May 3rd Worship Service
On the night of Jesus’ betrayal one disciple stepped forward, waiving a sword and cutting off the ear of one of the arresting soldiers. It was Simon Peter. Simon Peter, one of Jesus closet followers, appears throughout all four Gospels as a leader among the disciples. When “Called” he dropped everything and determined to follow Jesus, Matthew 4:19, is one of the prominent aspects of Jesus’ character, he says follow, and the people follow. Peter witnesses’ Jesus’ transfiguration in Matthew 17, Peter proclaims Jesus as the Messiah in Matthew 16 and from a boat in the Sea of Galilee Peter attempts to walk on the water in the Matthew 14.
A key moment in Peter’s life as a disciple comes following the Passover Dinner when the group goes to the Mount of Olives. There Peter promise Jesus that “Even if all fall away on account of You, I will never,” Matthew 26:33. But Jesus replies, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And so it happens. Jesus is arrested and Peter follows the arresting soldiers as they take Jesus to stand before Caiaphas, the High Priest, and the Sanhedrin.
Left: Christ Handing Keys to Peter, 1481-83, Pietro Perugin, Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome, Italy / Upper Right: St Peter, Piazza Minerva Cathedral, Ortigia, Sicily / Lower Right: St Peters Basilica Alter, Vatican, Rome, Italy
Waiting in the courtyard a servant girl approaches Peter accusing Peter of being a follower of Jesus, which Peter denies. Passing out of the gateway another servant girl recognizes him, and again he denies that he is with Jesus. Then a group seems to recognize Peter and they approach him, but calling down curses Peter swears, “I do not know the man!” And in the background the rooster crows, and Peter recalling Jesus’ words. Peter goes outside and weeps.
According to the Gospel of John following Jesus’ resurrection, Peter and some of the disciples returned to their home along the Sea of Galilee. Peter and six of the disciples have decided to go fishing. They are out all night, but catch no fish. Returning to shore, a man standing where they are going to dock tells them to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, and they catch an astounding 153 large fish. Thy bring the fish ashore they follow the man to where he is cooking breakfast.
The man on the shore is Jesus, and everyone knows it is Jesus, but say nothing. When they have finished eating Jesus takes Peter aside and three times asks Peter , “Do you love me?” And three times Peter answers, “You know I love you.” And Jesus responds with, “Feed My Lambs,” and “Take Care of My Sheep.”
What has happened is an act of redemption on the part of Jesus. Jesus knows Peter is a devoted follower who learns from his mistakes. Peter came to Jesus with an open heart, not promising to be perfect, but promising to do the best he can. And Jesus accepted Peter’s openness and honesty. As a result, Jesus has a plan and destination determined for all who are willing to follow Him. A this point Peter has moved from disciple to Apostle , someone who is sent.
After serving and leading the disciples in Jerusalem Peter eventually moves to Rome, to bring the word of God to the people of the Roman Empire. According to tradition Peter was crucified around 65 CE as part of the entertainment during the chariot races, sponsored by Emperor Nero whos’ chariot tracks circled the Vatican Obelisk, a 1,000 year old obelisk dedicated to the Egyptian sun god Ra, which was taken from Egypt by Emperor Caligula. St. Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican, the center of the Roman Catholic Church, is located above the grave of St. Peter, considered the first Bishop/Pope of the Roman Catholic faith.
Jesus offers each of us the same redemption which he gave to Peter. Join us for our May 3rd Worship Service.
April 26th Worship Service
Luke 24:13-35 tells us that later in the morning, after the women tell about the empty tomb, the disciple Cleopas and another disciple, left the followers and started a seven-mile journey to the northwest of Jerusalem to Emmaus. As they walk, they discuss the events which have taken place when a stranger approaches them asking what they are talking about.
Astounded by his lack of knowledge concerning recent events Cleopas asks, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who does not know what has been happening these last few days?” The two disciples begin to tell the stranger everything from Jesus’ arrest to his trial, crucifixion and the discovery that morning of the empty tomb, and the story of an unbelievable resurrection. How the followers had hoped Jesus was really the one who had been sent by God to redeem and deliver Israel.
Upper Right: Emmaus, Resurrection appearances of Jesus, 15th century, Giovanni and Francesco Cagnola, Oratory of the Holy Trinity, near Momo, Italy / Lower Left: Road to Emmaus, 1308-11, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Duomo Museum, Siena, Italy
After listening the stranger tells Cleopas and the other disciple how they have misunderstood all that has happened. Reaching back to Moses and the Prophets the stranger explains why the Messiah must suffer all these things before entering into His glory.
