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<DIV><FONT size=4>Forwarded:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=JEFF.SPENCER@ecunet.org href="mailto:JEFF.SPENCER@ecunet.org">JEFF
SPENCER</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org
href="mailto:PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org">PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, May 11, 2010 2:01 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> 5/9/10, "Judged Faithful," Acts 16:9-15</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoTitle>Judged Faithful<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center>A sermon preached at
Niles Congregational Church, United Church of Christ<BR>Fremont, on Sunday, May
9, 2010, by the Rev. Jeffrey Spencer.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center>Scripture: Acts
16:9-15<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center>Copyright © 2010 by
Jeffrey S. Spencer<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Our lesson from Acts is a rich with possibilities for sermons. It starts
out with Paul, Timothy, Luke (the author of the Book of Acts), and maybe some
others, ministering in what is now Turkey. While they’re there, Paul has a
dream in which he sees a man from Macedonia pleading with him to come there and
help them. I like the way Eugene Peterson describes the dream in <I>The
Message</I>. “A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the
sea, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us!’” You can see on
this map the sea he’s talking about.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
They immediately cross the Aegean Sea the Macedonia because, as the NRSV puts
it, they were “convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to
them.” There’s a sermon in here about how we become convinced about what
God is calling us to do. And maybe, given the discernment process our
congregations are in, that would have been a good sermon to preach. But
that’s not what hooked me as I lived with this scripture.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
There are sermon possibilities about the new Christian community that gets
formed in Philippi. I suppose I could talk about forming new Christian
communities, new churches. I suppose I could talk about evangelism, of
Paul’s strategy of seeking out places where faithful people are and then telling
them the good news about Jesus. Or I could talk about one of the things
that’s important about that community to us today – the role of women in
leadership. But none of that caught me as I listened to this
scripture.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
What caught me is what happens at the end of the passage, after Paul has told
these prayerful women about Jesus and Lydia and her household are
baptized. Lydia extends an invitation to Paul, Timothy, and Luke.
She invites them to stay in her home, “if you have judged me to be faithful to
the Lord.” And that got me wondering what it means to be judged
faithful.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Last weekend, someone parked an SUV filled with flammable and explosive items,
including tanks of gasoline and propane, in the middle of Times Square.
<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Faisal Shahzad has been
</SPAN>arrested<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> for this act,
a man described in a New York Times article</SPAN><A
style="mso-endnote-id: edn1" title="" href="#_edn1"
name=_ednref1><SUP><SUP><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">[i]</SPAN></SUP></SUP></A><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> soon after his arrest, as “<SPAN
class=apple-style-span>a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan.”
</SPAN></SPAN>I was surprised, when I went back to look for how he was
described, that there was, initially, no mention of his faith. But that
didn’t last long. Within days, news agencies were talking and writing
about his faith tradition and linking it to the attempted bombing.<A
style="mso-endnote-id: edn2" title="" href="#_edn2"
name=_ednref2><SUP><SUP><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">[ii]</SPAN></SUP></SUP></A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
As I read about Faisal Shahzad, I started thinking about the November shooting
rampage at Fort Hood. It wasn’t anything anyone said, but I made that
connection. And the only reason I can come up with for connecting these
two violent acts is that Major Nidal Malik Hasan is Muslim, too. I
remember news media making a big deal of that fact.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
There are plenty of differences between the two men, like their ages and their
ethnic roots; or that Hasan is an American-born citizen; Shahzad is a
naturalized citizen; or that Hasan was in the Army; Shahzad wasn’t. Yet
both being Muslim, <U>I</U> connected the two in my mind. I’m not proud of
