The Vicar continues his weekly exposition of the Catechism, found in the Book of Common Prayer, pp. 845-862.

Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?

A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our relationship with God and our neighbors.

To define something is to limit it. Man's sinful desire is to become unlimited, as God is unlimited (Gen. 3:5). Left to his own devices, fallen man makes his own gods (which is to say he worships himself as creator) and demands worship of these gods from others. The Ten Commandments place limits on man, in the form of God-given laws, prescribing how he may worship, and how he is to treat his fellow creatures.

From Nancy Vanderlee:

It is time to prepare for the return to in-person choral singing at St. Peter's!

To that end, I am offering a series of short summer rehearsal/workshop sessions, beginning mid-July, in the old parish hall. All participants, from high school age and up may attend as their schedule allows; there is no minimum rehearsal commitment. The intent of these sessions is to refresh and renew vocal skills while beginning to learn anthems for inclusion in the liturgy in November and December. Happy All-Saints, Advent, and Christmas in July! And, what a joy it will be to sing with others!

Here is the schedule; note the rotation of days and times. Please feel free to attend as little as one session, or all eight, if you are able. No prior choral singing experience is required, just the ability to carry a tune. I do ask that you contact me via email the Sunday prior to each rehearsal, if you plan to attend, so that I can be sure to have enough music on hand. navanderlee@gmail.com

The floral guild is always grateful for donations. If you are interested in dedicating flowers in memoriam or for a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, please send an email to stpeterschurch@optonline.net with the date and the name(s) to whom you would like to dedicate the arrangements.

Highlights from Henry Chadwick's The Early Church (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967), selected by the Vicar. Chadwick was the sometime Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.

"In the ancient world everyone knew at least three things about the Jews: they would not be associated either directly or indirectly with any pagan cult, they refused to eat not only meat that had been offered in sacrifice to the gods but also all pork, and they circumcised male infants.

"If the [Jewish-Christian] Church was to undertake a mission to the Gentiles, a ruling on these questions was necessary: Were the same prohibitions to apply to Gentile converts to Christianity? ...

"The cleavage between conservatives and universalists led to an acute and at times passionate controversy, resulting in a general conference in Jerusalem (Acts 15). The outcome was in some respects a compromise but one which in all decisive points was bound to favour the universalists. The Gentile converts were recognized as truly within the covenant by the mother-church at Jerusalem even if they were uncircumcised; but they must be careful not to eat food with idolatrous associations (it was customary for Greek dinner-parties to be held in temples) and not to allow sexual relations outside marriage, this being a matter on which Jewish ethic was much stricter than pagan. St. Paul's Corinthian correspondence casts a vivid light on the social background of these conditions." (p. 18-19).

O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee, and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

To remember St. Peter's in your estate plans, please consider joining The Lithgow Society. To find out more, click here.