Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Parish Potluck Dinner to Consider Nominees for Bishop on September 20th

The Vestry of Emmanuel invites all Emmanuel parishioners to a potluck dinner at Emmanuel Church on September 20^th, beginning at 6:30 pm, to discuss the nominees for 10^th Bishop of Southern Virginia and vote on the nominee of our choice.

Six nominees will stand for election. Biographical sketches of the nominees along with their responses to two questions have been printed in the Jamestown Cross. Pictures, profiles and responses to additional questions for all six nominees are available on the diocesan website at http://www.diosova.net/walkabout.html

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - A Call to Martyrdom

The Gospel -Matthew 16:21-27

Homily by the Rev. Dr. John S. Ruef

A Call to Martyrdom

I remember well in the first church for which I was responsible talking to one of the ladies in the congregation about Jesus being a Jew, to which she replied, “Oh no! Jesus couldn’t have been Jewish. He was the first Christian.” This drastic disconnect of Christianity from its historical base in first century Judaism is all too common in the minds of many church people. 

But Jesus was a Jew. He thought out of a Jewish background. He knew the Jewish tradition and did not always agree with it. Part of that Jewish background was the notion that God conquered the enemies of His chosen in order for them to possess the Promised Land. The early settlers of this United States transferred that notion to themselves.

Further, the notion that keeping the commandments, which is a very strong motif in Deuteronomy from which our first lesson is taken, has resulted in a kind of wooden literalism in interpreting the Scriptures, which continues to produce serious complications in the life of the Church.

The Pruden Parish Press for September 2008 Is Now Online

The September 2008 issue of The Pruden Parish Press, a periodic newsletter containing news and information for parishioners and friends of Emmanuel, is being published this week. The current issue includes:

• a report on recent Parish Hall renovations,

• Vestry Notes from the Senior Warden,

• information regarding the election of our new bishop

• a calendar of Parish events for September through November 2008,

• a memorial gift in honor of Bob Plaster,

• Stewardship is Fun! by Dr. Smith, Pastoral Vicar.

Click here to read the September issue online.

Earlier issues may be viewed at The Pruden Parish Press.

To receive future issues by mail, please call or email the Parish Office.

Dinner Clubs Enjoy Danville’s Lawson-Overby Inn

A dozen Emmanuel parishioners and friends enjoyed the dining room of the Lawson-Overby Inn Bed and Breakfast on Main Street in Danville last Friday evening. The beautiful, opulent home offered a wonderful atmosphere for some great food. And dinner was capped with a tour of this spectacular house.

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Answering the Question

The Gospel -Matthew 16:13-20

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

Answering the Question

There are two questions Jesus asks his disciples.  One is easy and one is hard.

Question #1..."Who do people say that I am?"  That's the easy one.  All they had to do was report what they had heard. "You're a great prophet", "You're John the Baptist returned"...speculation was rampant and the disciples were willing to speak of it freely.

Maybe Jesus sat there patiently and listened.  Maybe he let them go on about who had heard what and who had said what, and who had told what to whom.  Maybe they even laughed about it a bit...how some had even said he was a demon.... big belly laughs...and Maybe even Jesus laughed along with them.  The laughter died a bit, followed by one of those moments of calm in conversation, and then Jesus surprised them all.

Question #2 is the difficult one; the question that made them squirm a bit, had the disciples responding like we do when asked to pray...looking out the window, shuffling feet, coughing uncontrollably...They weren't prepared for it. "Who do you say that I am?" Only Peter was ready to say what was on his mind.  One out of twelve, 8% was willing to speak, 8% was ready to say,  “You are the Christ of God."

St. Mary's Choir to Sing at Emmanuel

During the coming academic year, St. Mary's Choir from Chatham Hall, under the direction of Kevin Zakresky, will be singing at Emmanuel worship services on the following Sundays:

- October 12, 2008

- November 16, 2008

- January 18, 2008

- March 29, 2009

- May 17, 2009

 

 

 

A native of Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Kevin recently joined the faculty at Chatham Hall as Coordinator of the Music Program and Choirmaster following the completion of his undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia and graduate work at Yale.

Please join us for these special musical occasions.

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - The Portrait

The Gospel - Matthew 15:21-28

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

The Portrait

At first reading, this story is quite a shock.  Our lifelong impression of Jesus' nature is somewhat assaulted.  We always fashion him to be soft spoken and kind...concerned about the welfare of all people with no consideration of background, ethnic origin, economic status, political prowess.  But this event flies in the face of our preconceived notions.  It almost sounds like he is being a snide, stuffy, bigot. 

Jesus and his men have left the home turf.  They have ventured outside the boundaries of Israel.  This is like walking down a dark alley on a Saturday night in a part of town you know you should not be in.

But apparently Jesus reputation preceded him.  The people had heard of him and they too came to see what he was all about. The invasion of his privacy is quaintly illustrated with the relentless approach of this woman.      

Her daughter was sick.  Some demon she said. "Have mercy on me, O Lord Son of David, My daughter is severely possessed by a demon."  Despite her request, we are told Jesus didn't say a word to her, and the disciples were quite rude, "Send her away."  

Sunday School Class for Young Children Begins September 7th

A Sunday School class for children four to eight years old will begin September 7th starting at 9:45 am in the Parish House. The Class will be taught by Sharon Taylor, a life-long Emmanuel parishioner with many years of experience teaching young children in the public schools. Interested parents of four to eight year olds should contact Sharon directly regarding available space in the class.

Nominees for Bishop to Visit Diocese in September

The Nominees for the 10^th Diocesan Bishop of Southern Virginia will be presented to the people of the Diocese at a series of gatherings in September known as Walk Abouts. Five sites from west to east have been selected to meet and greet the nominees for bishop. [MORE]

The nominees are:

The Very Reverend Edward H. Harrison
Dean, St. John’s Cathedral, Jacksonville, FL
Learn more about Edward Harrison

The Rev. Herman “Holly” Hollerith, IV
Rector, Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, VA
Learn more about Holly Hollerith

The Rev. Dr. Ladson F. Mills III
Rector, Christ Church, Saint Simons Island, GA
Learn more about Ladson Mills

The Rev. Canon E. Daniel Smith
Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Missouri
Learn more about Dan Smith

The Rev. L. Murdock Smith
Rector, St. Martin’s, Charlotte, NC
Learn more about Murdock Smith

The Rev. Mary C. Sulerud
Canon for Deployment and Vocational Ministry,
Diocese of Washington, DC
Learn more about Mary Sulerud

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Unbounded Imagination

The Gospel - Matthew 14:22-33

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

Unbounded Imagination

Robert Fulghum tells a wonderful story about a kindergarten class that decided to perform the story of Cinderella. There are lots of roles in Cinderella, but still casting was a chore. All the girls, of course, wanted to be Cinderella. Finally all the children were assigned roles except one--a small tubby kid named Norman.

The teacher asked, "Norman, what are you going to be?"

"Well," said Norman, "I think I will be the pig."

The teacher said, "Norman, there is no pig in the story of Cinderella."

And Norman said, "Well, there is now."

The teacher could tell it would be senseless to argue, so she left it to Norman to decide what role a pig played in the Cinderella story. As it turned out, the pig went everywhere that Cinderella went and did whatever Cinderella did.