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.

A Word or Two for each Reading

For Proper 15, Year C, Pentecost 10 , the readings center around themes of divine judgment, prophetic truth, and the tension between peace and division. Here are several key words and phrases that emerge from the appointed texts:

🔥 Thematic Keywords

Jeremiah (Track 2)

Prophecy & Truth – Jeremiah 23:23–29 contrasts false dreams with the power of God’s word

Hammer & Fire (God’s Word) – Metaphors for divine truth breaking through deception (Jeremiah 23:29)

Isaiah (Track 1)

Vineyard – Symbol of Israel and divine expectation (Isaiah 5:1–7)

Justice & Righteousness – God’s desired fruits, contrasted with bloodshed and cries (Isaiah 5:7)

Psalm 82
Rescue &Deliverance – Psalm 82 calls for justice for the weak and needy

Hebrews

Faith – Central to Hebrews 11:29–12:2, highlighting perseverance and trust in God’s promises

Cloud of Witnesses – A poetic image of spiritual ancestors encouraging endurance (Hebrews 12:1)

Luke

Fire – Both destructive and purifying; Jesus speaks of bringing fire to the earth (Luke 12:49)

Division – Jesus foretells familial and societal division as a consequence of his mission (Luke 12:51–53)

Interpretation of Signs – Jesus critiques the crowd’s inability to discern spiritual realities (Luke 12:54–56)

Lectionary commentary Pentecost 10, August 17

I. Theme –   The connection between speaking out for God and making enemies

National Cathedral – “Fire Window”

The lectionary readings are here or individually:  

First Reading – Jeremiah 23:23-29
Psalm – Psalm 82
Epistle – Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Gospel – Luke 12:49-56 

Today’s readings recognize the connection between speaking out for God and making enemies. In Jeremiah , God denounces those false prophets who tell lies in God’s name. The author of Hebrews urges believers to accept hardship as a divine aid to discipline. There are no guarantees that the faithful will thrive. They may be the objects of persecution and violence, but even in adverse situations, their hearts and minds are focused on God’s realm. This may minimize the emotional impact of persecution. Jesus warns that his ministry will bring a time of spiritual crisis.

When we ignore the poor, when we turn away from the cries of injustice in this world, we turn away from Jesus himself. In Jesus’ day, the religious hypocrites would claim to follow God’s ways but had no concern for the very ones God declared concern for through the prophets. To this day, we end up being concerned more about right belief and right doctrine than how we live out our faith. When we look to the prophets and to Jesus, we see God hearing the cries of the poor, the widows and the orphans. We see Jesus eating among the sinners and tax collectors and the prostitutes. We hear the rejection of Jesus by others being a rejection of God’s love for all people, but especially the marginalized and outcasts. This same rejection happens today—we fashion Jesus into being concerned about right belief, when Jesus seems clearly to be concerned with how we love one another. We continue to miss the mark, transforming a love for all, especially those on the margins, into a love for a few who are obedient to a set of rules.

In the maelstrom of conflicting positions and cultural divisions, Jesus challenges us to interpret the signs of the times. Awareness opens us to see the connection between injustice and violence and consumerism and ecological destruction. The causal network has a degree of inexorability: although we are agents who shape the world, we do reap what we sow.

Read more

Gospel, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! “

This a shift of mood in the gospel from last week’s Luke 12:32-48. That passage begins with a beautiful theme of blessing for the crowd. “Do not be afraid, little flock” to this week’s “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” Now there’s a shift ! 

When he is with the crowd, strangers and foreigners, he proclaims the Good News of God’s unconditional acceptance and universal compassion. When Jesus is with the disciples, his teaching is far more demanding and often blunt.

Contradicting the angels’ promise of peace on earth at his birth in Luke 2, Jesus emphatically denies that he’s come to bring peace. Instead, he claims to be the bearer of discord and fragmentation. As he journeys toward Jerusalem, Jesus becomes a source of conflict and opposition when he lays claim to startling forms of authority and power. His words are marked with a sense of urgency and intensity. The road to Jerusalem, after all, leads to a violent confrontation with death.

"Fire Window" – National Cathedral, Washington

This week’s gospel can be divided into three parts :

1 In verses 49-53, there are three images – casting fire, baptism/immersion , division of family members

At least with the first two images, fire and baptism, Jesus’ is distressed that he hasn’t completed these tasks. By placing this saying in the midst of the journey narrative — Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem but not there, yet — Luke may be indicating that the completion of these tasks takes place on the cross in Jerusalem when he is "immersed" into death, or, in a broader sense, his immersion into the passion/suffering events that take place in Jerusalem

Jesus explains the way in which His coming will “cast fire on the earth.” He also expresses an eagerness to get on with the process of bringing fire to the earth. This “fire” has implications for the family, but not those which we would prefer. The coming of Christ will cause great division within families, driving wedges between those family members between whom we normally find a strong bond.