this. In fact, I understand why Muslims object to each of these men being
identified as Muslim.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Do you remember back during Holy Week, the FBI conducted a series of raids and
arrested the leaders of a group of men? According to the FBI, the group
was planning to kill police officers and then attack the resulting funeral
processions. I remember the news reports about this, but I don’t remember
these terrorists being labeled with a religious identity. And then I read
a commentary<A style="mso-endnote-id: edn3" title="" href="#_edn3"
name=_ednref3><SUP><SUP><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">[iii]</SPAN></SUP></SUP></A>
about them.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
It turns out the groups identifies itself as a Christian group. They call
themselves the Hutaree and they are “a group that is fond of quoting Christian
scripture. [The group’s] Web site features this line from Jesus in the
Gospel of John: ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his
life for his friends.’ The mission of the group is spelled out:
‘Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ
alive.’<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
“According to the FBI, the group[’s plan] to kill police officers and then
attack the resulting funeral processions [was] an attempt to provoke an endtime
battle.”<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
I went back to check news reports when the arrests were made. It turns out
the group was typically identified as Christian, but almost always as a
“Christian <I>militia</I>” group. I wonder if the identification as a
<I>militia</I> allowed me to dismiss the group as a fringe group, forgetting the
modifier of “Christian.”<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
I agree with the editorial: “To the vast majority of Christian, the
Hutaree represent an appalling distortion of Christian beliefs. Christians
cringe to see quotes from Jesus used to support paranoid antigovernment
violence. They also cringe to see this fringe group labeled as Christian –
as several major news outlets characterized it. What’s Christian about
it? Columnist Eugene Robinson wrote that in the case of the Hutaree he
would ‘put the word Christian in quotes because anyone who plots to assassinate
low enforcement officers … is no follower of Christ.’<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
“The discomfort is understandable – and educational, for it gives Christians a
chance to experience the incongruity many Muslims feel when the media refer to
Muslim terrorists. Suicide bombers may site the Qur’an and consider
themselves Muslims, but that does not necessarily make them Muslim
terrorists. Defining terrorists who quote the Qur’an as Muslim terrorists
is no more enlightening than defining the Hutaree by reference to their avowal
of Christianity. The religious adjective doesn’t tell us much.
Pamela Taylor, a Muslim activist in Cincinnati, argues, ‘The idea of Christian
terrorism is ludicrous, in terms of theology, just like the idea that Islamic
theology is responsible for terrorism is also ludicrous.’”<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
I agree with Taylor and I do not judge the Hutaree or any group that acts like
them or has a theology like theirs as faithful.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
The editorial goes on: “The surfacing of the Hutaree also reminds us that
there are limits to Christian diversity. Not everyone who claims to be a
Christian really is a Christian. That assertion may seem obvious in the
case of the Hutaree, but it is one that liberal Christians, in other
circumstances, are often reluctant to make. In most discussions, liberal
Christians are inclined to be inclusive when it comes to issues of doctrine and
practice, and are wary of anybody trying to enforce an orthodoxy. If you
say you are a Christian, aren’t you a Christian? Well, no.
Christianity is not infinitely elastic, in doctrine or practice. Jesus did
say those disturbing words: ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,”
will enter the kingdom of heaven.’”<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
So, I’ve identified what sort of actions and beliefs make me say someone is
<I>not</I> faithful. But what does it take to be judged
faithful?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
There are plenty of people who think it is about right belief, about
orthodoxy. I remember when I was a chaplain at the Juvenile Hall in
Martinez, being judged as to whether or not I was faithful. A very active
volunteer started to figure out how progressive I am and so one day he stated
questioning me. I remember him asking me, “Do you believe in the Word of
God?”
<BR> I said,
“Of course I do. You can’t be a Christian and not believe in the Word of
God. The Bible says Jesus is the Word of God.”
