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<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Sermon Resources for August 16</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sermon Resources for Proper
15:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <SPAN class=style3><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Ephesians 5:15-20 -
</SPAN></B></SPAN><STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman">Be Careful How
You Live</FONT></B></STRONG><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><BR><SPAN
class=style3> </SPAN>Ephesians 5:15-20 <SPAN
class=style3> </SPAN>- Wise, Worshipful, and Wonderfully
Wayward<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=#1f497d size=2 face=Calibri><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Calibri; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT
size=2 face=Calibri><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Calibri; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">by
Leonard Sweet<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Ephesians 5, the sermon titled “Be Careful How You Live"
</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There are two birds that fly over our nation’s deserts:
One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the
rotting meat of the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on
that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead,
they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what
was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But
hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with
freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all
do.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">That is the essence of Paul’s teaching: In
life, there are two birds. The one bird looks for foolishness and stupidity, the
other looks for wisdom. The vultures seek to fill themselves with the rotting
flesh of drunkenness and debauchery, the hummingbird sobriety, freshness, and
the Spirit. In the desert of this world you have your scavengers who are angry
and ungrateful, but you also have those who hum a grateful hymn of thanksgiving.
The irony is that you find what you are looking
for.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In the fifth chapter of Ephesians Paul
outlines proper behavior for good living. In our short passage he admonishes his
readers to be careful how they live. He is brief and to the point. Three things
we must do: Be wise, be sober, and be thankful. It’s a short list but if we can
orient our daily lives around these three—be wise, be sober, be thankful—we will
transform not only our lives but also the lives of our family, friends, church,
and neighbors. Paul then offers these admonitions:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">1. Be Careful How You Live: Be Wise<BR>2.
Be Careful How You Live: Be Sober<BR>3. Be Careful How You Live: Be
Thankful<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of this sermon
following the outline above can be obtained by joining <A
title=blocked::www.eSermons.com
href="www.eSermons.com">www.eSermons.com</A>.<FONT color=#1f497d><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><BR></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">__________________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Second Sermon by Len Sweet<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=#1f497d size=2 face=Calibri><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Calibri; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Ephesians 5, the sermon entitled “Wise, Worshipful and
Wonderfully Wayward" </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">We used to tell these people, “Get off your high horse.”
I never knew what that meant literally, for they weren’t on any horse, high or
low. But we all knew what the expression meant. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Is there anyone more annoying, more off-putting, more
“fur-rubbed-the-wrong-way,” than someone who is convinced they are “better” than
you? Whether they are richer, or smarter, or prettier, or stronger, there are
those who love going around “on their high horse.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In junior highs and high schools “cliques” rule the
world. Every possible grouping of people gets its own label. Every pack has its
own indelible identity. There are “jocks” and “cheerleaders.” There are “Goths”
and “Geeks.” There are “Nerds” and “Freaks.” How ironic that it is in school —
the place we are primed and prepared for the expansive possibilities of the
future that everyone is so tightly pigeon-holed and securely marked.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Jesus failed to fit into any of the preconceived plans
people had for a Messiah, for a Leader, for a Savior. And so did the first
generations of Jesus’ disciples fail to fit into any of the cultural conceptions
of what was a “religion” or a “community.” These “Christians” weren’t Jews.
These “Christians” weren’t Gentiles. These Christians performed rites and
rituals that sounded salacious and suspicious — what about all this drinking the
blood and eating the body of a dead guy? Isn’t that cannibalism? And this
rhetoric about everyone loving one another? Isn’t that the codeword for orgies?
And these Christians kiss one another whenever they get together, regardless of
social rank or color or economic status. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The truth was these Christians came together to sing and
pray and talk and give thanks. When Christians “celebrated” the wine did not
flow and the moral boundaries did not disappear. In a world where religious
ecstasy, mysterious secret rites, and sexual excess were the “norms,”
these new “kids on the block,” these “Christians” weren’t “worse,” they weren’t
“better.” They were just really, really “different.” So “different” that it was
hard finding any category to place them in. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">If you’ve survived grades 1-12, and it looks like many
of you have, you know that being tagged as “different” is never a good thing.
