<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18904">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">How Do You Know My Name?</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">I've always loved the little story about the boy who's
trying to learn the Lord's Prayer, and one night as he knelt by his bed, these
words came out:<BR> <BR>Our Father, who are in heaven <BR>How do you know
my name?<BR> <BR>Such individualized affection will always remain a mystery
to us mortals, and at the same time, let us never forget we're made in the image
of that extraordinary love. And doing what Jesus did in loving each one he ever
met as if there were none other in all the world is at least an ideal toward
which we can reach even if it always remains utterly beyond our complete
grasp.<BR> <BR>John R. Claypool, Loving as Jesus
Loved<BR>___________________________________________<BR><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Closer to Christ</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">God never intended God's boundaries to be less than the
whole world. Therefore, none of us have a monopoly on God's love. We may feel
like we do when we look down on someone different than we are, or when we
snicker at someone's misfortune, or when we say, "Thank you, Lord, that I am not
like them," or when we say, "It's too bad they do not believe as we believe."
But woe be unto us whenever we reek of such arrogance! For when we try to
restrict God's grace to ourselves, we cut ourselves off from that very grace.
Why? Pierre Teilhard de Chardin may have said it best, "It is impossible to love
Christ without loving others, and it is impossible to love others without moving
nearer to Christ."</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 K. Bergland, Love without Limits, One Heaven of a
Party: Year C Sermons on the First Readings, CSS Publishing Company</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"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A Sympathetic Gesture</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">Edgar Guest, a renowned American poet at the turn of the
century, tells of a neighbor by the name of Jim Potter. Mr. Potter ran the drug
store in the small town where Edgar Guest lived. Guest recalled that daily he
would pass his neighbor and how they would smile and exchange greetings. But it
was a mere casual relationship.</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">Then came that tragic night in the life of Edgar Guest
when his first born child died. He felt lonely and defeated. These were grim
days for him and he was overcome with grief. Several days later Guest had reason
to go to the drug store run by his neighbor, and when he entered Jim Potter
motioned for him to come behind the counter. "Eddie," he said, "I really can't
express to you the great sympathy that I have for you at this time. All I can
say is that I am terribly sorry, and if you need for me to do anything, you can
count on me."</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">Many years later Edgar Guest wrote of that encounter in
one of his books. This is how he worded it: "Just a person across the way--a
passing acquaintance. Jim Potter may have long since forgotten that moment when
he extended his hand to me in sympathy, but I shall never forget it--never in
all my life. To me it stands out like the silhouette of a lonely tree against a
crimson sunset."</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">[Suggestion for follow-up on this story]</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I have wondered how it is that I want people to remember
me when I come to end of life's journey.</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"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But I really don't care if someone remembers me for
that. I really don't.</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">I do hope that people are able to say of me at the end
of my life's pilgrimage: When we were sick he came to us; when we needed help,
he was there; when I was down, he lifted me up. In short, I hope that my
ministry is remembered for simple acts of kindness. For if that is the case,
then my life would have been worth it and I might have come close to fulfilling
the greatest commandment in life: Love God and love your neighbor.</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">Brett Blair and Staff,
www.eSermons.com </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"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Didn't Look Like an Elephant</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">There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in
his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of
his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of
art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge
boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was
gorgeous, breath-taking.</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 neighbor asked, "How did you ever carve such a
marvelous likeness of an elephant?"</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 man answered, "I just chipped away everything that
didn't look like an elephant!"</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">If you have anything in your life right now that doesn't
look like love, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have anything
in your life that doesn't look like compassion or mercy or empathy, then, with
the help of God, chip it away! If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or
envy in your heart, for God's sake, and the for the other person's sake, and for
your sake, get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of your life that doesn't
look like tenderheartedness.</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">James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True,
Nashville: Dimensions, 1994, p. 32.</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">The Law of the Spirit</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">We need our laws. Laws tell us what is acceptable
behavior and what is unacceptable behavior. To be sure, society will fail if its
people reject law. But law can only go so far. It can dictate to us what we can
and cannot do but it is powerless to dictate to us what we think and what we
feel. When Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you," I want you to hear
those words within the context of community law. When the disciples, or the
Jews, talked about Commandments they were discussing laws for acceptable
behavior in society. Now, I want you to hear how utterly strange these words
really are, "A new COMMANDMENT I give to you: 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">Did you catch it? A law telling us, no, commanding us to
love. Rev. Richard Daggett says, this law invades the very depths of our beings;
this law presumes to have jurisdiction over the way we think, the way we feel,
over our opinions, our prejudices and biases, our concepts of superiority, over
the way every fiber of our being, both inward and outward, responds to the world
around 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">And then Richard says this: This law clarifies to us
that while religion and law may exercise lordship over our actions, over the way
we live, Christ wants lordship over everything we are. It is the law of the
spirit and not simply the law of the letter.</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">And to whom does this new law apply? My brothers and
sisters in Christ. It is to 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">Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com. Richard Dagget statements
adapted from Minister's Manual, 1995, p. 188.</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">A Lie</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">Now I want to tell you a lie. Hate is an emotion we
can't help. Hate is a feeling we cannot overcome. If we hate someone, it is
because we just can't help ourselves. We're human. We have no choice but to
hate. That is a lie. Unfortunately, it is a lie many people believe. They
believe this lie in order to excuse their hatred. After all, if we can't help
but hate, if hate is a feeling we simply cannot help, then hatred is never our
fault, is it? </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 we can help it. Hatred is a choice. We choose to
hate, just as we choose to love. Oh, I know, there are people out there who
believe love isn't a choice, that love is primarily an emotion, a feeling, a
stirring in the loins. These are the same people who stay married for six
months, then divorce. These are the people who love the idea of love but seem
unable to stay in it. Love is a matter of the will - something we decide to do.
Love is a choice.</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">Philip Gulley, For Everything a Season, Sisters, Oregon:
Multnomah Publishers, p. 204</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"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">We are judged by our actions, not our intentions. We may
have a heart of gold, but then, so does a hard-boiled egg.</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">Traditional</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">A Great Inheritance</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">One of the great preachers of our time is Dr. Fred
Craddock. Craddock tells a story about vacationing with his wife one summer in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One night they found a quiet little restaurant, where
they looked forward to a private meal. While they were waiting for their food,
they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to
table, visiting with the guests. Craddock leaned over and whispered to his wife,
"I hope he doesn’t come over here." He didn’t want anyone intruding on their
privacy. But sure enough, the man did come over to their table. "Where you folks
from?" he asked in a friendly voice.</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">"Oklahoma," Craddock answered.</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">"Splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been
there," the stranger said."What do you do for a living?"</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">"I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips
University," Craddock replied.</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">"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well,
I’ve got a story to tell you." And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair
and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife.</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">Dr. Craddock said he groaned inwardly and thought to
himself, "Oh, no! Here comes another preacher story! It seems like everybody has
at least one."</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 man stuck out his hand. "I’m Ben Hooper," he
said…</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 conclusion to this illustration and for many
additional illustrations and sermons for Easter 5 can be accessed at </SPAN><A
title=http://www.sermons.com/ href=""><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
color=#ff6600>www.Sermons.com</FONT></SPAN></A><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>