What is this fire ?

One possibility of the “fire” of which Jesus spoke is the same fire about which the prophets, including John the Baptist, spoke—the fire of divine wrath. When Jesus said that He had come to “kindle a fire” – the outpouring of God’s wrath on sinful Israel/ His death on the cross would set in motion a series of events, which will eventuate in the pouring forth of God’s divine wrath on sinners.

Another possibility is to consider the phrase “begin on fire” to refer to someone who is passionate about something. We need to get rid of things that exploit and do not sustain us (such as poverty, racism, disease). Redemption can come only when those systems are shattered and consumed by fire and we rebuild based on a different set of values. Business as usual means injustice and death. Thus, life can not flourish with a crisis which is God’s presence.

Thirdly, it can also speak to Jesus transformation – from man to resurrected individual and the change. His purpose was to become a sacrifice for our sins and his baptism was the crucifixion. His death on the cross would set in motion a series of events, which will eventuate in the pouring forth of God’s divine wrath on sinners and the creation of the church

One needs to separate the idea of “means” and “end” in this passage . The difference is, on the one hand, that between “then” (heaven, the kingdom of God) and “now.” “Peace” is the end, but a sword and division is the means. “Life” is the end, but death—our Lord’s death, and the disciple’s “taking up his cross” is the means

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from his German prison cell in 1944 about the violence which destroyed the sense of fulfillment of life for him and the long isght of history. Out of this painful experience came a profound insight, part of his Daily Meditations from His Letters: “This very fragmentariness may, in fact, point toward a fulfillment beyond the limits of human achievement."

What is this baptism ? This part of the scripture refers to Jesus himself and not his followers. Not immersion in water but tis baptism is clearly the death which He would die on the cross of Calvary. He is being cleansed for a purpose . His purpose was to become a sacrifice for our sins and his baptism was the crucifixion. It can refer also to his mission against the structures of the world about which he is “stressed” since it will lead to his own death. Yet, there is relief when it is over.

The division which Jesus speaks of here has several interesting features. Following Jesus is more than just affirming his message – it is teaching of action which has its consequences. First, there is a division which occurs within the family.

-father against son 

-mother against daughter 

-mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law  

Peter Wood speculates that Jesus may have meant, 1. Conflict within the order of Rome, the cult of the emperor. 2. Conflict within Jewish families with the importance of the mother determining who is Jewish. 3 Conflict within entities themselves such as within believers, or today within churches,

Second, there is a polarization which is described, so that it is not “one against one,” or to follow the imagery established by our Lord, “one against four,” but “two against three” and “three against two.” All these numbers don’t divide evenly. Is this the origin of “being at odds with someone”?

Those who have come to faith in Christ will join together into a new kinship, while those who have rejected Christ will also find a new bondage, a new basis of unity, in opposition to Christ

As Phyllis Tickle writes, “All change – even Good News change – will cause conflict and grief for the simple reason that all change – even Good News change – means giving up / losing something, and it means valuing one thing over another.” Out of the old traditional family comes a new family of believers. This was a challenge to the biological family in that time, extremely important. You risk being cast out – an extraordinary demand.” You risk your own baptism on the cross.

Jesus warned that those who make a commitment to him will be persecuted, that a commitment of faith also means that our attitude toward material possessions must change, and that moral responsibilities must be taken with even greater seriousness. Because our commitment to Christ shapes our values, priorities, goals, and behavior, it also forces us to change old patterns of life, and these changes may precipitate crises in significant relationships

2 In verses 54-57, Jesus speaks specifically to the multitudes, pointing out a very serious hypocrisy. He reminds them that while they can forecast tomorrow’s weather by looking at present indicators, they cannot see the coming kingdom of God as being foreshadowed by Christ’s first coming.

The illustration seems to point to the weather patterns in the Near East. The Mediterranean Sea was to the west and winds from that direction brought rain. The desert was to the south and winds from that direction brought heat.

He calls the religious leaders hypocrites. He criticized them and also his hearers about their lack of ability to perceive spiritual realities around them. Why, then, could these people, skilled at reaching conclusions about the weather, not come to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah, based on the voluminous evidence, all of which conformed perfectly to the predictions of the prophets?

