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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Here is my off topic
sermon for Sunday, April 19, on “Passion and Purpose” Sunday in our Diocese of
New Jersey.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">A final version will be
posted on our church web site in the Sermon Archives section of the Worship tab
at <A href="http://sjnj.org/">http://sjnj.org</A> by early next week, God
willing.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Peace and Easter
blessings,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Joe<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">St. John's Episcopal
Church<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">61 Broad
Street<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></H2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Elizabeth,
New Jersey 07201<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">The Second Sunday of
Easter (B)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">April 19,
2009<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">A Sermon by the Rev.
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><st1:PersonName w:st="on">Joe
Parrish</st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">The Holy
Gospel according to<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">John
20:19-31<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></H2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">“Then the disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Lord, let us rejoice and be glad you have risen and are alive in our
lives today.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>May we, with passion,
work for your purpose and our purpose to bring all people within your loving and
living embrace.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Through your Holy
Name we pray.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Amen.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is Purpose and
Passion Sunday in our Diocese of New Jersey.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Bishop has asked us preachers to
address this topic of Purpose and Passion today for all our
congregations.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As I was pondering
this I just happened to go on my computer to search for a news report about the
double Texas-sized plastic garbage island floating in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean between California and Hawaii.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Completely by providence and serendipity I came across a site that has
had over 26 million hits since Saturday of last week, a rate of nearly 3 million
views per day, a remarkable viewership!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>That’s a larger audience by far than any movie or television series in
history, in fact.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is a song by 47
year old Susan Boyle on the pop British television show, “Britain’s Got
Talent.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In her first performance
for the show broadcast from Scotland last week she sang the theme song of the
“Les Miserables” character Fantine, who along with the many other characters in
that famous play are engaged in a struggle of redemption and freedom from
oppression in nineteenth century France. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The novel behind the play was penned by
Victor Hugo in 1862, two years after St. John’s main church building was
completed <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Susan Boyle said she
chose the song because of her current status as an unemployed single person and
her dream of singing before a large audience.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Four thousand people heard her and
cheered in the television auditorium, and she got her chance for her fifteen
seconds of fame, worldwide now, as her performance has been heard over the
internet by millions.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Susan sang with great
passion, but with the purpose of getting a musical career going that she had
imagined since she started singing at the age of twelve.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Let’s listen to a clip
of her performance [played on a screen in the church now].<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>To watch it, please go to: <A
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY"><FONT
color=#800080>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY</FONT></A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When a person has a
passion in their heart, the motivation for a great performance is always
there.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And if a person has a
purpose for their life, the combination with passion is
undefeatable.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Christ gave us
Christians a purpose: he said, go into all the world and make disciples of every
nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
and teaching them everything that Christ has taught us (Matthew 28:19-20).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And if we are passionate about that, and
do that, we will indeed be doing the calling of the Lord in our
lives.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I have heard Bill
Hybels, Pastor of Willow Creek Church in South Barrington, Illinois, articulate
his passion for saving the lost.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>‘How can we not be concerned about the eternal fate of so many people’,
is his mantra and his practice; ‘for without this many will be doomed to
damnation,’ is the corollary of his passionate plea.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>His church, Willow Creek, had almost
48,000 thousand people attend their Easter Sunday services, with more than
20,000 seeking prayers afterwards.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our fledgling effort
at St. John’s is to do karaoke Vespers here every Sunday at 2 PM, when we preach
to maybe thirty to fifty folks, many of whom are starving and desperately
hungry.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Just running our church
here costs us nearly four thousand dollars a Sunday, and a few months from now,
we won’t have any more funds to do that unless we come into some serious
money.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the Spirit seems to be
compelling us to keep on keeping on until we have no more toilet paper in our
bathrooms and no more oil in our tanks!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>We ordered perhaps our last three hundred gallons of oil Thursday, $575
worth, and that will have to last us until winter comes again.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then I guess we all will have to worship
in our woolies by candlelight!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We
do have a bequest coming in that will probably keep us going for a year or so
more, but beyond that we are more or less living on faith.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We fortunately were not much disturbed
by the stock market crash, as almost all of our endowment funds were in cash
instruments, treasury bonds and the like.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>So by the grace of God we were spared serious
disruption.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The big sanctuary over
there seems almost like Damocles Sword to us.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our insurance costs alone run about a
thousand dollars because the entire facility was raised in value from $8 million
to $11 million a few years ago by our church insurance company.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Of course we couldn’t possibly sell the
church for $11 million, that is just what the estimate is for rebuilding a
church like ours right here.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our
real estate broker says we might be able to recoup maybe two and a half million
by selling the front hundred feet of the church on Broad Street, including the
big tower, as retail space, and the tower and front three-quarters of the church
would be torn down to build a big mixed use facility of some sort.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, even that is not a ‘done deal’,
