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<DIV><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sermon
Resources for Proper 17:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<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">Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -
</SPAN></B></SPAN><STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman">Creeds or
Deeds</FONT></B></STRONG><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><BR><SPAN
class=style3> </SPAN>James 1: 17-27 <SPAN
class=style3> </SPAN>- The “Gratitude Salute”
<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><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">Mark 7, the sermon titled “Creeds or Deeds"
</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">Rev. David Chadwell posed a rather
interesting question: Which would you prefer for a next-door neighbor: a person
of excellent habits or a person with a good heart? Which would you prefer for a
good friend: a person of excellent habits, or a person with a good heart? Which
would you prefer for a husband or a wife: a person of excellent habits, or a
person with a good heart? Which would you prefer for a child: a child with
excellent habits, or a child with a good heart? <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">It is wonderful to have a neighbor who
conscientiously cares for his property while respecting your property. It is
wonderful to have a friend who always treats you with consideration. It is
wonderful to be married to a husband who always is thoughtful and courteous, or
to a wife who always is gracious in her comments and deeds. It is wonderful to
have a son or daughter who shows respect and uses good manners.
<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">As wonderful as those situations are, none
of them compare to having a neighbor, a friend, a husband, a wife, a son, or a
daughter with a good heart. <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">When you discuss good behavior, you are
discussing the quality of a person's self-control. When you discuss a good
heart, you are discussing the quality of the person.
<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">This is the focus of today’s Scripture.
Pharisees and teachers have come down from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:City></st1:place> and, interestingly, they are gathered
around Jesus watching the disciples. The disciples, it seems, are eating lunch.
They have come in from the day’s work. Too tired and too hungry to care that
their hands and faces were dirty, they immediately sat down to eat without
washing.<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 Pharisees cease upon this ceremonial
oversight and question Jesus: Why don’t your disciples live according to the
traditions of the elders and clean their hands before they eat? This is all that
Jesus needs to hear. He sticks up for his disciples, turns on these teachers and
says in essence, “Why do you not live according to the traditions of God and
clean your hearts?”<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">What mistake did these Pharisees make?
What is Jesus trying to convey, not only to them, but to us as well. For you
see, it is just as easy for us to fall into a good habit and leave behind a good
heart. What is Jesus’ warning to us?<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 style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.25in" class=MsoNormal><FONT
color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">1.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 7pt"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black">We prefer creeds rather than
deeds.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.25in" class=MsoNormal><FONT
color=black size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">2.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 7pt"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black">We look at the outside not the
inside.<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">3. But God requires good Creeds,
Deeds, and Hearts.<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 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">James 1, the sermon entitled ‘The “Gratitude Salute"’
</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">Why are you here? <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">Why did you come to church this
morning?<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 made you voluntarily choose to spend the last
summer Sunday -- before the too busy, too crowded Labor Day weekend -- inside a
church? <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">Why aren’t you lolling on some beach? (Okay, okay--maybe
you will be later this afternoon!) <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">Maybe you are here out of habit.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Maybe going to church is “what you do” on Sunday
morning. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Maybe you are here because your parents dragged you into
the car, kicking and screaming, and you would rather be anywhere else.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Maybe you are here because you are
lonely.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Maybe you are here because you feel something is wrong
or missing in your life. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Maybe you are here hoping that something in here will
make you different in here (point to heart).<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">None of these are bad reasons to be at church on a sunny
August Sunday (nope, not even being brought by your parents). But here’s the
reason we Christians gather for worship week after week: We worship to wake up.
We worship to come alive and take notice of the presence and power of God in the
world, in our lives, in everything we see and do and touch and feel.
<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 Latin “re-ligare” from which we get our word
“religion” has the root “lig” — which scholars have traced back partly to
meaning “pay attention.” Any religious service, any religious act, should make
us sit up, shake our heads, and focus in on the divine. When our lives adhere to
a set schedule of work, when everyday routines can be acted out without even
thinking about them, we loose consciousness to the wonders that surround 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">The wonder of God’s creation.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The wonder of love. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The wonder of family. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The wonder of breathing in and out. The wonder of life.
