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.
Who can tell me what this is? Yes, a map. These days we mostly use GPS to map our trips, but these paper maps can come in handy as well. But when we travel, we have to have the right map to get us where we want to go. If I’m traveling in Virginia, is this map going to help me? Which one do I need?
We all know stories about maps that lead us to hidden treasure. If we follow the map we will find the treasure!
Now here’s the most important map we can have—a map that gives us the directions we need to get through our lives without getting lost and also leads us to the treasure, which is the kingdom of God.
This is the Bible.
For instance, in today’s Old Testament reading, God says, “Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, (That is, stop going the wrong way!) and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God, Turn then, and live.” (That is, turn and go the right way!)
Head toward safety and life rather than toward danger and death.
Today I want to tell you the story of a person who was headed in one direction, and then he heard God ask him to turn and go in a different, better direction.
The blessing -“Our pets have already blessed us. On St Francis Day, we get to bless our pets.” St Francis of Assisi, who lived from 1182 to 1226, had a great love for animals and the environment. He understood the earth and everything in it as God’s good creation and believed that we are brothers and sisters with everything in creation. So on this day, we remember St Francis and thank God for the gift of our pets.
When you have a moment with your pet, offer this blessing written by Bishop Mark S. Sisk:
Live without fear. Your Creator loves you, made you holy, and has always protected you. May we follow the good road together, and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.
St. Peter’s play is not just an original play for children but for the entire congregation. And it was certainly true when entire families were coopted to help prepare a Mass for St. Francis. He wanted to see the birth of Jesus with his own eyes.
This play was different in that it was not set in Bethlehem but 13th century Italy. Part of the fun was to see how St. Peter’s family names were converted into an Italian script. Helmut made it work playing Giovanni that loveable guy who wanted to turn the village upside down preparing a wonderful mass for St. Francis. He made you believe he was making it happen.
6 families he was able to convince to participate in the mass were the following -Alexandros Long, Davissimos, Foxittis, Felicianos, Fishuttis, and Pogmattis. What a convincing guy ! No one turned him down. Clarence as St. Francis was a perfect look a like for St. Francis. He could easily blend in with the monks.
We had 54 to see this wonderful play on a brisk late fall day (last day of fall) under clear skies and broad sunlight.
In the masterful complexity of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel (1477–83), a cast of figures surrounds the selected scenes of Salvation history: sibyls, prophets, ancestors in the genealogy of Jesus, angels, caryatids, and personifications of classical architecture. Among these, we spot Isaiah the prophet, who turns with surprised consideration to two angels behind him. One of these angels guides his attention with intensity to the scene above them: preparations for Noah’s ark. In today’s Lectionary readings, Isaiah and Noah again find each other side by side.
In Michelangelo’s depiction, Isaiah looks on the brink of a new thought, an inspired insight that reveals God’s grace in the course of history. As a prophet, his call was to invite God’s people with him into these moments of inspiration. Accepting his invitation, we wonder: was he thinking of Noah’s ark, resting atop Mount Ararat, when he handed on the vision of God’s holy mountain? In Isaiah’s vision, all people stream toward this holy mountain, a holy place of peace and reconciliation, where swords become ploughshares and spears become pruning hooks. Is this also a place where we might find our solid ground, after the rain and flood, storm and tempest? In these Advent days, what brings us up God’s holy mountain?
Ignacian Meditation
The video and prayer for the First Week of Advent, Cycle A, is based on Isaiah 2:1-5.
“The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain.”
—Isaiah 2:2
Preparation
As we begin this time of quiet prayer, I invite you to find a comfortable place to sit with your back straight and your legs planted on the ground. Allow yourself to notice your breathing as you breathe normally. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Take a few moments and close your eyes, preparing yourself to listen to what God may be saying to you during this prayer. As you sit with your eyes closed, use these or similar words: “Here I am, Lord. Here I am.” When you are ready, open your eyes and pray.
The Mountain of the Lord’s House
Imagine you are climbing up the mountain of the Lord. As you start the path is wide with beautiful trees and flowers along the way. You fill your lungs with the cool, clean air. As you continue you notice the path is becoming narrow and steep. There seem to be more rocks sticking up from the ground. You find yourself a little out of breath as the air becomes thinner the higher you climb. You decide to rest on a large rock to catch your breath. You look up the path to see how much more you need to climb. You see someone in the distance. He’s looking at you. It looks like his hand is waving for you to come. Though you are alone, you are not afraid. In fact, you feel a pull, a desire to go this person.
You are standing in front of him. He is dressed in long robes that are moving gently in the mountain air. He smiles at you and asks, “What are you seeking on this path?” What do you say to him? What are you seeking?
