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.

Way of Love

Voices -John 3:16 -God’s Offensive Love

By David Lose 

John 3:16, everyone’s favorite Bible verse. But I’ve wondered whether, if people thought about what this verse says for just a little longer than it takes to read a bumper sticker, it might just prove to be one of our least favorite verses in the Bible. Let me explain.

Jesus articulates in this statement what Luther called “the Gospel in a nutshell” – that God is fundamentally a God of love, that love is the logic by which the kingdom of God runs, and that God’s love trumps everything else, even justice, in the end.

I realize not everyone reads it this way. After all, Jesus says “everyone who believes…” will eternal life, which perhaps implies a different outcome for those who don’t believe. But read on, for in the next verse Jesus states that, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Period. Moreover, the “judgment” to come is not punishment but simply the crisis that befalls those who will not come out of the darkness for fear of the light. It is not judgment as punishment, but judgment as crisis, as tragedy, as loss. God comes in love to redeem such loss, turn such tragedy into victory, and demonstrate true power through sheer vulnerability and sacrifice.

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“A Case for Love” – 30 day Journal

The team that created the movie “A Case for Love” is beginning the “Month of Unselfish Love.” During the next month, everyone is invited to perform daily acts of selflessness and journal those moments.

Two options to document your efforts:
1. Download the 30 days journal
2. Download the single page you can date and use in MSWord or Google docs for a particular day

What to write?
1. Describe the act of love.
2. Describe how it impacted the recipient.
3. Describe how it impacted you.
Thank you!

Unselfish Love

Unselfish love is defined as an altruistic form of love characterized by selflessness, compassion and concern for the well-being of others, and placing the needs and happiness of others above one’s own, without expecting anything in return.

Sunday’s Thoughts Jan 28, Epiphany 4

This week 7 of us went to the Paragon Theater in Fredericksburg to see “A Case for Love”. This movie was 3+ years in the making by an Episcopalian film maker and is based on Bishop Caurry’s “Way of Love” concept that goes back to 2018.

The movie spotlighted 13 stories involving unselfish love plus many more “man on the street” questions involved the Love question. A number of prominent individuals were also spotlighted including Episcopalians, Bishop Curry, Senator Danforth and Al Roker.

It was inspiring! The group that made the film has challenged in the next 30 days to journal us and extend the “Way of Love” for lives. A link for the journal is here. PDF, Word and Google docs.

The church has taken a variation of this and designated 2024 as the year we are to “Walk in Love. ”

Each season will have a particular focus. The focus of the Advent and Christmas season will be Walk to the Manger. The season after The Epiphany where we are now will be Walk in the Light.

How do we “Walk in the Light” ? The answer has much to do with concept of “Way of Love.” This involves treating others with kindness and respect and have a sense of compassion for others situations. We should serve others by volunteering, helping those in need, and living a life of service. It is also involved in not hiding the truth and being honest with others even when it hurts.

In Mark’s Gospel this week Jesus has to confront a demon inside of a man. This is the first healing story and for Mark the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. The demon knows exactly who Jesus is – “the Holy One of God.”

What strikes the crowd about Jesus’ teaching is that he does it “with authority,” speaking in his own voice rather than citing other authorities. In Mark and elsewhere, Jesus often references both scripture and tradition — but not here at the very outset, a vivid signal of his distinctive prophetic standing and power. For Mark, when Jesus speaks, we hear God’s voice; and when Jesus acts, we see God’s action in the world. He definitely speaks with authority and with God’s light. In this sense, his teaching is indistinguishable from his mission, and from who he is.

We don’t know the details of the demon but it destroyed his personality, rendered him an outcast, unclean, and unable to live with his family. Jesus confronts this unclean spirit directly with the simple words: “Be still. Come out from him.”

Part of “Walking in the Light” is the the requirement on us to confront those in our time with demons. We have many more demons in our time. Think of how addiction overwhelms individuals and families; how racism and white supremacy shape-shift over time; how anger consumes; how envy devours; or how all of us, even against our will, how we are complicit in creating the blanket of CO2 and other gasess overheating the planet (2023 set the record for the hottest global year on record). Demons are diffcult to isolate and overcome. We have work together in many situations to do this.

How can we walk in the Way of Love?

