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.

2023 Sun Aug 13

Ways to help those in need in Hawaii

Ways to help those in need in Hawaii

->Group Donation 

We at St Peter’s  can come together as a group to do our part to help with immediate relief efforts in Hawaii.  If you would like to donate through St Peter’s, as this part of the Body of Christ, make out a check to St Peter’s and put Hawaii in the memo line.  The St Peter’s collection will go to The Diocese of Hawaii to The Bishop’s Pastoral Fund with a note that this is from our church, St Peter’s,  here in The Diocese of Virginia.   The Diocese of Hawaii will put this money to work through A Cup of Cold Water,  the homeless assistance ministry run by the four Episcopal Churches on the island of Maui. 

If you would prefer to donate individually online to The Bishop’s Pastoral Fund, click this link.  online donations

->Individual Donations

If you would like to donate online through Episcopal Relief and Development, click on this link, https://support.episcopalrelief.org  and put US Disaster Fund in the memo line.  This group is also working with The Diocese of Hawaii. 

Charity Navigator, a website that rates charities in an effort to help people use their donations wisely, has a curated list of charities which are accepting donations to help the people of Hawaii.  Go to this link, https://www.charitynavigator.org .  Click on Hawaii Wildfires to find their list and ways to contribute to various groups online.  

Virgin Mary, Aug. 15

We celebrate her saint day on August 15. 

Mary lived circa 18 BCE- 41 CE. She was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, the daughter of Joachim and Anne and the wife of Joseph, the carpenter. Little is known of her life except when it relates to Jesus life. She remained faithful to him through his death (when his disciples denied, betrayed, and fled), and even after his death, continued life in ministry with the apostles.

The New Testament records many incidents from the life of the Virgin which shows her to be present at most of the chief events of her Son’s life:

  • her betrothal to Joseph [Luke 1:27]
  • the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel that she was to bear the Messiah [Luke 1:26-38]
  • her Visitation to Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist [Luke 1:39-56]
  • the Nativity of our Lord [Luke 2:20]
  • the visits of the shepherds [Luke 2:8-20] and the magi [Matthew 2:1-12]
  • the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple at the age of forty days [Luke 2:22, 2:41]
  • the flight into Egypt, the Passover visit to the Temple when Jesus was twelve, [Matthew 1:16,18-25; 2; Luke 1:26-56; 2];
  • the wedding at Cana in Galilee [John 2:1-11]
  • and the performance of her Son’s first miracle at her intercession [John 2:1-11],
  • the occasions when observers said, "How can this man be special? We know his family!" [Matthew 13:54-56, Mark 6:1-3, Luke 4:22; also John 6:42],
  • an occasion when she came with others to see him while he was preaching [Matthew 12:46-50,Mark 3:31-35, Luke 8:19-21],
  • her presence at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus commends her to the care of the Beloved Disciple [John 19:25-27],
  • her presence with the apostles in the upper room after the Ascension, waiting for the promised Spirit [Acts 1:14].   

Besides Jesus himself, only two humans are mentioned by name in the Creeds. One is Pontius Pilate, Roman procurator of Judea from 26 to 36 AD and the other is Mary. There are more feast days in The Episcopal Church honoring Mary than anyone else.

There have been many appearances of Mary over the centuries. Tradition says that in 39 CE, the Virgin Mary appeared in a vision to Saint James the Great in Zaragoza, Spain. Over the centuries, there have been dozens of additional reports of appearances of the Virgin Mary in different times and places. Two of the most influential visions of the Virgin Mary are the Virgin of Walsingham and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Her story was carried by National Geographic in December, 2015 –"How the Virgin Mary Became the World’s Most Powerful Woman"

Her message to us was simple – "Listen to Him. Listen to my Son. Do what He tells you." 

Photos, Youth Pool Party, Aug 13, 2023

(full size gallery)

The Youth end of summer came to the Davis household on Aug 13 at 2pm. School begins this week. Instead of a blessing of back packs, the focus was on water – the waters of baptism and the waters for recreation. They first discussed baptism. Most could not remember their baptism so it was appropriate for Catherine to lead them in the renewal of their baptism vows. They discussed the differences between John the Baptism focus on repentence and Jesus baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Swimming was next on the agenda. Since it was a hot day, the water was refreshing, even for Jack, the Davis dog.

