St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Port Royal, VA
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.
1. Prelude
2. Lighting of the 1st Advent Candle
3. “Hark a Thrilling Voice is Sounding” – Opening Hymn
4. “What Wonderous Love is This” – Song of Praise
5. “I Wonder as I Wander” – Guitar solo, Lary Saylor
6. Sermon – Catherine Hicks
7. “People Look East” – Choir Anthem
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The first Sunday of Advent is one of change. A change to the altar in color; a change in the year – Advent is the first Sunday in the church year where this year we shift in the lectionary from Year C (Luke) to Year A (Matthew). A change in focus since Advent means to come:
The Coming of God to the world as a human baby
The Coming of God to the world in His glory at the end of time where God’s purposes will be fulfilled
The Coming of God into the world today. Jesus comes to us now in word and sacrament, in prayer and praise, in his Body, the Church. By the work of the Holy Spirit, the Jesus who was born in the past in Bethlehem and who will come in the future is present to us and in us now.
The altar colors changed to blue, the altar flowers were green
In a timing of coming, the Gospel this week emphasizes the need to prepared for future events. Isaiah envisions a time of full justice when all nations honor God and live in peace. In Romans, Paul reminds us that the nearness of our salvation enables us to love selflessly and live honorably. Paul asserts that the greatest motivation for the Christian’s moral life lies in the future–the Christ’s second coming. The end of time is near at hand. The great day of salvation is coming–sleep/night/darkness will give way to waking/day/light.
In Matthew’s Gospel the season of Advent begins with a look to the future coming (parousia of the Son of Man. Chapters 24–25 are the last of the five major speeches that Jesus gives. They center upon the last days and the expectation of the coming of the Son of Man. Today’s section focuses on the theme of preparedness. The “Son of Man” likely references the human-like divine being named in one of the apocalyptic visions found in Daniel 7:13 (Aramaic bar enash — “human being” — lit. “son of man”), a text that figured prominently in first-century Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic thought. For Matthew, this is a title that represents Jesus as the divinely chosen human agent who ushers in the end times. The warnings here against lack of awareness balance those earlier that caution against overzealous or premature expectations of the coming.
Jesus’ coming will bring judgment, not upon sin, but upon one’s state of readiness. The division made by God betwen the ready and the unready cuts across all human categories. The eternal choice may occur at any moment, therefore constant watchfulness is needed.
While we typically live with a fairly linear view of time — one event coming after another — the church’s liturgical and lectionary calendar is cyclical — patterns of events repeating themselves. For this reason, the church year that begins in Advent puts in front of us passages about the end of history before moving in later weeks to prepare us for the coming of the Christ child and the dawn of a new age.
There are many ways to group the lectionary. Here we look at it as a form of invitation to await the Christ child
Another way is to group it around the 5 candles on the Advent wreath.
1. God’s people -The Candle of Hope.
Hope is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at the light of this candle we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
As the theologian Richard Rohr puts it, long after Christmas is past, our “assured shout of cosmic hope—‘Come, Lord Jesus’ is “a leap into the kind of freedom and surrender that is rightly called the virtue of hope.”
Rohr says that “the theological virtue of hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our Satisfaction is now at another level, and our Source is beyond ourselves.”
2. The old testament prophets – The Candle of Peace
Peace is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle we celebrate the peace we find in Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist
3. The Candle of Love
Love is like a candle shining in a dark place. As we look at the light of this candle we celebrate the love we have in Christ.
4. Mary the mother of Jesus – The Candle of Joy
Joy is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle we celebrate the joy we find in Jesus Christ.
The fifth candle represents the birth of Christ.
The flame of this candle remind us that He is the light of the world and that if we follow Him, we will never walk in darkness, but will have the true light of life.Some conclusions to the readings of Advent 1:
Know what time it is!
Put on the armor of light!
Get up the nerve to use that ticket and go on that journey to the house of the Lord!
Walk in God’s paths!
Stay awake and alert and be ok with the mystery of God’s timing!
But most of all, carry the light of Christ with you at all times, the light that shines in the darkness –and the darkness cannot overcome it.
One last thing—now that Advent is finally here, let’s give a shout out to this season of hope—“our assured shout of cosmic hope…” “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Advent in 2 minutes Check out this Youtube video
Advent in 1 minute– A 2015 video from St. Mary’s Cypress
Explore Advent, Part 1– Over the next 4 Sundays there will be a presentation each week focusing on that week’s scriptures, art and commentary and how they demonstrate the themes of advent. Let’s get started with Advent 1.
