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.
Click the button to donate to Giving Tuesday in honor of the Village Harvest on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022.
You can also send a check by mail or donate on Sunday in the plate:
St. Peter’s Church
P. O. Box 399
Port Royal, Virginia 22535
Village Harvest. concluded our 8th year, Nov. 16~
Psalm 107:37 “And sow fields and plant vineyards, And gather a fruitful harvest.”
The Village Harvest ends its 8th year in November. The October, 2014 newsletter read as follows ” In an effort to make fresh food more available to those in our area in need of food, the ECW is going to head up a new project. Credit goes to Eunice for conceiving the name “Village Harvest.”
St Peter’s provides an opportunity for people in the area to come get fresh produce, meat, and assorted non-perishable items on the third Wednesday of each month. The offerings change from month to month, depending on what’s available at the food bank.
Thanks to the generosity of St Peter’s, not only are we able to provide food, but Catherine has also been able to use her discretionary fund to help these people in other ways.
During the first 11 months of 2022, we have fed 970 people compared to 898 in the previous year during the same period. The amount of food provided is about the same – 13,834 pounds for 2022 and 13,292 for 2021. Pounds per person, however, were higher in 2021 at 14.80 compared with 14.26 in the current year
Over the past 8 years we have distributed 107,822 pounds of food for 9,978 people or 10.8 pounds per person.
Transformation
Sermon, Proper 28, Year C 2022
Luke 21:5-19, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Psalm 98; Malachi 4:1-2a
Scripture describes the Day of the Lord as a cosmic, universal event, a time of terror, destruction, wars, and natural disasters that will take place before God’s reign on earth is fully realized.
This understanding of The Day of the Lord also informs our understanding of the second coming of Christ, when Jesus will return in glory, vanquishing evil and bringing the fullness of God’s love, peace and rule to this earth.
In the weeks before Advent, and during Advent itself, the lectionary presents us with various Day of the Lord passages that serve as signs of Jesus’ second coming on this earth.
For after all, in the season of Advent, we are waiting and preparing not only for the birth of Jesus, God coming into the world as one of us, to live and die as one of us, but we are also waiting and preparing for Jesus to return in glory and for God’s reign of peace on this earth to at last become a reality.
The Day of the Lord is a big theological idea that is interesting, but we’ve been waiting now for over 2000 years and Jesus has still not returned.
So I’m left to wonder. Why continue to give so much attention to this concept?
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Fall in the graveyard
Nov. 13, 11:00am – Holy Eucharist
Nov. 13, Deadline for Thanksgiving gifts to the Episcopal Church Men (ECM)
Nov. 13, United Thankoffering (UTO) ongoing until Nov. 27
Nov. 13, Deadline for signing up for the Bethlehem Walk trip Sunday, Dec. 4 after church. See Catherine
Nov. 29, Giving Tuesday in support of the Village Harvest food ministry
From Trinity Church, NY
I.Theme – Emphasizing the Divine over the Secular
"Pantocrator – Christ" -El Greco, 1600
This portrait is of Christ as the ruler, the resurrected presence, who in God form, speaks to us. The scripture reading for today from Luke is a hard one, in which Jesus warns his disciples of hard tests ahead. This painting provides a vision of a savior who will sustain, and in the end, triumph over suffering and death.
The lectionary readings (Proper 28) are here or individually:
Old Testament – Malachi 4:1-2a
Psalm – Psalm 98 Page 727, 728 BCP
Epistle –2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Gospel – Luke 21:5-19
This week begins apocalyptic readings that will continue through Advent 1. The faithful are the targets, here. What to do in contemporary crises? Don’t panic, Don’t give up the work you have been doing. Praise God and relish in his power and majesty. The tone of the readings coincide with the increasing darkness and shorter days in this season.
The readings are to counter the problem of the delayed return of Christ. Paul expected the second coming of Jesus very soon, initially certainly in his lifetime. However as the event was delayed, some used Paul’s writing as abandononing his work.
The Old Testament reading of Malachi provides speeches in dialogue style, where the prophet scolds the priests and the congregation about various malpractices and against tired religious scepticism. This passage seems a conclusion of these speeches contrasting the fate of the evil doers with those of the obedient faithful, destruction for the first and healing for the second.
The best is yet to come as shown in Psalm and the Gospel
A second theme is God’s power and magesty which will be the heart of next Sunday. This best seen in the Psalm This psalm is an eschatological hymn, culminating in shouts of praise at the coming of God, the ruler of the world and all creation to judge the world with justice and fairness. Only a new song can begin to describe the wonders of God’s power.
Just as 2 Thessalonians admonishes us not to grow tired in doing good, so Luke reminds us today to look at hardship and persecution as a chance to tell the gospel, the good news. Jesus tells us again: Do not be afraid! Not a single hair of our heads will be lost and standing firm will bring us through the trouble and to life.
The when and how of Christ’s second coming is not our concern. What is our concern is the faithfulness with which we pray, sing, tell and live love until he comes.
Matthew’s Infancy Stories, Nov. 20, 27, Dec. 4, 11
Adoration of the Magi (1481) – Leonardo da Vinci
Last year at Advent we studied Luke’s account of the birth of Christ. This year the lectionary switches to Matthew’s Gospel so we will consider his version.
Matthew’s Christmas story is much shorter than Luke. It is different – no angels, shepherds, instead a star and visitors from the East. Jesus is born in a house, not a stable. Where Mary is the focus in Luke, it is Joseph who dominates Matthew’s account. Luke is more about joy. In particular Matthew brings up the theme of conflict with Herod trying to destroy Jesus and the Holy family’s trek to Egypt and back.
Both stories of Jesus’ birth are about fulfillment and both use light effectively in their works.
We will look at Matthew Chapter 1 and 2 over 4 weeks two weeks for each chapter at 10:0am in the Parish House:
Nov 20, Nov. 27- Matthew, Chapter 1
Dec. 4, Dec. 11 – Matthew, Chapter 2
There are two major purposes:
->What did Matthew’s story mean to1st century Christians? Much of Matthew’s account is a fulfilment of Old Testament scripture. Matthew took liberally from these sources.
->What does it mean to us today? One writer has simply said “the purpose of Advent and Christmas is to bring the past into the present”