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Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
Link to the reports from Jan 15 Annual Meeting
3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.
Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.
Daily meditations in words and music.
Your daily prayer online, since 1999
"We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance."
Saints of the Week, July 23 – July 30
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24
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Thomas a Kempis, Priest, 1471 |
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25
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Saint James the Apostle |
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26
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[Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary]; also [Charles Raymond Barnes, Priest, 1939] |
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27
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William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909 |
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28
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[Johann Sebastian Bach, 1750, George Frederick Handel, 1759, and Henry Purcell, 1695, Composers] |
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29
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Mary, Martha, [and Lazarus] of Bethany; also [First Ordination of Women to the Priesthood in The Episcopal Church, 1974] |
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30
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William Wilberforce, 1833, [and Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Shaftesbury, 1885, Prophetic Witnesses] |
July 23, 2017 – Pentecost 7
Village Harvest sets a new monthly record in July – 163 people served.
We welcomed Ed Jones as our guest preacher with Nancy Long as officiant. See the link for all the pictures and description.
The Week Ahead…
July 27 – 10:00am – Evangelical Bible Study
July 29 – 11:00am – Funeral – Myrtle Samuels Bulletin
July 30 – 9:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite I
July 30 – 11:00am – Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Sunday, July 30, Readings and Servers
Welcome back, the Rev. Amy Turner
Amy will be back with us on July 30 for both services. Amy was our children’s ministry coordinator for two years and helped to get Godly Play going. She is now the Upper School Chaplain at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne, FL.
The following picture was taken on June 8, 2014 on Pentecost on her last Sunday here. We presented her with a picture book of her time here: 
Celebrating the legacy of James the Apostle, July 25
Cathedral,Santiago Spain where James is buried and celebration on July 25 with swinging of the a giant censer.
We celebrate James the Apostle on July 25. With his brother, John, the Gospels (Matthew 4, 21-22; Mark 1, 19-20; Luke 5, 10-11) record that they were fishermen, the sons of Zebedee, partners with Simon Peter, and called by Jesus from mending their nets beside the sea of Galilee at the beginning of his ministry
Jesus nicknamed them ‘the sons of thunder’ – perhaps justified by the story (Luke 9, 51-56) that they once wished to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village which had refused them hospitality.
They made it to key events in Jesus life – the Transfiguation, Gethsemene and at various healings and miracles – Peter’s mother-in-law and raising of Jairus’s daughter. Obviously, James was of Jesus closest followers.
He is known as James the Great to distinguish him from James the Less, or James the brother of the Lord.
The movie, The Way celebrates the wonderful cathedral in Santiago where his remains lie and pilgrimage that grew up around St. James life, routes that have been followed for 800 years. Read more about James and the Santiago Cathedral …
ECW Summer meeting July 27
The ECW are having a summer meeting at St. Stephen’s Heathsville, July 24, 1pm-4:30pm. The church’s address is 6807 Northumberland Hwy. Heathsville, VA 22473
This meeting in the Northern Neck gives us an opportunity to meet with other ECW members in this area of the diocese for fellowship and small group discussions about living into our baptismal covenant. The afternoon will end with Holy Eucharist. The Diocesan ECW continues to support human trafficking victims, and we can help by donating new or gently used bras for freethegirls.org.
The bras that we collect get sent to El Salvador, Mozambique, and Uganda, where they become the inventory that young women who have been rescued from sex trafficking can sell for a safe economic opportunity to succeed financially. Through this program, survivors of sex trafficking can gain safe homes, restore relationships, have a way to work safely and with dignity, earn an education, and live without fear.
Art Day with Bishop Goff, Aug 26
Saturday, August 26
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Roslyn Retreat Center, Richmond
Come enjoy the day with Bishop Goff and become co-creators with God!
Join Bishop Goff for a day of creativity at Roslyn Retreat Center. No art experience required. Cost is $35 per person. Space is limited. Call 800.477.6296 to reserve your spot. Click here for additional information
Lectionary, July 30, 2017, Pentecost 7, Proper 12 Year A
I.Theme – God works through us in difficult times
"The Parable of the Mustard Seed" – James Patterson
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – 1 Kings 3:5-12
Psalm – Psalm 119:129-136 Page 774, BCP
Epistle –Romans 8:26-39
Gospel – Matthew 13:31-33,44-52
Our readings this week reflect God’s love for His people. They show how God works through our difficult times and will often bless us through them. He works through and within our times of weakness and works for the good of all who love Him. Secondarily, the readings cover the topics of good and evil and discerning between them.
The Old Testament reading recounts Solomon’s prayer – “Solomon’s prayer – “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” It is the perfect prayer modest, recalling past blessings and confessing our ignorance. The value of discernment is praised, the capacity to see issues, recognize temptations, and know what is right and wrong, based on divine truths.
This leads naturally into the Psalm, which immediately counters any notion that you have to be a king (or a Solomon, for that matter) to discern what is right: “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Anyone who pays attention can discern the decrees of God, for it is God who is our teacher. The Word of God is a means of grace. Through the Word–which is both law and gospel–the Lord of Israel encounters the people of God..
Paul in Romans examines in detail how certain can we be that God will complete the execution of his plan of salvation. This is Christian life lived in the Spirit. Nearly every sentence is a new way of stating the promise that God has not abandoned "us," and is working on our behalf. The Spirit meets with her own intercessions and prayers – aiding our inability to pray. What is even more amazing is that God still loves us even after countless incidents of outrageous human behavior, pride and disloyalty. The Spirit helps us to resist the powers that would defeat us and separate us from God
Today’s gospel, Matthew concludes a long series of parables about the reign of God. There are 5 parables in these verses. These parables encourage us to live the kingdom into being in every aspect of our lives. It addresses basic questions: "What is it ? How do we find it? What’s it like? What do I have to do to enter it?" In telling these parables, Jesus did not make the characters angels or kings, but a woman, a merchant, fishermen. And he did not use difficult or out-of-reach tasks, but everyday peasant-class things like baking bread and fishing. The kingdom is here but it’s modest. It’s hidden. It’s quiet. In fact, those who discover the kingdom sometimes tend to stumble upon it almost by accident. The kingdom is a great treasure but it may not reveal itself immediately
Summing them up, Jesus praises those who have listened carefully and understood. This praise of the wise in today’s gospel seems to justify this choice of first reading Solomon’s request for wisdom.
A Union Soldier’s take on Solomon’s Prayer (Old Testament reading this week)
An unknown civil war soldier wrote this eloquent testimony:
"I asked for strength that I might achieve;
"I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
"I asked for health that I might do greater things;
"I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
"I asked for riches that I might be happy; I was given poverty that I might be wise.
"I asked for power that I might have the praise of men; I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
"I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I had asked for, but everything that I had hoped for.
"Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered; I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
"So the Bible says that It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this."