Even though Jesus tried to keep a low profile, being “different” got Jesus in
big trouble with the Jewish religious hierarchy, who then quickly passed him on
to the Roman political hierarchy, where he got in more trouble.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Being “different” paved Jesus’ path to the
cross.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Embodying Jesus’ “differentness” got the first
Christians in trouble too. They didn’t fit within Judaism. Yet they stood
completely outside the pagan, cultic traditions. The first century religious
world didn’t know what to do with these disciples of a crucified criminal.
Eventually Judaism, which was already on the “suspect” list of the <st1:place
w:st="on">Roman Empire</st1:place>, chose to put its head down,
“hunker-in-the-bunker” and distance itself from these Christians. Eventually
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Rome</st1:City></st1:place> found
Christians made excellent fall-guys and fodder for the Coliseum carnage.
Christians vs. Lions was a game with a predictable out-come. But many found it
fun to watch, and cities competed with one another as to who could build the
biggest and best stadium where these games could take place.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">How did it happen that Christians now have a
“holier-than-thou,” “better-than-you” reputation? Being “Christian” has never
been about being “better” than others. Being “Christian” has always been about
being “different.” Living “differently” than the world. Seeing different
solutions to the problems of humanity. Celebrating a very “different” kind of
victory — a victory that starts with a death on a cross and whose end was not
yet come. The gospel is less about “better” than “different.” Disciples of Jesus
are not just called to be “better” but to be “different.” A Christian’s motto
might be “I beg to differ.” <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Being different, living different — that is the
life-blood which keeps the circulation of the body alive and separated from the
rest of the world, even while living in its midst. The Ephesians writer in
today’s text looked at three ways these Christians were “different.”
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">First, they were wise.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Second, they were
worshipful.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Third, they were wondrously
wayward.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of Leonard Sweet's sermon can be obtained by
joining <A title=blocked::www.eSermons.com
href="www.eSermons.com">www.eSermons.com</A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Click here: <A
title=blocked::http://www.esermons.com/signup
href="http://www.esermons.com/signup">http://www.esermons.com/signup</A> or call
1-800-777-7731 to join.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">________________________________
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Stewardship Campaign: A complete approach to
stewardship. Please click here for more
information<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><A
title=blocked::http://www.sermons.com/sampleStewardship.asp
href="http://www.sermons.com/sampleStewardship.asp">http://www.sermons.com/sampleStewardship.asp</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_________________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Abiding with Christ<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Eat this Bread and you will live, he promises. But even
more than that, eat this Bread and I will abide with you, and you will abide
with me. I like that word abide. I have pictures again: look, can you see them?
They are images of home, of dwelling, of staying with, of living in and with, of
trusting and being there. To abide is to know that no matter what comes our way,
we will not be deserted nor left to face whatever the matter is on our own.
Christ comes to live within us, to take up residence in our spirits, and
promises not to leave. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Over the years I have witnessed many scenes of this
abiding presence played out in the lives of persons I have known. None are more
powerful, more moving, more meaningful than the images which walk across my mind
of faithful spouses who care for each other to the very end. Let me draw them
for you. There is one now, walking his wife, a victim of Alzheimer's disease,
down the streets in front of the nursing home. She in a wheelchair, not knowing
a thing. He pushing her faithfully day after day. Their love of more than 60
years abides in his heart. Here is another: the picture of a woman standing
beside the bed of her husband, holding a hand, offering a calm, reassuring voice
to this one who has only moments before been thrown into convulsions. "I will
not leave you." Finally, here is the unspoken presence of a Loving Friend who
calms my own grieving spirit in the dark hospital room where my father lays
dying. "Those who eat my flesh? abide in me, and I in them (John 6:56, NRSV)."