<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">G. K. Chesterton, one of the most important writers of
the last century, put it like this: “The world shall perish not for lack of
wonders but for lack of wonder.”<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">This week’s epistle text is from the Letter of James,
the letter Martin Luther famously pooh-poohed as “an epistle of straw.” Luther’s
words gave a lot of us a “free pass” on James. James was seen as “weak sauce” —
not worthy of much attention. But skipping James lets us slip by to our peril of
slipping up and missing some of the most real life, faith-in-action
admonishments in the New Testament. Could that be the real reason it is so
tempting to keep James on the back burner? James won’t let us get away with some
things we like getting away with? <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">________________________________
<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">Melting Mountains of Ice<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 Lloyd Garrison was the greatest abolitionist
this country has ever known. He was a publisher of a newspaper called the
Liberator, an antislavery publication. Garrison was an angry man, angry with
indignation caused by the unbelievably inhumane treatment many of the slaves
experienced. He hated slavery with everything that was in him. One day one of
his best friends, Samuel May, tried to calm him down. He said to Garrison, "Oh,
my friend, try to moderate your indignation and keep more cool. Why, you are all
on fire." Garrison replied, "Brother May, I have need to be all on fire, for I
have mountains of ice around me to melt." Well, the only way any of us can melt
mountains of ice is to be on fire. <BR><BR>The only way Christ can use any of us
is when we are driven by a great passion, when we feel or hear his voice within
our heart showing us a great cause that needs to be championed. Nothing is
accomplished in this world by people who have no passion. That's one reason we
need God in our hearts as well as on our lips. <BR><BR>King Duncan, Collected
Sermons, www.Sermons.com<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"><BR>____________________________________<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Lip Service<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">According to the story, Queen <st1:State
w:st="on">Victoria</st1:State> was once at a diplomatic reception in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">London</st1:City></st1:place>. The guest of honor
was an African chieftain. All went well during the meal until, at the end,
finger bowls were served. The guest of honor had never seen a British finger
bowl, and no one had thought to brief him beforehand about its purpose. So he
took the finger bowl in his two hands, lifted it to his mouth, and drank its
contents--down to the very last drop!<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">For an instant there was breathless silence among the
British upper crust and then they began to whisper to one
another.<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">All that stopped in the next instant as the Queen,
Victoria, silently took her finger bowl in her two hands, lifted it, and drank
its contents! A moment later 500 surprised British ladies and gentlemen
simultaneously drank the contents of their own
fingerbowls.<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">It was "against the rules" to drink from a fingerbowl,
but on that particular evening <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Victoria</st1:State></st1:place> changed the rules---because she was,
after all, the Queen. It is "against the rules" not to wash your hands before
you eat and on that the Pharisees called the hand of the disciples who follow
Jesus. But Jesus recognizes their hypocrisy and he quotes from Isaiah, "These
people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from
me."<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">Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com. Thanks to Winfield Casey
Jones for this story.<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">Seeing Only the Smoke, Never the
Fire<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 Luke 7:32, Jesus observed that this generation is
like school children who pipe and their friends won't dance, who wail and their
chums won't cry. "There is no pleasing you!" We simply find something wrong with
everything. <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">John Wesley pointed out that every gift God gives man is
quickly sullied by human hands. He said every revival comes with defects. So
he'd pray, "Lord, send revival without the defects." But then he told the Lord,
"If you won't do it, then send the revival with the defects."
<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">Pharisees only see the smoke, never the fire. They
complain about defects, never seeing the revival. Negative, critical persons,
they are judgmental. <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">Stephen M. Crotts, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost,
CSS Publishing <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">Tradition Is a Powerful
Thing<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">Years ago Harry Emerson
Fosdick told about a church in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Denmark</st1:country-region></st1:place> where the worshipers bowed
regularly before a certain spot on the wall. They had been doing that for three
centuries -- bowing at that one spot in the sanctuary. Nobody could remember
why. One day in renovating the church, they removed some of the whitewash on the
walls. At the exact spot where the people bowed they found the image of the
Madonna under the whitewash. People had become so accustomed to bowing before
that image that even after it was covered up for three centuries, people still
bowed. <BR><BR>Tradition is a powerful thing. The Pharisees had learned to
substitute tradition, custom, habit for the presence of the living God.
