Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Homily for the Second Sunday after Pentecost - Don't Worry

The Gospel - Matthew 6:24-34

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

Don't Worry

None of us are immune from worry.  

 

And when we hear Jesus say, “Don’t be anxious” we are delighted that he is able to offer the admonition, but behind his back we are prone to roll our eyes and say, “Yeah, you bet.”  After all, he did not have to worry about sky rocketing fuel prices and the effect that is going to have on our lives and culture. 

 

He did not have to worry about environmental issues that threaten the health of the planet.  He did not have to be concerned about weapons systems in the hands of fanatics that can annihilate humankind with little more than the nod of his head.  He didn’t have to worry about his children driving cars, or making decisions that are stupid and dangerous.  But still he says, “Don’t worry”.

 

Because Jesus did not have to confront certain personal and cultural circumstances we face, should we then simply discard his admonition out of hand? 

Certainly not.

Homily for the First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday - Get On With It

The Gospel - Matthew 28:16-20

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

Get On With It

Arriving at her destination by train, a woman stepped onto the platform with her baggage and walked by a crate carrying a very large dog. Being an animal lover, she stopped by the crate and spoke to the dog. He was lying in his little cell with the most pathetic look she had ever seen.

As a station attendant walked by she commented how sad and forlorn the pooch looked and the baggage handler said, “Well lady, you’d be sad too if you had his problem. He chewed the tag off his crate and doesn’t know where he is going.”

There have been moments for all of us when we have been in the same situation. We didn’t have a clue where we were going. I have always admired folks who knew what they wanted to do when they were 3 years old, worked hard to get there and love their work and life. But those people are scarcer than the loch ness monster. Most of us have regular struggles and mild traumas about who we are and where we are or should be going.

The same is true for the church.

Homily for Pentecost - Enthousiasmos

First Reading - Acts 2:1-11
The Gospel - John 20:19-23  

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

Enthousiasmos

We have two events wonderfully dovetailing this morning: it's Pentecost, and we are celebrating the Eucharist.

Most of us think Pentecost is a particularly New Testament phenomenon, but that's not so. It was one of the most celebrated festivals in the Old Testament as well. Tradition has it that fifty days after Passover, the day the Hebrews escaped from Egypt, Moses climbed to the top of Mt. Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. It was this moment that marks the binding of the Hebrew people together under the law.

From this point on, it was the law that prevented chaos, it was the law that gave the people of Israel a focal point, it was the law that brought them closer to God, it was the law the gave them their unique identity, and it was on this day they received it.

And so, for Pentecost to be the day God sends the Holy Spirit to reside among us is certainly appropriate. Because no longer is the law the center of our community life, no longer is the law the source of our identity, no longer is it the law that brings us closer to God, but rather The Holy Spirit has replaced the law as the focus of our lives.

The Briar Ridge Ramblers Headline Dinner Clubs’ Spring Potluck Supper

Several dozen parishioners and friends of Emmanuel celebrated the conclusion of the Winter Season Dinner Clubs and the launch of the Summer Season during a Potluck Supper on Saturday March 10.

Emmanuel's own Ron Irby and the Briar Ridge Ramblers provided special entertainment with their renditions of numerous Blue Grass/country music favorites.

Photos by Rosemary Nichols

The Dinner Clubs program allows groups of 8 to 10 adults, singles and couples, to meet on a monthly rotating basis for an evening of potluck, fun and fellowship. Since the format of each evening is at the discretion of that night’s host / hostess, the venue could be a cookout, a buffet, just coffee and desserts, or an evening at a local restaurant.

If you would like to join a dinner club for the coming season, please email the Parish Office for more details, or contact Mary Hicks Heitzler.

Evangelism for Episcopalians

(who don't want to go there)

by Ben E. Helmer

The word, Evangelism, comes from the Greek word that refers to proclaiming (the) Good News. 

What most people know is that it has become a by-word for folks who are insistent on making others see God and Jesus the way they do, and it is often associated with slick preaching and door knocking.

Actually, being an evangelist is something we all promise in our Baptismal vows when we agree to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305).

Most evangelism takes place in the work place or in families. Did you know that research has shown that every Christian knows at least 7 people who are unchurched?  That means that we are all placed in a context with others who do not know much about God or Jesus.  As someone once said, “You might be the best Christian someone knows”.

Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Easter - Christian Unity

The Gospel - John 17:1-11

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

Christian Unity

Mention today’s Gospel to most Christians and they will immediately wring their hands a bit and note that it’s the passage which shames us on account of our woeful disunity as Christians.

Jesus prays that we may be one, but just look at the mess so many denominations are in. We’re not one church but thousands of churches, many at each other’s throats. Even within a given denomination, most people at St. Luke’s would not in a million years want to merge with St.Timothy’s just four blocks away.

Of course, it’s hard to know just what Jesus meant there. Is it possible that we can be “one” in the Spirit even across denominational lines?  Since Jesus seemed to envision a worldwide communion of believers—and will shortly commission the disciples to go forth and found just such a trans-national community—it goes without saying that eventually there would be included in that communion people who did not share a common culture or language, people who would bring a rich diversity of gifts, practices, and perspectives into the fold.

In other words, unity need not equal uniformity, but I fear we have come to believe it does.

Dozens Feast on Sumptuous Bar-B-Que on the Lawn

Photo by Rosemary Nichols

Emmanuel’s annual Bar-B-Que on the Lawn fundraiser drew a steady stream of bar-b-que fans for a delightful spring afternoon meal on Emmanuel’s side lawn on Friday, May 2^nd. Once again, Tred Hunt cooked up a heck-a-va meal – excellent fresh cooked pork bar-b-que with all the fixings!

Our thanks to all of Emmanuel’s vestry members and others who made this year’s event an outstanding success!