Christmas Sermon

Born for the World

Christmas Sermon 2013

Merry Christmas

Celebrate Christmas at Holy Comforter

Christmas Services

Everyone and all your friends are invited to celebrate Christmas with us! Both services Christmas Eve are Holy Eucharist Rite II with sermon and candles for the singing of Silent Night. Note additional information for each service.

December 24th - 4:00 pm with Pageant; 10:30 pm with Choral Prelude

Christmas Day - 11:00 am also Holy Eucharist Rite II with music and sermon.

Christmas Sermon Preview

Born for the World

Sermon from the 2nd Sunday of Advent

The Dynamics of Preparing

John the Baptist calls the people coming to him for renewal to show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith. How can our preparation for Christmas help us to grow in faith and love for God and others? What does repentance have to do with Advent?

Sermon December 8, 2013

Sermon from the First Sunday of Advent

Keep Awake

How can a consideration of the 2nd advent of Christ, the Second Coming, help us to prepare to celebrate the 1st advent of Christ, Christmas? What are we as Episcopalians to make of the apocalyptic readings found in the Bible?

Sermon, Keep Awake

Sermon from Sunday Nov. 24th

ONE Sunday

We had our ONE Sunday on November 24th. This Sunday was the last Sunday in Pentecost and is called Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ Sunday. We focused on the Millennium Development Goals as being a part of proclaiming and working for the reign of God on earth. We had an offering of over $600 for Bread for the World.

Sermon: Bread for the World

Sermon Preview for December 1, 2013

The First Sunday of Advent

Join us for a celebration of the Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:00 a.m., during which this sermon will be preached by the Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith.

Keep Awake

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! and Advent begins this Sunday!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving! 

As Episcopalians, we are people of Thanksgiving. It has been said that every service in our Book of Common Prayer, is a service of thanksgiving. No matter what our circumstances, we give thanks for God's love and devotion to us. We seek to be devoted to God in our thoughts, words, and deeds, but how often to we consider God's devotion to us? 

One huge theme found in the Bible is that God never gives up on God's people, and does everything to be close to us. As we begin Advent this Sunday, we enter this time of reflection, waiting, preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ, God-with-us. If you are not traveling for Thanksgiving, I hope that you can be with us on Sunday morning at Holy Comforter for our celebration of the First Sunday of Advent. I will be inviting all the children, at the usual time of the Blessing of the Children, to come with me to the Advent Wreath, where we will light it together. Join us to celebrate God's great love for us and the whole world this Sunday!

Faithfully yours,

Hilary+

Join Us to Support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals

ONE Sunday

Join us tomorrow, Sunday November 24th, to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. We are a ONE church and tomorrow's sermon will address these goals, which include eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, and the sermon will explore the relationship of these goals to our understanding of Christ's Reign. This Sunday is also traditionally known as Christ the King Sunday. Join us at 10:00 am to celebrate!

Sermon from November 17, 2013

Apocalypse - End Times

The Rev. Dr. A. Patrick L. Prest describes the fascination, on the part of some, with the Second Coming of Christ and the end of time as we know it. He goes on to discuss the much more pressing issue of end-of-life decisions that we all ought to consider.

Sermon Nov. 17

Sermon from Sunday Nov. 10th

Where God's Glory Abides

Owing to tech difficulties, the sermon did not record, but you can read the text of it here.

Sermon Nov. 10, 2013

Sermon Preview for Nov. 10th

Where God's Glory Abides

This sermon considers our call to be authentic as people and the Church; and what the Emergent Church movement has to say about such matters/in conversation with the prophet Haggai. Join us at 10am for the Holy Eucharist Rite II, when this sermon will be preached. ALL are WELCOME!

Sermon from All Saints' Sunday

God's Saints, in heaven and on earth

given by the Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith

Sermon from November 3rd

Sermon from Sunday October 27th

God's God and We Ain't 

given by the Rev. Dr. David Cox

Sermon from October 27, 2013

All Saints' Sunday Baptisms

Baptisms

We had a great time on Sunday, and the baptisms of three babies and a four-year old was wonderful.

Shrine Mont Parish Retreat 2013

Deepening Relationship with God

Sermon Preview for All Saints' Sunday

Sermon Preview for November 3, 2013

 God's Saints, on earth and in heaven

I love preaching about All the Saints, Baptism, and the amazing journey that we are on as Christians.

