St Peter's Episcopal Church, Port Royal, VA

St Peter's Episcopal Church, Port Royal, VA We are an Episcopal Church in Port Royal, VA with a mission of "To Do God's Will" We, the members of St.

Peter’s Episcopal Church, believe in a caring God who calls all creation into a loving relationship. We respond to Christ’s love by sharing our God given talents and gifts through spiritual growth, liturgical worship, fellowship, service and Christian education. The joy of our life in Christ is enriched as we minister God’s healing spirit in the community in which we live

This week (April 7) the Gospel is about "Doubtful Thomas", a name not deserved by the Apostle Thomas who traveled with J...
04/05/2024

This week (April 7) the Gospel is about "Doubtful Thomas", a name not deserved by the Apostle Thomas who traveled with Jesus through his entire ministry. This article is about a lesser-known part of Thomas's life after the resurrection.

Images - left to right, top to bottom in this post.
1 Indo-Roman-Trade-Map
2 How Christianity spread in the world by 325AD
3. St. Thomas's churches in India
4. The Acts of Thomas are transcribed onto palm leaves in the Malayalam language
5. St Thomas Mount Shrine in Chennai, India near where he was killed

The disciples of Jesus moved from a scared bunch at the crucifixion and resurrection to become leaders by the time of the Pentecost, taking Jesus to the world as part of the Great Commission of Matthew 28 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

The Apostle Thomas whom we hear this Sunday possibly went the furthest. He went east, shared the gospel with the rugged highlanders who lived in the mountains between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers he also ministered in the court of King Gonndofaris ruler of most of modern Iran Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

According to tradition, Thomas arrived in India in about 52 AD he preached along the Malabar coast in the southwest part of India.

He was attracted to the city of Kerala in that part of India, a rich trading center. It was a spice trading center to which the Roman Red Sea merchant fleet would head each year, to buy pepper and Indian slave girls for the Mediterranean market.

Thomas built a total of seven churches in India, most in that southwest section. His name pops up significantly. Today, Christians constitute 18% of Kerala's population, the third largest religious group in the country, after Hindus and Muslims, Christians nevertheless represent a minority of only 2.3 % of the population of India. Those who trace their lineage back to Thomas are called "Thomas Christians".

Thomas then ventured to the other coast in the east arriving in present-day Chennai in about 68AD. Here Thomas and his companions preached the gospel built churches, fed the hungry, cared for widows and orphans, and called rulers to servant leadership.

The secret of Thomas's success was his method of dealing with the Indians. His approach was characterized by a deep respect for the existing cultural and spiritual practices of the people he met. Instead of attempting to supplant these practices, he sought ways to engage in dialogue and understanding their beliefs. For instance, he encountered people who worshiped various gods and goddesses. Instead of dismissing their beliefs he drew parallels between the moral teachings of Christianity and the ethical principles already existing within their faith. Concepts such as non-violence forgiveness and compassion were part of the common denominator between the faiths. Some felt threatened by his faith and the growth of his teachings. He was martyred during a prayer session with a spear near Madras around the year 72 AD.

The Portuguese came to India beginning in 1498. Armenian merchants in Chennai led Portuguese to his grave, and there, the Portuguese built a small Portuguese-style Church over the tomb of St. Thomas in 1523. Then in the 1600s, the British got to Chennai and soon ended up controlling the entire coastline. In the 1890s, they decided to rebuild the Portuguese Church in their own style, a neo-Gothic cathedral known as the Santhome Basilica

National Geographic in March 2012 covered Thomas stay in India. https://news.churchsp.org/2024/04/03/the-legacy-of-thomas-in-india-2/

We dwell so much in images today that the words often get forgotten or glossed over.This is a limited look considering e...
04/01/2024

We dwell so much in images today that the words often get forgotten or glossed over.

This is a limited look considering excerpts from sermons and blogs for this year’s Holy Week, mostly from our services at St. Peter’s without considering hymns or prayers. That’s another story! 9 selections. Totally subjective in choosing them!

https://news.churchsp.org/best-of-holy-week-2024-words/

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, started out inspiring before 7am on the Rappahannock River at Port Royal's Sunrise Servic...
04/01/2024

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, started out inspiring before 7am on the Rappahannock River at Port Royal's Sunrise Service. 3 churches gathered for worship and breakfast.

