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.

2024 Sun Aug 18

Analysis of the Magnificat

From Songs in Waiting

It is a song that speaks profoundly about being "childlike." Luke focuses his entire Christmas narrative around the person of Mary, who was probably just a child, a young girl who was per­haps twelve to fourteen years old, as it was customary for Jewish girls to marry just after puberty 

In this light, the Christmas story is of a child hav­ing The Child 

When people begin to bring their children to Jesus for his blessing, the disciples send them away, seeing the children as a waste of his precious time. But Jesus rebukes them, saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14), He is saying that the deep­est spiritual knowledge, while hidden from the wise and learned, is revealed to children. He even goes so far as to say that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become like children: "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Jesus often refers to us all as "children of God" 

The name Magnificat comes from the first word in the Latin Vulgate translation of this song, "magnify" or "glorify." Most probably a compilation of phrases from the Psalms, various Old Testament prophetic books, and Hannah’s Song in 1 Samuel, the Magnifi­cat has been part of Christian liturgy at least since the time of Saint Benedict in the fifth and sixth centuries. 

The Magnificat has been recited every day for cen­turies by Christians, chanted by monks, and set to music by composers of every age, perhaps the most famous being Johann Sebastian Bach’s composition, which he wrote for Christmas Day 1725 

It is on behalf of this baby that majestic buildings like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris have been constructed and great saints like Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa have so whole­heartedly dedicated their lives to the service of God and humankind. It is to the glory of the one whose birth we celebrate that Bach composed, El Greco painted, Augustine of Hippo preached, and Pascal wrote, and because Jesus the Christ was born count­less individuals would receive comfort as they went serenely to their martyrdom years after his own death. Knowing all this, it is a deeply moving experi­ence to stand today in Nazareth, in the Church of the Annunciation, the site where it is believed Mary was first confronted by the angel. The lines in the first scene of Shakespeare’s Hamlet seem to say it best: "So hallowed and so gracious is the time." 

However, more than just being a song of a child about a child, this song is a call to each of us who de­sire to be followers of Christ, leading us toward be­coming   more   childlike   in   our   responses   and relationship with our Creator. Out of the depth of her joy, Mary sings of the crucial qualities of childlike-ness that the Christ Child, when he became an adult, urged his followers to embrace. 

Read more

The Bread of Life discourse in John Chap. 6 – the first three weeks

For the first 3 weeks in Aug, 2024, we hear the “Bread of Life” discourse in John Chapter 6. It is a discussion led by Jesus with later responses from the people following him. The discourse uses the metaphor of bread to emphasize faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. Jesus compares himself to bread, which is essential for life, and says that he is spiritual bread that provides eternal life. It takes the people beyond the physical bread the they received in the “Feeding of the 5,000” (July 28, 2024) into something more. The discourse becomes the basis for Holy Communion. While communion was introduced as a practice during Holy Week, these passages explore the meaning.

At the beginning of the discourse, Jesus takes the crowd beyond mere food they received in the “Feeding of the 5,000”. The bread from heaven that the people ate in the wilderness met the people’s needs daily, but Jesus meets the needs of our whole lives.

The crowd the day after the “Feeding of the 5,000” finds Jesus in Capernaum where He introduces Himself as the Bread of Life, teaching that whoever comes to Him will never go hungry or thirsty, and whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. Jesus is instructing them on the importance of Holy Communion and receiving him in the bread and wind. It is not just a daily meal!

In Week 1, there is the first Bread of Life statement “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

By Week 2 Jesus expands the “Bread of life” to provide more clarification. ” I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The people were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” The listeners knew that Jesus, by claiming to come from heaven, was declaring that he was God. He was the real Bread of Heaven—the ever-present daily Manna—the lifegiving, eternal source of provision for today, tomorrow, and all eternity.

Week 2 ended with “…the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” which is repeated and expanded in Week 3

Then in Week 3 he starts where he ended in Week 2 by repeating verse 51. In verse 51 “Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The people’s reaction turned to revulsion when Jesus explained that he had come to give his flesh and blood—to sacrifice His life—so that the world could have eternal life. Eating flesh and drinking blood seemed an affront to the Jewish faith.

Many disciples find Jesus’ teaching hard to accept and decide to leave Him. When Jesus asks the Twelve if they want to leave too, Simon Peter in Verse 68-69 affirms their faith in Jesus as the Holy One of God. He saved the day. ” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

“We are constantly relearning Jesus” (Gospel of John: A Commentary – Frederick Dale Bruner). “Sometimes Jesus removes himself from us, though he still wants us, until we learn to accept him on his own terms, as he defines himself — which self-defining is exactly what happens in the Bread Sermon that follows.”

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."