Life With Grace | July 3
- Grace Episcopal Church
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Dear Friends,
Happy Independence Day!
In his 1831 visit to America French nobleman Alexis de Tocqueville marveled at a 4th of July parade in Albany, NY. as a celebration of grassroots democracy and civic pride.
De Tocqueville warned of dangers associated with individualism. Especially the danger that as concerns of family and friends and personal prosperity take over, people would retreat from public life, and trade political freedom for economic prosperity. He spoke about the dangerous doctrine of the realists which treated the nation as supreme and individual citizens as mere numbers as the way toward centralized power, despotism, and the end of individual rights. De Tocqueville considered engagement in local government and voluntary associations on display in that 1831 4th of July celebration as the bulwark of protection against the doctrine of the realists. Through these activities we learn to know and care about our neighbors, and discover that we have much in common and little to fear from each other.
The collect for the Sunday closest to July 4th each year reminds us that the healthy essence of our common life is to be devoted to God with our whole heart and united to one another with pure affection. Our devotion to God finds wonderful expression in our worship. But our union to one another has to be greater than any one congregation. It has to find expression in our engagement in the disciplines of self government and in an active public life.
We are blessed to live in a community that celebrates life together out in the streets. A community in which citizens of many congregations and none work together for the common good and show affection for the vulnerable among us.
This is the life blood of our independence - not that our nation is strong, but that our people know, care about and love one another and express their civic pride exuberantly and affectionately, not only in parades, but in our commitment to the disciplines of democracy.
Happy Independence Day!
Keep praying.
With Gratitude,
Tuck Bowerfind (he/him)
Rector | Grace Episcopal Church
Worship Services | Sixth Sunday after Pentecost | July 5
Holy Eucharist Rt I | 8 a.m. | Zoom and In-Person
Christianity and Culture | 9:15 a.m. | Zoom and In-Person
July 5 Introduction to Romans and When in Romans by Beverly Gaventa
Last Sunday the lectionary began a semi-continuous series of readings from Paul's letter to the Romans which will continue through the next 14 Sundays. On July 5 we will offer an introduction to Romans at Christianity and Culture and we will continue to study the letter at Christianity and Culture through July. To assist that study we will use When in Romans by Beverly Gaventa (available for $16.50). (Grace will purchase copies for those who request them.) You won't need the book to participate in the study. “When in Romans:” Christianity and Culture, Four Sessions and a Film!
“When in Romans:” Christianity and Culture, Four Sessions and a Film!
All Sundays in July at 9:15 am.
We are currently working through Paul’s Letter to the Romans in the lectionary. This “magisterial” letter (as it is sometimes called) is associated with the conversions of both Saint Augustine in the 5th c and Martin Luther in the 16th. Key themes in it (e.g., justification by faith) are fundamental to the development of and controversies within the church, East and West, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.
Romans is written from Corinth to a congregation or congregations that Paul did not found in Rome, a city he anticipates visiting for the first time. He is introducing himself and setting out for a new audience what he takes to be the radical heart of the gospel. It is for him a matter of profound urgency for the future of the church that the good news he offers here be heard in its fullness. That message is sometimes missed in our atomized lectionary readings of the letter. And if we miss the through-lines of his argument, we may also miss the provocative and liberating news he delivers.
In her accessible and short (!) book When in Romans Beverly Roberts Gaventa (Emerita Distinguished Professsor of New Testament, Baylor University and Emerita Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary) offers to a wide, nonspecialist, Christian audience what she calls “an invitation to linger with the Gospel according to Paul.” Attentive to the throughlines of his argument and to features of Paul’s style and vocabulary, she guides us through the letter, allowing us to see the whole and with it the radical heart of Paul’s gospel. Her vivid prose, her sensitivity not only to Paul’s culture, but to ours, and her exegetical clarity bring Paul’s revolutionary rethinking of the relation of God to the world to us afresh.
For four Sundays in July, you are invited to join Christianity and Culture in reading and discussion of Gaventa’s book. We’ll set the scene as she does in the book, with a viewing of the Terrence Malick film, The Tree of Life on Sunday, June 28 at 5 pm. (Pizza provided!). And don’t be surprised to find Gaventa referring to Bob Dylan (“Gotta Serve Somebody”) or Bruce Springsteen (“Land of Hopes and Dreams”) as present day interpreters of the letter. Fr. Tuck, Anne Hanson, Cecile West-Settle and Alexandra Brown will be facilitators of discussion. You are encouraged to get the book and read along for maximum enjoyment!
Beverly Roberts Gaventa, When in Romans: An invitation to linger with the Gospel according to Paul (Baylor University Press, 2016).
Holy Eucharist Rt II | 10:30 a.m. | YouTube and In-Person
The nursery is available during our services.
Adults and older youth trained in Safe Church are needed to assist in the nursery from 9 a.m.–noon. We can pay $15/hour. Volunteers also welcome. Please contact James Keane for more information and to offer assistance.
Parking in front of Grace Church
Please be aware that due to W&L construction, there will be no parking in front of Grace Church for the next two years.
Morning Prayer | Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.
Zoom and In-Person
July 4th Celebration
July 4th Celebration on White Street (between Jefferson & Jackson) - come celebrate from 5-8 p.m.. Community Party and Cookout. Burgers & Hot Dogs for all (or bring something to throw on the grill). Music and Fun! Bring a side dish to share. BYOB - ice and water provided. Open table & chairs provided or bring your own chairs.
Celebration of New Entrance
Please join us at 4pm Friday, July 10 for a celebratory opening of the new entrance with Renewing Grace Campaign Chairs Mo and Julia Littlefield and Jerry and Ann Nay followed by a wine and cheese reception in the Parish Hall.
deCycles
The 26 members of DeCycles left well fed and greatly refreshed for the 12th leg of their 21 day journey. They offered many thanks to all of you who provided food, transportation, showers, and hospitality.