The colors were vibrant along the river and you felt enveloped by nature and the sunrise. The warmth was appreciated!

Photos and video
https://news.churchsp.org/2024/03/31/easter-sunrise-service-7am-march-31-2024/

Sermon - Rev. Tom Hughes
https://news.churchsp.org/2024/04/01/rev-tom-hughes-sermon-sunrise-service-march-31-2024/

Today is Holy Week, Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024 concluding Holy Week. Has anything changed for you during Holy Week?L...
03/31/2024

Today is Holy Week, Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024 concluding Holy Week. Has anything changed for you during Holy Week?

Link
https://www.news.churchsp.org/holyweekeastersunday

The important truth of Easter Sunday is that God said “Yes” to Jesus even though on Good Friday the empire said “No”. If nothing else, the survival of the Easter stories is proof that Jesus has continued to become very real to Christians that never met him in the flesh.

The resurrection joy of Jesus escapes the clutches of death because it’s the joy of the new creation, a joy broken free from the evil of this fallen world.

And this makes Easter breathtaking. As Jonathan Edwards boldly declared: “The resurrection of Christ is the most joyful event that ever came to pass.” The resurrection of Christ will bring the most spectacularly joy-filled event because it ignites an eternally abiding and forever unconquerable joy.

From David Lose
"The story of what God is doing in and through Jesus isn’t over at the empty tomb, you see. It’s only just getting started. Resurrection isn’t a conclusion, it’s an invitation. And Jesus’ triumph over death, sin, and hate isn’t what Mark’s Gospel is all about. Rather, it is all about setting us up to live resurrection lives and continue the story of God’s redemption of the world."

From Lawrence
"It is nothing less than a brand new future for the whole of creation. On Good Friday, the entire old world order of fallenness, despair, decay and death triumphs over Jesus. It is the end of Jesus’ mission and is the human race’s verdict on God’s salvation in Jesus: “Crucify him!” The Word of Resurrection that summons Jesus from the tomb is the freshly uttered Word of God that summons a new creation into being out of the ashes of the old."

“The resurrection of Christ is no mere pledge of a future resurrection. It is a principle of resurrection now going on within us, and in which we must act, moment by moment.”
– Richard Meux Benson, Brothers of St. John the Evangelist

Our services are 7:00am on the Rappahannock River at the Long home at the corner of Water and Frederick Street and then at 11am at St. Peter's, 823 Water Street, Port Royal, Va.

Online https://www.youtube.com/.petersepiscopalchurchpo677/streams

On Sunday morning, some women arrive at Jesus’ tomb near dawn, probably with Mary Magdalene arriving first. Mary and the other women, instead of finding Jesus’ body, are met by two young men who are angels; one of them announces Jesus’ resurrection.

They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

The women, fearful and joyful, leave the garden—at first unwilling to say anything to anyone about this but then changing their mind and going to tell the Eleven

Mary Magdalene likely rushes ahead and tells Peter and John before the other women arrive.

Mary Magdalene has an encounter with Jesus in the garden as recorded in John's Gospel.…"she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.’”

The other women, still en route to tell the disciples, are met by Jesus, who confirms their decision to tell the Eleven and promises to meet them in Galilee.

The women arrive and tell the disciples that Jesus is risen. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion
Peter and John rush to the tomb (based on Mary Magdalene’s report) and discover it empty.

That afternoon Jesus appears to Cleopas and a friend on the road to Emmaus; later Jesus appears to Peter. That evening Jesus appears to the Ten (minus Thomas) in a house (with locked doors) in Jerusalem.

On the day of his resurrection, Jesus made at least five appearances. Mark's Gospel says the first person to see him was Mary Magdalene. Jesus also appeared to Peter, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later that day to all of the disciples except Thomas, while they were gathered in a house for prayer.