HoCo Mobile

Nice Plates!

The nick name for Holy Comforter, Richmond, is HoCo. Can you find the HoCo Mobile being driven by our priest, Hilary?

Potluck and Hymn Sing on Saturday Oct. 19th

Potluck Dinner and Hymn Sing

We had a great time on Saturday October 19th, eating and singing!

Sermon from Sunday October 20, 2013

A Persistent Faith

Hilary's sermon from Sunday, A Persistent Faith; Jesus tells a parable about not losing heart, but sometimes we are discouraged. How does God respond to us? How do we respond to God?

Sermon Oct. 20

Sermon Preview for October 20, 2013

A Persistent Faith

Sermon given on October 13, 2013

Thanks be to God

Sermon Oct. 13

Sermon Preview for October 13, 2013

Thanks be to God

This sermon addresses who God is for us as Jesus shows through his acts of healing and bringing those who are excluded, persecuted, into community...and how we respond with gratitude to God for all that God has done and does for us. Join us at 10:00 a.m. for a service of the Holy Eucharist II, during which this sermon will be preached.

Sermon from Sunday October 6th given by Mark Osler

Vulnerable, Broken, and Graced

Given by our guest preacher - Mark Osler is an American legal scholar, law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and critic of capital punishment in the United States.

Sermon Oct. 6

Sermon from Sunday September 29th

A New Creation, Remembering St. Francis

Sermon Sept 29, 2013

Sermon Preview for Sunday September 29th

A New Creation: Remembering St. Francis

We will observe St. Francis Day tomorrow, on Sept. 29th, transferred from October 4th. My sermon deals with issues of the Creation, the environment, St. Francis, as well as the blessing of animals.

Bring your animals to the 10:00 am service, into the church, for the Holy Eucharist and the Blessing of the Animals!

The Earth - God's Creation

St. Francis' Day and More

This Sunday, September 29th, we are observing the Feast Day of St. Francis, which we are transferring from his actual day, October 4th. This past week, I was surprised to meet someone who does not like that "The Blessing of the Animals" is often to focus of the feast day of this important saint - and rightly so - St. Francis, and our remembrance of him, provides an opportunity to consider more broadly, who we are as God's stewards of all creation. As I thought about my friend who said that he does not like to focus on animals on St. Francis' Day, I realized that I too see the day as about much more (but I still like to bless animals on this day!).  In that context, I am delighted to share with you reflections by church members who attended a conference a week ago on Food Sustainability and related matters.
******************************************************************************

The Challenge of food Sustainability: Preserving Biodiversity, Forests, Cropland, Water:

2013 Interfaith Conference, September 21, 2013, Charlottesville, VA

 Reflection by David Lehman, member of Holy Comforter

This conference had a wide variety of topics.  All of which gave me new information such as regarding the preservation efforts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; gave me questions to think about like, “Is the production of GMOs a continuation of the historical creation of plant hybrids?” (I think not) and reinforced to me that there are many ways to care for the creation that we are part of.

The first speaker, Richard Cizik, was a man of energy and conviction.  His overall theme could be summed up as a challenge to action on environmental issues and that taking action can lead to personal cost.  He worked on the thought of “…what leads people to change…”.  He shared a very personal story of his one son suffering a severe asthma attack that left him nearly unable to breath.  Fortunately they got immediate medical help for him and he now controls his ongoing asthma problem.  This led Dr. Cizik to realize how poor air quality, related to coal burning power plants, had impacted his son’s condition.  This personal event was clearly a turning point for him that helped him change his perspective to realize how important it is to fight for environmental issues.

Dr. Cizick listed a number of factors that lead people to change.  Three of the factors he listed are: See that we need to be accountable for the actions we take; Abide by universally held moral principals; Decide to choose one’s own destiny boldly.

In a later presentation by David Finnigan, the theme of what leads people to change, in relationship to environmental issues, was picked up again.  Mr. Finnigan has created an environmental empowering program that he takes to elementary schools.  He developed the idea for this program from his personal experience working as an anthropologist.  While describing this he talked about realizing that all people are at certain places in their lives that leave them either more, or less, amenable to change.  He listed categories that people can be placed into according to their readiness to accept change: Innovators; Early Adopters; Early Majority; Late Majority; and Laggards.  His program with elementary school aged child (Early Adopters) teaches environmental concepts, that they in turn, teach to their parents (Early Majority).  He believes that reaching young children can be one of the most effective ways to influence positive environmental change.