You can look at this in another way and see the implications of our own lives. It is time to check the direction of the wind and let that determine the course of action. We tend to let the insignificant dominate our attention while miss or ignore the significant. Our actions help to determine the future as natural consequence follow from the weather

3 Verses 58 and 59 conclude the chapter by making a very personal and practical application. Reconciliation with their opponent needs to take place prior to standing before the judge.

Voices from the Gospel, Pentecost 10

Luke 12:49-56 is a challenging passage that speaks of division and judgment, often surprising those who associate Jesus solely with peace and harmony. Here are four voices interpreting this scripture:

1. The Fire as the Holy Spirit and Judgment 

Author: John Gill (from his Exposition of the Entire Bible)

John Gill, in his commentary, interprets the “fire” in Luke 12:49 primarily as the Holy Spirit, which Christ came to send upon the earth. He connects this to the events of Pentecost, where the Spirit descended as “cloven tongues as of fire.” This fire is seen as having a purifying, illuminating, and consuming effect, bringing zeal and love to believers and consuming dross. However, Gill also acknowledges that this fire, in its application, would lead to division, as the preaching of the Gospel would inevitably expose and condemn sin, leading to a separation between those who accept it and those who reject it. The “baptism” Jesus refers to (v. 50) is understood as His suffering and death, which were necessary precursors to the outpouring of the Spirit. 

2. The Division as a Consequence of the Gospel’s Nature 

Author: Matthew Henry (from his Commentary on the Whole Bible)

Matthew Henry emphasizes that the division Jesus speaks of (Luke 12:51-53) is not a direct aim of Christ’s religion, which is inherently peaceable, but rather an unavoidable consequence of its opposition to human pride, lusts, and worldly ways. The gospel, by its very nature, demands a choice, and this choice will inevitably create rifts, even within families, as some embrace the truth and others cling to their old ways. Henry sees this division as a necessary part of the gospel’s wide publication and impact, shaking up existing societal and familial structures that are not aligned with God’s will. 

3. The Lack of Discernment in the Present Time 

Author: Adam Clarke (from his Commentary on the Bible)

Adam Clarke focuses heavily on verses 54-56, where Jesus rebukes the crowds for their inability to “discern this time.” Clarke interprets this as a critique of their spiritual blindness and lack of understanding regarding the significant epoch they were living in. They could read natural signs (weather patterns) with accuracy, but they failed to recognize the far more crucial spiritual signs of the Messiah’s presence and the in-breaking of God’s kingdom. This “hypocrisy” (v. 56) isn’t necessarily deliberate deceit but a practical inconsistency – an ability to discern in trivial matters while remaining oblivious to the profound spiritual realities before them. For Clarke, Jesus is urging them to judge what is right for themselves, implying a need for spiritual discernment and a proper assessment of the present call to repentance and faith. 

4. The Fire as a Purging and Refining Work 

Author: David Guzik (from his Enduring Word Commentary)

David Guzik views the “fire” in Luke 12:49 as a purging and refining work that Jesus came to bring. This fire represents the impact of His ministry and the truth of His gospel, which, like fire, reveals what is genuine and consumes what is dross. While it brings salvation and redemption, it also hardens hearts that resist it, leading to further separation. Guzik highlights that Jesus “wished it were already kindled” because He understood the heavy burden of His mission and the necessary suffering (His “baptism”) that had to precede the full unleashing of this refining work. The subsequent division within families is seen as a direct result of this purging process, where allegiance to Christ demands a radical reordering of priorities, even above familial ties.

Recent Articles, Pentecost 10, Aug. 17, 2025

Pentecost 10 – Fire!

Lectionary Pentecost 10, Year C
Commentary Pentecost 10
A Word or Two about each Reading
Visual Lectionary, Aug 17, 2025

The four readings from the lectionary are united by the theme of God’s presence, justice, and the challenging call of faith. Jeremiah 23:23–29 reminds us that God is not distant but actively involved, with a word like fire and a hammer that breaks rock—powerful and transformative truth that challenges falsehood. Psalm 82 reveals God standing in judgment over corrupt powers, calling for justice for the weak and needy, echoing the divine demand for righteousness. Hebrews 11:29–12:2 continues this call through the faith of those who endured trials and upheaval, urging us to persevere by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. In Luke 12:49–56, Jesus declares that he brings not peace but division, emphasizing how the gospel confronts and disrupts the status quo, forcing decisions about justice, truth, and faith. Together, these readings call believers to courageous, discerning, and enduring faith in a God who acts decisively in history and in our lives.

