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Catherine was away on vacation with Rev. Amy Turner as her substitute.  A smaller crowd of 33 was on hand. We are in the last week of Easter, just after the Ascension with Pentecost a week away. The bulletin is here and the readings

The Gospel reading was the "high priestly prayer" of John 17:6-19. He’s praying out loud in front of the disciples, ostensibly to help them understand their relationship to God as much as he is praying to God on their behalf.  However,  "they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world...As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. "   The reading comes on Thursday of Holy Week, the Garden of Gethesemane.  The other New Testament readings,  the Acts passage and the Epistle of John  describe events after this one. 

We had 50 people on a beautiful spring morning, a day celebrating Rogation Sunday and Mother's Day. The clover and small flowers were like a canopy on the church yard, appropriate for the former. This was a busy Sunday:

1. For Mother's Day

A. Tierra presented  a  Mother's Day song

B. Candy delivered to parishioners at the conclusion of the service. See picture below
C. A special mother's day prayer 

"Dear Lord, we come before you today to thank you for those who have brought new life into this world. We thank you especially for Mary , the mother of our Savior Jesus Christ, who brought to birth your Son who shared our human nature and lived and died as one of us. Give us the grace, all of us, to welcome you into our hearts and minds and spirits and bring your love to birth in this world. In the name of your song and through the power of the Holy Spirit we pray. Amen"
 

Ladies Night Out #10 was celebrated in style just the way Tom Mahoney envisioned it. We had about 30 people to eat and then witness another year of the "Newly wed" game. (Not really newly weds!).   Although it was a fund raiser for the church, everything was in fun last night.  Highlights of the food certainly included David's shrimp, Laura's pound cake and Dave's catfish.  Plus everyone brought wine. Here is a photo gallery that gives a representative sample of the evening. 

The last Ladies Night Out was in February, 2011. With the beautiful weather in the May spring time setting, people enjoyed congregating outside the Parish House before the event. The place was then filled with people eating.  

Barbara and Cindy organized the newly wed game afterwards. 5 couples participated - Jim and Liz, Joe and Mary Ann, Mike and Marily, Ken and Andrea and Jim and Bj. The Betchy's piled up an early lead that was maintained, and they won the prize. Thanks to everyone who participated and the men who organized it,  Bill Wick and Clarence Pannell.

After yesterday's intergenerational Christian ed on Sudan, Becky Fisher took her family to the Hope for Humanity Fundraiser at Christ Episcopal in Glen Allen on Sunday afternoon. She described it this way:

" The kids had a great time participating in the activities today.  Kimberly told her friends that she couldn’t talk to them right now she was in Sudan.  They especially enjoyed making the tukul (the hut).  Kimberly and Jesse sampled the daily lunch served at Hope and Resurrection Secondary School.  Each of them were able to answer many of the questions asked while they were in the typical Sudan classroom.  It was great. "

James Boyce a New Testament professor in St. Paul writes the following about John chapters 14-16:  

"In these chapters the resurrected Lord comforts and encourages both the Johannine community and hearers today with the promise that we and they are not abandoned or left alone, but can be confident of the Lord's continuing presence with us in the world. These words thus belong to and help shape a distinctive Johannine eschatology that understands life and salvation not as some distant or "heavenly" hope, but as the promise of an abundant life here and now constituted in the presence through the Spirit of the resurrected and living Lord."

As the sermon recounts - "Jesus had told the disciples about the way that they could be in the company of Jesus forever—even when he would no longer be much with them—Jesus had used a simple illustration that night as he talked to his disciples.  

 “I am the true vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit…"

It's about the here and now. Boyce continues "In the imagery of the vine and branches of our lesson, this "dwelling place" or "home" is now developed in the beautiful imagery of the intimate relationship of the Father, Jesus, and Jesus' followers...Because the Father has raised Jesus from the dead, this Word of God now become flesh among us has an abiding and lasting presence -- now continues to dwell among us. In the imagery of the vine that presence is underscored as abiding, lasting, and permanent.  

Twice he promises, I AM the vine. Once it is in Jesus relationship to God  The second time it is about Jesus' relationship to the disciples. In both cases the relationship is "bearing more fruit" and in the end the Father is honored.  Boyce writes. "And in that promise something happens. There is an event in which we "become" something new -- we are transformed by a new reality in which we are empowered and commissioned as disciples  "  

The word "abide" means believe. But is not static or unchanging role for the disciples. -"Vines are pruned and cleansed. Branches that wither and die are removed. This points to a constantly changing community that is called to be up and doing. This is a relationship of purpose and power."  Vines tend to grow in any direction  With Jesus we tend to grow in a direction- towards righteousness. 

The readings for this Sunday are here and the bulletin here.

 

Bill Wick represented St. Peter's at the May 2nd, Region One meeting at Christ Church. With a number of new delegates from churches in Region One (including Hurley Bogardus and Tom Meredith, above),  President  Ed Jones took a few minutes to present the purpose of Region 1 which is to build community from among the 19 churches and to provide communication both ways to the Diocese.  The Region One website is here.

 

9 am Eucharist and 11am Morning prayer on a day that started out rainy and ended up a clear day. We had 10 at 9am and an even 40 at 11am. We welcomed Jim and BJ Anderson back from Texas during the winter but were disturbed to hear about his experience with hail in the winter.