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In a world of fast food
chains in every village, of drive-through windows, of buffet lines and
all-you-can-eat salad bars, we are today offered a different food, the Bread of
Life. It is food for a hungry soul. It is eternal food which, when you eat it,
satisfies the craving of your heart and opens your eyes to see that all else is
imitation and second rate.<BR> <BR>Larry M. Goodpaster, Like a Breath of
Fresh Air, CSS Publishing Company
<BR>___________________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">O, Lord Give Me a Penny<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A man asked God, "What does a billion dollars mean to
you who are all powerful?"<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"Hardly a penny." God said.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Then the man asked God , "And what are a thousand
centuries to you?" God answered "Hardly a second!!"<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Thinking he had God backed into a corner, the man then
said, "Then if that's the case, O, Lord give me a penny
!!"<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"Sure," God replied. “In just a
minute.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wisdom isn't outsmarting God, wisdom is living in and
with God. Wisdom is being in Christ and surrounded by Christ. Wisdom is eating
and drinking from the feast which God has prepared for
us.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Traditional<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bread Is Not a Mere
Commodity<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The theologian John Macquarrie relates
that the Scottish churchman, George Macleod, used to watch grain ships from
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> and the
<st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> bringing their
cargoes of wheat into <st1:place w:st="on">Liverpool</st1:place> harbor, and he
reflected that the wheat has the potentiality of becoming the body of Christ.
This is the point at which sacramental theology spills over into the market
place. Bread is not a mere commodity; things are not mere bits of matter. We can
learn something of this from natural theology, but we learn it above all from
Jesus Christ, the bread of God which comes down from heaven and gives life to
the world.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">John Macquarrie, <SPAN class=textitalic>A
Guide to the Sacraments</SPAN>, p,156 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">__________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Truth<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There is an Irish saying, "the person who speaks the
truth should have one foot in the stirrup." He should be ready to ride off at
once. People do not like the truth, especially when it challenges their
attitudes; and the reaction is often to try to destroy the evidence of the truth
or the one who witnesses to it. <BR> <BR>Father <FONT color=#006600><SPAN
style="COLOR: #006600">Gerry Pierse, The Dangerous Memory of
Jesus</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Dining with God<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place> passed away, God greeted him at the
Pearly Gates. "Thou be hungry, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place>?" said
God.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"I could eat," <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place> replied.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">So God opened a can of tuna and reached for a chunk of
rye bread and they shared it. While eating this humble meal, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place> glanced down into
Hell and saw the inhabitants devouring huge steaks, lobsters, pheasants,
pastries, and fine wines. Curious, but deeply trusting, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place> remained
quiet.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The next day God again invited <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place> for another meal.
Again, it was tuna and rye bread. Once again looking down, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place> could see the
denizens of Hell enjoying caviar, champagne, lamb, truffles, and chocolates.
Still <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place>
said nothing.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The following day, mealtime arrived and God opened
another can of tuna. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place> could contain himself no longer.
Meekly, he said: "God, I am grateful to be in heaven with you as a reward for
the pious, obedient life I led. But here in heaven all I get to eat is tuna and
a piece of rye bread and in the Other Place they eat like emperors and kings!
Forgive me, O God, but I just don’t understand."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">God sighed: "Let’s be honest, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seymour</st1:City></st1:place>. For just two
people does it pay to cook?"<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Donel McClellan, The Imaginary
God<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Meeting God<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Barbara Brokhoff says in her book, Faith Alive, "The
Happy Hour for the Christian should be the hour of worship on Sunday morning,
but how do you honestly feel when you are awakened by the alarm on the Lord's
Day and you realize it is another "Church Day"? Can you hardly wait for the
service time to roll around or do you roll over in bed, moan and groan and cover
your head, and wish that once, once again maybe once more like last Sunday the
one before, you would, or could sleep in and forget the whole boring, time
consuming thing?? Is the thought of worship agony or ecstasy? I think we are
coming to meet God--not just any body, but God!! Shouldn't the delightful
suspense of worship make our breath short and our hearts beat faster?"