Advent is the time when we change to a different year in the Lectionary. This year we move from Year C to A and from a concentration on the Gospel of Luke to Matthew. There are several articles which are a general introduction to Matthew 1. Shortest from christianity.about.com 2 Longer from the Catholic Bishops
Interested in the Church calendar ? Matthew’s interest about time in First Advent lends itself to understand how we measure time.
There are several articles/presentations about the infancy narratives 1. Brief summary between Matthew and Luke 2. Longer comparison
A collection around the following 6 categories:
READ!
1 What Does This Season Mean? Though Advent appears at the end of the secular calendar year, it is the beginning of the Christian year. The deep darkness of the natural world around us is an echo of the nurturing darkness of the dawning of Creation. It is in this holy space we begin re-telling our Sacred Stories. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” Advent prepares us for, and leads us to, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. The four Sundays in Advent invite us on a journey. As the days grow shorter each week, we are invited to draw closer and closer to the light of Christ. We are invited to open our hearts a little wider each week to God With Us.
2 Three Teaching Points of Advent – Sarah Bentley Allred https://bit.ly/2HMHfA2
3 The way we begin Advent is different. Each year, the First Sunday of Advent starts the church’s liturgical calendar, and our countdown to Christmas, with a set of haunting, apocalyptic readings https://buildfaith.org/apocalyptic-advent-in-the-season-of-merry-and-bright/
4 Advent Waiting Article explores three qualities of Advent waiting – expectant, requires us to make space, and is hopeful.
5 Waiting and Unknowing by Fr. Richard Rohr. Once Thanksgiving is over, we in the United States are rushed headlong into the Christmas season. Yet Advent was once (and still can be) a time of waiting, a time of hoping without knowing, a time of emptying so that we can be filled by the divine Presence.
6 Advent as an introvert Season – Advent is expectant and full of hope. “There’s also a solemn quality to the waiting — not dour or dreary — something grounded and okay with a close stillness, a quality that honors the waiting itself as sacred.” https://onbeing.org/blog/the-shoulder-season-of-advent/
7 Advent mediations from Living Compass. Read it here
The key word is “simplicity”. “We are talking about a practice of simplicity on a much deeper level. This is the kind of simplicity that people talk about when they describe being in the midst of a crisis, and then later report that the crisis has caused them to rethink their priorities, to focus on what is truly most essential in their lives.”
“So let us embrace whole-heartedly the season of Advent, along with these reflections, as the support we need to practice simplicity in a way that will help prepare us for the true meaning of Christmas.”
“The Living Compass Model for Well-Being offers us guidance in four dimensions of our being: heart, soul, strength, and mind. Our call is to live an undivided life, where heart, soul, strength, and mind are integrated into both our being and our doing.” Quotes begin on Page 44
WATCH
1 Nativity: The Art and Spirit of the Creche. After the cross, the Nativity scene is Christianity’s most recognized symbol. Its history, art and spirituality have been embraced by cultures around the world for nearly two thousand years. This video unites theologians and collectors with an astonishing and beautiful array of nativity scenes collected from across the globe. https://www.youtube.com/embed/M29ShR-V9Pk
2 The Story of Silent Night – Classic Collection In the quiet of an Austrian winter, a young priest received heavenly inspiration to commemorate the most significant event in history by writing the world’s most beloved Christmas carol, “Silent Night.” https://youtu.be/nKn9wLLzha8
LEARN!
1 Luke’s canticles – Combines four stories from Luke with insights from artists, prayers, and hymns from around the world. Based on Songs in Waiting by Paul Chandler, now the Bishop of Wyoming https://www.churchsp.org/course/lukescanticles/
2 Matthew’s Infancy Stories. The other author of the infancy stories, much different than Luke above https://www.churchsp.org/course/matthewsinfancystories/”
3 Christmas Carols – They surround us at Christmas. How much do you know about them?https://www.churchsp.org/course/12daysofcarols/
4 Handel’s Messiah, Prophesy and Birth of the Messiah. The premiere Christmas work with the music and text https://www.churchsp.org/course/handels-messiah-part-1-prophecy-and-birth-of-the-messiah/
5. Dickens A Christmas Carol and the Bible. The premiere Christmas novel, here with the influence of the Bible and much of Dickens time https://www.churchsp.org/course/dickens/
LISTEN!