and we haven’t offered to do that any way.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>But we have gone so far as to evaluate our Garden and the other two older
building here, including the one in which we sit today, and we could raise
perhaps a Million two ($1.2 million), for that part of the property we own, or
rather, the Diocese owns.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But our
best estimates of what it will take to keep St. John’s operating continuously
for several decades to come is to form an endowment of a minimum of about $1.8
to $2 million dollars.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We can just
about eek out that much by a sale of the garden and these two buildings plus all
five Tiffany windows.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But in the
interim, we are doing something quite creative, considering forming a for profit
corporation that would be able to receive either federal loans and/or investor
dollars to build a five or six story building here beside the church that would
be a combination of retail space, professional offices, and mostly up scale
housing.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But lay aside all
those details for a while.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What is
our purpose here?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Is it not to
preach the gospel, baptize, and teach others what Jesus taught us?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And if that is our purpose, how can we
best do that?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Is that our passion,
or is it a drudgery duty?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Most
folks want to get out of here the moment the service ends.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There is really no sticking around the
place beyond an hour or so unless we are among those who are looking forward to
a free lunch at 2:30.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And we
Episcopalians are not alone in that desire to vacate the place, as it is likely
the same for most all mainline churches in the US of A.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>By and large none of us are really
‘mission oriented’; we may feel somewhat duty bound to come to church regularly,
but beyond that, our lives are lived pretty insularly, with no religious contact
beyond Sunday mornings.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And I must
say, I haven’t come up with an antidote for our national Christian
lethargy.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That is not just St.
John’s problem or the churches of Elizabeth any more than about any other church
in the nation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>President Obama was
criticized this week for saying America is not a Christian nation, but he is
quite correct.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Far less than a
quarter of the people in the US even come to church on Easter or Christmas.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We gave out more than five times as many
Palms on the Broad Street in front of St. John’s on Palm Sunday than we did
inside St. John’s.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>People loved to
take the palms, even somewhat vaguely understand what they symbolize--the
entrance of Christ into Jerusalem immediately before his crucifixion--but they
won’t dare come inside.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I can’t
tell you how many people I have spoken to about St. John’s during the last year
who grew up in Elizabeth but who never have been inside our church even though
we probably have the most publicly impressive entrance in all the region.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is a shame no one is willing to cross
that threshold!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But we keep trying
and maybe something will work, we say to ourselves.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our Hispanic service is growing nicely
it seems now, but the other Hispanic Episcopal churches in Elizabeth have found
they can’t survive on contributions from their Hispanic members but have to rely
on income sent to them by the Diocese from the Fair Share Giving of all the
other non-mission churches, plus income from any preschools they
house.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So where is our
passion, or should I say, what is our passion?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>How is the Holy Spirit speaking to you
today?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Are you feeling defeated and
downtrodden?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Or are you feeling
uplifted and confident that the Lord is leading your way and the church’s
way?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Where is your passion
today?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We probably have many
more people watching this program on television today than are in church.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That is the phenomena we live with.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Those who turn on the telly don’t have
to contribute anything other than pay their cable bills, or view us from someone
else’s television set.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We did have
one member who died and left us a small piece of her estate for our television
ministry, and actually we have been living on that for the past year, but it’s
about to run out.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We would of
course like to invite those who watch us on television to become regular
supporters of our television ministry.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>We are perhaps the most watched Sunday church service in the City of
Elizabeth, so we can feel good about that.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>We are touching souls here, by your reading, by your prayers, by your
works as ushers and teachers and crucifers and acolytes and Altar Guild members,
and of course, Vestry members who have our best needs in their constant
concern.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But they depend on your
unbridled financial support.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So
prepare to become unbridled!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Maybe
that should be our passion, to be unbridled Christians, not moved by anyone’s
‘reigns’, but self motivated to serve the Lord any way you can find and any
where you can find to do it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You
are making a difference here!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You
certainly do count.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And you are
indeed carrying out the Lord’s Great Commission to reach others with the Good
News of Jesus’ resurrected life and his love for all.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In a few days we will
try to begin ‘streaming’ our messages over the internet from our church web
site.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then what we do here at St.
John’s will be viewable worldwide any where a person has a computer.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So prepare yourselves for a new
ministry.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The world will be
watching you, listening to you, hearing you, and trying to discern if you really
believe what you are saying and doing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>I truly think you do believe all that, that you are faithful followers of
Jesus Christ, and Christ who sees in your heart will indeed reward you for
that!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>No ministry will go
unrewarded!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So go in peace to
serve the Lord this day and every day.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The Lord hears our prayers, and I for one believe the Lord will save St.
John’s Church, and all those who through our ministries here inside and outside
the church will indeed be saving others worldwide from eternal
death.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Alleluia, the Christ
is risen!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Lord is risen today,
Alleluia!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>