August 28, 2016 (full size gallery)
Two services today, 9am Holy Eucharist Rite 1 and 11am Morning Prayer.
We had 9 at 9am and 41 at 11am. The weather started out foggy with cool air meeting hot but by 11am it was clear. Some great surprises. Ruth was back from Maryland for a visit – she now lives in Maryland with her brother. Barbara and Tom Segar who were in a serious accident returned. Barbara was a perky as ever and we are thankful she is on the road to recovery.
Dave and Gibby were back distributing tomatoes from Dave’s farm. What a gift ! We also distributed posters on the Lyra concert on Sept 23. You can print your own on the Lyra page.
We thank Johnny and Edgar and the Fisher family for participating in gleaning on Aug. 27 in support of the Northern Neck Food Bank in Westmoreland. It is hot work – you can stand at most 4 hours.
One sad note – the sycamore on the side of the church by the bell tower will be removed tomorrow due to disease. The top part lost most of its growth and part of its trunk. The one in the front is looking better this year which is where the osprey have attempted a nest.
One consolilation -We gain back the tablets this week. Cleo Mullins has completed her work on them. A crew from Richmond will install them on Thursday, Sept 1. She will be back on Sept 7 for any touchup work.
11am music featured old American hymns, particularly that of the shape note tradition. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools. Shapes were added to the note heads in written music to help singers find pitches within major and minor scales without the use of more complex information found in key signatures on the staff. This was a part of St. Peter’s Sings. We were pleased to have Marilyn play her harp on the prelude, "The King of Love My Shepherd is"
The first hymn of the service was "Brother We have met together" that goes back to 1829. At the Offertory we sang "Simple Gifts", the famous Shaker Hymn . The conclusion of the service, "Lord, whose love through humble service" which was sung to the old American hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". The song was written by printer John Wyeth or possibly by Asahel Nettleton.
The readings this week are about living with humility and love, the basis of Christian life
The wisdom teacher Sirach warns his readers to avoid arrogance, violence and pride. The author of Proverbs counsels about having a humble attitude and being content with one’s own social status. The author of Hebrews urges readers to make Christian love a practical reality in their lives.
At a banquet, Jesus teaches the meaning of true humility.Jesus’ teachings on humility challenge us, and cause us to go deeper—it is not enough to humble ourselves in the presence of others, but to actively reach out and invite those who would not be invited to join in. We are called to live out our witness, especially when it is hard and goes against the grain of the world. How does the invitation of Jesus challenge us at the table as we celebrate?
The sermon was mostly drawn from Hebrews idea of mutual love. It started with a communion table that is a table in Dutch church of the 17th century. "Eighty-four chairs surround the table, and bread and wine have been shared around this table in this way for the past 388 years.” We don’t have a table that we are fed face to face. However, "Each Sunday, we gather face to face. And the writer of Hebrews reminds us that our job description as Christians, especially when we gather, is to offer a sacrifice of praise to God."
"Now if we were sitting around the table in that Dutch church and having a discussion before we got to communion, and we were looking at today’s passage from Hebrews, we’d find some guidance about how to be continually offering a sacrifice of praise to God. “Let mutual love continue,” the writer of Hebrews says. The Greek word for love in this passage is “philadelphia,” or brotherly love. This love thrives among us when we respect one another, when we listen to one another with open hearts, when we remember that our love for one another is ordered by God’s love for each one of us. Just think, we are called to love one another in the same way that God loves each one of us. .."
"Mutual love also means that we do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…Mutual love also means having empathy for those in prison and those who are being tortured..Mutual love also means being content with what we have. When we’re content with what we have, then we want to share the extra things we have with others, for their benefit. George Herbert, the English priest and poet, said that “There is no greater sign of holiness than the procuring and rejoicing in another’s good.” That’s a great definition of mutual love—to help others have what they need, and to rejoice when good things happen to them.
The basic ideas were echoed in the conclusion:
"So let mutual love continue. And may we love one another as God has loved us, and to be in the world as those who serve, because we have had the privilege of sitting together in mutual love at God’s table. By serving one another with mutual love, we will be continually offering a sacrifice of praise to God. And we will be glorifying God and enjoying God forever"