Their co-leaders have led 34 of these cycling pilgrimages all over the United States. They have slept in over 800 churches!
They enjoyed learning some of the history of Grace, our struggles to distinguish between the causes for which some of those memorialized in our nave gave their devotion and the honorable and faithful service which they rendered, and some of the ways we work now to dismantle racism and promote racial justice and healing. They were especially interested in Jonathan Daniels' story and icon, and thoroughly enjoyed ringing the tower bell.
The DeCycles proceed along South River to 340 into Waynesboro and over Afton to University Baptist Church in Charlottesville. Theycwill stay in Woodbridge VA July 2 and ride in the national 4th of July parade. They make their way through the other three national capital cities, Annapolis, Philadelphia, New York where they will visit Ground Zero.
The Mission and Outreach Committee of the Gadsden Trust
Third quarter grant requests must be received by noon on September 1, 2026. The online Gadsden Trust Grant Application can be completed by going to the Grace Episcopal Church website at www.gracelexva.org. Once on the Grace website, click on the “Grants” tab and then the Gadsden Grants tab. The completed application will automatically be sent to the Gadsden Committee.
Gadsden Committee meetings are open to members of the parish.
Music in the Garden at Boxerwood
Join us in the Boxerwood field on select Fridays May - September for this family-friendly concert series. For more than ten years, neighbors have gathered at Boxerwood on warm summer evenings to enjoy great local music in a relaxing atmosphere. The concerts are kid and pet-friendly, affordable, easily accessible, and welcoming to all.
The gate opens at 5:30 p.m. so that early arrivers can meet up with friends to picnic, socialize, or get a bite to eat. Musicians take the stage at 6:30 p.m. and conclude at 8:00 p.m. as the sun goes down. A food truck is on site at each show. Admission to Music in the Garden is free for kids and current Boxerwood members and $5 per adult for non-members. There's no charge for parking. We have handicapped parking and the terrain is suitable for wheelchairs.
To view the bands and plan your visit, check out our Calendar.
Food for Pets of RARA Clients
We are collecting 8- or 10-pound bags of dry or wet dog, puppy, cat, and kitten food for pets of RARA clients.
Any brand is welcome, but please choose regular diets.
Donations may be delivered inside the RARA Neighborhood Market at 350 Spotswood Drive, Lexington, during the following drop-off times:
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
If these times are not convenient, donations may also be dropped off at the parish office.
For questions, please email Susan Cross.
Library Update
The books from the Welles Room (Library) have been culled in anticipation of the construction work to be done in the Parish House. The books to be given away are on a metal rack in room 210 on the top floor of the Parish House. You may take as many as you wish. What is not taken will be donated to the public library.
Clothes Closet at Christ Episcopal
The Clothes Closet at Christ Church, Buena Vista, needs new men's briefs and boxer shorts and women's underwear - all sizes, men's collarless tee shirts in all sizes, men's shorts, jeans, pants sizes 30 to 36, and new or gently used men's socks. They are not accepting any other items at this time as they are chock full! The Clothes Closet is open every first and third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. until noon. You may drop your items off then. Alternately, you can bring your items to the Grace Episcopal Church office and Lisa will ensure your items are conveyed to the Clothes Closet. Thank you for your support of this valuable asset to our community.
Prayer List
Please pray for the wider Church and intercessions requested by our Congregants: Pray for Presiding Bishop The Most Rev. Sean Rowe. Pray today for the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia and our Bishop The Rt. Rev. Bishop Karin’s McPhail. Pray today for the youth of our diocese and our Youth Missioner, Patricia Cope-Levy. Pray for God’s blessing on the peacemaking labor of Anthony Poggo, former bishop of the South Sudanese diocese of Kajo-Kejil and now serving as Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, and Ezekiel Kondo, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, and Justin Badi Arama, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. Pray for Brendon, Timmy, Laura Stearns, Lynda deMaria, Betty Cadden, Jeff Mason, Kent Wilson, Jerry & Ann Nay, Paula Cooper, Sharon Humphreys, Elizabeth Klein, Dot Fogo, Buddy Atkins, Dennis Coughlin, Rob Fleming, Patty Irving Sensabaugh, Gerry Locher, Mo Littlefield, Tena Clark, Shay Peters, Meg Moss, Steve Lawrence, Patricia Williams, Peggy Matheson, Al Hipp (nephew of Virginia Cooke), Scott Ford, Sid, Allison Williams, Ian Thomas Treger & family, Jimbo Smith, Biddy, Watson, and those we name aloud or in our hearts. Pray for the people living in war, pray for cessation of violence, and for reconciliation, and peace. Pray for those who have died.
In Thanksgiving for July Birthdays
7/5 Tom Vinson, Elise Brooke, Harold Hill
7/6 Jay Crawford, David Wade
7/7 Benjamin Holston, Mark Nelson, Sarah Moyer
7/8 Sue Shultis
7/10 Joe Simcoe
7/11 Mary Wilson Grist, Elizabeth Grist, Mary Wilson
7/13 Jackson Hotchkiss
7/14 Bethany Hull
7/15 Linda Merrick
7/17 Kris Hoolahan
7/18 Carla Henson
7/19 Jeff Mason
7/20 Lisa Tracy
7/21 Catharine Gaylard
7/23 Miss D Penick
7/28 Paul Robblee, Su Minor
7/29 John Brooke, Holly Pickett, Jonathan Eastwood, Woody Hall
7/31 Margaret Haberman
Please consider subscribing to The Episcopal Church Press Release Digest.
We're so glad you're here! If you or someone you know is new to Grace and would like more information about Parish life, follow the link below.
Comments