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Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
1. How Does your garden grow ?
For a future article, we would like to spotlight gardeners at St. Peter’s . This includes both flower and vegetable gardeners. With all the rain your garden should be in good shape. We are looking for pictures and descriptions of your garden, such as how big, what have you grown, successes and difficulties, etc. We would especially like to hear about a spiritual component to gardening. You can upload your picture here. You may upload as many pictures as you like. It also asks for a description and your name. One picture description may be that of your garden and the others simpler describing only the picture included. Your choice. Thanks!
2. Emma Cocke’s Home featured in Free Lance-Star
Jim Patton and Emma Cocke (2001) .
Two St. Peter’s families have been involved with Rock Stop farms:
1. Barbara Wisdom reported this connection:
"My great-grandfather/mother (Thomas Hugh and Lizzie Lee Broaddus Motley) bought this farm in the 1880’s. Several of their children were all born there:
"John Lewis (1890) – my grandfather
Lizzie Lee (1894)
Frank Broaddus (1896)
"(Three other children: Tommy, Laura and Ora were born and died very young or at birth. Their oldest child, Richard Hugh, was born in Middlesex Co. in 1882.) Richard lived at Rock Stop for many years.
"Their mother died in about 1898. Thomas remarried to Martha Ellen Sale. I have a wonderful photo of the Motley clan on the steps of the Rock Stop house. Ellen died in 1931 and Thomas in 1932. The farm then went up for public auction."
2. Emma Cocke – from her obituary
"Emma Arntzenius Cocke, 92, of Caroline County died Wednesday, May 11, 2005, at her home, Rock Stop Farm.
"Mrs. Cocke was born in The Hague, Netherlands. She survived the Nazi occupation of northern Holland for five years. She came to the United States immediately after World War II.
"She was preceded in death by her late husband, retired U.S. Army Col. Philip St. G. Cocke IV, and her daughter, Emma E. Luckenbach."
"She was buried at Grace Episcopal Cemetery Bremo Bluff Fluvanna County.
At St. Peter’s she was active as treasurer of the ECW (1981).
Rock Stop Farm was bought in 1959 by U.S. Army Col. Philip St. G. Cocke IV and Emma . Emma Cocke retained the property after her husband’s death, and upon her death in 2005 at age 92, the property was divided between their two sons. Philip St. G. Cocke V received the main portion and John R. Cocke received Cottage Woods. This is a single story home with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a sun room that was created by enclosing a porch. It would make an ideal guest house.
John Cocke and his wife live at the Cottage Woods house, and the main house in the past has been occupied by a caretaker until the Fitzhughs bought it.
2002 Newsletter article on Emma
Free Lance Star, June 28, 2013 article on the renovations made by the Fitzhughs.
Don’t see your pet ? Upload a picture
3. Prayer requests – Add a name to the prayer list here.
Week ending Sunday, July 14, 2013 (full size gallery)
July 21- 11:00am-Holy Eucharist, Rite II
This Sunday at St. Peter’s – Servers, Readings
Pictures from Noah trip, July 16, 2013 (full size gallery)
Here are Eunice’s reflections on the trip:"I recall getting goosebumps three times during the NOAH performance. The singer/actors were extraordinary, as was the choreography. As a matter of fact, seeing this entices me to want to see every performance that is put on by Sight and Sounds theater.
"We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Miller’s Smorgasbord which appeared to have service that must have been provided by people who loved their jobs-you could feel the love.
"Our driver was also very committed to the job-we didn’t get much two conversation from her, during the 8 hours on the road, as she was very dedicated to the wheel, the directional signs and keeping us all safe from the hazards of the road.
"It was especially nice to spend the day with everyone who took a day out of their lives to experience a taste of Lancaster, PA together. By separate message I will send you is a picture of Roger standing outside of the threaten. If you focus in you can see a house drawn plow and farmer working in the field behind him. The patterns in the field almost seemed artistic."
Catherine plugged Miller’s which provided a convenient way to sample Amis cookery. She was impressed with the six types of soup and marvelled how well it was managed.
Christ in the Home of Mary and Martha, Sun. July 21st
"Christ in the House of Mary and Martha" – Vermeer (1655)
Another famous story from Luke. The Gospel reading is here.
Let’s set the scene. We are in the long travel narrative in Luke (9:51 — 19:28). Jesus "set his face to go to Jerusalem" (9:51) and instructs those who would follow that the journey must be their first priority (9:57-58). Jesus sends the seventy ahead with no provisions for the journey and insists they depend on the hospitality of those in towns who welcome them (10:1-11).
Immediately preceding the stop at Martha’s home, Jesus tells a story about a man on a journey who is beaten and left to die. He is saved by an unexpected merciful neighbor (10:30-37). The story of "the good Samaritan" confirms that the journey to Jerusalem is dangerous, and that disciples might welcome the compassion of someone who, in other circumstances, would be considered undesirable.
This week we are in a seemingly peaceful setting – Jesus is invited into the home of Mary and Martha. This is only reference to Mary and Martha in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). The two sisters and their brother, Lazarus, figure prominently in the fourth gospel, but hardly at all in the synoptics. However, fireworks erupt within this setting
Martha like the Samaritan is welcoming and is doing what women then were supposed to do – getting the house ready for the visitor. However, she is overwhelmed. We don’t how many guests there are. Where Jesus goes there are at least 12 other guys following him…and then the gravity and reality of the invitation comes crashing down on her. She is distracted. By contrast, Mary is sitting at the master’s feet, intent on listening to him but not lifting a finder to help.
