Last Sunday (Pentecost 10, Year A, Aug. 17, 2014)
August 24 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer, Rite II, Pentecost 11
August 30 – 5:00pm – ECM Picnic – Reynold’s Pavilion
This Sunday at St. Peter’s – Servers, Readings
St. Peter’s Peumansend Creek Jail Ministry – Reflections from two participants
By Mary Ann Betchy 
"The jail ministry to me, is about planting seeds of hope and faith, where there is none or was, but lost somewhere along the way.
"I would liken this ministry to any bible study. We may take the scripture’s message from Sunday’s past with Catherine’s sermons or incorporate them with other messages we feel would be good to share. Then we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. We go with the message of God’s love for them as for all of us.
"Even though one may think that the inmates are so angry to be in jail and may try to upset the study. That has never happened. I have now conducted a study without our team members and I found the men to be as respectful as if all of us were there. As we never know what group of inmates will be available and how many will show, that particular Thursday was with a new group of ten inmates that had been recently incarcerated except for one.
"I am inspired by the receptiveness of the inmates during our visit. Most participate by reading the scripture or by giving us their thoughts about what we’ve read. All are engaged in listening and in thought. All come up after the study to thank us for coming and ask when we will return. Many also help us place the room back in order, as we take the chairs before the inmates come in and form a circle.
"I am often asked “How is the jail ministry going? Do you think it is doing any good? You bet I do! Even though we may not see the end results and some will be released only to come back, we know we are working in God’s time not ours. As everyone knows it takes time for seeds to sprout and grow.
"We welcome any new members. I promise you will get more than what you went in with, as these men also have messages to share."
By Catherine Hicks
"Did you know that prisoners who get to meet with those who come to the jail with special programs are less likely to return to jail in the future?
"Since 2012, St Peter’s and a small group of dedicated volunteers including Mary Ann Betchy, Marilyn Newman and Catherine Hicks, have been going to the jail on the first Thursday of every month to spend some time with the prisoners for Bible study.
"In order to become volunteers at the jail, we had to attend an orientation session, tour the jail, and get ID badges that we wear whenever we are in the jail. Two years ago, we also had to watch a video about sexual abuse prevention in jails in order to update our training.
"When we arrive at the jail, we turn in our drivers’ licenses and receive our badges. Then we go through a series of locked doors to reach the prisoners’ compound. We hold our Bible study in the activities building, where the prisoners also take GED classes, anger management and education about addiction to drugs and how to overcome addictions. The gym is also in this building.
"The guard calls the units. Prisoners then decide whether or not they’d like to attend, and those who do come to the activity building and sign in.
"Frequently, we have familiar faces in the group. Sometimes we have as many as eighteen prisoners attend, and once only one man showed up. Our average attendance is probably around 12 people. The group may either come from the orange group who spend most of their day in lock-down (in their cell with their cell mates) or from the green and gold group. This group has a little more freedom and most of the prisoners in this group have been in the jail long enough to earn their way out of the orange group.
"We sit in a circle and start our Bible study with a prayer and introductions. We then start with a scripture, or a particular topic, like faith. Our format is more discussion than lecture. The prisoners talk about how the passages have applied to their own lives, and the information they share with each other about the power of scripture is helpful. We also participate in the discussion and answer questions about the passages, or provide information or a particular focus that hasn’t been addressed in the discussion."
"At the end of the Bible study, we ask everyone about what they would like to take to God in prayer, and then we pray and end with the Lord’s Prayer. We can feel God’s presence there in our midst. After the prayer and goodbyes, the prisoners shake our hands, thank us for being there, and then they go back to their unit. We volunteers always feel that we have received so many blessings from this hour of fellowship, study and prayer that we are already looking forward to the next month as we walk back to the main building, head back through all those locked doors, turn in our badges, have our drivers’ licenses returned , and head for the freedom of the drive home."
If you would like to be truly blessed, sign up to join in this St Peter’s ministry.
Return from Staten Island
Roger and Eunice returned from the Moravian Clothing distribution at Staten Island early this week and brought some pictures to share of their experiences. Thanks to them for helping with a worthy mission a second time around. Here are her comments:
"Roger and I assisted again in the Moravian church clothing distribution. There were 1,110 clients provided with clothes, shoes, book bags filled with school supplies, etc. It was exhausting work but very rewarding to work with the teams from other churches. There were clients who prayed over us -praises of thanks for the charity. There were lots of smiles as folks walked out with bags of clothing. Catherine’s sister, Lynette, had the 4 days of activities planned to a tee and she worked about like the "energizer bunny" until she literally crashed at nights. Their were many ways that God was at work throughout the trip and we were very glad to have been a part of it." – Eunice Key
St. Peter’s Pears – Get’em while you can
Well, we don’t have a "partridge in a pear tree" and we couldn’t afford one either. The PNC Christmas index lists one partridge in a pear tree’s cost as $199 in 2013. So, we just have one pear tree and all the pears on it. All the pears together could easily overtake that price. The Romans cultivated them and ate them either raw or cooked. A 1930’s map shows plum, peach and pear besides the rectory but only the pear remains. But enough history – here’s an article Catherine wrote on how to take advantage of the pears:
"At this time of year, the pears on the old pear tree behind the Parish House are dropping off the tree and covering the ground. Every year I see if I can figure out how to make these hard as a rock fruits edible. Here’s this year’s attempt.
