We are a small Episcopal Church in the village of Port Royal, Va., united in our love for God, for one another and our neighbor. Check out our welcome.
Chaos in the Gospel -“A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.” – Mark 4:37. Painting by Jules Joseph Meynier (1826-1903)
June 20, 2021, 4th Sunday after Pentecost
June 20 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer. In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278
June 20 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195
June 21 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929
Bible Study on Wednesday is taking a well deserved break!
June 24 – 7:00pm Sacred Ground book group
June 27 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist
June 27 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475
A “Web Story” of the Gospel
The following format is a “web story” developed by Google and intended for mobile consumption. We can take the themes of Sunday in the readings, in the service and events in the world to see connections in a magazine format.
Link to the Web Story on the Gospel
The Gospel on June 20 is very dramatic in Pentecost 4 with the disciples crossing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to carry Jesus message to the Gentiles. They are concerned about their lives in the transit due to a violent storm. But Jesus is in the boat – asleep! Can we depend on him ? The theme of the web story is chaos – in the Gospel and in related events – Juneteenth on June 19, the refugee situation no June 20 and the change of season during the solstice.
What do we make of this ? What can we take from the Gospel to relieve the stress and get us through these challenges?
Father’s Day Project, 2020
Today on Father’s Day we asked the congregation to supply pictures of their fathers
Read our Father’s day poem and Father’s Day prayer
Jamaica Project Concludes TODAY!
Jamaica Project – May 2 – June 20
The Jamaica project has collected school supplies for the children at Andrea Pogue’s primary school in Jamaica. June 20 is the last day since the supplies will be shipped to Jamaica at the end of June in order to arrive before the school year begins in August. Some people at St. Peter’s will be traveling to Jamaica in August to help with the supplies as a mission trip
As Andrea has said, “Being able to make a positive difference for an institution that has made a positive difference in your life is deeply rewarding and meaningful.”
At the beginning of each school year, parents often have financial challenges in purchasing items to send their children back to school. Some of these include the purchasing of school bags, writing books, pencils and uniforms etc. There are times when past students will assist in purchasing some of these items. Unemployment is high at 20% which impacts buying supplies
As of June 18, we have collected $1,675 toward a goal of $3,000! Supplies – 4 backpacks, 60 pens, 98 rulers, 350 pencils, 18 notebooks, 24 crayons and 50 masks. Wow! Many thanks!
They still need 300 composition notebooks, 100 backpacks, 100 pens, 150 erasers, 150 sharpeners. Can you help? Purchase them here and ship the items to yourself and bring them to church or give it directly to Andrea.
Here are some of the supplies purchased:
Three ways you can help:
1. Pray for the success of this project.
2. Contribute money for this project by writing a check to St Peter’s, with Jamaica Project in the memo line.
3. Donate some of the needed items by checking out this Amazon website which contains a complete list of supplies needed for the school children.
You can order directly from this list, have the items you have chosen shipped to you, and then just bring your donation to church or give it directly to Andrea.
You ship the items directly to 602 Main St, Box 385, Port Royal, VA 22535, which will get your donation to Andrea’s Post Office Box.
They still need 300 composition notebooks, 100 backpacks, 100 pens, 150 erasers, 150 sharpeners. Can you help? Ship the items to yourself and bring them to church or give it directly to Andrea. Your can order them from the Amazon site
World Refugee Day is June 20
World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 to honor the contributions of refugees throughout the world and to raise awareness about the growing refugee crisis in places like Syria and Central Africa,
What is a refugee ? "Refugee” is a legal term used to define an individual who: “…owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” (1951 Geneva Refugee Convention.)
Currently, there are over 79.5 million displaced persons around the world, and of those, 26 million are refugees and about half are under 18 (June 2020 figures). The Episcopal Church’s foremost response to the refugee crisis is through Episcopal Migration Ministries, the Church’s resettlement agency that partners with the federal government to resettle refugees and offer them new life in communities around the U.S. They also educate communities and equip advocates of their mission.
Since the United States created the current refugee resettlement program in 1980, EMM has resettled about 100,000 refugees, providing a range of services for these families upon their arrival in the United States, including English language and cultural orientation classes, employment services, school enrollment and initial assistance with housing and transportation.
Refugee resettlement is a final option for refugees—it is a life-saving option for individuals who cannot return home or integrate into the country into which they fled. Refugees who are resettled to the U.S. undergo extensive & lengthy vetting and are partnered with one of nine resettlement agencies, such as Episcopal Migration Ministries, to receive tools to assist them as they integrate, thrive, and become self-sufficient.
On World Refugee Day, June 20, Episcopalians can join in celebration and in prayer to honor the dignity of each refugee. While refugees face often unimaginable situations and loss, refugees are individuals who bring untold skills and talents that reflect the indomitable human spirit. As people of faith, we must recognize those individual hopes and dreams as we answer the call to love as Jesus loved and welcome the stranger.
Here is a message from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:
Jump into Midsummer’s Night
We pass Midsummer’s Night in June . European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening
The Midsummer’s night celebration began in pre -Christian times when it was believed that forces could slip between this world and the next at a time when there was more light than at any time of the year. Fires were lit to ward off the evil spirits.
We may think of Midsummer’s Night in terms of Shakespeare’s play of the same name. Ironically, most of the play takes place in a dark forest in a wild, mysterious atmosphere, rather than in the light, in which the magical elements of Shakespeare’s plot can be played out. One of the subplots involves the brawl of the ferries, Oberon and Titania which creates a disturbance in nature.
