Newsletter

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

May 2016
Donna Taylor found a sermon in Fr. Chucks office that he was going to preach on April 17. She has offered to share it with
everyone.

A man decided his wife was getting hard of hearing. So he called her doctor to make an appointment to have her hearing
checked. The doctor said he could see her in two weeks, but meanwhile there was a simple, informal test the husband
could do to give the doctor some idea of the dimensions of the problem.
Heres what you do, he said. Stand about 40 feet away from her and speak in a normal conversational tone and see if
she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response. That evening his wife is in the kitchen
cooking dinner, and hes in the living room, and he says to himself, Im about 40 feet away, lets see what happens.
Honey, whats for supper? No response. So he moves to the other end of the room, about 30 feet away. Honey, whats
for supper? No response. So he moves into the dining room, about 20 feet away. Honey, whats for supper? No.
response. On to the kitchen door, only 10 feet away. Honey, whats for supper? No response. So he walks right up
behind her and says, Honey, whats for supper? She turns around and says, For the FIFTH time, CHICKEN!
Isnt that the way it is sometimes in our lives? We are either deaf to what really is going on, failing to perceive reality, or,
we think it is the other persons problem when really it is our own.
Sometimes we have selective hearing - we hear what we only want to hear. Or, we act as if we are listening, but
really our attention is elsewhere. Youve had that feeling, havent you, when someone is giving you eye attention, but
you know they are not listening, not hearing you at all? It is infuriating, and I know I do it myself, so I hereby ask for
blanket forgiveness from you for the times Ive done it.
Todays passage is all about listening and hearing - following the voice of Jesus - and it really stirs me up. Picture the
scene. A small group comes close to Jesus, kind of like the husband in my story. They are walking with him, right next to
him actually, and asking him to tell them plainly if he is the Messiah - dont keep us in suspense. And Jesus says, What
do you mean? What more do I need to say? In fact, I dont have to say anything because my works speak for
themselves.
Sometimes I wonder if we are hard of hearing and hard of seeing when it comes to Jesus. Are we listening to his voice
and hearing what he says and then doing what he tells us to do? Or, do we try to keep our emotional, intellectual, political
distance? Every day you and I hear a lot of diverse voices. How do we discern what voice to listen to, which voice to
follow? There are a lot of voices out there telling you who you are, what you should want, who you should be. What voice,
whose voice are you listening to? Do you listen to the voices on Fox News or MSNBC? Which describes reality? Who is
telling the truth: John Kasich, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders? And of course the essential
question of faith is Whose voice are you listening to, what voice do you trust, what voice do you hear? The faith task is
to hone in, lean towards the source, the authentic Divine voice, listen intently, and then to act out on what you are hearing.
An infant knows its mothers voice. In a room with so much stimulation of color and motion, this is overwhelming reality and
I have seen it. The babys head turns to the source of the mothers voice, recognizing the voice even before it has the
language to call out Mama! Even before we know, we perceive.

Do you hear the voice of love even if you dont know the speaker? Does not your heart know, doesnt your gut move
towards that voice? Are we not called to follow that voice into the world? We are not in the dog-eat-dog arena of
competition. We are walking through the valley of shadows with the words of love in our ear and the banner of love
wrapped around our shoulders.
What voice do you hear? Whose voice are you following? Do you hear a voice of hospitality - that you are welcome
here? You dont have to have your theological stuff together. I dont even care if you believe half of Christian
doctrine. You will get there in time if that is where you need to go. Even if you dont recognize the source, are you
listening and then following - being hospitable?
What voice do you hear? Whose voice are you following? Do you hear the voice of generosity? That you have been
given the wonderful gift of life. The very stuff of creative order has been shared with you. You are alive, you are
gifted - just because you are. Even if you do not yet know the Creator, are you listening and following and being
generous, not only with your money (you all have already shown such generosity, quite unbelievable) but with your
time and your talent, with your joy and laughter and truth?
What voice do you hear? Whose voice are you following? Do you hear the voice of justice and compassion? That it
is good to treat others as you would have them treat you? Are you listening to make sure that children have food
and families have homes, and the sick can be cared for, and the uninsured dont have to be scared? That justice
doesnt mean punishment; the voice of justice means celebration and restoration. You dont have to acknowledge
Jesus; you may in time, maybe not, dont worry so much about it.
What voice do you hear? Whose voice are you following? It seems to me that you all listen very intently and follow
very closely the voice of hospitality and grace, of joy and hope, of liberation and restoration Sokeep doing what
you are doing! I am telling you the truth. This is one thing I know for sure. If you are listening to the voice of love,
hospitality, generosity, justice and compassion, creation and hope, NOTHING in this whole world will be able to
snatch you away - nothing will be able to knock you down, tear you up, turn you around - it simply cant be done because nothing can separate you from the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. I call on the name
of Jesus because it makes sense to me now, it is how I view the world. Dont worry if you cant do it just yetListen
and follow that voice anyway.
In todays passage, we read that the setting for this story was the festival of Dedication. Today I want this to be a
day of dedication for us, of rededication for you to listen, to hear and to follow. Dont take my word for it, listen for
yourselves - the voice of love that is for you, which I believe is the voice of Jesus.
What voice do you hear? Whose voice are you following?
Fathers Chuckss Sermon April 17, 2016