Morning Prayer featured a sermon by Jackie Collins on her experiences with Young Life in King George. Young Life is an interdenominatal group of students who discuss religious issues as they affect young students.  

In particular she belongs to the campaigners subgroup that features more Bible reading and discussion.

Using two chairs she described the role of sin and then reconciliation with God.

She then went into then challenge of dealing with Tyler's near death experience while keeping her faith. Young Life obviously helped deal with the ordeal. 

The Gospel deal with sherpherding and obviously the adult leaders of the organization provide an example of that with the youth.

The children's choir also performed "Jesus showed us God’s Love" at the offertory. The words were printed in the bulletin . They were accompanied by Catherine Hicks and Becky Fisher. Nancy Long is also involved in their training.  The children's choir meet three Wed a month for song, fellowship and other activities. 

Catherine also recognized Tierra Carter for her donation of a Bald Cyprus tree and Nancy Wick for some Lenten Roses. The tree show above was planted near the river and the roses in back of the sacristy
 

Today is Earth day. And what a change in the weather! Blessed rain, a soaker and temperatures in the lower 50's. We had 41 in church today. Lay Eucharistic Visitor training occurred afterwards. 

We celebrated Tierra's birthday a week late and the Hicks' anniversary coming up this week. She is our youngest communicant. 

In our Gospel lesson from Luke, we hear the resurrected Jesus give his peace to his disciples who are startled by his post-crucifixion presence.  To further set them free he models his peace by posing a simple routine request of food and then eating as any live person would.  Then Jesus explains the scriptures to deepen their understanding and pronounces them to be "witnesses of these things."  By proclaiming them as witnesses, Jesus charges them to be stewards of the faith and of peace in an anxious world that he has come to set free.

It's God’s reconciling love for all of us and for creation itself,  appropriate for Earth Day. But it is not easy, full of suffering.

 Today was "Dedication Sunday" for two recent gifts for the Church. We dedicated the door cross that Helmut made and a repair to the stained glass window panels at the back made by an anonymous donor.  This is at least the third cross that Helmut has made (two for Lent and Easter) and is the one to remain in place all of the time.  He made it from the original timbers of the roof.

The stained glass panels at the back on both sides of the church had one missing and the other fragmented. We have no date when they were added to the church. The primary period of stained glass windows in America was from the 1880's to 1920's. (Note the cross from one of the graves appearing through the stained glass on the left). Stained Glass by Shenandoah did the work.

The focus on today's sermon was the Holy Spirit an outgrowth of the Resurrection from Easter Sunday last week.   

"In his gospel, John tells us that at this moment of his death, Jesus bows his head and hands over his spirit. As Jesus breathes out his last breath, God hands over and pours out on those who love him the Spirit that will fill them all with new life."  

For us it is " to grow into God’s love—a lifelong process—so that we can do what God has asked us to do—and what Jesus asked the disciples to do—to be sent out to do God’s work in the world, as witnesses to God’s love.  When we breathe in Jesus, and the breath of God, we find ourselves filled with strength and the courage to go out into the world bound together with one another in witness to God’s love."  The readings are here  and the bulletin. 

 

Today was the culmination of Easter week. For St. Peter's, the fourth service this week and of course the one celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. 

What a wonderful Easter! The weather was sunny, crystal clear with spring alive all around us. 64 worshipped here today.  Here's an Easter photo gallery

Lots of variety. Marilyn began a 15 minute prelude with "Morning is Broken" followed by a solo by Nancy Long and a concerto by Helmut accompanied by Paige Martindale. The bulletin is here.  The readings for this Sunday are here.

Next was the lighting of the Paschal fire outside the Church and eventual lighting of the Paschal candle. The flame of the Paschal candle symbolizes Christ as light of the world and his presence in the midst of his people.   The congregation re-entered the Church for the procession.

The procession was notable as it was made up one young adult, Justin and the remainder of the children in the parish  - Tierra and Cheyenne, Kimberly and Tucker. We are truly blessed with their presence.   

Brad picked a wonderful group of hymns - "Jesus Christ is Risen Today", "We know That Christ is Raised and Dies no More" and "The Day of Resurrection." 

Mark's Gospel is the shortest resurrection account of all the Gospels. In the end Mark's Easter Gospel has 3 women coming to the tomb ready to anoint Jesus' body, confronted by a male angel who said he was not there but had been raised, requesting they tell the disciples that they will see him Galilee.  

Catherine's sermon touched on the idea of the abrupt nature of the ending of Mark in contrast to the beginning - "The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ. " The women are left alone in the tomb instructed to tell Peter of the news of the Resurrection. Instead they are afraid and do not. 

"And that’s precisely why I love the gospel according to Mark, with its abrupt ending, because the good news of Easter is that God will meet us, especially in the dark and empty silences when we can’t see God or hear God or feel God’s presence."

"That’s the blessing of Easter, that even in our worst endings is a new beginning, the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the crucified and Risen Son of God. "

She baptized  Holly Davis, the daughter of Johnny Davis' gradson, Johnathan  Catherine later presented the family with a wooden cross newly made by Helmut.  He is intending a cross to go to all newly bapitized and newcomers. (He has made 11).

After the service, Eunice and Catherine played Easter bunny with candy distributed to the children. Old friends met together as they have done for many Easters

So we have had three services this week plus Easter. What does it all mean ?