"First of all, beat the resident groundhog to the fruit. Pick up the pears that are unblemished by bruises, rotten spots or teeth marks.
"Wash the pears well and place them in a large pot. Don’t peel them. Cover them with water and throw in a good amount of pickling spices (if you don’t have pickling spices on hand, add cloves, allspice and cinnamon sticks to the water). Then add some sugar. The amount depends on how sweet you want the pears to be.
"Bring to a boil, and then turn down to simmer. Let the pears cook until they are tender. This may take a while. When they are done, remove from the water, and either eat them warm right then or refrigerate them and save them for later.
"I’m thinking of boiling down the liquid and making a nice gooey sauce to go on top of the pears, and the pears could also be turned into pear sauce.
From Our Bishops: Prayers for Ferguson
From the Diocese of Virginia
"In the reading from the letter to the Romans, which we will hear this Sunday, Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
"During these dozen days, since the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, we have witnessed again the painful reality that our nation is torn by violence, racism, poverty and injustice. These realities represent a world that is far from the perfect will of God for all human beings. The ongoing tensions we witness night after night in Ferguson, tensions which are repeated again and again in more subtle ways in cities and towns across our nation, grieve the heart of God…
We will use this prayer on Sunday:
For the Human Family (Prayed together in unison)
"O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through
Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family;
take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break
down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work
through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on
earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen"
Donate School Supplies for Caroline County students- One more week!
Needed—yellow #2 pencils, erasers, wide ruled notebook paper, glue sticks, Marble black and white composition books, boxes of 24 crayons, small index cards, tissues, Lysol wipes, hand sanitizer, dry erase markers, fiskar scissors, spiral bound notebooks, yellow highlighters, pocket folders with and without prongs. Please leave on the back row of the church. Thanks! Keep ’em coming!
Identity is one of the goals we strive for in our whole lives. It is part of our human development and influences our behavior. "Who am I ?" "Why was I placed here ?" And with it the next question, "given my identity, where am I going?" The answers change as we develop and mature as humans. We seem to be always in transition.
Jesus question to Peter this week "But who do you say I am?" is one of identity. There is a second question for next Sunday. "Based on what you told me, why do you follow me ? Have you thought through of the consequences ?" Just as Jesus in the Gospel Mark "set his face" to go to Jerusalem, so now is a turning point. The course is set toward Easter. Peter gets an "A" figuring this out now but will fail miserably on the second question next week. Stay tune!
This week we spotlight several struggles for identity. The story above on our prison ministry focuses on efforts to help people in incarceration figure out what their identies should be. We have two examples of broken people at death’s door – they had to come to grips with identity – Dietrich Bonhoeffer just before he was executed at the end of World War II and athelete Janine Shepherd who survived a horrible wreck. We have Steve Jobs remarkable graduation address at Stanford who was able to "connect the dots" to emphasize to college graduates that the key to life is to find a passion that is distinctively your own and that you can love your entire life. Some people find their causes later in life as with William Wilberforce who helped end slavery in England permanently and without war. We also introduce a new book on developing your inner drive so you can become who you hope to be (whatever that is !).
We are all mindful of a passage associted with Socrates: "The unexamined life is not worth living." The problem today is with some much media stimulation our lives may be overexamined and we get lost in the detail. We constantly feel we are digging out.
Identity
"God wants us to become fully the person he created us to be and not to settle for anything less: to become so alive that when people see us they actually see something of God radiating through us and glorifying God." – Br. Geoffrey Tristram, Society of Saint John the Evangelist
SSJE is a monastic community of The Episcopal Church & The Anglican Church of Canada.
Lectionary, Pentecost 11, August 24, 2014
I.Theme – Finding identify, confronting power of leaders and molding the growing church.
"Keys to the Kingdom" – Hermoleon
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Isaiah 51:1-6
Psalm – Psalm 138 Page 793, BCP
Epistle –Romans 12:1-8
Gospel – Matthew 16:13-20
This week is about identity, power and authority of leaders, people and within the growing church. In fact there is little action – we step back, examine ourselves, ask questions and interpret where this is leading us.