1 O Emmanuel A fresh exploration of the O Antiphons including traditional Advent and Christmas music. The album combines a jazz trio with children’s choir and adult voices in just the right mix of expectation and joy. https://music.apple.com/us/album/o-emmanuel/1151565367
2 Advent Lessons and Carols – Washington National Cathedral The classic way to begin Advent – Scripture and music with a service for the season. Previous service https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwR1FJ3-dts&t=3s , Nov. 27, 2022 service, 4pm https://cathedral.org/event/advent-lessons-and-carols-4/
3. Still Forming Advent Meditations by Christianne Squires is a collection of audio meditations recorded by Christianne Squires for the Still Forming community, based on Jan Richardson’s book of blessings, Circle of Grace https://www.stillforming.com/still-forming-advent-meditations-2015
4 Spotify Play list Advent with Sacred Ordinary Days on Spotify. Listen and prepare for our Savior, with anticipation, longing and hope
PRAY AND REFLECT!
1 Advent meditations. In this workshop, Rev. Hillary Raining, D.Min. guides you through a meditation with prayer, scripture, and reflection using visio Divina, or “divine seeing,” with candlelight. http://lifelonglearningvts.teachable.com/p/advent-meditation-workshop/?src=email
2 Antiphons for Advent in English and Spanish for 2022 A devotional resource in English and Spanish created from antiphons that families and communities can use daily in Advent. The short liturgy includes a prayer for lighting candles of an Advent wreath.
An antiphon is the brief snippet of a psalm recited or chanted as a refrain at the beginning and/or end of a psalm or canticle. Antiphons were in use by the 5th century and are still in use during the services of daily prayer. The practice comes from the Jewish tradition of the congregation reciting, chanting, or singing together, the word referring to call-and-response type of singing. https://buildfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Advent-Antiphons.ENG_.2022.pdf
3 Journey on the Way of love. Designed for Christian Formation (“Sunday School”). There are 4 sessions for the 4 weeks of Advent The Way of Love is based on a rule of life. The best known rule of life developed in Christian monastic communities is that of St Benedict, dating from the 6th century. https://www.episcopalchurch.org/journeying-way-love/
MAKE!
3 Families celebrate Advent and Christmas Families Celebrate Advent & Christmas is a colorful deck of cards that is full of rituals, prayers and reflections. Endlessly flexible for busy schedules, you can create a new after-meal ritual, use them as decorations, or carry them on the go. https://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9781506483498/Families-Celebrate-Advent-and-Christmas-2022-23 Free promo pack at bottom!
4 Create your own advent calendar 20 advent calendars to make. https://www.parents.com/holiday/christmas/crafts/best-advent-calendars/.
5 Advent wreaths on a Budget In congregations that have tight budgets, making Advent wreaths with families may be out of reach. While making wreaths is a wonderful parish life event, buying the foam inserts, ring trays, five candles and four stakes can add up to a hefty sum. Here is an alternative solution https://buildfaith.org/99-cent-advent-wreath/
Here is another wreath article from Episcopal Relief that go up to $50 in cost.
Dates
Nov. 27, 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Advent 1 Serving – Lector Elizabeth Heimbach, Chalice Bearer Helmut Linne von Berg, Altar Clean Up Jan Saylor
Nov. 27, United Thankoffering (UTO) intake
Nov. 29, Giving Tuesday in support of the Village Harvest food ministry
Nov. 29, ECW Coffee and Cookies, 10AM, the Parish House. Come enjoy one another’s company and help St Peter’s stay in touch with those who can’t be with us on Sundays.
Dec. 4, Christmas Play on Second Advent
Dec. 4, Bethlehem Walk trip, leave after Church
Dec. 11, Deadline for Easter gifts to the Episcopal Church Men (ECM)
Dec. 18, Deadline for General Endowment Fund donations
The signs of ending are all around us now. Thanksgiving has come and gone, the sweet sounds and smells and sights of the Christmas season have arrived. Before you know it, 2022 will be history, and we’ll wake up to a new year.
But all is not ending.
Yes, in so many ways our lives reflect “end times,” but we Christians know that the end times point us toward new beginnings, and that even in the endings, God is making all things new.
And that is what the season of Advent is all about. As we stand in the debris of the old year, we seek out the hope, and look deep into the future with eyes of faith, knowing that “Christ will come again.”
That’s one of the most mysterious, powerful and life giving things about Jesus—he died, but death did not destroy him. He is risen, and in his risen life, is with us at all times and in all places, if only our hearts are open to him. But best of all, and this is the looking into the future part, Jesus will come again.
Jesus will come again, not only to the quiet welcoming places that we prepare for him in our hearts, but Jesus will come again in glory, to make all things on this earth right at last, to bring God’s just and peaceful reign to replace the messes we have made. Heaven will come on this earth.