Arriving in Emmaus the disciple ask Jesus to stay with them for the evening meal. At the table the stranger took the loaf of bread, broke it, and passed it to them. The disciples’ eyes were opened as the recognized Jesus’ actions in the breaking and passing of the bread from the Passover Feast. Suddenly they saw Jesus, and Jesus disappeared from the table. The disciples rushed back to the gathering in Jerusalem and told the Eleven what they had witnessed.
Jesus conquered death 2,000 years ago in a tomb outside of Jerusalem. He is still alive for His followers today.
Join us for our April 26th Worship Service.
Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Time)
On the first Sunday after Pentecost we begin the Season after Pentecost, a liturgical season which lasts until November 22, the last Sunday before Advent. The season does not follow a theme, like Advent or Easter, but tends to focus more on the teaching aspects of the Jesus’ ministry reaching out into early church history and theological issues of he early church as seen in the letters.
Examples include Jesus teaching through Parables, or his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew or His Sermon on the Plain in Luke. There are His Signs such as Turning the Water into Wine in John or raising of Juries’ daughter in Mark. The beginning of the church from the Book of Acts with Peter going into Samaria, or the conversion of Paul and his Missionary Journeys.
The Season after Pentecost, formally called Ordinary Time, this year will last for 26 Sundays, giving us time for a variety of looks into the early church, its organization, reformation, and Presbyterian Theology.
Marriage at Cana, 1303-5, Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel, Prado, Italy / jesus heals woman with hemorage, 12th-13th century, Cathedral of Assumption, Mosaic, Monreale, Sicily / Gift of the Holy Spirit Žitomislić Monastery Bosnia / Peter Save Yourselves, 1642, Charles Poerson, Notre-Dame, Paris, France / The Conversion of St. Paul, 1866, Gustave Dore, Private Collection
Easter
Eastertide/Pascha (Aramaic meaning Passover): We know it as the Easter Season following Lent. As Lent prepares us to reorder our lives, minds, and hearts to accept Jesus’ sacrifice, Easter is when we celebrate Jesus' rising from the dead, the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Easter is a moving season. Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Which means Easter Sunday can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. This year, it is April 5th.
The Easter Season lasts 50 days, ending on Pentecost, which falls on May 24th. Easter is the time Jesus spent with His disciples following his resurrection before His ascension to heaven. It was time for teaching and preparing the disciples for the task of creating God’s church on earth. During these 40 days, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, His mother and sister, His other followers as on the road to Emmaus. According to Apostle Paul, appearing to over 500 at one time (1Cor 15:6). It was a time of additional miracles, as in the catching of fish in John 21 or appearing behind closed doors in Luke 24 and offering His hand to Thomas.
This year, Jesus’ accession will be celebrated on May 14th. Ten days later, on Pentecost, we celebrate the disciples receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was promised to them by Jesus at the time of his ascension.
Easter is a period of celebration. As a community of believers, we remember the time the human Risen Lord walked among the people, fulfilling God’s promises to all people.
Pictures: The Resurrection of Christ, 1499–1502, Raphael, Sao Paulo Museum of Art, / Doubting Thomas, The Maesta Altarpiece, 1461, Duccio, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo Siena, Italy / Jesus Appears to Mary, Fra Angelico, 1425, Fresco, Basilica di San Marco, Florence, Italy / The Great Commission, at the Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick in El Paso
Join us for our April 19th Worship Service.
Join us for our April 5th, Easter Sunday Worship Service. Join us for our April 12th Worship Service.
Lent
We can look at Lent as a time Repentance, Renewal and Redemption. Lent is the six weeks starting with Ash Wednesday, February 18th, and lasting until Easter Sunday on April 5th. Lent is a time of preparation. It is our opportunity to prepare ourselves to receive the gift of forgiveness God gave us with the sacrifice of God, in human form (Jesus), on the cross.
But in order to receive that gift we first have to accept God’s love into our hearts. The process begins with Repentance. All of us have sinned, and by acknowledging our sins we have Repentance. It is through our Repentance that we ask God to help us become the people He needs us to be. And God always accepts true Repentance with forgiveness, which bring us to Renewal. Our mistakes are still there, but God has said for us to put them behind us and follow Him forward. And as we go forward following God’s guidance, we achieve Redemption.
This year Lent began last Wednesday, February 18th, and will last until the Saturday before Easter on Sunday April 5th. Lent is 40 days long which is remembrance of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert (and the 40 days Elijah spent fasting n Mount Horeb 1Kings 19:8 ). Actually, there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Although there are different understandings on how to count the 40 days of Lent probably the easiest explanation is that the Sundays are not included in the 40 days.
This is an excelent time to look at the things Jesus did, His attitude toward the world and cuiture in which he lived, and how we can change our lives, and start to try and live the way Jesus wants us too.