“I am the prophet Isaiah. This is the mountain of the Lord. It is rich with life and dreams. What dreams do you bring to this place?” What are the dreams you bring to this mountain? What are your dreams that you want to share with the Lord?
Isaiah looks at you with eyes that know how to dream. “My dreams beat swords into plowshares. They are dreams of peace, of life, of hope.” What are the swords in your heart that need to be changed? What are the swords that wound you and hold you back from dreaming and from climbing the mountain of the Lord? Give those swords to Isaiah, the prophet, the dreamer. Ask him to help you change them into something life-giving.
“I will change your swords into plowshares so you can till the soil of your soul and know that God is with you. Are you ready for this dream to be real?” You look into the eyes of this dreamer, Isaiah, and you say, Yes. Yes, I am ready. Isaiah smiles at you and takes your hand in his. He looks at you with eyes filled deep with hope and life. He understands you. “Come,” he says, “let us walk in the light of the Lord!”
Concluding Prayer
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
St Francis is probably one of the best known saints, for he captures our imaginations with his joyful and complete giving of himself to God, and his recognition of the fact that we are all God’s creation. His relationship to the rest of creation is that of radical and transforming love. He thought of all of creation as his beloved relatives. He sought to live in harmony with all of nature.
The witness of Francis’ life is also that our faith in God and our living out of that faith is a process. Franciss didn’t go from a rich, pampered young man to a barefooted wanderer preaching God’s word overnight. He grew in his faith and his understanding of God and creation throughout his life.
Francis lived from 1181-1226; his ministry was predominately in Italy, particularly Assisi. Francis was born the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. As a child and young man, he was pampered and worldly, living an indulgent life.
One day, in a church in San Damiano, he heard the Jesus on the crucifix say three times: “Francis, go repair my house which is in ruins.” Believing that this was a command to rebuild the specific church in which he stood, Francis began selling off some of his father’s things to pay for a church renovation. When his father found out, he was furious. He dragged Francis to the local bishop, to insist he be repaid. It was there that Francis removed his rich garments, renounced his father, and left his wealth. The bishop took pity on him and gave him a rough garment to wear. Sometime after that, Francis was worshiping in another church when the reading was Matthew 10:7-20. “As you go, proclaim the good news, the kingdom of heaven has come near. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. speaking through you.” In that moment, Francis understood the words as a literal call and began his life as an itinerant: living a simple life and preaching the gospel to anyone he met—including the birds.
During his lifetime, Francis was most known for his joyful asceticism, his powerful preaching, and his service to the poor.
Francis was a man transformed by God’s grace who with dogged determination tried to put the words of the Gospel into practice. He sought to live in harmony with nature. He once preached to a flock of birds, reminding them that everything they had was due to God’s gracious gift and encouraging them to use their beautiful voices to praise God in song.
St Francis is also credited by being the person to create the first living nativity scene as a way to deepen the faith of those who would come to witness it. He included animals in his living nativity, saying that “Surely the animals praised the new Messiah just as the shepherds and the angels did.”
Oct 4 is the day set aside to remember St. Francis with his respect toward nature and his example of living the life of Christ in abject poverty. Traditionally it is the day for the Blessing of the Animals worldside.
Every Blessing of the Animals is different. We had 8 dogs with 17 people – the same number of animals as in 2012 but this blessing was characterized by the number of children which contrasted nicely with last year’s more subdued gathering. It was definitely livelier on an unseasonably warm day for this year However, one thing is constant – Elizabeth Heimbach’s mouse treats. They’re worth coming out for even without an animal.
After an opening by Catherine on the life of St. Francis ( the prayer of St. Francis ), we used this service . First is a part where we comfort the animals and then the priest goes around and blesses each individually.
The animals seemed to enjoy the day and the Fishers got Jackie, a newcomer this year, to perform for us. And then the children performed with hoola hoops!
The extensive yard of St. Peter’s gets a workout on this day. There is something magical between children and animals and the pictures try to capture some of that. Nature cooperated with a blanket of sunlight through the early evening.
“What Jesus opposed through the story of the father and the two sons was all forms of religion that stop at empty words. All forms of piety that don’t move us into the world of concrete action on behalf of justice, mercy, equality, love, and compassion. All forms of Christianity that flicker to life on Sunday morning, but then fade out between Monday and Saturday.
“We are invited to be like the first son. We are invited to be like the tax collectors and the prostitutes. But we cannot do this if we keep our faith lives tethered to abstractions. If we live a Christianity of the mind without also living one of the flesh. After all, it is with our bodies that we experience pain, anger, terror, and joy. It’s my chest that hurts when I mourn. It’s my face that burns when I’m angry. It’s my whole body that warms with pleasure when I’m happy. Our faith is meant to be embodied. To be incarnate. To be organic. To be active. In the realm of God, words — even the most beautiful words — are not enough.”