So we Christians look for the completion of God’s rule here on earth, and we prepare not only our hearts, but we also work to prepare the world around us as well, in the ways that we can. Like those who farm, we do what we can to prepare the earth for the new growth and life that is on the way when spring comes once more.
So this season is full of joyful expectation. And in gratitude, each Sunday we offer to God our gifts of bread and wine, which God in turn offers back to us, filled with God.
And with great thanks and praise, as we take the bread and wine, we offer our own God filled lives back to God, imperfect as our lives are, and will continue to be.
Today’s psalmist lived many centuries before Jesus, but the psalmist knows the same joy that we feel when we come into God’s presence and offer ourselves to God.
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
Pilgrimages to Jerusalem were marked with great joy. Even as the people headed for Mt Zion, they knew that all would not be perfect when they got there. But–even as they were jostled, even in the noise of people gathered in a city, even in the dust and dirt of the streets, the people could see beyond what was true at the moment about their surroundings to what could and would someday be.
They knew that Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity with itself…. So the pilgrims prayed for its prosperity, prayed for the peace of Jerusalem, for peace within its walls, and quietness within its towers.
Peace has always been in short supply, and prosperity comes and goes, BUT we too know that someday, God’s peace will reign, not just in Jerusalem, but over all the earth.
Just not in our lifetimes, we say resignedly, and that’s why we need this season of Advent.
Because yes! God’s peace can and will reign in our lives, and in the world around us. Advent reminds us first of all that we believe that this promise is true, and second, that as people of faith, we are to be on the lookout for God’s love breaking into this world yet again, and over and over again, a never ending gift.
The Apostle Paul, who expected the return of Jesus sooner rather than later, has some great advice for us as we wait.
Paul wants us to be prepared. So here’s some advice he has for those in the Roman church, and for us too.
Don’t sit around in your pajamas, as tempting as that might be.
Get up and get dressed, and don’t put on just any old thing—
Paul says to put on the Armor of Light.
The Armor of Light has both inward and outward properties.
Wearing the Armor of Light means that we can see more clearly within ourselves. The shadowy places in our lives, the places that need some work, get lit up. We can see, all too clearly, the areas that need attention, the dust in the corners, the repairs that need to be made in our lives, the interior work that we need to do to prepare for God’s fuller presence in our lives.
And second, the Armor of Light pushes away the darkness out in the world around us. When we are feeling overwhelmed by news of the latest mass shooting, or the intransigence of war, or even just aggravated by the little annoyances of life, the Armor of Light shines a ray of hope into all that darkness. We wear those bright rays of hope. People who look at us can see light, and be encouraged, and find some hope in the darkness.
Last Thursday in its Thanksgiving edition, The Washington Post published a section called “Inspired Life,” Section F of that day’s paper. The section consisted of various inspiring stories that the editors felt illustrate the best of us.
To me, one of the most inspiring of all the stories was the one called “Costumed strangers make Halloween wish come true for boy with cancer,” originally published September 22, 2022.
Can Halloween costumes become Armor of Light? Yes!
So here’s the story, which takes place in Hamilton, Ontario. Alexandros Hurdakis was one year old when he was diagnosed with brain cancer, and now, at age five, the doctors could do nothing else to save the child.
His parents asked Alex what he still wanted to experience in the time he had left. He said that he wanted to see monsters on Halloween, because he remembered the fun he’d had visiting a haunted house a few years ago. But he was too sick to travel.
So a neighbor decided to build a haunted house in Alex’s back yard, and then she got on Facebook invited neighbors to show up in costume. The post exploded with people offering to help make a special day for this little boy.
On September 14, the day of the event, close to 1000 people showed up, parading through the streets dressed in spooky costumes. Inflatable decorations lined the streets, and the police officers and fire trucks showed up too.
Alex loved it all.
No one put that day into these terms, in any of the articles I read, but this verse from Isaiah fits what happened that day. “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” That’s what all of the people did who came out to bring joy to a little boy and his parents. They were walking in the light of the Lord.
Alex’s father said that “at the most painful point in his life, he and his family are feeling gratitude for all of the support. We’re very blessed to live in a community like this.” And Arian Clark, who lost her daughter at age three to cancer, said that “it’s humbling and heartbreaking to witness this community come together every single time to support families like ours. I had chills, I cried a lot, I smiled a lot. This place, I swear, there is nothing like it.”
Halloween costumes pushing away the darkness of death, people taking time and energy to bring joy to a devasted family, that’s a whole community putting on the Armor of Light and bringing into reality, if only for a short time, the reign of God that is to be on this earth.