The presentation on new biology and GMOs left me, and I believe most of the conference participants, with troubling questions.  The domain of GMOs seems to be largely controlled by scientists and corporations.  This leaves the general public in the position of grabbling with a new, and rather cryptic, thing to evaluate.  The supporters of GMOs maintain that they can help reduce world hunger by increasing crop yields.  This does pose a large question of whether GMOs could possibly leave us on the brink of disastrous unintended consequences.  After this presentation there was spirited discussion among small groups of participants regarding value, versus the dangers, of GMOs.

The people attending this conference came from a variety of backgrounds.  Along with the majority of Episcopalians there were persons from Unitarian churches.  This gave a chance to connect and converse with others who are interested in creation care. 

The closing meditation by Rev. Neal Halvorson-Taylor moved our focus from our minds to our souls.  It was an appropriate way to end the conference by experiencing again how taking care of the creation resonates so profoundly within the deepest regions of our being.

                                                                       *********

 

“Lord we pray for bread for the hungry and for those who have bread we pray for a hunger for food justice.”   --closing prayer by the Reverend Neal Halvorson-Taylor

Reflection by Richard Rose, member of Holy Comforter

 

Thus ended our interfaith conference today on “The Challenge of Food Sustainability: Preserving Biodiversity, Forests, Cropland, Water” at the Church of Our Saviour in Charlottesville.

What did we learn? First, to do justice to food and to the Earth which sustains us. Richard Cizik, author of The High Cost of Indifference reminded us of the cost of paying attention to sustainability, since he lost his job by speaking out. His definition of sustainability? “Not to make things go extinct.” We must, he said, “exchange materialistic intemperance for moral temperance.” Sometimes we have taken seriously the ancient idea that what we do to the material world doesn’t matter because only the spiritual world is significant.  Citing N.T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham, he traced this kind of denial to an early neoplatonic dualism. For a people of hope, however, such denial and the fatalism it implies interfere with our mission to be good stewards of our habitat. A mission without action is like the five virgins who didn’t go to the  trouble to fill their lamps.  “A vision without a strategy is a hallucination.”

And giving justice to food means paying attention to the beauty of food, the work done to grow it, and the care needed to protect and distribute it. John Seiler, a forester from VPI, reminded us that the soil is the greatest carbon sink and that human-induced soil loss through poor management practices and carelessness threatens every strand of the many bioenergetic webs in which we participate. In Virginia, the four to seven inches of topsoil lost is not easily regained or artificially replicated. The living components of the soil matrix are fundamental to water quality and availability, the nutrients in foods, the control of natural disasters, and economic security.

Jim Baird of the American Farmland Trust reminded us that local farms control floods, maintain nutrient uptake, diversify food sources, provide ecosystem services, provide jobs, protect wildlife habitat and preserve the knowledge base of how to farm in particular places. To honor farming, we must consider the proper mix of commercial, agricultural and residential lands; find ways to transfer farming operations to future generations by conservation easements; provide governmental, financial and private support to local farmers through, and develop “women landowner learning circles” for the networking and training of the 30% of female farmers who have received farms from deceased parents or spouses.

David Finnigan, the anthropologist who designed “Climate Change is Elementary” presented his powerful method for immediately involving families in doing what they can to create a cleaner greener future without becoming distracted by arguments or procrastination. It was a description of an act of repentance, that is: turn around and don’t look back. Other discussions about genetic engineering, the far reach of the Chesapeake Bay, the troubled lives of the Bay’s native oysters and of Virginia’s legislators reminded us that the issue of food justice is one of those “crosses you will trip over if you don’t pick it up,” as Hilary has said. What kind of burden? Only this—to do justice to food and its providers, to love mercy by giving food justice to the hungry whether in Mzula or south side, and by walking humbly with your God on the Earth which nourishes us.

 

                                                                                  **********

 

Kale Bean Soup, Chipmunks and Hemlocks

 

Reflection by Martha Burford, Director of Music, Holy Comforter

 

David, Richard, and Craig have written eloquent, wonderful, thorough reflections on the 2013 Stewardship of Creation Conference. Rather than further describing the day, I want to write a bit about my mindset/heartset in the ensuing forty-eight hours.

