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.

2025 Sun Jan 5

“Bursting Forth”-An Epiphany Reflection

By Cn. J. Davey Gerhard, TENS, Episcopal Network for Stewardship

“Because of when Easter falls in 2025, we get all eight Sundays of Epiphany this year: Eight opportunities to read and learn how the spirit of the law, the new life that Jesus came to proclaim, spreads throughout the world. This Epiphany is all about the Truth being revealed. It is a Truth that not everyone welcomes the same way – when Jesus reveals the wisdom of the scrolls, or when he tells us we must love those who wish us harm – these are hard truths to accept. It’s not all wedding wine and divine blessings in the Temple – Truth settles on each of us.

“The thing about the Truth that Jesus brings is that it is so wonderful, so different, so transformative, that it needs to be shared. It can barely be contained. Our hearts, our mouths, our souls cannot hold back. “Tell out my soul,” Mary sang to the Angel. It is as if to say, I have learned something so beautiful that I simply must share it, it is impossible to keep to myself.

“The Epiphany asks much of us. It asks us to reflect on an internal moment of awareness, of spiritual awakening, and find the words and ways to share it with the world. As Christ is made manifest to the whole world, unbound by social convention, religious authority, or political geography, we too are called to seek the neighbor beyond our immediate vicinity to accompany, to teach, to love.

“The theological mystery of the Epiphany calls us to have one foot in the spiritual, deeply personal realm of revelation and the other foot in the world, learning how to seek and serve those who most need our help. We learn about the movement of the Spirit through Jesus and are motivated into ministering with him to the outcast, the stranger, and to those who most need to feel the warmth and light of His love.

Feast of the Holy Name

The designation of Jan. 1 as the Feast of the Holy Name is new to the 1979 revision of The Book of Common Prayer. Previous Anglican Prayer Books called it the Feast of the Circumcision. January 1 is the eighth day after Christmas Day, and Luke’s Gospel records that eight days after his birth the child was circumcised and given the name Jesus.

The liturgical commemoration of the circumcision probably originated in France. The Council of Tours in 567 enacted that the day was to be kept as a feast day to counteract pagan festivities connected with the beginning of the New Year.

The Feast of the Holy Name has been celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church (usually on January 1) since sometime in the 15th century. The Lutheran church also commemorates the Feast of the Holy Name on January 1.

The early preachers of the Gospel lay stress on the name as showing that Jesus was a man of flesh and blood, though also the son of God, who died a human death and was raised by God from death to be the Savior.

The name “Jesus” is from the Hebrew Joshua, or Yehoshuah, “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh will save.” Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus is particularly derived from Phil 2:9-11, which states that God highly exalted Jesus “and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” This scriptural devotion is paraphrased by the hymn “At the name of Jesus” (Hymn 435) in The Hymnal 1982. Other hymns that express devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus include “To the name of our salvation” (Hymns 248-249) and “Jesus! Name of wondrous love!” (Hymn 252).

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Epiphany – a perfect start to the year

A perfect start to the year Epiphany – What a perfect feast to start the year with! The magi’s, story challenges us to begin the year on our feet, already walking the path of righteousness. We are given the gift of a mission, called to look up to God, following His star even when earthly authority stands in our way. We are reminded to carry our gifts faithfully, laying them at the feet of God, allowing Him to make full use of those gifts. Epiphany says to every heart, stank up from your apathy, look up to God, lift up your gifts and follow His path, What better recipe for a year could we find?