1. Decide to forgive. One of the most important aspects of the love walk is forgiveness. Choose to see people as God sees them.
2. Decide to hold your tongue. Love isn’t rude.
3. Decide to believe the best about people. Love believes the best about others.
4. Decide to not get offended by controlling your anger.
5. Decide to help those in your neighborhood that can use a hand. Be aware of opportunities to show the way of love.
6. Decide to recognize God’s presence in our everyday life
7. Decide to use the gifts you have been given in the world to make it a better place.
8. Decide to engage in Bible reading.
9. Decide to be like Jesus and retreat, especially when you are emotionally, physically and spiritually tapped out.
10. Decide to avoid the indulgence in food. The healthier our bodies (and minds), the better position we are in to walk in the way of love on behalf of the people around us.

“A Case for Love”, a Movie for Our Time

On January 23, 2024, there will be a one night showing of a new movie entitled “A Case for Love“.  The movie originated in 2019, prior to the pandemic by a team led by Brian Ide, a film director in California. 

Watch the trailer

Get tickets – $12.75 or $9.50 seniors. Paragon theatre in Fredericksburg, 4pm and 7pm shows.

Link to Film Website.

The movie may be a good tie-in to our 2024 theme. St. Peter’s has a 2024 theme of  “ Walk in Love” with 4 distinct seasons. The movie will be shown during one of those seasons, Epiphany, with a title of “Walk in the Light”. Light has been viewed as  a metaphor for righteousness and goodness.   As Bishop Curry writes in his book Love is the Way  “Love as an action is the only thing that has ever changed the world for the better..” “Love is a commitment to seek the good and to work for the good and welfare of others.”

Ide writes about how the movie idea came to him  “Recently, I had grown more and more troubled by the increasing divisive state of our culture, and found myself contemplating, “What can I do to help?”

“While that led to many considerations, at the end of the day, all I really knew how to do well is make movies. Combining this glaring need with my skills, I went about the task of making this documentary —to give voice to my own thoughts as well as many others around the country.

“Bishop Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, inspired the film’s focus as he offered a solution to what ails us: “Love.” Specifically, “Unselfish Love.”

“As Bishop Curry wrote in his latest book, “When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary. When love is the way, we will lay our swords and shields down by the riverside to study war no more. When love is the way, there’s plenty of room for all of God’s children. When love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, like we are actually family.”

“Could the answer to society’s problems really be that simple and actually within the grasp of each of us?  This film presents what I observed and encountered while criss-crossing back and forth across the U.S.,  in search of the answer. Viewers must decide for themselves, and if their answer is “yes,” they will hopefully be inspired to live—intentionally—more selflessly and become part of the solution, making their  own case for love

“In the documentary, our film team travels the U.S. searching for people living their lives selflessly and interviews them about how that way of living affects others and themselves. We also interview random people on the street, discussing where they’ve witnessed unselfish love and where they’ve seen its absence. We also learn what well-known figures, including Pete Buttigieg, Al Roker, Sam Waterston, John Danforth, Becca Stevens, Jon Meacham, Russell Moore, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Jim Clyburn, have to say about the topic. Finally, Bishop Michael Curry places all we’ve seen into context.

“Subjects explored: Racial Justice, Sexual Identity, Military Service, Foster Care, Politics, Sexual Trafficking, Disability, Loss of Loved Ones, Refugees, Volunteering, Food Justice and more.

“What’s the verdict on “A Case for Love“? Is unselfish love the antidote to what ails us? Join us January 23, 2024 and decide for yourself!

“The film will be shown on one night in about 1,000 locations. The closest location to us is Paragon movie theatre in Fredericksburg. There are two times – 4pm, 7pm. The film is about 2 hours. The admission is $12.75 adult and seniors $9.50.”

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The Way of Love – in summary

1.  From the book Love is the Way by Michael Curry

“Love is a firm commitment to act for the well-being of someone other than yourself. It can be personal or political, individual or communal, intimate or public. Love will not be segregated to the private, personal precincts of life. Love, as I read it in the Bible, is ubiquitous. It affects all aspects of life.”

“Love is a commitment to seek the good and to work for the good and welfare of others. It doesn’t stop at our front door or our neighborhood, our religion or race, or our state’s or your country’s border

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