Focus on the Gospel

Gospel, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! “
Voices from the Gospel, Pentecost 10


Remembering
Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), Aug. 11
Jonathan Myrick Daniels (1939-1965), Aug. 14
Virgin Mary, Aug 15

Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), Aug 11

Her day on our calendar is August 11  

From Living Discipleship: Celebrating the Saints

“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimickingof Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed throughtransformation. This means we are to become vessels of God´s compassionate love for others.” – Clare of Assisi

 
  • Clare Offreduccio lived circa 1194-1253 in Assisi, Italy. She was born to the wealthy, noble Offreduccio family and was well-known for her beauty.
     
  • At the age of eighteen, Clare heard Saint Francis of Assisi preach the Lenten sermons at her parish church. Inspired by his words, she decided to leave her life of wealth and privilege to join Francis and to follow the teachings of Jesus.
     
  • Clare knew her family would not approve, so she left her home in the middle of the night and went to the monks, laying her rich, beautiful garments on the altar and exchanging them for the simple, rough habit of a monk. Francis reportedly cut off her beautiful hair as a mark of her commitment.
     
  • She temporarily joined a Benedictine convent, from which her father tried a number of times to abduct her and bring her back home. Her father wanted her to be married, but Clare considered herself the Bride of Christ, and her commitment was to Jesus alone.
     
  • Clare soon moved to a small dwelling in San Damiano. There she was joined by other women, including her sister Agnes. Clare became the abbess, or superior, of the order, which was called the “Poor Ladies of Saint Damian.”
     
  • Clare was the first woman to write a rule of life for religious women. She based her rule on that of Saint Francis
     
  • Clare and her nuns embraced the rule of absolute, yet joyous, poverty. They went barefoot, slept on the floor, and accepted no income, living only on the gifts of others. They lived their lives caring for the poor and devoting themselves to prayer
     
  • Many, including a number of popes, resisted Clare’s rule of extreme poverty. They wanted her to change her order’s rule of life to be more in accordance with the Benedictine rule, which was not nearly so strict. Yet Clare stood firm, believing that the poverty she and her nuns observed was in imitation of the gospel and faithful to the teaching and call of Jesus
     
  • Although she was the abbess, Clare insisted on caring for the sick sisters with her own hands and often reserved the most menial work for herself
     
  • Clare was widely known for her dedication and wisdom. People, priests, and even popes were awed and inspired by her example. Saint Francis would come to her for comfort and encouragement. Many visited her, not only for her advice, but also to simply be in her presence
     
  • Clare was particularly dedicated to the Holy Eucharist and understood the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood to have deep meaning but great power. In 1234, the army of Frederick II was preparing to assault the town of Assisi. In the middle of the night, they climbed the walls of San Damiano (where Clare and her nuns lived) and terrifyied the people. Clare was ill at the time. She reportedly arose from her bed, and retrieved the sacrament (described variously as being in a ciborium or in a monstrance) from the chapel. She went to the window and held the body of Christ uplifted before the invading army. It is said that, as she lifted it up, the soldiers fell to the ground, and the army began to flee in fear. 1 It is out of reference to this incident that Saint Clare is typically portrayed in art holding a monstrance or a ciborium.
     
  • On her deathbed, Clare was heard to say: “Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he that created you has sanctified you, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me.”

Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Aug 14

Who Was Jonathan Daniels ?

This week is the anniversary of the arrest of seminarian Jonathan Myrick Daniel in 1965 at the height of the racial strife in Selma in 1965. Daniel was killed when he took a shotgun blast that was intended for a black female, Ruby Sales. It killed him instantly. Daniels’ life showed a pattern of putting himself in the place of others who were defenseless and in need.

Describing the incident, Dr Martin Luther King said that “one of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry was performed by Jonathan Daniels.”

What happened to Ruby Sales? Sales went on to attend Episcopal Theological School in Massachusetts which Daniels had attended (now Episcopal Divinity School). She has worked as a human rights advocate in Washington, D.C. She founded The SpiritHouse Project, a non-profit organization and inner-city mission dedicated to Daniels.

The Rev. Gillian Barr in an Evensong in honor of Daniel in Providence RI provides an apt summary of Daniels. “He was a young adult who wasn’t sure what he was meant to do with his life. He had academic gifts, a sense of compassion, and a faith which had wavered from strong to weak to strong. He was searching—searching for a way to live out his values of compassion and his faith rather than just studying them in a book. He was living in intentional community, first at VMI, then at EDS, and then finally with activists in Alabama. His studies, and his prayer life, and his community all led him to see more clearly the beauty and dignity in the faces of all around him, even those who looked very different and came from very different backgrounds than the quiet boy from Keene, NH.”

Read more

The Virgin Mary, Aug. 15

We celebrate her saint day on August 15, the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. The day represents God’s redeeming work in all of the world.

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.”