About 4pm there was an ice cream social – making your ice cream in a bowl and or cone. There were at least 5 flavors of ice cream. After this there were games – a bean bag game, in particular. The hummingbirds fluttering around were a visual treat. We learned how much sugar and water was needed to keep them happy.

The party concluded at 5pm. Time for school!

Summer Party for Youth and Children

What’s better than a party before school reopens!! St Peter’s Episcopal Church women welcomed a group of youth and children from Port Royal for lunch and games on Wednesday, August 9th. School starts next week.

This was the first summer event for Port Royal since the pandemic. In 2019, we had a program during June and part of July. Here is a link to an event in late July, 2019.

This year focused on pure entertainment. The children had fun playing various games. The giant bubble maker was a huge hit. Also, everyone guessed how many M&Ms were in a large container (1984 M&Ms!). The winner gave everyone else some M&Ms to take home.

Adults and children enjoyed eating pizza, watermelon, and grapes for lunch in the pavilion. All of the children got to take home a selection of books, thanks to Elizabeth and The Little Free Library program. Thanks to all who attended and all who worked to make this enjoyable time a success.

Thanks to the work of the ECW and planning by Andrea Pogue and Elizabeth Heimbach. Thanks in addition to Dave and Jean for helping out.

Welcome, Annette Steele!

On Sunday Aug 13, 2023, Annette Steele, Principal of the Victoria Primary School in Jamaica, will be with us during the 11AM worship service. Two years ago we purchased enough school supplies for 350 children and sent 7 on a mission trip. We will return this month sending more school supplies and this time equipment.

Annette was born in Jamaica and received her education at University of the West Indies, Jamaica with a Bachelors in Primary Education and a Masters in Education. She started as a 6th grade teacher and then moved toward administration, first as a vice principal and then a principal in 2010 at Victoria Primary School.

Victoria Primary School has been in existence since 1932. They currently have 300-350 students in enrollment ages 6-12 years, 13 teachers, and one guidance counselor on staff. Annette is married and has two daughters

What does she love about education? “Teaching and watching the kids excel is my ultimate goal, I am extremely passionate about my students.”

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Andrea, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and the community for initiating this Back to School Drive. Thanks for their continued support. It is making a tremendous impact on the students, parents, teachers, and the community alike.”

We will have lunch to honor Annette following worship in the Parish House.

Following the lunch, all are invited to come to the Davis residence from 2-5 PM for a time of renewal, recreation, and refreshments. During our time together, we will consider our baptisms and renew our baptismal vows, and those who would like to experience what baptism by John the Baptist might have been like will have that opportunity. Thank you to Cookie and Johnny Davis for hosting this party.

Here is how to Walk on Water

Running, jumping and biking on 8,000 litres of non-newtonian fluid known as Oobleck. in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Oobleck is a suspension of cornstarch and water that can behave like a solid or a liquid depending on how much pressure you apply.

The word “Oobleck” came from a Dr. Seuss book:

Ivan Aivazovsky, Russian landscape painter

The image for our Gospel reading, "Jesus Walking on the Water", was done by the Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900).

When I was in the Soviet Union over 35 years ago, his paintings were prevalent and stood out and I remembered his name. They reminded me of the American school of landscape painters, such as Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Church but in this case on the sea.

He is considered one of the greatest marine artists in history and born into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia and was mostly based in his native Crimea.

Following his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts, Aivazovsky traveled to Europe and lived briefly in Italy in the early 1840s. He then returned to Russia and was appointed the main painter of the Russian Navy. Aivazovsky had close ties with the military and political elite of the Russian Empire and often attended military maneuvers. He was sponsored by the imperial family and was well-regarded during his lifetime. The winged word "worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush", popularized by Anton Chekhov, was used in Russia for "describing something ineffably lovely."]