 

Today, I made kale bean soup. Many of the ingredients came from our yard, our neighbor’s yard, and a local CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, to which my husband and I subscribe. Through the whole process of making the soup, I felt alternating waves of gratitude and remorse. Gratitude for the bounty, the smells, the beautiful food grown near here, the water. The water-without which none of the food would exist. Then would come a wave of sadness: who today is without beautiful soup? Who is without water? What waters and food are compromised, polluted, withering? These waves turned into prayers. As we prayed at the Conference, “give ALL today their/our daily bread.” So, tonight, I pray for all. But, to take that even further, what are my trespasses that affect who gets daily bread and who doesn’t? My mind scrambles between the power of prayer and the urgency I feel that we all have to “do something.”

More prayers happen now, as I write this: I watch two chipmunks pounding away at sunflower seeds on our deck. As I observe the chipmunks’ cheeks swell, birds swoop down from the hemlock and walnut in our yard. Titmice, chickadees, cardinals, even a shy brown thrasher. Again, in juxtapositions, my heart soars and aches as I watch the panorama outside our living room windows. We have worked hard to plant and to sustain trees where we live. We have planted and stewarded so that we actually live on what is now a “Certified Wildlife Habitat” listed by the National Wildlife Federation. In this small way, we work to live in hope and work to give back.

It’s not enough. The Conference offered so much in terms of information: biological, geographical, evolutional, political, anthropological. One minute I turn things over in my mind and feel overwhelmed, if not despairing. Another minute joy and hope sail through me: gift of Ruach? Spirit? So, how do I, how do we, navigate the polarities?

 

Spirit. One of my mentors shared with me something I “go to” when I feel these paradoxes-these “opposites” in my spiritual life. He said, “Martha, the outcome is not yours. That’s the Holy Spirit’s problem. YOUR deal is to be faithful in the struggles and in the moments. And don’t stop asking.”

So, tonight, I will pray for our fragile island home. For chipmunks and hemlocks. For all who wait for water--or worse, don’t get it. I will take something to the food pantry this week in gratitude for the beautiful soup. I will walk down our back hill and take note of new seedlings. I will give thanks for all souls and hands working to steward Creation. And I will ask the Holy Spirit never to leave me to despair or complacency. Holy Spirit-stir my soul, this night and all.

                                                                   *********

A Day Long Meditation

 

A Reflection by Craig Anderson, member of Holy Comforter

 

Saturday’s SOCC conference was delightfully meditative for me.  The day was overcast, with a constant drizzle outside.  It was one of those days that felt very much like the start of fall, marking the change of both weather and season in a way that makes one very conscious of mother earth. Inside, the meeting hall was warm and intimate, with prayer flags surrounding the perimeter of the hall.  That felt right.  It also felt like a gathering of the tribe ... a tribe comprised of both familiar and unfamiliar faces, yet all with a common interest in the maters of the day.  Without wading into the particulars of the varied speakers, it felt to me as though the entire day was a sesshin … a day long sit … a day long meditation and “gathering of the mind” with sustainability and food as our focus.  Although I enjoyed all the speakers, the highlights were Richard Cizik’s presentation at the start of the day and Neal Halvorson-Taylor’s mediation at the close of the day.  Both Cizik and Halvorson-Taylor are gifted with wonderful gifts of intellect and spirituality.  And both did a wonderful job of bringing the themes of the day into a sharp, meaningful, thought provoking focus.  They left me feeling elevated and inspired as I replayed the day on my drive home in the rain.  It was a good day, and a good day to meditate on mother earth.

 

 

 

Sunday's Sermon for September 22, 2013

The Crafty Steward

Given by the Rev. Dr. A. Patrick L. Prest, priest-in-residence


sermon for September 22nd

Sermon from Sunday September 8, 2013

Created and Loved by God

given by the Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith


sermon Sept. 8

Images from Sunday September 1 and 8, 2013

Our life together on Sundays is very special every week. On Sunday September 1st, we sent forth a church member to new work and a new location. We blessed prayer shawls on the 1st as well. On the 8th, we had a great presentation from Claire and Andy Kunz about their mission trip to Mzula, Tanzania.

Support for our Neighborhood High School - by a church member

Regarding  Thomas Jefferson High School 

Athletic Field Improvements

I’m Steve Van Voorhees, semi-retired consultant and educator. I wasn’t born here, but I got to Virginia as soon as I could, and have lived in Richmond for 40 years. I started my first post-college career as a high school teacher and coach in Florida. 