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Barbara Brokhoff, Faith Alive, quoted by Tim Zingale,
Wisdom = Being in Christ<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_____________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bread from Home<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I'm reminded of a true story of a soldier who was
severely wounded. When he was out of surgery, the doctors said that there was a
good chance for recovery, except that the soldier wouldn't eat anything. The
nurses and nuns tried everything, but he refused all food-drinking only water
and juice.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">One of his buddies knew why the soldier wouldn't eat-he
was homesick. So, his friend, since the hospital wasn't too far from the
soldier's home, offered to bring the young man's father to visit him. The
commanding officer approved and the friend went to the parents' home. As the
father was about to leave for the hospital, the mother wrapped up a loaf of
fresh bread for her son.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Well, the patient was very happy to see his father but
he still wouldn't eat-that is, until the father said; "Son, this bread was made
by your mother, especially for you". The boy brightened and began to
eat.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I think that you can guess where I'm going with that
story. You and I are that boy. We are the ones who have been wounded in the
battle of life. We are the ones who've been wounded by sin, by trials and pains,
by loss and by our forgetfulness of God.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">We lose our taste for the food that will strengthen our
souls. Holy Communion gives us life, spiritual life, God's life. It gives us
spiritual healing and spiritual strength.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There was nothing 'magic' about the mother's bread
unless, that is, one feels that 'love' is magic--which, of course, it
is.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Author unknown<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">____________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> The Communion of Empty
Hands<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There's a beautiful incident recorded by Thomas
Pettepiece, a Methodist pastor, who was a political prisoner, a prisoner of
conscience. Pettepiece writes of his first Easter Sunday spent in prison. He was
among 10,000 prisoners. Most of the men had lost everything: their homes, their
jobs, their furniture, their contact with their families. It was Easter Sunday,
and they wanted to celebrate Communion. But, they had no cup for Communion. They
had no wine for Communion. They didn't even have water for Communion. Nor did
they have any bread for the Sacrament.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">So, they practiced the Communion of Empty Hands. "This
meal in which we take part," Pettepeice said, "reminds us of the imprisonment,
the torture, the death and final victory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The bread is the body which he gave for humanity. The fact that we have none
represents very well the lack of bread in the hunger of so many millions of
human beings. The wine, which we don't have today, is his blood, and represents
our dream of a united humanity, of a just society, without difference of race or
class."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Then Pettepiece, the pastor, held out his empty hand to
the next person on his right, and passed on the imaginary loaf. Each one took a
piece and passed it on. Then he said, "Take, eat, this is my body, which is
broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And together they ate the
imaginary bread, trying to imagine tasting it.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">After a moment they passed around the non-existent
chalice, each imagining he was drinking from it. "Take, drink, this is the blood
of Christ which was shed for you ... Let us give thanks, sure that Christ is
here with us, strengthening us."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">They gave thanks to God and then stood up and embraced
each other. And a while later, one of the non-Christian prisoners came up to
them and said, "You people have something special, which I would like to have."
And the father of a girl who had died came up to Pettepiece and said, "Pastor,
this was a real experience. I believe that today I discovered what faith is ..."