One of the most prominent Russian artists of his time, Aivazovsky was also popular outside Russia. He held numerous solo exhibitions in Europe and the United States. During his almost sixty-year career, he created around 6,000 paintings, making him one of the most prolific artists of his time. The vast majority of his works are seascapes, but he often depicted battle scenes, Armenian themes, and portraiture.


"Ninth Wave" -Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900)

Here is a selection of his works

The Post Communion Prayer

We say the following prayer from page 365 almost every week:

“Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Where does the Post Communion Prayer come from? After Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century, the large numbers of people joining the Church led to a need to develop a post communion thanksgiving prayer. . The 1549 Book provides one fixed post communion prayer which is equal in length to several of the Sarum post communion prayers (from the middle ages) joined together The following also may have been a source – “You have fed me with the Precious Body and Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Sir Thomas Aquinas

Massey H. Shepherd, Jr., has written of post-communion text “[It is] one of the most remarkable summaries of doctrine to be found in all the formularies of the Prayer Book. It gathers up all the varied meanings of the Holy Communion; thanksgiving, mystery, grace, incorporation into Christ, fellowship in the Church, anticipation of the Kingdom of God. “

The prayer on Page 365 Rite II was written the Rev. Dr. Leo Malania for the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. The emphasis of this prayer is not on the benefits of communion but on the work God calls us to do as we go out into the world. In Rite I we ask God to “assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in; “ and in Rite II “strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart.” Malania served as coordinator for Prayer Book revision and Captain Howard Galley as assistant. Galley wrote the BCP Prayer C, the “Star Wars” prayer).

“Walking on the Water”

Excerpt from "Forward Movement" 

"It is cliche to speak of something that is "out of the box." Perhaps we should replace the metaphor with "out of the boat." That’s what Peter did. He got out of the boat and walked across the water toward Jesus. 

"We long for out-of-the-boat thinking—to step out, to be freed of conventional expectations, and to take a risk, like Peter. We forget that doing so is inevitably met by a strong wind resisting us. Like Peter, we are not too far out of the boat before the wind frightens us and we begin to sink. It is as if the forces of nature conspire to keep us in the boat, but there is just no way to Jesus but to get out and take a chance. 

"The story about walking on the water is about faith taming the forces of nature. Faith is what compels Peter to get out of the boat in the first place. Faith is also what Peter relies on when he encounters nature’s resistance. Faith is how Jesus stills the storm. The choice we face is almost always between fear and faith. 

"One is a matter of survival. One is a matter of life. Jesus calls us to come to life.  "

Walking on Water in our Time – The Truman Show 

When we confront our fears in real life they are no longer fears inside our head and we destroy them. However, that is easier said than done! It is usually a lengthy process with fits and starts.  

One of the best examples of this is the 1998 movie, The Truman Show.

The amazing thing is that for much of the movie he is along in dealing with his fears. He doesn’t have an advantage of a counselor in the process.

 

Truman, played by Jim Carrey is caught inside a 24 hour-a-day comedy-melodrama in which he is the star. The idyllic island town where he grew up and lives is an immersive stage set enclosed in a giant dome (shown in part at the top of the page) with a ceiling that creates the illusion of a sky. Wind, rain, night, the moon, the stars, even the sun is a high-tech special effect. With some 5000 cameras placed around the city, Truman’s life is followed 24 hours a day, seven days a week — a nonstop telethon of reality programming for a public hungry for pathos and vicarious emotion. All of humanity watches as he goes through the stages of life and finds himself in realistic situations that are actually scripted and improvised, to give the show some of the dramatic density that separates entertainment from mundane life.

There is a god-like director that controls Truman’s televised world. His name is Christof. His name is also significant. He’s more like anti-Christ however, making it impossible for Truman to know the truth and have a normal life.

Truman falls in love in a library (symbol of the knowledge of good and evil). They kiss on the beach with the pounding surf in the background (foreshadowing what lies ahead). She is a bit player on the show and is quickly written out. She is banished from the show. Truman is told she moved away across the sea. Truman is now determined to leave Seahaven -the illusionary human-made Paradise. What is Paradise without Eve? Without love?

Read more about this movie…

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