This section marks a turning point in both Roman’s and Matthew’s Gospel.
In three prior chapters, Paul has figured out how God will bring all peoples into the grace of Jesus Christ, even the Israelites who, by rejecting Jesus, seem to have given up their status as the Chosen People. Now Paul focuses on what life as one body with diverse gifts looks like as he blends both Jew and Gentile. And with one body comes worship. We must adopt a new mind set, in order to recognize God’s will for us.
Paul insists that we should offer our bodies and minds to God, open to actively being used and changed – thus our whole lives become “spiritual worship.” There is a wonderful promise that in doing so, we may discern the will of God.
He identifies core activities in his Kingdom though in his time the actual churches were far more dispersed. Note that the gifts listed here are focused not on the “institution” of the church, but on the core activities of the Christian community with each other and on mission in the world—proclaiming God’s living word, serving others, teaching, coaching, giving, leading, and offering mercy . The body only functions when everyone’s gifts are being exercised. The image of the church as the body strongly challenges giving excessive authority in the church to particular individuals or positions, as the body only functions when everyone’s gifts are being exercised.
In the Gospel, up till now Jesus has been teaching the crowds the mystery of the Kingdom in the face of growing hostility from the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus now withdraws with the disciples to begin forming them into his ‘church’.
The gospel text poses a challenge to the authority that comes from Roman might, or divine rule by their gods. And it is happening in their backyard – in Caesarea Philippi . So who is Jesus to challenge the foundation of society ? “Who do others think I am and who do you think I am ?”
Jesus’ identity is composed in the context of God’s interaction with Israel as well as the power of Jesus’ own time. When Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah or the anointed one of God, images of political independence are certainly in the air.
In his words to Simon Peter, Jesus gives authority to him and the other disciples – to a bunch of fishermen, tax collectors, rebels and others, who misunderstand him 9 times out of 10, and do not fit anyone’s conventional notion of leaders.
In doing so, however, the Gospel writers are not just interested in correctly defining who Jesus is but also in shaping a community molded in light of his actions and teachings. And so these questions of identity are not just a matter of definition but of formation, not just doctrine but discipleship.
There are two key symbols present here. "The rock" is the symbolic anchor for the church and it could be Christ or Peter’s insight of Christ. Christ gives Peter "the keys", the ability to unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom; they may also be a symbol of authority over the Church. Originally, when one came to seek the king’s help or counsel, the servant’s job was to open the door to the king’s house and assist him in reaching the king. Christ’s servants, the ministry, have a similar responsibility to assist those God is calling in coming to their King, Jesus Christ.
Isaiah is not about the identity of leaders or churches but the people themselves.
In the Isaiah passage it is not the leader whose identity is under scrutiny, but the people themselves, as the prophet asks them to look to their own heritage. Although this passage points to several moments in Israel’s story, the most overt reference is to Abraham and Sarah.
In the Psalm identity comes in the context of praise, the psalmist continuing the words of thanks, this time to the “name ” of god, because of God’s “steadfast love and faithfulness. “Name” was an important concept in the ancient Near East. Names reflected the natures and characters of the person who bore them and were conceptually equal to the essence of ones being. The Psalmist is providing identity to God, one how provides “love and faithfulness;” who “increased my strength within me” , “cares for the lowly”, keeps him safe and confronts the psalmist’s enemies.
Read more about the Lectionary…
"St Peters as our rock"
From a sermon Aug 24, 2011 
In July of 1833, three of our ancestors here in Port Royal, William Gray, Charles Urquhart and George Fitzhugh, placed an ad in the Virginia Herald for builders.
To Builders— “The Subscribers, Commissioners for building a church in Port Royal, will receive proposals for erecting the same—they would prefer to have the whole work undertaken by a single individual, but will contract for the Brick work separately, if necessary. A hundred thousand Bricks, it is supposed will be about the number required for the church.”
And this church is built of bricks. Bricks, made from the earth itself, are a strong building material, much like rock. In many places in the Old Testament, the rock is a symbol for God.
…Here we are, in a brick church named after St Peter, the man that Jesus called a rock.
And Jesus asks each and every one of us the same question he asked the disciples. “But who do you say that I am?”
When we are able to answer this question as Peter did, “You, Jesus, are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” we experience a cosmic shift in our lives. When we recognize that God IS the solid core within us—our inner rock.
We profess our faith every Sunday in the words of the Nicene Creed—our belief in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
But how do we know when God really is at the center of our lives? Paul provides some help with this question in the passage from the letter to the Romans that we heard today. We find that rather than being conformed to the world, we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds. And our minds are made new when we can wake up every morning and hand ourselves over to God. “God, please be the rock in my life today, and please help me serve you by serving my neighbors. Please help me to do whatever it is you give me to do today, to your glory.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer – "Who am I" (1946)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a professing Christian who kept the Christian faith alive during the Adolf Hitler’s rule in Germany. At St. Peter’s we read part of Life Together in Adult Ed.