Good Friday - Photo GalleryLinkhttps://news.churchsp.org/iframe/2024/2024-03-29/index.html #1Despite the depressing natu...
03/30/2024

Good Friday - Photo Gallery
Link
https://news.churchsp.org/iframe/2024/2024-03-29/index.html #1

Despite the depressing nature of the day, the weather cleared, temperatures were warmer and there was more movement people and nature. A highlight was not only the Osprey on the Rappahannock River but a bald eagle swooping down over the river and church. Photos include our Stations of the Cross done by Mary Peterman in our graveyard which overlooks the river.

The service is noted for the extended Gospel reading from John, the entrance of the cross and the veneration of the cross which included several notable hymns ("Old rugged cross", "Beneath the cross of Jesus, "Jesus keep me near the cross"). Normally on Good Friday, we include prayers around the cross with different symbols, this year chalice and wine.

Holy Week, Saturday, March 30, 2024. "The Silence"Walk with Jesus in his suffering and share in his resurrection during ...
03/30/2024

Holy Week, Saturday, March 30, 2024. "The Silence"

Walk with Jesus in his suffering and share in his resurrection during Holy Week. The Biblical verses in the link will lead you along Jesus’ path of Saturday of Holy Week. http://news.churchsp.org/holyweeksaturday

We have several commentaries in the link to supplement the scripture. There is an art supplement - Passion Gallery/Saturday

Saturday is subtitled "the silence." It is a day of waiting. Luke notes that the women returned home "and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment" (Luke 23:56). The preparing of the body would have been the main activity and typical of burial customs of the time.

Jesus is in Joseph of Arimathea's family tomb which was typical of the time and cut into rock. This was a tomb for the wealthy based on the work that had been done to create it. It was forecast by Isaiah but well above Jesus' station in life.

The tomb has been sealed, the guards stand watch, and the disciples likely hide in confusion, fear, and devastation. They are trying to process what has happened this week. The disciples had to have a thousand painful questions. How could he be the long-awaited King if he was just killed? Is there something we could have done to stop it? If they tortured and slaughtered him like that, what will they do to us?

Jan Naylor Cope at the National Cathedral added this, "This morning we find ourselves in that in-between time—between the cross and the resurrection. As a Forward Day by Day meditation writer once put it, 'The truth is, we often live in between times, when the old has died but the new has yet to come…There is a gap between where we are—physically, emotionally, spiritually—and where we want to be. Could it be that this is exactly where God wants us? Today is a day for letting go, for accepting our lives as they are—however incomplete and transitory they seem to be—and waiting for the new life that is to come."

Saturday evening is the Easter Vigil service which is called the first service of Easter. It is celebrated at a convenient time between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Morning and is the climax of three days of Triduum Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Followers of Jesus began celebrating his Resurrection with the Easter Vigil service very early on. By 215 CE, we already have descriptions of services and liturgical prayers that the early Church was using. It was revived by our current prayer book in 1982

Here is a link to the service at Washington National Cathedral at 8pm, March 30.
https://cathedral.org/calendar/the-great-vigil-and-first-eucharist-of-easter-3/

Last night, March 28, 2024, was our Maundy Thursday service known for 1. The Last Supper and the institution of communio...
03/29/2024

Last night, March 28, 2024, was our Maundy Thursday service known for
1. The Last Supper and the institution of communion
2. Washing of feet.
3. Stripping of the altar in preparation of Good Friday.

Despite cloudy weather for most of the last few days, we had a picturesque sunset preceded by beautiful light on the front piece of the church, appearing during the Exodus reading about the passover. You can see it in the photo gallery
https://news.churchsp.org/iframe/2024/2024-03-28/index.html #1

The website page for the service has the text, photos, and videos. The hymns for this service ("As in that upper room", "In remembrance of me") were nothing short of beautiful
https://news.churchsp.org/maundy-thursday-2024/

Our Good Friday service is on Friday, March 29, 20241 Our in-person service is at 7pm. Stream begins 6:45pm 823 Water St...
03/29/2024

Our Good Friday service is on Friday, March 29, 2024

1 Our in-person service is at 7pm. Stream begins 6:45pm
823 Water Street, Port Royal, Virginia

2 Link to online service - https://www.youtube.com/.petersepiscopalchurchpo677/streams

Details
https://news.churchsp.org/2024/03/25/good-friday-service-2024/

This service continues our worship through the Triduum, the last three days of Holy Week. Friday was the day of the ex*****on of Jesus. Good Friday is “good” because the death of Christ, as terrible as it was, led to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which brought new life to those who believe.

