Emmanuel Episcopal Church

The Rev. Herman "Holly" Hollerith, IV Elected 10th Bishop of Southern Virginia

The Rev. Herman "Holly" Hollerith, IV, Rector of  Bruton Parish in Williamsburg, has been elected the Tenth Bishop of Southern Virginia. He was elected on the sixth ballot from among six candidates presented at a Special Meeting of Diocesan Council called for the purpose on September 27th.

The Rev. Hollerith received his BS degree from Denison University and his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School. Ordained to the priesthood in 1983, the Rev. Hollerith previously served as Rector of Prince George Winyah in Georgetown, South Carolina; Associate Rector at  St. John’s in Lynchburg; Priest in Charge of Christ Episcopal Church in Roanoke;  and Assistant to the Rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Roanoke.

The Rev. Hollerith will be consecrated the 10th Bishop of Southern Virginia on February 13, 2009 at 7 pm at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - An Unpayable Debt

The Gospel - Matthew 18:21-35

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

An Unpayable Debt

The Bible is loaded with hyperbole.

How many descendants will Abraham and Sarah have?  Thousands?  Hundreds of thousands?  No! Like stars in the sky, like sand on the seashore. 

How hard is it for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven on his own efforts?   Pretty tough?  Unlikely?   No!  You’d have a better chance slipping a whole camel through the eye of a sewing needle. 

What’s it like when you criticize other people but don’t tend to your own messes?  Kind of annoying?  A bit irritating?  No!  It’s like walking around with a whole tree trunk sticking out of your eye socket even as you criticize other people for not wiping the sleepers out of their eyes in the morning.

The Bible is full of hyperbole.

And so, Peter wonders if forgiving someone seven times would do the trick.   Seven times for one person is a lot, right?  Seven strikes and you’re out.  Sounds reasonable.  Except that Jesus says even seven times would barely get things going.  “You’re just scratching the surface of forgiveness when you hit #7, Peter.  Keep going 77 times.”

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - Unending Forgiveness

The Gospel - Matthew 18:15-20

Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith

Unending Forgiveness

What Jesus has to say here seems a bit out of character and makes us scratch our heads.  Churches have codified this instruction and use it as the vehicle by which the unsavory among us can be sent off packing.  However, doing so grossly misrepresents Jesus’ intentions, particularly when we put today’s lesson in the context of what comes before and after.  

Just before what we read today Jesus, says finding one lost sheep is worth putting the whole flock in jeopardy, and just after he says we must forgive not seven times, but 77 times, neither of which ring the bell of banishment.

Forgiveness is the theme, but before we can understand forgiveness, it helps to understand sin. Sin is alienation from God, self, neighbor and nature. 

• Alienation from God = arrogance
• Alienation from self = disconnect and depression
• Alienation from neighbor = destroys community
• Alienation from nature = just look around

But alienation is a constant in our lives.  We all experience it, and we all perpetuate it.  And, were this alienation all we experienced, life would be horrible and fractious.  Everything would explode into bits.

Chatham Schola Cantorum Begins October 2nd

Chatham Schola Cantorum, a new medieval singing group specializing in Gregorian Chant, is looking for participants.  No previous musical experience is necessary.

Where: Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Chatham VA.

When: Thursday evenings 8:00-9:30pm (starting October 2nd)

This singing group will focus on various styles and forms of Latin chant in the Middle Ages through  the beginning of the Renaissance.  Rehearsals will be a mixture of singing and scholarship.

For more information, contact Kevin Zakresky at kzakresky@chathamhall.org.