(from Visions of a World Hungry, quoted in A Guide To Prayer, Rueben P. Job and
Norman Shawchuck, editors, The Upper Room, p. 143).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Alex Gondola, Jr., Come As You Are, CSS Publishing
Company.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Togetherness in the
Eucharist<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bread suggests togetherness, care and love, hopes and
dreams, fun and adventure. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Let’s say some new friends invite you to their house for
a meal. When you are a guest in their home, they are sharing their intimacy with
you. They are sharing with you some of the privacy of that place where they live
every day, eat every day, love every day, work on their problems, argue from
time to time, sleep and depart for work and pleasure and return for rest, every
day. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">After graciously receiving you, they show you around
their home in which they take deep pride. Then you go to the dining room for the
meal. You find the table set with care, the food exceptionally delicious, and
the conversation flows easily. Simply put, it becomes a lovely evening and you
leave feeling full in every way. You enjoy bread from the kitchen, but much
more. You enjoy the bread of being graciously received, the bread of informed
and lively conversation, and the bread of being in beautiful
surroundings.. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Magnify that thousands of times and you begin to have a
glimmer of what the church perceives the Holy Eucharist to be. In the Eucharist
Jesus and “Bread of Life” are one. In the Eucharist bread and wine are the
elements that nurture faith in God.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Charles R. Leary, <st1:place
w:st="on">Mission</st1:place> Ready!, CSS Publishing Company
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_____________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Full Devotion<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Several years ago a couple of reporters conducted an
experiment on the streets of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Miami</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Florida</st1:State></st1:place>. They printed up a copy of the Bill of
Rights in the form of a petition, put it on a clipboard, and then stopped people
on the sidewalk and asked them to sign it. As you know, the first ten amendments
to the United States Constitution are the Bill of Rights, and they were adopted
and put into effect in December of 1791. The reporters were surprised at
people's reaction when asked to add their names to the so-called petition. Most
people glanced at the document, shook their heads, and walked on by without
signing. Several people became angry with the reporters and accused them of
being radical enemies of the American way of life. In fact, the experiment ended
when the reporters found themselves surrounded by a dozen or so passers-by who
were shaking their fists at them and calling them subversive Communists who
ought to be thrown in jail.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">What the experiment demonstrated is what we already
know. Many citizens of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> pay lip service to
their country and its heritage. They claim to be loyal and patriotic in every
way. They say they are proud to belong to a country as great as ours. And yet at
the same time they haven't the vaguest notion what the United States
Constitution actually says, and they consider the Bill of Rights to be a
radical, anti-American document. In other words, these people claim citizenship,
but they have not internalized the basic meaning of being a citizen. They claim
the privilege, but they will not eat and drink the ethos of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States of
America</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The same sort of thing is described in today's Gospel.
Jesus says, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. . . Unless you eat
the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Most
people probably think Jesus is talking about communion. He isn't. He's talking
about the difference between external lip service and internal embodiment. He's
talking about the difference between admiring him and actually taking up one's
cross and following him. He's talking about the difference between acting like a
Christian on the outside and being a Christian on the
inside.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Edwin D. Peterman<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Christ in Me and I in Him<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There is an story about minister walking along the ocean
with his small son. The boy questioned his father about Sunday's sermon. The boy
said, "Dad, I cannot understand how Christ can live in us and we live in him at
the same time." Further down the beach, the father noticed an empty bottle with
a cork in it. Taking the bottle, he half filled it with water, re-corked it and
flung it out into the ocean.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">As they watched the bottle bob up and down he said,
"Son, the sea is in the bottle and the bottle is in the sea. It is a picture of
life in Christ. You live under the Lordship of Christ and He lives in
you."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Traditional<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">ILLUSTRATIONS FOR EPHESIANS
5:15-20<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Unwise and Wise Living<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Jewish rabbis tell a poignant story that drives home the
point of Proverbs 18:21. As the story goes (and five versions of this appear in
Greek literature), Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel one day asked his servant to go to
buy some good food for him in the market. When the servant returned home, he
presented the rabbi with a tongue.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The next day, the rabbi told the servant to go to the
market to buy some bad food. Again, the servant returned with a
tongue.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When the rabbi asked the servant why he returned with a
tongue both times, the servant made this astute observation: "Good comes from it
and bad comes from it. When the tongue is good, there is nothing better, and
when it is bad, there is nothing worse."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">William R. Baker, Sticks & Stones: The Discipleship
of Our Speech, <st1:place w:st="on">Downers Grove</st1:place>: InterVarsity
Press, 1996), p. 17.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Experience comes from what we have done. Wisdom comes
from what we have done badly.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Theodore Levitt, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Business</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wisdom<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">An angel appears at a faculty meeting and tells the dean
that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord will reward
him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty. Without hesitating,
the dean selects infinite wisdom.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"Done!" says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of
smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits
surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers,
"Say something."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The dean looks intently at his colleagues gathered
around him and says…<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The conclusion to this
illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for Proper 15 can be
accessed at <A title=blocked::http://www.sermons.com/
href="http://www.Sermons.com">www.Sermons.com</A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>