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.

Celebrating the lives of Absalom Jones and Abraham Lincoln this week

Absalom Jones died this week in 1818 not only the first trained black minister in any denomination but the first black minister ordained into the Episcopal Church and the first to create a Black religious organization in Philadelphia. More information is here

Abraham Lincoln was born this week, 210 years ago. What was his relationship to the Episcopal Church ? No he wasn’t a member but attended St. John’s Episcopal during his years in Washington, just across from the White House. He also made time with Bishop Whipple, first Episcopal Bishop in Minn. 300 Indians has been sentenced to death in the Dakota Indian Wards. Lincoln made the decision to reduce the number to 38. Was it related to Bishop Whipple’s influence ? The historian of the event writes “it is difficult to imagine that Whipple’s visit did not count in the president’s decision.” Read the entire story on “Lincoln’s Bishop”

Sunday Links, Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany, Feb 9

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  • YouTube St. Peter’s Page for viewing services
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  • Location – 823 Water Street, P. O. Box 399, Port Royal, Virginia 22535
  • Staff and Vestry
  • Wed., Feb. 5, 10am, Ecumenical Bible Study in the Parish House reading the Lectionary for Feb. 9, Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
  • Sun., Feb. 9, 11am, Holy Eucharist, Epiphany 5
  • Wed., Feb 12, 10am, Ecumenical Bible Study in the Parish House reading the Lectionary for Feb 16, Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

  • All articles for Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025
  • Recent Articles, Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb. 9, 2025


    Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

    Congregational Meeting, Jan. 26
    The Season after the Epiphany – What’s it all about ? Focus on the Gospels

    Commentary, Epiphany 5, Year C
    Visual Lectionary, Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
    Calling of Peter, a reluctant disciple
    Voices on the Gospel, Luke 5, vs.1-11

    Black History Month, Feb. 2025
    “Rosa Parks” by Nikki Giovanni
    Celebrating the lives of Absalom Jones and Abraham Lincoln this week

    The Epiphany was Jan. 6, 2025 The Season after the Epiphany lasts until March 4, Shrove Tuesday.

    Epiphany Sermon, Trinity Episcopal, NY, Jan. 5, 2025
    Epiphany Content and traditions
    3 Miracles associated with the Epiphany
    Epiphany Readings
    The Epiphany – a perfect start to the new year
    Bursting Forth – An Epiphany Reflection

    Lectionary – Epiphany 5, Year C

    I. Theme – Unworthiness 

    “Calling of Peter and Andrew’ – Duccio di Buoninsegna (1318/1319)

    The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

    Old Testament – Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13] Psalm – Psalm 138 Epistle – 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Gospel – Luke 5:1-11

    There’s a common theme running through all of today’s readings. That theme is “unworthiness.”

    The unworthiness felt by Isaiah in the presence of the Lord; the unworthiness of St Paul even to be called an “apostle”; and the unworthiness of St Peter – who is so acutely aware of his own weakness, that he asks Jesus to go away: “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

    A sense of unworthiness is probably something most of us experience at some time or another. We may feel unworthy for a particular task, unworthy of another’s trust, unworthy of another’s love. And that’s not surprising. We know our failings and our weaknesses better than anyone. When someone puts their trust in us, even though we want to do our very best for them, we are afraid – afraid that we’re not up to the task. And sometimes, sadly, we’re not. Sometimes we do fail, sometimes we do let others down, sometimes we do betray their trust.

    In calling Peter to become his disciple, Jesus places immense trust in him. Equally, some might say, Peter’s willingness to put out the nets one more time, showed his trust in Jesus. Peter, after all, was a professional fisherman; he’d grown up alongside the Sea of Galilee. Jesus, on the other hand, came from Nazareth; he knew nothing of the sea or of fishing. So it does seem incredible that Peter should have gone along with Jesus’ suggestion when all his better instincts must have told him it was pointless.

    What makes it all the more surprising is that, as far as we know, Peter has no particular reason to trust Jesus. At this point he probably doesn’t know him very well. Jesus hasn’t yet proved himself with any great miracles. So maybe it’s not trust we see in Peter’s response to Jesus, maybe it’s something else entirely. Peter, we can imagine, isn’t feeling too good about himself. The night’s fishing has been a complete disaster. He’s failed at the one thing he’s supposed to be good at. He is no doubt extremely tired, completely fed up. He’s been out all night; he needs some sleep.

