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 Oct 13

Gospel in Oct., 2024

October 7. Mark 10:2-16 – Jesus tested on divorce

Commentary from The Gospel of Mark, by Mary Healy. “With his pronouncement on marriage, Jesus brings his teachings o suffering, self-denial, humility, and service into the most intimate sphere of human life…The union in marriage is a sign pointing to God’s own mystery and our call to communion with God. God is a communion of “persons”, an eternal exchange of love, and God has destined us to share in that exchange.”
In the second part of the gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples to let the little children come to him. “To receive the kingdom of heaven is as simple, trusting, and humble an action as receiving the embrace of Jesus. Indeed, to enter the kingdom is nothing other than to enter into a relationship with Jesus.”

October 14. Mark 10:17-31 – The Rich Young Man

This familiar story of the rich young man who asks what he must do to inherit eternal life and Jesus’ comment that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” are reminders that Jesus demands of all of us that we must have total detachment from our possessions if we are to be his disciples.

October 21. Mark 10:35-45 – The request of James and John

In this passage, Jesus reverses the usual understanding of greatness: those who would lead must serve. Jesus doesn’t dispute the idea of greatness, but radically redefines greatness from hierarchical power to “servant power.” Jesus’ own example sanctified the lowly and humble role of discipleship.

October 28. Mark 10:46-52 – The healing of Bartimaeus

When Jesus heals Bartimaeus, three things happen: Bartimaeus can now see, Bartimaeus no longer has to beg, and Bartimaeus serves as a witness and metaphor to others—God can remove what is in the way of our vision, what is causing us to stumble, what is causing us to be stuck, what is causing us to remain oppressed. And God calls us to do what we can to remove barriers from those around the world who are marginalized and oppressed.

 

Connecting our Stewardship Campaign to the Season of Creation

Language from the Bible supports both the Season of Creation and our pledge campaign using the language of – planting, growth, production of fruit, and feeding.

Here’s some of our language and imagery, linking these practices, both ancient and continuing, with our common life at St. Peter’s:

  • Plant: We begin with the seeds: Worship and prayer, baptism, evangelism, welcoming, pastoral care
  • And the seeds soon grow: Education, communications, upkeep of buildings and grounds
  • And produce fruit: Fellowship, belonging, new members, confirmation, marriages
  • To feed people who are hungry in body and spirit: Village Harvest, Christma
  • And our roots are deep: Tradition, reconciliation…
  • Settled into the ground of our being: Jesus Christ
  • Watered by the vows of the Baptismal Covenant – to continue in worship, repent and return, respect the dignity of others.
  • Jesus said, “I am the vine, You are the branches…bear much fruit.”
  • All of this depends on your gifts, regular income that provides the rector and staff; that lights, heats, and cools our buildings, that provides materials for worship, for service, for outreach.

Early Fall, Oct, 2015

Early fall, Oct. 4, 2015 (full size gallery)

Fall is a wonderful time to pause and look at nature all around you. You have to take the time and not think of the minutes. The time before church is my time to let nature envelop me.

The effect of fall is magnified after a rain. Add another plus for leaves beginning to fall around you in all their color. It’s the sound of the crunching of leaves beneath your fee. It’s a time to look at those small things along the ground- small flowers, water pellets on leaves. It’s time to lookup to see fall advancing in our trees.  So many things we never notice or take the time to see.

Water is life giving – and destructive. The effect of rain was seen this week along the gravestones, often with leaves falling around.  The wet leaves along the ground reflect up at you. Then over the river to see the water rushing along as I am trying to be still.

Fall is a time to get out Robert Frost for yet another fall.

October
By Robert Frost

“O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall”

40 Old Testament Stories that every Christian Should know – #1 Story of Creation

Pastor Vicki Zust was the rector of St. Paul’s, Clarence, NY. Having completed a 2 year cycle of reading the entire Bible she decided to try something different. As she writes, “So I went through the Old Testament and wrote down the stories that a lot of our theology and history depends on. It turns out there are 40 of them.”

For the next few weeks we will look at her list with links to the reading. Her blog is here.

Link to the reading – Genesis 1

“Actually it is the two stories of creation.

“There are two slightly different versions of the story (or maybe just a retelling of the story with a different focus).

“Most Christians are basically aware of the Creation story. “In the beginning, when God was creating the heavens and the earth …” Everything was created in six days and on the seventh day God rested.

“I want to point out three things about the story that you may have skimmed over (or forgotten)

“1. Everything God created was good. Every day of creation ends with “and God saw that it was good.” Creation (including us) are good at its beginning. God saw that creation was good.

“2. We are made in the image of God – to quote from the NRSV – “And God made humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male & female he created them.” This is a pretty good translation from the Hebrew. We are made in the image of God – male & female, black & white, all of us, are made in the image and likeness of God.

“3. God says a strange thing in talking about humanity, again from the NRSV – “and God said, “let us make humankind in our image.” Did you catch that – God is talking to God and talks about himself in the plural. Our image – not my image, that is a good translation from the Hebrew too – so, what do you think that says about God?

Here is another way to look at this sequence.

Indigenous Peoples Day, From Oct. 9, 2023

The Second Monday in October is celebrated as Columbus Day but also more recently as Indigenous People’s Day. This is how St. Peter’s remembered the day in 2023. It is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors Indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct 9, 2023), today’s liturgy (Oct 8, 2023) contains Native American resources.  

Here are 4 parts of the service with themes and two videos (Communion Hymn, Prayers of the People, Blessing and Song of Praise):

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