Location – 823 Water Street, P. O. Box 399, Port Royal, Virginia 22535
Sun. Oct. 1, 2023, 10:30, God’s Garden — A gathering of children ages 5-9. Sunday School activities and fun, led by Elizabeth Heimbach, Jan Saylor in the Parish House
The main motif in 3 of the 4 readings is about the vineyard which beginning in the Old Testament refers to Israel and by the Gospel to those tending it. Corruption is evident in Israel in the 8th Century BC and in 30AD with Christ. In Christ time the vineyard represents all places where we have been called by God to produce the fruits of the kingdom. The real villains move from Israel as a country to specific groups cited by Matthew.
The Isaiah reading is one of the oldest parables in the Bible. This song of the vineyard is a parable and a prophetic attack on corrupt Israel. It begins as a love song, singing of a deep love that is giving and caring, moves on to convey disillusionment, and then to express anger and a withdrawal of love and care. The coming destruction (verses 5-6) results from the people’s failure to do what God "expected," and more literally and poignantly, what God "hoped for" (verses 2, 4, 7). God doesn’t destroy the vineyard directly. Instead, what he described was simply the removal of his care and protection of the vineyard, the careful work done earlier.
The September meeting of the St. Peter’s ECW was held at the Heimbachs’ house because tree work at the church made parking limited. There were about 11 in attendance.
Typically the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) at St. Peter’s give half of their earnings away by the 4th quarter of each year for outreach.
After everyone enjoyed tea and snacks, we welcomed our new member, Jean Devitt. Then, Elizabeth reported that the ECW account currently totaled $2280.89, and the group agreed to donate $100 to CERVE, (the Caroline Emergency Relief through Volunteer Efforts), $250 to Catherine’s Discretionary Fund, $500 to Village Harvest, and $500 to Social Services for their Christmas program. Since an anonymous member had given an additional $70, the ECW account will have $1000 after these donations are made.
Nancy Long has agreed to do some research to find out about the cost of repairing the brass altar vases which were a gift to St. Peter’s from the ECW, while Alice said that she would try to find out the possible value of the large bas-relief currently stored upstairs in the rectory.
The group also discussed plans for the coming months including a visit to Chancellor’s Village, and a tour of the Potowomack Center. In addition, we talked about providing refreshments for the Epiphany and Presentation Services when the St. Peter’s Choir will join the choir of St. Asaph’s. We also agreed to prepare dinner for the Episcopalian students at Mary Washington, and, perhaps, to supply snacks for them during exam week in early December.
Finally, several people had ideas for events for which we could sell tickets to raise money. Jan suggested a Mother’s Day brunch, Catherine suggested a croquet match, and several people talked about the possibility of an event like a concert that could include a barbecue.
This week we look at ground level to consider deforestation
Deforestation
Forests in our memories – From Michelle Cook, Intergen. “How do you think of forests? In your imagination are they places of peace and quiet? Are they
places that scare you? Are you more at home in a eucalypt forest than in a mangrove forest?
Sometimes forests can be places of fear. Think of all the old stories from Europe, the folk tales
some of us may have grown up hearing. Stories like Hansel and Gretel, where children get lost in
the forest. Stories like Snow White, where the beautiful young girl gets taken to the forest by the
hunter so that he may kill her far away from witnesses. Forests in these stories are seen as
places of secrecy, of unknown dangers and mysterious powers.”
“In Psalm 139 it is our bodies being knit together in our mother’s wombs that becomes known.
God, the creator of everything, knows our bodies, and hear the Psalmist says to us that we are
fearfully and wonderfully made. Even the workings of the womb, hidden from us, and felt by
mothers, are known by God. The story of creation is retold in Genesis 2:4b-22. Adam is created
from earth and is set in a garden – a forest of fruit trees – a garden of food. Here is a forest,
where again, all is known. The chaos and desperation of the land, where nothing is yet growing,
is contrasted with the richness and safety of the garden.”
The image shows the challenges and work to improve the environment in the darker areas with the light areas, the work we are doing now and a promise for the future.
We did fewer projects and concentrated on the beauty of creation and the need for renewal. The Season of Creation was present in these areas:
Five Sundays readings in the Season of Creation and highlighted a specific environmental area which we covered weekly.- Earth, water, energy, food (waste), deforestation.Link
We began a new Christian Ed for Children ages 5-9 and they covered water
The services during the month had the following different sections