He was implicated in the bomb plot against Hitler in 1944. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote “Who Am I” just one month before he was executed.
"Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equably, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.
"Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the 88voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
"Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!"
March 4,1946
Janine Shepherd – "A Broken Body Isn’t a Broken Person"
Australian Cross-country skier Janine Shepherd hoped for an Olympic medal — until she was hit by a truck during a training bike ride. She shares a powerful story about the human potential for recovery. Her message: you are not your body, and giving up old dreams can allow new ones to soar.
She writes, "The philosopher Lao Tzu once said, "When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be." I now know that it wasn’t until I let go of who I thought I was that I was able to create a completely new life. It wasn’t until I let go of the life I thought I should have that I was able to embrace the life that was waiting for me. I now know that my real strength never came from my body, and although my physical capabilities have changed dramatically, who I am is unchanged. The pilot light inside of me was still a light, just as it is in each and every one of us.
"I know that I’m not my body, and I also know that you’re not yours. And then it no longer matters what you look like, where you come from, or what you do for a living. All that matters is that we continue to fan the flame of humanity by living our lives as the ultimate creative expression of who we really are, because we are all connected by millions and millions of straws, and it’s time to join those up and to hang on. And if we are to move towards our collective bliss, it’s time we shed our focus on the physical and instead embrace the virtues of the heart."
This is a wonderful TED Talk. Read the transcript
Steve Jobs – Stanford Commencement Address (2005) – "Connect the Dots"
No, I don’t own a Mac computer. I am not an Apple groupie. In many ways Jobs interpersonal relations with others left a lot to be desired – he used people and then turned on them.
That said, this is one of my favorite commencement speaches from 2005 at Stanford. It is magnificent! It is about 3 stories from Steve Job’s life where he tried to define who he was – when he dropped out of college ("connecting the dots"), when he was fired from Apple, and finally when he faced death earlier in life. In short he tells how determined he was to find himself. Jobs was an innovator who not only visualized computer advancements but he realized them and provided a new way to work and enjoy life.
1. The text of the speech 2. YouTube link to the speech with introduction 3. YouTube link – just the speech . Some favorite lines:
"Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life…
"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle."
William Wilberforce and the movement to end slavery
The rock-like faith of Peter is at the heart of William Wilberforce’s crusade against the English slave trade. England was exporting 50,000 Africans to America a year in his life time. Wilberforce’s life is the subject of the movie "Amazing Grace" (2006). You can see the trailer here. There is also a short 3 minute introduction to Wilberforce here.
Wilberforce was an English politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. He was a political activist and a man of strong faith.
By the late 1700s, the economics of slavery were so entrenched that only a handful of people thought anything could be done about it.
Who Do You Say That I Am" – Finding identity, a short film
Life is a journey and your life becomes an expression of something, an expression of someone. Meet a number of characters and their journey to find themselves and those around them. They include a jobless man, a depressed girl, a rich man, a blonde model, a boyfriend, a basketball boy, a husband, a pregnant wife, a baby and young boy
This short film was produced by students of the V-Kol Media School. It was written, filmed and edited in one week. All of the students were first time short film makers. They were finding their own identities while the telling the stories of others in their particular situations.
New Book – "Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive"
A new book to develop who you are:
"There are a whole lot of things that come on the plate of discipleship. Jesus didn’t say, “I come that you may have church,” he said, “I come that you have life and have that life more abundantly.” A lot of people are having church, but it doesn’t mean that they have the life skills that they need to live that abundant life we need as believers."
"For years, Bishop T.D. Jakes has been considered one of the country’s leading television evangelists. His ministry attracts millions of viewers every week.
"But the pastor of Potter’s House in Dallas is also a movie producer and the author of 30 books. His latest book, “Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive,” is on the New York Times bestseller list. Jakes says he didn’t write the book to help people become rich or famous, but to offer a road map so that readers might more fully tap their potential.
“I write to share with you the importance of being led into your fulfilled purpose by leaving the confines of your conventional cave and entering the space where your heart longs to reside,” writes Jakes, 57. “The place you will discover when instinct is your guide.”
Several links about his new book "Instinct":
1. He was featured in the religion section of the Washington Post on Aug 7
2. YouTube link. Bishop T.D. Jakes talks about his new book as well as staying grounded in his faith
3. Washington Post video with Sally Quinn. On Faith – instinct vs. intellect. "Intellect loads the gun but instinct pulls the trigger."
4. Amazon link