Traditionalism rears its head in many ways, in many times and in many places.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">King Duncan, Collected Sermons,
www.Sermons.com<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">Fault-Finding<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">Shakespeare said, "What's in a name? That which we call
a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." Would a rose by any other name
smell as sweet? I'm sure it would. You see, the truth is that the thing is what
it is, not what someone calls it. Names are assigned to us, based on our outward
circumstances by ourselves and other people. "Sinner, Failure, Stupid, Dummy,
Unclean" all are names which label us. But what we are called, either by others
or by ourselves does not determine who we are. It might speak of those external
circumstances, but it might be wholly inaccurate. You see, a failure is not
someone who fails. In reality, the people who fail the most are the ones who
succeed. You only get to success by taking risks and risk-taking brings many
failures along the way. A failure is someone who simply doesn't try. No, names
do not determine who you are. You are who you are 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">So, the first important lesson is that we must cultivate
the inner person.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The inner person is the person who counts. The apostle
Paul desired that we<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">be strengthened in the inner
man.<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">It boils down to relationship. We are only as strong as
our personal relationship 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">J. David Hoke, The Inside Story, Mark
7:14-23.<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 Shoeshine Boy<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 certain downtown businessman became fond of the little
boy who shined his shoes every day. He did such a good job that one day the
businessman asked him, “Son, how come you are so conscientious about your work?”
The boy felt complimented. He looked up to the man, and said, “Mister, I’m a
Christian and I try to shine every pair of shoes as if Jesus Christ were wearing
them.”<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 businessman saw something genuine in the shoeshine
boy. Soon after that he began reading his Bible. When he decided to be a
Christian himself, he credited his decision to the little boy who shined every
pair of shoes “as if Jesus Christ were wearing them.” That’s a
blessing.<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"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Which Flowers Are Real?<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 queen of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Sheba</st1:country-region></st1:place> came to visit Solomon, and one
day she put him to the test. She brought artificial flowers so perfectly formed
that no human eye could detect them from real flowers. She put them in a vase on
Solomon’s table, in his throne room next to his flowers. As he came in, the
queen of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Sheba</st1:country-region></st1:place> is reported to have said,
"Solomon, you are the wisest man in the world. Tell me without touching these
flowers, which are real and which are artificial." It is said that Solomon
studied the flowers for a long time and spoke nothing, until finally he said,
"Open the windows and let the bees come 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">There are ways to tell the artificial from the real—let
the bees come in; they will know where the real is. If we live with the
authentic Jesus long enough, we will recognize the artificial when we see 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">Brooks Ramsey, When Religion Becomes Real
<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">Humor: A Tradition of
Fighting<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 a story about a young, newly ordained minister
who went to serve his first church. He noticed that on the first Sunday, when he
said the prayers, the congregation on the left side of the church stood at the
beginning of the prayers, and the congregation on the right side remained
seated. The young minister thought this was a bit odd, but he kept going in the
prayers—until he began to hear some murmuring between the two sides, then the
murmuring turned into grumbling and then people yelling at each other,
proclaiming that they were doing the right thing when came to the tradition of
the church.<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">Distressed by what he had seen and all that was taking
place, the young pastor went to seek the council of the former, now elderly
pastor, who had served this congregation for years. He asked him, “So is it the
tradition of the congregation to stand during the
prayers?”<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 older minister, whose memory was now failing,
stroked his beard, replied, “No, that is not the tradition, as I
recall.”<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, the tradition is that they remain seated during the
prayers?”<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">To which the old minister responded, “No, that’s not the
tradition either.”<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 young pastor threw his hands in the air in
exasperation, and said, “There must be some solution to this! The way things are
now, half stand and half sit and all end up screaming at one another during the
prayers.”<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 old pastor’s face lit up in a
smile…<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 17 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></DIV></BODY></HTML>