. . . for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luke 18:14
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Fr. Scott's sermon this past Sunday discussed humility, the theme of the day from both the Epistle and the Gospel reading. Starting with the Epistle, (1 Corinthians 15), he discussed Paul's early life, his joining of the Pharisees, and his strident defense of Judaism from Christianity. After his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul became the greatest Christian missionary. However, he still referred to himself as "the least apostle" and "I am what I am" only because of the grace of God. Exploring the difficult virtue of humility with Paul shows that we must recognize our flaws & faults but still give honor to God. From the Gospel lesson about the parable of Pharisee and the Publican, we learn that people like the Pharisee, don't see any sin in their life and Satan is able to create the sin of pride in them. We are called to be like the Publican - our sins are not unforgivable but we do need to ask for forgiveness. Our prayers should always include "God be merciful to me, a sinner."
Please find his complete sermon and service at the following YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpbT0dL6rJ8
Thank you Fr. Scott for the insightful sermon!
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In Adult Christian Education this past Sunday Fr. Scott began the study of 1 Peter. He reviewed the different methods used for translating from the original Greek and Hebrew. These include 'word for word', 'thought for thought', and 'paragraph for paragraph'. He encouraged us to read and compare the many available translations.
Fr. Scott then reviewed the historical time frame in which 1 Peter was written and the questioning by more modern scholars of the authorship of the letter. He then reviewed the first 8 verses, emphasizing the persecution, alienation from society, loss of friends, loss of business, etc. experienced by those early Christians and the importance of Christians taking care of each other.
Thank you Fr. Scott for the very interesting lesson!
Next week bring your Bible and join us as we continue reading and studying 1 Peter.
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After services, we had a wonderful lunch provided by Ambler, Sue, and Rosalind! Everything was delicious!
Such beautiful babies!
Another wonderful and blessed Sunday at St. Peter's!
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The Mission Committee has scheduled a maintenance day to complete some yard work around the church for Saturday, Sept. 17 @ 9:00 am. The work includes preparing a path from the lower lot staircase to the front porch, trimming bushes, picking up trash around the property, pulling weeds, and generally sprucing up the yard.
Please join us as we keep the church looking nice! Please bring your garden tools (shovels, hedge trimmers, clippers, weed wackers, rakes, etc...).
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On Thursday, September 29 we will celebrate the Feast Day of St. Michael & All Angels. Fr. Scott will lead a Holy Communion Service starting at 6 pm.
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Blessing of the Animals
We are sponsoring a Blessing of the Animals celebration on the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. Fr. Scott will bless pets between 4 and 6 pm on Oct. 4 at the church. We want to reach out to all local pet owners for this event. Teresa has created flyers and is mailing them to local veterinarian offices and shelters. We are also planning to announce in the Kingsport Times and possibly other local magazines.
Fr. Scott prepared the following message for the flyers:
Gen 9:9-10 says “And I (God) establish my covenant with you… and from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.” God deeply cares about all His creation, from the house fly to the human, all are worthy of His love. We participate in His love though our own care of animals that have found their way into our lives. St. Francis of Assisi, during his life, proclaimed the love of God to all, even to the animals around him. On his feast day, we especially remember and dedicate our furry, feathery, finned, and any other companions to God.
The rest of the flyer has the following information:
As part of remembering this special man, our priest,Fr. Scott Greene, is offering special blessings for all pets brought to the church. In addition to the blessing, a small treat will be given to each blessed pet. For everyone’s safety, we ask that all pets are properly restrained. In the event of inclement weather, this event will be rescheduled.
Please let Fr. Scott or Teresa know if you have ideas for more outreach for this event!
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Armed Intruder Training
". . . Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses." Nehemiah 4 :14
The Mission Committee also agreed to sponsor a 'Law Enforcement Response to Shootings in Public'. Mike and Teresa are arranging a free public seminar at St. Peters about how to respond in a random shooting situation. Teresa has arranged for the Sullivan County Sheriff, Jeff Cassidy to come to St. Peter's on Tuesday, Oct 11 at 6:30 pm. Teresa is also creating flyers for this event and mailing them to local churches.
Please let Fr. Scott or Teresa know if you have ideas for more outreach for this event!
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Sue continues to lead our weekly online prayer group. We will meet at 11:30 am this Wednesday on Discord.
However, starting next week (Sept 8) , we will meet on Thursday at 11:30 on Discord.
Thank you so much Sue for taking the time each week to lead our prayers! If you have a special prayer request but cannot join us, please send your request to Sue. Please contact Rosalind if you would like to join us on Discord.
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