She wants Jesus to tell Mary “get with it” and help out. Instead Jesus turns the tables and praises Mary saying “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
So what’s going on here ? There are a variety of interpretations
1. The Kingdom being brought to all and in particular women
Jesus is crossing Jewish cultural bounds – he is alone with women who are not his relatives; a woman serves him; and he teaches a woman in her own house.
Women were not supposed to sit with teachers as the disciples did. Mary is assuming a male role – at the feet of Jesus
In the first century, rabbis did not teach women. Outside of being instructed in their proper gender roles according to custom and law, women received no education
Both in the previous story , The Samaritan and this story, they moving beyond boundaries. The Samaritan for Luke illustrates the second commandment (‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’). Mary exemplifies the fulfillment of the first commandment. ‘You are to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your energy, and with all your mind.
2. How do we deal with rivalries ?
The Martha and Mary story is just another in a series of instances of the disciples letting rivalry get in the way. This is similar to James and John and their discussion of "whom is the greatest?"
Martha asks Jesus to intervene. "Tell her then to help me." Martha may be considered a "control freak."
Jesus doesn’t mince words in his response. Calling her by name not just once but twice, in a manner that sounds more like a parent than a friend, he describes the situation.
The rivalries that we live in are the things that distract us. Jesus calls us out of these rivalistic relationships and into the Kingdom. Without the rivalry we can still attended to the daily demands of life, but maybe without seeing ourselves as victims of someone.
What Mary gets that Martha doesn’t – Colossians 1:15-29 – "Christ in You"
"This mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations
but now is revealed to God’s saints… is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
—Colossians 1.27-28
You can think of this way. This year is the year of the 17 year cicadas emerging. The cicadas exoskelton is like Christ’s work within us – it keeps us focused and provides the strength.
In their cycle, the young cicadas hatch from the tree branches, fall to the ground, and burrow 18-20 inches into the soil. For the next 13 to 17 years, they tunnel through the ground and draw liquid out of tree roots, their sole source of food. They’ll need a few days for their bodies to harden after they wriggle out of their exoskeleton. The insects will have only 4 to 6 weeks to mate before they die. "Christ in us."
A poem by Steve Garnaas-Holmes
"Never mind the lonely trek across the desert to find your elusive teacher, nor does your Savior have to come to you. The Beloved lives inside you, breathing here, moving in you, moving you, the silence shimmering in your lungs, the heat rising, pulsing, pushing, straining to get out and love this crazy world.
"The life in you is of God. The Chosen One is in your blood, your flesh, even your wounds, bleeding sometimes, and when you bleed you bleed glory, and when you are weary the splendor of God rests, and when you suffer the Gentle One silently accepts your lashes, and quietly rises again and again.
"The Beloved lives inside you, working miracles, or speaking to you in that silent language, or sometimes sitting still, eyes closed, with a little smile, or maybe just relaxing, looking around, being at home.
We have to look inside to see our own unique gifts that are a part of our community . These appear in soul searching as a result of our faith if we take the time to search them out. And we have to be ready to receive the gifts of others as well.
Martha as well as May has the opportunity to receive God’s grace through faith through their identification with Christ. Martha needs to see that she needs nourishment. She needs to be "renewed in faith and strengthened for service." Jesus is the host with many gifts to give. We have to take the time to "get it."
This scripture represents Paul’s dealing with those in Colossae who believe that obedience to the law through the Torah provided the basis for God’s promised blessings. Not so, says Paul. When a person believes in Christ, Christ enters into their being and they receive, as a gift, the full benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection. Thus with "Christ in us" we possess the "hope of glory." We can all share in his glory It was his effort to preach and incorporate the Gentiles into the body of Christ.
Student Ministers – They got their start here
Between June 30, 1933 and June 1, 1935, St. Peter’s was led not by ordained priests but by students at Virginia Theological Seminary. Fall’s history provides no reason why this was done or what they did when communion was necessary since student priests would not have been able to perform that part of the service. Their names were John Ellis Large (1933-1934) followed by Frederick Griffith (June 15, 1934-June 1, 1935). We had Griffith picture but not Large’s even though Ralph Fall wrote in Hidden Village “their photographs appear in the church sacristy.” Until now. Chris Pote, archivist at VTS, sent us this picture of Large in his 1934 class picture.
Large actually became an author and was famous enough to have his obituary in the NY Times in 1982.
A native of New York, his early career was that of a English teacher and school principal on Long Island before he entered seminary. He left St. Peter’s to be ordained at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, L.I., in 1934.
His career spanned service in St. Simon’s Church in Brooklyn, Christ Church in Babylon, L. I. , St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, and Church Heavenly Rest at Fifth Avenue and Saint Boniface, both in New York City.
Large appeared in print also from defending Billy Graham’s 1957 crusade in NY which garnered much media attention. He was quoted in saying “Some ministers have used bad taste in criticizing Graham, and one said the Holy Spirit couldn’t exist in the Garden. But what started in the Garden of Eden and reached its finest moment in the Garden of Gethsemane should be brought out of those gardens and into the present. Madison Square Garden is as good a place as any for that."
Large was ahead of his time for his studies on spiritual healing. He introduced the practice of laying on our hands to St Boniface in 1963 after doing the same at Heavenly Rest earlier. At Boniface, the demand led to the creation of a separate mission house. Many churches are incorporating healing directly into services today.
Large was a prolific author. His books include Ministry of Healing , God So Love the World, Night of Betrayal: A Narrative Poem , God is Able: how to Gain Wholeness of Life, Young Pegasus, and Think on these things.
You can see our current collection of priests here