Sandy's Aftermath-Thursday

Like much of Narragansett, as of Thursday morning we still have no power at the church. Linda, John DiPanni and Dave Cunningham have been in and out of the church these past two days, checking on the sump pumps and the condition of everything. Casey will be around today (Thursday), though without power the phone system does not work. The best way to reach Casey is via his cell phone: 401-316-3381. 

We hope to be able to host tonight's Episcopal 101 at 5:30 and All Saints' Day liturgy at 7:15,

The Order of Melchizedek

On Sunday the Epistle reading includes something a little strange and cryptic, so I want to unpack it a bit here in advance. Jesus, the writer of Hebrews says, "is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."  It is a rich metaphor, meant to help us understand who Jesus is and what Jesus "does" for us in a new way. He is an eternal priest in the heavens, helping us atone for our sins and be reconciled with God.

But the bit about the "order of Melchizedek" deserves special mention.  

Sermon by Jane Langton

A year ago, Casey asked me to be a part of the stewardship campaign and I couldn’t bring myself to say yes. So why am I doing it this year? Because the more I thought about St. Peter’s and what the Church has come to mean me, the more I realized I couldn’t say no. God was offering me a gift, for the second time. I wasn’t going to get off that easily.

Giving It All Away

On Sunday the gospel lesson tells the story of a young man who comes to Jesus asking what he must "do to inherit eternal life."  After directing the man to the commandments and hearing that the man already observes them all, the gospel says, "Looking at him, Jesus loved him," and he tells the man to "sell what you own, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me."  

It reminds me of a joke I heard a few years ago, about a woman who died and went to heaven. Upon

Hard Language

On Sunday we'll hear a teaching by Jesus that would not make anyone's top 10 list of personal favorites. "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off."  Same goes for troublesome eyes or feet.  "Better to enter life maimed than to have two hands (or feet or eyes) and go to hell."  It's a stark, harsh teaching, one that upsets our expectations of what Jesus was about.  

If we took Jesus at his word, my hunch is that churches would be filled with a lot of maimed people, or more likely, not filled at all.

Instructed Eucharist Script

I. THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

Opening Hymn, Acclamation, and Collect for Purity

For nearly 2,000 years, Christians have come together Sunday after Sunday, and often during the week.  They have come to offer themselves to God and to communicate with God in a very special way.  We call it “Eucharist,” which is an ancient Greek word meaning “thanksgiving.”  But Eucharist is only one name for this service.  Sometimes it is called the Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Mass. But whatever name we

Asking Questions

On Sunday we'll hear yet another gospel story about the disciples not understanding Jesus. Frankly, I never get tired of hearing these stories, because truth be told, who among us always understands or comprehends Jesus, even today?  But the story we'll hear on Sunday is a little different from most of the others that describe the disciples' confusion.  This story includes the line, "They did not understand what Jesus was saying, and they were afraid to ask him." For whatever reason -- fear of

Instructed Eucharist

On Sunday we will do something a little out of the ordinary. And I'm not talking about the Ministry Fair's celebration of all our ministries. Or the picnic on the lawn after the 10:15 service. Or even the blessing of backpacks and briefcases at either service (remember to bring yours to church!) in honor of the start of another school year.  

I'm talking about something called an Instructed Eucharist.

It will look a lot like every other Sunday service. I'll preside, read the gospel and preach a brief

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land