The Good Friday service is under the section in the Prayer Book “Proper Liturgies for Special Days” which contains key services in Lent – Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, the Great Vigil. Good Friday is good because the death of Christ, as terrible as it was, led to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which brought new life to those who believe.

The service has 6 parts:
1. An entrance in silence,
2. Readings which include Isaiah, the ever-present Psalm 22, and the John 18:1-19:42 Passion reading,
3. the Solemn Collects,
4. The Entrance of the Cross, the Veneration of the Cross. This is depicted in the photo for this post.
5. Musical Meditations and
6. Conclusion.

Here is the stream from 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TltwtWznM0

Photos from 2022 - https://www.churchsp.org/usernews/photos20220415

Holy Week Friday - "It is finished"Walk with Jesus in his suffering and share in his resurrection during Holy Week.https...
03/29/2024

Holy Week Friday - "It is finished"
Walk with Jesus in his suffering and share in his resurrection during Holy Week.

https://news.churchsp.org/holyweekfriday/

The Biblical verses in the link will lead you along Jesus’ path of Friday of Holy Week. We have several commentaries below to supplement the scripture- some more like a summary (What Happened on Friday, Holy Week Timeline), others descriptive (It is Finished). There is a link from "Progression of Faith" that includes a summary based on The Last Week (Borg/Crossan). There is a video introduction.

There are art supplements - Passion Gallery/Friday, the focus on the Music of Good Friday - Bach's St. Matthew's Passion, St. John's Passion, and the music of Holy Week. Definitely worth a listen!

Summary of Good Friday:

-Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by the authorities (perhaps after midnight, early Friday morning)

-Jewish trial: Jesus has a hearing before Annas (former high priest and Caiaphas’s father-in-law)

-Jewish trial, phase 2: Jesus stands trial before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin

-Perhaps after sunrise, phase 3 of Jesus’ Jewish trial: final consultation before the full Sanhedrin; sent to Pilate

-Judas hangs himself

-Phase 1 of Jesus’ Roman trial: first appearance before Pontius Pilate; sent to Herod Antipas

-Phase 2 of Jesus’ Roman trial: appears before Herod Antipas; sent back to Pontius Pilate

-Phase 3 of Jesus’ Roman trial: Jesus’ second appearance before Pilate; condemned to die

-Jesus is crucified (from approximately 9 AM until Noon).

-The sky is dark from noon until 3.

-Joseph of Arimathea asks permission to inter Jesus in a tomb and does so with the help of Nicodemus (John 19:38-42).

Today is Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024, including the Last Supper. Visually we associate the event with DaVinci's famo...
03/28/2024

Today is Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024, including the Last Supper. Visually we associate the event with DaVinci's famous painting. But there is another one by Plautilla Nelli that has been celebrated and restored recently. An unknown in our time, she was included by Vasari in his book on artists. Only four females were included and she was one. The article focuses on Nelli and 3 in the picture, Judas, John, and Peter.

Link and story
https://news.churchsp.org/the-last-supper-by-plautilla-nelli/

Our Maundy Thursday service is on Thursday March 28, 2024.1 Our in person service is at 7pm. Stream begins 6:45pm 823 Wa...
03/28/2024

Our Maundy Thursday service is on Thursday March 28, 2024.

1 Our in person service is at 7pm. Stream begins 6:45pm
823 Water Street, Port Royal, Virginia

2 Link to online service - https://www.youtube.com/.petersepiscopalchurchpo677/streams

Details
https://news.churchsp.org/maundy-thursday-2024

The service is known for:
1. The Last Supper and the institution of communion
2. Washing of feet.
3. Stripping of the altar in preparation of Good Friday.
4. Meditative sections

Here is the stream from last year 2023
https://www.youtube.com/live/uZ_c5x6O1XU?si=6QMP1Afq3DVib4tt

Address

823 Water Street P O Box 399
Port Royal, VA
22535

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 1pm

Website

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