My church home is Holy Comforter, in the neighborhood, just down the street at the corner of Staples Mill and Monument.  My church is working on a partnership with Tee Jay.  And, for the last two years, I have been part of a group, the Tee Jay Vikings Fund,  seeking sources of support and funding for Tee Jay’s academic programs and its athletic programs.

I’m sure I don’t need to give you all a detailed re-cap of the Richmond Public Schools history, a modern tale of two cities, the decades-long pattern of segregation, desegregation and re-segregation that continues to impact negatively public school education in this city today. 

My support for the Tee Jay Athletic Facilities Plan is based on two principles which I embrace. 

·        First, the children who come to this school belong to all of us in this community.  They are our children, they represent this city and us, they are our ambassadors to the world and to the future.

·        Second, the education these young men and women obtain here will shape them for the rest of their lives. They will thrive or suffer to a large extent based on what they will carry away in themselves when they leave here. 

For me, that is why ‘whole child’ education is so important—it’s not just academics and book-learning; it’s how to be a member of a team, to be part of a community; it’s how to work and play hard and still experience failure and move on. All of what they experience here will form the foundation of who they are as fully developed adults and citizens.  Research has shown that athletics have a hugely positive effect on overall achievement.  More importantly, as my own life attests, the values learned from team sports prepare students to function more effectively in most any endeavor.

Regarding Night Home Games and Lights—I could walk to my high school.  Our neighbor’s private lighted tennis court hosted unending tournaments, played day and night, which were more disruptive to our quiet cul-de-sac neighborhood than the five or six Friday night home football games each year.  My informal survey of Richmond area Schools shows most high schools are in residential neighborhoods for obvious reasons.

As a grandfather, I’m thinking a lot about “legacy”—what are my generation and I leaving behind that furthers the common good and builds peaceful and successful people and communities? I believe we need to move forward with these improvements and build an educational complex that makes all of us proud and which provides increased and improved opportunities for these students who are our legacy.

Mzula Presentation part 2

Join us following the 10am service tomorrow, September 8th, to hear and see part two of Andy and Claire Kunz's mission trip to Mzula, Tanzania.

Sermon Preview for September 8, 2013

Created and Loved by God

preview created at wordle.net

Sunday's Sermon September 1, 2013

The Banquet and The Invitation

Jesus tells us that when we give a banquet we should invite the poor. This sermon deals with issues of hunger in the U.S., and what we are called to do about it, and what sort of banquet we offer. Also considered is God's invitation to us all to "move up higher."

Sermon given on September 1, 2013

Preview created at wordle.net

Outreach - Caring for the Wider Community

As Christians, our life together is also about our life with others who may not come to our church. We seek to reach out with the ultimate goal of empowering others. Our recent ministry, discussions and actions from the last week!, include our work with Thomas Jefferson High School, learning about Andy and Claire Kunz's mission trip to Mzula, Tanzania, and, happening this week, our hosting of families through the CARITAS program.

Thomas Jefferson High School

  

We want to help our local neighborhood high school as we are invited to do by the school. We are here for you, TJ. Just today we received an email from the school giving us one way to help. Justin White, the Student Activities Director, invites us to sign up our Martins Bonus Card for TJHS. Register your bonus card using the 11 digit number on the back at www.martinsfoods.com/aplus website. Use the Thomas Jefferson School code 06317. Every time you shop at Martin's you can earn money for TJ.

Mzula Tanzania

 

 

Join us on Sunday September 8th, following the 10:00am service, to hear Andy and Claire speak about their mission trip to Mzula, part two of their wonderful, inspiring presentation. Our church supports children in Mzula through the Carpenter's Kids program. Plus, the trip of Andy and Claire enabled us to provide meals to the people of the village during their time there, as well as allowing us to form important relationships with the children and adults.

CARITAS

During this week, August 31-September 7th, 31 people are living at the church, spending the nights here, getting breakfast and dinner, and a lot of love and care from our members and others who are helping to the host the families. Of the 31 persons, 23 are children. Pictured above, you can see one of the sleeping locations; the mats are made up with sheets, blankets, and pillows every evening, and the game room set up for the kids. We want to thank everyone who is making it possible for us to host these children and adults.