Jamestown
The First Holy Communion
and our call 400 years later
LORDE, we beseche thee mercifully to heare us, and unto whom thou hast geven an heartie desyre to pray; graunt that by thy mightie ayde we may be defended; through Jesus Christ our Lorde.
Prayer used a Jamestown in the first Communion, on the Third Sunday after Trinity. This prayer was first publish
in about 600ad in Rome
Mix not Holy things with profane
Psalm cxix
MY soule cleaveth to the dust : O quicken thou me, accordyng to thy worde.
I have knowleged my wayes, and thou heardest me : O teache me thy statutes.
Make me to understande the waye of thy commaundmentes : and so shall I talke of thy wonderous workes.
My soule melteth away for very heavynes, comforte thou me accordyng unto thy worde.
Take from me the way of lying : and cause thou me to make muche of thy lawe.
I have chosen the way of truth : and thy judgementes have I layde before me.
I have sticken unto thy testimonies : O Lorde confound me not.
I wil runne the way of thy commaundementes : when thou hast set my heart at libertie.
Glory be to the father, and to the sonne, and the holy ghoste.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.
1 St. Peter v. 5.
St. Luke xv. 1.
THEN resorted unto hym all the Publicans and synners for to heare hym. And the Phariseis and Scribes murmured, saying, He receyveth synners, and eateth with them. But he put furth this parable unto them, saying; what man among you havyng an hundreth shepe (if he lose one of them,) doth not leave nynty and nyne in the wyldernes, and goeth after that whiche is lost, untill he fynde it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders with joy. And as sone as he commeth home, he calleth together his lovers and neyghbours, saying unto theim; Rejoyce with me, for I have found my shepe whiche was lost. I say unto you, that lykewyse joy shalbe in heaven over one synner that repenteth, more than over nynty and nyne just persones whiche nede no repentaunce. Either what woman having ten grotes, (if she lose one,) doth not light a candle, and swepe the house, and seke diligently till she fynd it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her lovers and her neighbours together, saying; rejoyce with me, for I have founde the grote whiche I had lost. Lykewise I saye unto you, shall there be joy in the presence of the Angels of god, over one synner that repentethThe Epistle and Gospel read on the Third Sunday after Trinity, 1607
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Last week, Chaplain Chaltas reminded us about memorials in his lesson entitled: Ancient
Landmarks. He quoted scripture where the men of old established landmarks where they had experience a close
encounter with God, and where they had witnessed his grace in their lives. In contemplating his message I recall that our organization of
the Sons of Confederate Veterans was founded and is dedicated to preserving the memories of our beloved ancestors,
and I remember how our sisters in the Daughter's of the Cofederacy labored to establish landmarks for their fathers.
Just this week we enrolled an associate member in Scotland, who told us of a memorial erected in his country to
remember and memorialize Colonel Robert A. Smith, a Scotsman, who fell in battle for the CSA. His brother came to
America and bought the land where the battle was fought and erected yet another monument. A massive cut stone which
is located not far from our Camp. Yes, we are of a people who honor the memory of our forefathers, for it is their
story that shapes us and defines us. We are a people who honor the ancient landmarks.
This past Saturday I had the occasion to pay homage to one such landmark. The Anglican Church of Virginia hosted
two Communion services in remembrance of the 400th anniversary of the first Holy Communion to be celebrated in what
was to become the original 13 states of the United States. It occurred in the Jamestown Settlement in Tidewater
Virginia. I'd like to share with you the story of that first Communion, and reflect on its importance to you
today.
The Jamestown Company had ensured that its venture would have with it an ordained minister of God's Word and
sacraments: The Reverend Robert Hunt of the Church of England. You see, one of the undertakings of the Company was
to follow the Great Commandment, to go into all the world teaching the Gospel and baptizing in the name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost [Matt xxviii. 19]. Master Hunt was diligent in his duties, and was the key
individual appointed for this mission. One of the first acts of the Company, upon landing, was to erect a cross in
Jamestown which they had brought from England, offer thanks to God, proclaim the Gospel, and claim this new land for Christ.
Some days after the landing at Jamestown, Master Hunt called the faithful together for the first Lord's Supper,
using the Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper from the 1559 Prayer Book. and from its propers
appointed for this Sunday, he read the prayer, the Epistle, and Gospel, which you read at the beginning of this
lesson.
The Jamestown settlers had no church building of course, but met as we often do at reenactments in the open. Master
Hunt directed the men to take a sail from the ship, and to fasten it between the trees to provide shade and
protection from the elements. The Lord's Board was crafted from lumber off of the ship, and pews were crafted from
split logs. The Company gathered in all reverence and solemnity for this most holy rite. Since that day till this,
the Lord's Supper has been administered faithfully by congregations throughout our land. During the War Between the
States, virtually the same prayer and scriptures were read on each Third Sunday after Trinity, and the tradition
continues today.
The service that those early Virginia settlers experienced in 1607 was very much one that would have found favor in
Peter's eyes according to his admonition in the appointed epistle. It was indeed humble, and those who gathered
together did so in all humility. We don't have Master Hunt's sermon, but one can imagine what he might have
preached, and what the faithful must have been praying in their hearts that day. It may have included exhortations
from Peter's letter: that the company should remain sober, and vigilant: especially with the natives threatening
the Colony. I think he would have spoken of God's grace upon the company so far, and the safe delivery of the
company to this wilderness. I've no doubt that his bidding called the folk to render unto God thanksgiving for all
his good gifts, both spiritual and temporal. I think he might have closed his sermon with the promise that Peter
alludes to in his epistle: if the Jamestown Company were to keep Christ as their head, tend to worship, remain
vigilant, practice good works and industry, and endure courageously their suffering, then God would surly bless them
by perfecting, establishing, and strengthening them.
Well, what do you think the outcome of that faith was? Did God Bless America? That is our constant prayer in the
hymn that is so familiar to all Americans. I think he did. America stands now as one of the most Godly countries in
the world. Even with the many laws and rules of quasi governments that limit a Christian's public expression of his
faith, some 91% of American confess their belief in God. No other country in the world comes as close to America in
its belief in God, except for Mexico. Our American way is saturated with the traditions of our Judeo-Christian
heritage: and it is evidenced in our laws and in terms of mercy, accountability, justice, and freedom.
However, we cannot rest on the past accomplishments of our forefathers which have led to our pre-eminence in both
the secular and religious. No Sir!, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour. Hence; we must all remain steadfast in the faith and looking forward to the
promises of our Lord. We must be as a faithful body, the "Church Militant," ever struggling against the forces of
darkness and evil which surround us. We must be ever mindful of the sacrifice and faith of our fathers, like the
folk of the Jamestown Company, and ever mindful of our motto as recorded in our Anthem, "IN GOD IS OUR TRUST." May
God hear our call to him this day, as is so well articulated in the appointed prayer for the Third Sunday after
Trinity, and by his mighty aid protect us against every adversary.
I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all thy works
New Discoveries at Jamestown - 1957
semper vigilante
The Reverend
Mark Carroll,
Colonel
Ben Caudill Camp -
The Fourth Sunday after Trinity - the Year of Our Lord 2007