May 29, 2016 (full size gallery)
This weekend is both Pentecost 2 and Memorial Day. We celebrated the latter this year by having parishioners bring items of their service – a momento and or wear their uniform. We had contributions from Woody Everett, Clarence Kunstmann, Helmut Linne von Berg and Catherine (her parents). Woody even wore his uniform – amazing he had it and that he fits so well into it. Everyone enjoyed looking at the flags, medals, commendations, photos.
We have 9 at 9am for Holy Eucharist Rite I and 34 at Morning Prayer at 11am. The day was beautiful though the heat increased through the morning. The river was still with reflections not only of the opposite bank but also clouds. Can’t remember such as a serene a picture !
The graves had flags denoting the flag they served under. This is an annual Port Royal tradition. We have approximately 10 who serviced, 2 CSA and 8 USA.
Catherine reviewed the Altarpiece progress. Cleaning should be complete in another week with 6-8 weeks left for the project. We received another $1,000 donation this week.
Each of the readings this week as part of Pentecost2 presents God’s radical hospitality poured out to those outside the traditional community of faith. A scarcity mindset would think that there is a limited amount of grace available and would seek to hoard it, closing off the welcoming acceptance of the outsider. The sermon elaborates on these ideas of lumping the actions of few together with a whole group of people. The bulletin is here and the readings
The reading from 1 Kings couples nicely with the Gospel texts from Luke presenting the abundance of God’s kingdom for all peoples. Kings 8:41-43 asks that even foreigners who pray toward God’s house have their prayers heard and answered. Throughout the prayer the frequent repetition of the phrase “your people Israel” emphasizes the identity of Israel as God’s chosen covenant community. The lectionary’s focus on these verses about foreigners should not detract from the fact that Solomon’s prayer understands Israel alone as God’s chosen people
This petition proclaims that even those “not of your people Israel” will hear of the greatness of the LORD and come to the temple to offer prayers. By heeding the prayers of foreigners as well as Israelites, according to Solomon’s rationale, God will cause the peoples of the earth to know and fear the God of Israel, and “they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built” (1 Kings 8:43). In other words, reverence from foreigners helps to show that, out of all the national deities being claimed by various peoples, the God of Israel is the most powerful one, and the house Solomon has built is where that God dwells.
The Gospel from Luke deals with a centurion which would have been a part of the Roman occupation force in Judea and Galilee in the first century. What is surprising is that these representatives of Roman occupation are portrayed in quite positive ways in the New Testament and here in Luke 7:1-10. They end up responding to Jesus and his kingdom message with a recognition of his identity and, sometimes, with faith.
Jesus challenges the typical response to a foreigner, an occupier, a gentile contrasts this notion by healing the Roman centurion’s slave, both one not of Israel and a slave. But Jesus doesn’t stop there he also makes a point of the foreigner’s great faith, a faith in God that is not limited to those of Israel and in fact exceeds the faith of any within Israel that he has seen. Jesus and Solomon both are breaking down the cultural walls of scarcity that seek to limit the power and grace of God.
"Weaving God’s Promises" (Sunday school0 and the sermon was on Luke’s Centurion in Chapter 7. The children reviewed the passage, viewed postcards from Capernaum. Catherine showed them where it was on the map.
The sermon on Luke’s Centurion emphasized that he went beyond being worthy to becoming a role model – "And the centurion is a person of humility, so that he is able to acknowledge the Lord’s authority, above his own authority, and even above the authority of Rome…"The centurion can confess through his humble actions that Jesus Christ is love because his faith in Jesus has grown in the fertile soil of love for his fellow human beings and his knowledge that Jesus has ultimate authority, even above Rome, the centurion’s own nation."