"And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
St. Luke 15:20
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Fr. Yossi led our Holy Communion service this past Sunday, the Ninth Sunday after Trinity. His sermon focused on "The Parable of the Prodigal Son" as told in the Gospel Lesson from St. Luke 15. He focused on the older son who never left home, always tried to do the right thing, and is frustrated that God loves the prodigals among us. This parable is told by Jesus to the Pharisees who have been grumbling because Jesus is welcoming and eating with sinners. In other words, they are the older brother - missing out on the party welcoming the lost back into the home (heaven). The older brother hasn't forgiven the prodigal son and therefore won't join the party. Fr. Yossi lists three lessons Jesus is teaching us through the older brother:
1. Jesus is teaching us that we don't get to choose who goes to heaven - God alone chooses.
2. Jesus is teaching us that the rule in the Father's house, the rule in heaven, is the rule of grace. We don't earn our way into heaven.
3. Jesus is teaching us that in heaven we must learn not only to say "Father" but also to say "brother" and "sister".
Thank you Fr. Yossi for the wonderful sermon and service! Thank you, Mike for serving!
After lunch we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of ham & cheese sliders, lima beans, peas, couscous & veggie salad, fruit & veggie tray, and chocolate chip mint ice cream dessert!
Thank you to Ambler, Jessica, Mere, and Rosalind for the delicious food!
Teresa, Laurel, Dan, and Lin all looked very chic in black and white!
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Thank you Fr. Paul for leading our Morning Prayer service. Fr. Paul posted a sign up sheet for Morning and Evening Prayer readers in the Parish Hall. Please consider signing up for this important part of our services!
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Fr. Yossi's Christian Education classes which focus on the weekly lessons and how they tie in with the other daily readings continued this past Sunday. Please join us for the next Sunday at 9:15 - a pot of coffee will be on!
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Wednesday Evening Services:
This past Wednesday Fr. Yossi led Holy Communion Services. He celebrated the service in honor of St. Mary Magdalene. He spoke about her visit to the tomb on Easter morning to mourn her beloved teacher. This visit ends with her meeting the Risen Christ. We need to remember the Risen Christ comes to us to remake us, to fashion us in His image and likeness.
Thank you Fr. Yossi for the beautiful service. Thank you Fr. Paul and Fr. Mike for serving.
Before the Holy Communion Services, the St. Peter’s Grief Support Group met at 4 pm. The Grief Support Group, led by Fr. Yossi, meets biweekly.
Fr. Paul will lead Wednesday Evening Prayer Services this Wednesday, July 31 at 6 pm.
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Our Bible Study using Fr. Paul's book As It Is In Heaven concluded this past week. Our last lesson was based on Appendix B, Example of an Anglican Worship Service: The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper for Holy Communion using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.
Fr. Paul led us through an explanation of Anglican Holy Communion Service.
After the lesson, we enjoyed a lively Q & A session along with lunch.
Thank you Fr. Paul for leading our Bible Study these last few months!
We had a special visitor during our Bible Study! Oscar, Teresa's beautiful dog, joined us for the morning!
Our next Bible Study group starts in September as outlined below:
Have you ever desired to have a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Have you ever wanted to cultivate this relationship by developing a better understanding of the Bible? Then join us Thursday's at 11 am starting September 5 at St. Peter's as Fr. Paul begins one of the best teaching series on the Bible, Dust to Glory. Renowned Christian scholar, Dr. R.C. Sproul leads us on a unique study tour as he explores the major themes, events, and people in the Bible. Dust to Glory will energize your study of the Bible, provide you with new insights, and improve your ability to read, understand, and apply Scripture to your life.
Please see Fr. Paul for more information!
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The men's Fly Fishing Group will have their first meeting this Saturday, August 3 at 9 am at the Church.
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While going through some old church files, I came across this picture of our sanctuary when St. Peter's purchased the building in 2012! Thank you to all the people who have worked so hard over the years to transform St. Peter's into the beautiful church we have today!
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Its time to order new Ordo Calendar's. The calendars are $10 each for either the full size calendar or the pocket size. A sign up sheet will be posted downstairs and your order is due by August 18! Payment is due when we receive the calendars.
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Prayers and other notes:
1. Starting Saturday, August 3, Fr. Yossi will be at the church each Saturday from 9 am to noon for pastoral counseling, confession, etc. Please contact Fr. Yossi for an appointment during these times.
2. Fr. Paul asked us to prayerfully join him in prayer concerning the disarray and disunity in Christ's Church during the month of July. He will be using Psalm 133 found on page 509 of the Book of Common Prayer and the prayer For the Church found on page 37. Please speak with Fr. Paul if you are interested in this prayer discipline.
3. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed a bill calling for 30 days of prayer and fasting beginning July 1 in the Volunteer State. The resolution asks the people of the state "to seek God’s hand of mercy healing on Tennessee".
The complete resolution may be found at the following link:
4. Previously Sue was maintaining and updating our prayer list. Fr. Yossi has taken over this job. Please forward any prayer requests to him. Thank you Sue for all your years of faithfully maintaining the prayer list!
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Our collection for Hope House ended this past Sunday. Hope House offers free housing, education, and support to pregnant women in the Kingsport area. More information about their mission is available at their website:
Thank you to everyone who donated items to this wonderful group. We will get all the donations delivered to them in the very near future!
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Fr. Yossi, Teresa, Diane, and Rosalind will be attending the Synod of the Diocese of the Eastern United States (DEUS) this coming week. We will update everyone next Sunday!
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The Annual Deanery Picnic
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