<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE>
<META content=text/html;charset=UTF-8 http-equiv=Content-Type>
<STYLE type=text/css>BODY {
FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px
}
A {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-SIZE: 11px; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
A:visited {
COLOR: #666666
}
A:hover {
TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
P {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
H1 {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
H2 {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
H3 {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; FONT-STYLE: normal; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
H4 {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; FONT-STYLE: normal; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
HR {
WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 1px; COLOR: #ff9900; size: 1px
}
.forwardform {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
.forwardinput {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
.forwardsubmit {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
DIV.emailfooter {
FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px
}
DIV.emailfooter A {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-SIZE: 11px; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
</STYLE>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18904"></HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sermons for Easter 5:</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> John 13:31-35 – “Love One
Another” </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> Revelation 21:1-6 – “Time to
Get Wet” by Leonard Sweet</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">John 13, the sermon titled “Love One Another"
</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A junior high music teacher had just organized a band in
her school. The principal was so proud of the music teacher's efforts that
without consulting her he decided that the band should give a concert for the
entire school. The music teacher wasn't so sure her young musicians were ready
to give a concert, so she tried to talk the principal out of holding the
concert, to no avail. Just before the concert was ready to begin, as the music
teacher stood on the podium, she leaned forward and whispered to her nervous
musicians, "If you're not sure of your part, just pretend to play." And with
that, she stepped back, lifted her baton and with a great flourish brought it
down. Lo and behold, nothing happened! The band brought forth a resounding
silence.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sometimes we in the church are like that junior high
band, unsure of our parts, tentative in our roles, reluctant to trumpet forth
the music of faith that God desires of us. And that's because we have trouble
deciding what's most important.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">An incident a couple of summers ago in San Antonio,
Texas, illustrates what I'm talking about. It was a hot, 99-degree August day
when a ten-month-old baby girl was accidentally locked in a parked car by her
aunt. Frantically the mother and the aunt ran around the auto in near hysteria,
while a neighbor attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. The infant
was bawling at the top of its lungs, beginning to turn purple and foam from the
mouth, a combination of anxiety and the intense heat inside the
car.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It had quickly become a life-and-death situation when
Fred Arriola, a tow-truck driver, arrived on the scene. He grabbed a hammer from
his truck and smashed the back side window of the car to free the baby. Was he
heralded a hero? Not so. According to an article in the San Antonio Tribune, he
is quoted as saying, "The lady was mad at me because I broke the window. I just
thought, 'What's more important -- a baby or a window?' "</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Most of the choices we make in life are not between what
is trivial and what is important. Rather, most of the choices we make are
usually between what is important and what is more important. This morning's
Gospel reading is so timely for us because it shows us what is most
important.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">1. The Greatest Blessing We Have is God’s
Love</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">2. Our Love in Action</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">3. May God Help Us Love</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of this sermon following the outline above can
be obtained by joining </SPAN><A href="http://www.sermons.com/"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">www.Sermons.com</SPAN></A><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________ </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Revelation 21, the sermon titled "Time to Get
Wet"]</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The governor of Washington state just signed a new
series of "sin taxes" into effect. The items being taxed include the usual
suspects: tobacco products and beer (though NOT beer produced by
micro-breweries). But there is a new sinful category: you can now add "snack
food" to the roster of iniquity. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But the most anticipated money raiser for the state is
the "sin tax" on -- are you ready for this? -- bottled water. From now on if you
want to indulge in guzzling a bottle of H2O, it’s going to cost you. Just over
the state line in Idaho, eager shop owners are creating water bottle pyramids
next to their cartons of Camels, anticipating a stream of thirsty
Washingtonians.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Every savvy entrepreneur knows that water is a sure fire
way to attract people. Is there any mall in America that doesn’t have a fountain
or a pool full of pennies in it somewhere? Hotel lobbies, office complexes,
libraries, county courthouses, all spurt water, inviting people in and making
them feel welcome. Can you find a doctor's office nowadays without an aquarium?
</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Human beings crave closeness to water. That's why most
of the earth's population hugs the shorelines of its continents. Maybe it is
because we are made almost entirely of water. Maybe it is because we started our
life in water, living in it and breathing it for our first nine months of life.
Maybe it is because almost none of us get the recommended daily 60-70 ounces of
water we need to be optimally hydrated, so that whether we recognize it or not,
our bodies are constantly thirsty.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Water is life. Disney's Earth Day release of "Oceans," a
103 minute special breathtaking in every way, reminded us that we live on the
only blue planet in the galaxy and it is that azure which animates us. Is it any
wonder then that, in this week’s text from Revelation when John receives his
vision of "the new heaven and the new earth," the first thing God does is to
offer water to all who are thirsty? And because this is the beginning of a new
creation, a new living relationship, whole and healed, between all the peoples
of the world and God, this can only be called "living water."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Living water comes freely and fully from
God…</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of Leonard Sweet's sermon can be obtained by
joining </SPAN><A title=http://www.sermons.com/
href="http://www.sermons.com/"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">www.Sermons.com</SPAN></A></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Loving as Jesus Loved Us</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Some years back neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote a
fascinating vignette of an intriguing neurological difficulty. As some of you
know, Tourette's Syndrome is a bizarre mental disorder that causes victims to
have any number of physical and verbal tics. Some Tourettic people have constant
facial twitches, others find themselves uncontrollably uttering verbal whoops,
beeps, and sometimes also raunchy swear words. One man with Tourette's whom Dr.
Sacks knew was given to deep, lunging bows toward the ground, a few verbal
shouts, and also an obsessive-compulsive type adjusting and readjusting of his
glasses. The kicker is that the man is a skilled surgeon! Somehow and for some
unknown reason, when he dons mask and gown and enters the operating room, all of
his tics disappear for the duration of the surgery. He loses himself in that
role and he does so totally. When the surgery is finished, he returns to his odd
quirks of glasses adjustment, shouts, and bows.<BR> <BR>Sacks did not make
any spiritual comments on this, of course, yet I find this doctor a very
intriguing example of what it can mean to "lose yourself" in a role. There
really can be a great transformation of your life when you are focused on just
one thing--focused to the point that bad traits disappear even as the performing
of normal tasks becomes all the more meaningful and
remarkable.<BR> <BR>Something like that is our Christian goal as we travel
with Jesus. Our desire is to love one another—to love the whole world finally, I
suppose—as Jesus loved us. To do that, we need an infusion of a kind of love
that does not arise naturally from the context of the world as we know it. So as
we lose ourselves in Jesus and in being his disciples, we find even our ordinary
day-to-day activities infused with deep meaning as a love from another place
fills our hearts. Because if sacredness happens to us at all, it happens among
the pots and pans of the everyday and not just on Sundays when we feel
particularly jolted by worship or on Tuesdays when we volunteer for some service
project (vital though those things are, too). If we are to love as Jesus loved
us, this becomes for us a daily reality that is possible if and only when the
love of Christ fills us to the brim.<BR> <BR>Scott Hoezee, Comments and
Observations<BR>________________________________________<BR><BR></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>