Prayers at the Close of Day. There are many Anglican prayer books in the world- at least 50. The Prayer book is a treasure trove of spiritual richness. Each has unique prayers as we conclude our day. Here are a sample:
From the New Zealand Prayer Book:
“Support us, Lord, all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work done; then Lord, in your mercy, give us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last. God our judge and our companion, we thank you for the good we did this day and for all that has given us joy. Everything we offer as our humble service. Bless those with whom we have worked, and those who are our concern. Amen”
From the Book of Common Prayer (1979)
“O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”________________________________________
“Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.”
Lectionary, June 27 , 5th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
I. Theme – Compassion and Healing
"Jesus heals the bleeding woman" – From the Catacomb of Sts Marcellinus and Peter
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Lamentations 3:21-33
Psalm – Psalm 30
Epistle –2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Gospel – Mark 5:21-43
Today’s readings encourage us to remember God’s goodness and act toward others with the same unflinching generosity and compassion. Lamentations reminds those who are suffering that God’s goodness will surely come. Paul encourages the Corinthians to offer their surplus of wealth to other communities who are in need. In the gospel, Jesus brings the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official, back to life in anticipation of his own resurrection.
We are called to live for others and not for ourselves. We are called to share what we have with others and to be in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized. We are called, most of all, to remember that God’s love endures forever, and that at times we need to wait, and not lose hope. The woman who suffered for many years in Mark’s Gospel did not lose hope, neither did Jairus in the time of crisis for his daughter. We know that God through Jesus Christ gives us new life, a life that transcends death, a life that calls us into solidarity with others and to share what we have, for Christ lived not for himself but for all; we also are called not to live for ourselves but for others.
The Judeo-Christian concern for the poor and needy has become overwhelming in this day when the whole world of nations is at our doorstep. We hardly know how to respond. International economic injustices prevent the distribution of national resources on the basis of simple human need. Welfare and many other social obligations have largely become the responsibility of governmental agencies and institutions. We are not too conscious of the individual injunction to be our brother’s keeper.
Still, those who live under biblical mandates do what they can to relieve human need, as they are able. “For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he has not.” Voluntary and secret pledging may be hazardous to the Church, but it is in the spirit of what we are called to do. As Paul says, “…so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.”
The motivation for such stewardship of our resources is our response to Jesus’ voluntary poverty that we “might become rich.” If our gratitude and love for his life given for us is genuine, we are spontaneous givers. Paul equates liberality with our desire to fulfill the will of God, who has given us all that is necessary for our well-being. What and how we give it is really a matter between ourselves and God and reflects our relationship with God.
The passage from Mark seems incongruous with today’s other readings, but it may be related squarely to our sense of gratitude. There are two open secrets in the Gospel of Mark. One is that Jesus is lord over all life in both the natural and spiritual worlds, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The signs of God’s kingdom come in Christ are staked out all over the countryside if we can but read them in his words and deeds. The other secret is that faith alone will enable us to receive the blessings Jesus brings to the world.
For the first time in Mark’s gospel, a respectable member of society “falls at Jesus’ feet.” Whatever mixture of motives he might have, the ruler of the synagogue also has some faith that Jesus can help his dying child. Jesus recognizes the quantum of faith in Jairus and responds to it. Our lord is quick to respond to any budding faith, no matter how it is mixed with self-serving interests.
But the little girl dies before Jesus reaches her. Why trouble him further when death strikes in the midst of hope? We say “where there is life there is hope.” But Jesus, already challenged and victorious over the violence of nature and demonic forces, goes immediately to meet death head-on and calls the daughter of Jairus out of her “sleep.”
God is not the God of the dead but the living. “I am the resurrection and the life…He that believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” So Jesus vanquished death also, demonstrating that he is lord even over the last enemy of life.
Jesus has proved how genuine is his love for us. Our gratitude moves us to find our brothers and sisters in need and carry on his gracious work.
Read more about the lectionary…
June 29 – Feast of Peter and Paul
The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul commemorates the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles St. Peter and Paul of Tarsus, observed on June 29. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being either the anniversary of their martyrdom in 67AD or of the translation of their relics. They had been imprisoned in the famous Mamertine Prison of Rome and both had foreseen their approaching death. Saint Peter was crucified; Saint Paul, a Roman citizen, was slain by the sword. Together they represent two different Christian traditions.
Why do we remember them ? Peter is pictured on the left with the keys – the keys to the kingdom. In Matthew 16, Christ says " And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven." They keys since then have been symbols of Papal power. Peter represents that part of the Church which gives it stability: its traditions handed down in an unbroken way from the very beginnings, the structures which help to preserve and conserve those traditions, the structure which also gives consistency and unity to the Church, spread as it is through so many races, cultures, traditions, and geographical diversity
Paul is pictured with the Bible. He, on the other hand, represents the prophetic and missionary role in the Church. It is that part of the Church which constantly works on the edge, pushing the boundaries of the Church further out, not only in a geographical sense but also pushing the concerns of the Church into neglected areas of social concern and creatively developing new ways of communicating the Christian message. This is the Church which is constantly renewed, a Church which needs to be constantly renewed.
Make a Gift Today! 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 4. Server Schedule June, 2021 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (June, 2021) 6. Calendar 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (June 20, 2021 11:00am), and Sermon (June 6, 2021) 10. Recent Services: Readings and Prayers, Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2021 Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 2, June 6, 2021 |
Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
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, June 20, 2021 – June 27, 2021
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[Adelaide Tegue Case], Educator, 1948 |
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Alban, First Martyr of Britain, c. 304 |
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The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist |
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James Weldon Johnson, Poet, 1938 |
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[Isabel Florence Hapgood], Ecumenist, 1929 |
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Cornelius Hill, Priest, 1907 |