In today’s gospel, when Jesus is talking with the disciples before his death, he speaks of the time when he will return, a time that not even he knows. He makes it clear that in this world, life goes on from day to day, some days more memorable than others. We go about our ordinary activities and forget that nothing about our lives is ordinary!
And then, something happens—that something could be a blinding revelation, or the quiet advent of unexpected grace, maybe the sudden awareness you haven’t had in a while of the beauty of the late afternoon golden light turning everything to fire and light as the sun sets.
So this is the season to be prepared—for the things that we count on happening, our days coming and going—our family times of celebration, our care for the people around us, our putting on the Armor of Light in the ways unique to each of us.
But this is also our season to be prepared for the completely unexpected, for in a split second our lives can be changed beyond recognition, or even ended.
But when we have prepared for that unexpected day, by seeking to do good, we can accept whatever comes with peace and in praise and in gratitude for all that has been, for it’s all from God.
We can give thanks for all that is, and yes, give thanks even now for the unknown things yet still to come, for Jesus will be part of it all.
Why are we pushing Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29 in support of our Village Harvest food distribution ?
1. There is a need.
In a sermon on September 22, 2019 Catherine wrote “I have had people who come to the distribution tell me that they wouldn’t have had enough food to get through the month without the food we provide.”
The Free Lance-Star reported in Aug., 2018, “about 31,000 residents of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford consistently lack enough food to maintain a healthy, active life. They’re considered food insecure by the United States.” Department of Agriculture.
We are called to do like Jesus – and he fed people both physically and spiritually. Witness the stories of the Feeding of the 4,000 and 5,000.
2. There is a cost to recover.
We are averaging $170(average 10 months) or over $2,000 a year. Help us recover the cost and even add to our resources to do more.
3. The ministry has been successful.
8 years later we have served over 6,800 clients over 64,500 pounds of food. This year the average pounds of food per person is over 12 which at $6 a pound is worth $72. It is clearly one of our more visible and valuable outreach expressions from our church.
4. We have goals and a way for you to help.
Our goal in #Giving Tuesday is to raise 3 months support or $500.
• A $10 donation feeds 6 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 72 pounds of food and $430 in total value!
• A $20 donation feeds 12 people, 12 pounds each. It provides 144 pounds of food and $860 in total value!
Help us on Giving Tuesday, Nov 29
Two ways to donate:
1. On or before Nov 29 make out a check to St. Peter’s with “Giving Tuesday” in the memo line. Send to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 399 Port Royal, Virginia 22535
Thank you for your support!
Three Teaching Points for Advent by Sarah Bentley Allred
“Christmas is a big mystery. We do not understand how exactly God comes to be among us in human form. Taking time to prepare to celebrate Christmas allows us to enter more fully into the mystery. As we say in Godly Play, if we don’t take time to get ready for Christmas, we could “walk right by this mystery” without ever really experiencing it. And so, we spend the four weeks before Christmas anticipating and preparing for the coming of Christ.
“Advent has a double spiritual meaning. While we are anticipating the arrival of the birth of Jesus, we are also anticipating the arrival of the second coming, when Jesus will return for the Final Judgement.
1. Anticipation “Advent is a season of preparation, expectant waiting. We are preparing to remember and to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is a time to practice waiting, a universal experience for people of all ages. During this time, we remember the prophets that foretold Jesus’ birth (see Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6) and the nine-month journey of Mary and Joseph before the birth of Jesus (see Luke 1-2, Matthew 1).
“People prepare to enter the mystery of Christmas in different ways. You might invite members of the congregation to explore how Christians intentionally anticipate Christmas through song, prayer, scripture, liturgy, service, Advent wreaths, or Advent calendars.
2. Incarnation “During Advent, the core of what we are waiting for, anticipating, is the Incarnation, God becoming human. As Christians, we believe that God loves us, and all of creation, so much that God became embodied in the form of Jesus. The Incarnation is an incredible mystery—we do not know exactly how God became human. God’s action in taking on flesh sanctifies our flesh – it makes holy the skin we wear. Advent provides an opportunity to explore what the Incarnation means for our lives.
“What does God living in a body mean for our relationship to the human body, our body as well as the other bodies in this world? What does God’s choice to inhabit the body of a baby mean?
3. Immanuel (or Emmanuel) “Each Advent every church I know sings, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (Hymnal 1982, #56). Immanuel is one of the names for Jesus found in scripture (Isaiah 7:14), it means “God with us.” The season of Advent anticipates God’s time on earth in the person of Jesus. During this time God was with us in a special way. God’s presence with us in human form means that God knows what it is like to be human.”