little Fork church with a Confederal statue on their property.
Sunday Links for July 3, 2022
July 3, 11:00am – Eucharist
- Zoom link for July 3
- Bulletin July 3, 2022
- Lectionary for July 3 2022, Pentecost 4
- Commentary July 3, 2022
- Sermon July 3, 2022
- Videos, July 3, 2022
- Photos, July 3, 2022
We had a diverse crowd 26 in the service and 5 online. However, we had Brad Saylor’s family visiting from Africa (8 or so) and Peter from Wales. We also had Ken’s father from Tennessee. We had ample time for dialogue – the sermon featured it. It was also first Sunday coffee hour called “Cookies and Conversation”. It was a picturesque Sunday with not only the regular flowers but special flower for a parishioner’s mother born on July 4. The town had their July 4 flags out. We introduced our task to provide 250 markers for school children by the middle of the month.
We even had enough children for an impromptu children’s sermon.
It was one of the most important Gospel lessons from Luke 10 – in essence how to spread Jesus teaching with his sending out of the 70.
The mission was the same as Jesus’ own ministry: “cure the sick” and “say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
There are two basic tasks 1. Bring the message, “God’s kingdom has come close to you!” All this is in the present tense and not the future. 2. Show by action. Bring deeds of the kingdom. (Namely, heal the sick.) Tell them the good news that “the kingdom of God has come near to you” (v. 9): it’s partly already here! The teams went out with an urgent message. “Turn around people – and seek peace – God’s reign has come close to you!” The message is timeless.
Notice how Jesus only tells them what they should do and doesn’t say anything about measuring their success. The version 16 paragraph closes with another note about success. We are not to rejoice about our success in our various ministries, but to rejoice “that your names are written in heaven,” that is, that we are part of this kingdom of God which we are proclaiming.
So, the essence of the mission is to live out the relationship with God that has been given to us through Jesus Christ. And this is what it looks like; don’t travel alone, do travel light, not worry about what is up ahead, just share peace and healing if you can.
Sunday Links for June 26
June 26, 11:00am – Morning Prayer with Tom Hughes
Bishop Susan Goff visited St. Peter’s, Sun June 19 for confirmation
Bishop Susan Goff’s visitation occurred on June 19. The last Bishop visit was Bishop Ihloff in 2019. She substituted for the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson who had a death in the family
Arthur Duke and Cornesha Howard were confirmed with a covered dish luncheon following the service.
Bishop visitation and confirmation June 19, 2022(full size gallery)
The Connection – Sunday, June 19’s Gospel, Juneteenth and World Refugee Day (June 20)
Luke 8:35–39
Image is from
Léonard Gaultier (artist) French, 1561 – 1641, Scenes from the New Testament
Sunday is Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, learned they were emancipated, although it had been the case since 1863. This observance is “about the journey and achievement of African Americans — from a horrific period of sanctioned enslavement to the pinnacle of human endeavors” (Juneteenth.com). So, it is fitting that Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 8:26-39) is about healing and freedom: A man possessed by demons, ostracized and “living in the tombs,” is made whole by Jesus. It’s the drowning pigs story
Today, we tend to understand demons as a metaphor for personal struggles — such as addiction, disease, or chronic illness. But demons can be systemic in society as well, such as our country’s addiction to guns, white supremacy, and income inequality. These societal demons perpetuate the fear that keeps us divided. We see systemic fear of freedom in Sunday’s Gospel as well. The Gerasa community is seized by fear at the man’s healing and restoration, and they banish Jesus, the healer and restorer.
Juneteenth is a time to celebrate what has been done to make our world better for all and reminds us to recommit ourselves to the healing work we need to do before we can all truly be free. It also reminds us to attend to the systemic forces that prevent change, keep oppression in place, and distract us with the falsehood that one person’s freedom must be another person’s loss. As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”—Ruth Frey
Jesus disturbed the comforted and comforted the disturbed – Ryan W. Clayton
The story of the Gerasene demoniac in Luke pushes us to reflect on questions of identity. Immediately preceding this story, Jesus calmed violent wind and raging waves with a word. His disciples ask, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” (Luke 8:25) Who is this, indeed? He masters the storm when the disciples cry out for help, he masters the demons when they cry out to be left alone. Junteenth gave a legal identity to those caught by slavery.
Juneteenth is also related to World Refugee Day.
Junetenth is about personal freedom. World Refugee Day also proclaims the value of each person as a unique child of God and commit ourselves to the healing and wholeness of all persons.
There is a community element as well. As the Bishop of Atlanta writes “God rejoices when we celebrate the truth-that we were made for each other and for God’s glory. “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters and siblings to dwell together in unity.”
Juneteenth also preserved the integrity of the family by allowing families to stick together without the possibility of being sold. World Refugee Day remembers and honors the families and individuals made homeless by disasters, wars, poverty, and intolerance around the world
7th Sunday of Easter at St. Peter’s May 29, 2022
May 29 – UTO donations collected.
May 29 – 11:00am, Easter 7 – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278
The First Nouvena
The word “novena” means “nine” and is used to describe nine days of private or public devotion or focused and persistent prayer for a specific cause, usually as a form of petition or intercession but also as a prayer of thanksgiving for blessings received, devotion to a particular saint or feast day, as a period of mourning a loss, or anticipating a significant event.
The nine days of a novena come from the time that the Apostles and Mary waited in prayer between the Ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. This was the period of time in which the Church prepared to go forth into the world to carry out Christ’s mission. These nine days, in essence, constituted the very first novena.
June 1 – Bible Study 10am-12pm
June 5 – 11:00am, Pentecost – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278
Sunday Links, Aug. 20, 2023, Pentecost 12
Today is the story of the Canaanite woman and Jesus’s controversial interaction with her
Annette Steele on Sun Aug. 13, 2023
“Reading Lectionary for Aug. 27, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday Links, Aug. 13, 2023, Pentecost 11
Today is the famous story of Jesus walking on water. We receive a special visitor
Before and After the July 29 storm
“Reading Lectionary for Aug. 20, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
A Full day of Church with Annette Steele’s visit to St. Peter’s and the Youth pool party all afternoon. We have photo galleries and some videos of both.
We had 33 at service which was encouraging. Hightlights would have to be the announcements which centered on outreach for Jamaica and our mission trip. Annette Steele was here from the elementry school to underscore the need for mission. Mission trips are wonderful since both sides find benefits. Another area need support was Hawaii. We provided informatin in the bulletin and on this website how to provide assistance for Hawaii after the wild fire.
We had numerous visitors in support of Jamaica and Annette Steele’s visit. The luncheon was provide by numerous parishioners.
Sunday Links, Aug. 6, 2023, Transfiguration
Interesting pew!
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