Pictures: Upper lLeft: Jesus Tempted by the Devil, Spanish Fresco Metropolitan Museum of Art , the Cloisters Collection / Upper Right: Jesus and Samaritan Woman at Well, R1420, German Reverse Glass Painting, MET New York / Lower Left: Jesus Blesses Mothers and Children, Stained Glass Window in the Saint John the Baptist church in Zagreb, Croatia / Lower Right: Jesus teaching disciples, Fra Angelico, San Marco Monestary, Florence, 1400s
Join us for our March 29th Palm Sunday Worship Service.
Join us for our March 15th Worship Service. Join us for our March 22nd Worship Service.
Join us for our March 1st Worship Service. Join us for our March 8th Worship Service.
Join us for our Ash Wednesday Worship Service. Join us for our February 22nd Worship Service.
Epiphany
Epiphany comes from the Greek, and means manifestation or revealing. Starting on January 6 the season of Epiphany runs until Ash Wednesday, February 28th, and the start of Lent. The purpose of the season to recognize the time Jesus is acknowledged as the Son of God, the answer to God’s promise of redemption reaching back to the words of the prophets of the Old Testament.
Three Wisemen Visit Jesus, El Greco, 1568, Museo Soumaya, Mexico City
Simeon and Anna in the Temple, Rembrandt, 1669, National Museum, Stockholm
Recognitions comes in several instances. The most celebrated is the visit of the Magi following the heavenly star and bringing gifts to the Christ child. Other examples include the presentation of Jesus at the temple and being recognized by Anna and Simeon. Another example is Jesus’ baptism, first when he is recognized by John the Baptist, and again when coming out of the water the heavens open, the spirit in the form of a dove descends and the voice of God saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Baptism of Christ, Jose Ferraz de Almeida Jr, 1895, Pinacoteca do Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil
Join us for our February 8th Worship Service. Join us for our February 15th Worship Service.
Join us for our January 25 Worship Service. Join us for our February 1st Worship Service.
Join us for our January 11th Worship Service. Join us for our January 18th Worship Service.
Christmas
It is the season of Christmas, December 25th - January 5th. We have spent the last four weeks preparing our hearts, minds, and soles to receive the gift God sent to His people, Himself to be sacrificed, that His people’s sins may be washed away, and they can be with Him, eternally. But why 12 days for the season?
The Christmas Season, also known as Christmastide, goes back to the Council of Tours meeting in 567 CE who proclaimed the 12 days between Christmas (the birth) and Epiphany (the Magi Recognition) as the Christmas Season. The main purpose is to celebrate. After the 4 weeks of fasting, introspection and preparation to receive Jesus into our lives, now is the time to celebrate our acceptance.
Significant events during Christmastide include: December 25: Jesus’ birth / December 26: feast of St. Stephen (Good King Wenceslaus) / December 27: feast of John the Apostle / December 28: feast of the Holy Innocents (children killed on Herod’s order) / December 29: murder of Thomas Becket 1170 (Archbishop of Canterbury) / December 30: remembrance of John Wyclif 1395 (translated the Bible to English…martyred because) / January 1: circumcision of Jesus / January 2: remembrance of Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah, 1945 Bishop of South India / January 4: remembrance of Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1821, founder of the United States parochial school system / January 5: Epiphany Eve, remembrance of the Desert Mothers (women ascetics living in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria 4th & 5th century) / January 6: Epiphany begins, Magi visit (manifestation).
Join us for our Christmas Eve Service.
Join us for our December 28th Worship Service.
Join us for our January 4th Worship Service.
Photos: Death of the Innocents, Siena Cathedral, Siena Italy / Canterbury Cathedral, site of Thomas Becket murder, Canterbury, England
No one is sure when Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, came into the Christian schedule, but it was well established by the year 480, and so we have been celebrating the birth of Jesus, God’s gift to humanity, for well over 1500 years. Advent actually takes place on three levels. The first is the physical birth of Jesus in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. The second is the reception of Jesus into the hearts of the believers. Finally, there is the awaited presence of when Jesus returns to the earth and brings about the world of His desire.
Advent is celebrated in many ways. There is always the decorating of the church with a Christmas Tree, Christmas Wreathes, special programs and litanies, Christmas Cantatas, and almost in each church the lighting of the Advent Candles representing Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The center candle, the Christ Candle is lit on Christmas Eve, and again on Christmas Day and the following Sundays during the Christmas Season.
It is our way of celebrating the birth of Jesus, God’s gift to a world in sin, and the source of our salvation. An event well worth celebrating, and preparing for.
Join us for our November 30th Worship Service. Join us for our December 7th Worship Service.
Join us for our December 14th Worship Service. Join us for our December 21st Worship Service.
ADVENT