May 159:30 AMEmmanuelMorning Prayer with Lynne Walton

May 229:30 AMEmmanuelJoint Service Holy Eucharist Rite II with Rev. Kate Day
May 299:30 AMEmmanuelMorning Prayer with Lynne Walton

The Easter Egg Hunt at Emmanuel was well

attended and everyone had a wonderful
time. Many thanks to Lynne Walton, Bernie
Dye and Sandy Colton for helping with the
event.
May Birthdays & Anniversaries
1 Michelle Brummel
2 Daniel Cassavaugh, Kari Loomis
3 George Brummel, Paul Jones
4 Lacey Duell, Zacariah Harris
5 Levi Fink, Liam Fink
7 Van Mason, Jessica Wood
8 Ella Maistros
10 Eleanor Champlin, Myra MacDuff, Tammy May
11 Casey Lynn Markham
13 Kobie Decker
17 Connor Zampetti
18 Carl Charlie Colton

19 Christopher Stone
20 Jamie Carrier Maistros
21 Madelyn Morris, William Ballin III
22 Christopher Paden
24 Amy Spittler
25 Alicia Woodard
28 Samantha Smith
29 Fred & Sally Miers
30 Justin Strauss
31 Jessica Strauss

Fred Miers is being recognized as the 2016

Distinguished Citizen of the Year for his outstanding
achievements in Chenango County. Fred is being honored by
the local Boy Scouts of America at a dinner to be held
Thursday, May 12th at the Canasawacta Country Club in
Norwich. Reservations for the event may be made by
contacting the Baden-Powell Council services center at 607648-7888 and asking for information on the Chenango
Distinguished Citizens Award Dinner.

We rejoice for the

birth of
Cadence Rain
Clement born on
April 5, 2016 at
3:38 a.m.
She was 7lbs., 7
oz. and 20 long.
She is the
granddaughter of
Mother Lisa and
Gary Busby.

Newsletter
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PO Box 203
Norwich, NY 13815
Phone: 334-8801 or 847-6361
Editor: Fran Nash
Phone: 607-334-8801
Email: emmanuelchurch@frontiernet.net

MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS:

To Know God and To Make Him Known

We Worship Together

Remember the church in your Will!

Emmanuel Soul Kitchen

Well, maybe winter will let go this time!! Can you believe
the snow we had in April?!? At least we didn't have to mow the
lawn. The food pantry is grateful for your continued support.
Any items you can donate are appreciated, and of course,
monetary donations are always accepted. Right now, chicken
noodle soup is in short supply for some reason. Any canned
items are useful, as well as items like cereal and crackers. And
as a reminder to the gardeners, plant a row or two of fresh
veggies for the pantry. Thanks.
Barb and Gary Tompkins
Volunteer Coordinators
Our Daily Bread Food Pantry

May 12, 2016

@
Emmanuel Episcopal
Church
5:30
Free Meal
Chicken Divan
Salad & dessert
Come for the fellowship
Hosted by
Emmanuel Episcopal Church