    He’s just finished packing up his nets and is about to head off home to bed, when along comes Jesus. He climbs into the boat, and starts one of his talks; a talk which goes on forever. When at last he’s finished, and just as Peter thinks he can get off home for a kip, Jesus tells him to head out into deep water and put out his nets. I’m not at all sure Peter’s response does demonstrate his trust in Jesus. I think it shows his complete exasperation, his irritation even: “Master we worked hard all night long and caught nothing – the fact is, there are no fish. I know it, James knows it, even young John knows it. Still, you know best, you say there are fish, so I’ll pay out the nets.” And it’s then, when Peter is at his lowest ebb, when he’s tired, irritable, feeling completely useless – that the miraculous catch of fish occurs.

    Often, it’s when we are at our lowest, when we have failed, when we are most acutely aware of our weakness, that Jesus comes to us and works his miracles. And it’s then we have to trust in him, to launch out into deep water, knowing that it’s not our strength or our talents that matter, but his.

    Read more

    Voices on the Gospel, Luke 5, vs.1-11

    1. From “Living with Jesus Project”

    The call of the first disciples appears, naturally, early on in the ministry of Jesus. Up to this point, the main events have been Jesus’ baptism (3:21-22), his temptation in the wilderness (4:1-13), his inaugural sermon and rejection at Nazareth (4:16-30), and a series of healings (4:31-41). More immediately, there is a series of events that includes his going to a deserted place to be alone, his being sought out by crowds of people, and his teaching in synagogues (4:42-44).

    Peter is the only named disciple who reacts in a dramatic fashion to the miraculous event …

    In the third-person narrative in which the author directly speaks to his audience, Jesus (even the risen Jesus of John’s narrative) is referred to simply as “Jesus”; Peter and Peter alone addresses Jesus as “Lord” …

    The other fishermen share in the action of catching the fish … but neither on sea nor on land do they (apart from the beloved disciple in John 21:15-17) say anything once the miracle begins.

    At the end of each story, Jesus directly or indirectly issues a summons to Peter to follow him …

    The abundant catch of fish symbolizes in each story the future misionary work and the resultant success of Peter and the other disciples. A further idea symbolized in each story is that the disciples, left to themselves in the night of this world, are doomed to failure. With Jesus’ help and direction, they are granted startling success.

    Read more

    The Calling of Peter, a Reluctant Disciple

    From the SALT Project for Feb. 9, 2025

    1) How best to discern God’s call? “Taking this story as a model, we can draw out at least three primary themes. First, God works with and through questionable characters like us. No sooner has Simon confessed he’s a sinner than Jesus asks him to join his team! Our feelings of unworthiness or ineptitude or fear, while understandable, are precisely what God wants to dispel. God believes in us, and so we should, too! “

    2) “Second, at first the call may seem impractical, if not downright impossible (We just were out there, working all night, and look, our nets are empty!). Boldness and perseverance will no doubt be required; it takes some audacity to venture out into “deep water” (Luke 5:4).”

    3) “And third, God’s call is toward abundance amidst apparent scarcity — particularly abundance for the most vulnerable. Think of those two boatloads of fish on the shore, and the region’s families enjoying an unexpected feast. God’s call is always a call into Jubilee!”

    4) Jesus recuiting is a model for the future. “The perfect reversal of expected punishment isn’t simply the absence of condemnation; it’s the presence of communion, friendship, trust, companionship along the way. It’s saying to someone who’s done you wrong, Come, let’s work together. I trust you. Follow me.”

    5) Simon Peter doesn’t say “yes” immediately to becoming Jesus disciples. It takes place over a period of time. “Jesus and Simon know each other already: Jesus has stayed in Simon’s house and even healed his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39), and Simon respects Jesus as a compelling teacher (thus he calls him, “Master”). “

    6)  Peter’s reaction to the call is a combination of emotions- amazement, possibly repelled by it and certainly afraid. He overcame it. “Simon Peter and the others “left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). “And part of what they leave behind, please note, is this extraordinary catch of fish on the shore (two boatloads worth!). “..”But even more, we can take it as yet another glimpse of Jubilee, the Sabbath of Sabbaths, when all crops were to be left alone “so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat” (Exodus 23:11). Rather than cash in on their miraculous haul, the new disciples leave it behind for those who need it most (think of all those others along the shore who worked all night and came back empty-handed). It’s a tangible sign of the abundant realm of God — now at hand!”