<BR> He wanted
to ask if I believe in biblical inerrancy, but my answer flustered him enough to
get him to stop asking questions. Nonetheless, I bet he left that exchange
judging me insufficiently faithful because, for him, faithfulness is about right
belief.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Well, I consider my beliefs, though different from his, to be faithful. So
my conclusion is that having “right” beliefs is not enough to make the
judgment.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Maybe actions speak louder than words or beliefs. Back in the early 1970s,
the people in the little town of Carnation, Washington, held an election of
sorts. They decided to vote on who was the most Christian person in
town. They were, in essence, judging who was the most faithful Christian
in town. The winner was Howard Miller, the only Jew in town back
then.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
I lived in Carnation for a decade at the turn of the century, and I got to know
Howard Miller, and I understand why people would have considered him
ethical. He founded, and back in the 70s was still running the dry goods
store in town. He was extremely fair. He supported the local school,
especially the sports teams. Really, the bottom line is, he was a nice
guy. But he was Jewish.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
How he acted was not enough, in my opinion, to judge him faithful as a
Christian. A faithful Jew, perhaps (though I think other Jews should make
that judgment), but not a faithful Christian.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Two women were having a conversation at a party that followed a speech.<A
style="mso-endnote-id: edn4" title="" href="#_edn4"
name=_ednref4><SUP><SUP><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">[iv]</SPAN></SUP></SUP></A>
Most of the people at the party, who had been at the speech, were movers and
shakers and one of these two women, the wife of the guest speaker, found this a
little intimidating. So when she was asked by the other woman, a lawyer at
some prestigious law firm, what she did for a living, she replied, “I am
nurturing two Homo sapiens into the dominant values of the Judaeo-Christian
tradition in order that they might become instruments for the transformation of
the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the
beginning of time.”<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Do you like that description of being a mom? Today we hold up the vocation
of motherhood, but no matter how lovingly a mother “nurtures her Homo sapiens
into the dominant values of the Judaeo-Christian tradition,” I don’t think it’s
enough to judge her faithful.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
How we act is not enough.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Faith is about trust and fidelity. So being faithful has something to do
with being trusting and possibly being trustworthy, too. It has something
to do with fidelity. And these are relationship words – trusting,
trustworthy, fidelity. To be judged faithful means, I think, to be judged
to be in a meaningful, transformative relationship with God. Yes, it has
something to do with beliefs. Yes, it has something to do with actions,
behavior, an ethical life. But deeper than that, it has to do with
relationship.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Martin Luther, the father of the reformation, is supposed to have asked
something like: “Can a rock that has been in the sun light all day not
fail to give off warmth and heat at night?”<A style="mso-endnote-id: edn5"
title="" href="#_edn5" name=_ednref5><SUP><SUP><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">[v]</SPAN></SUP></SUP></A>
Can a rock that has been in the warmth and heat of the sun light all day not
fail to give off warmth and heat at night? Can a Christian who has lived
in the sunlight of God’s love not fail to give off warmth and
love?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
Paul’s first lesson for Lydia wasn’t, “Start loving each other. Be
nice.” No, Paul’s first lesson was an invitation to live in the sunlight
of God’s love.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
We need to bake in the sunlight of God’s compassion. We need to absorb
God’s light into us. And then we start to give off the love.
Then, our beliefs and actions come from a place of faithfulness.<o:p></o:p></P>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"
class=MsoNormal>
May your light shine on us, God. May your love shine on us, God, so that
we may be judged faithful. Amen.<BR><BR><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV style="mso-element: endnote-list"><BR clear=all>
<HR align=left SIZE=1 width="33%">
<DIV style="mso-element: endnote" id=edn1>
<P class=MsoNormal><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn1" title="" href="#_ednref1"
name=_edn1><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">[i]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> William K. Rashbaum, Mark Mazzetti, and Peter Baker,
“Arrest Made in Times Square Bomb Case,” <I>The New York Times</I>, published 3
May 2010, <A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/nyregion/04bomb.html?scp=5&sq=Faisal%20Shahzad&st=cse">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/nyregion/04bomb.html?scp=5&sq=Faisal%20Shahzad&st=cse</A>
(8 May 2010).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV style="mso-element: endnote" id=edn2>
<P class=MsoEndnoteText><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn2" title=""
href="#_ednref2" name=_edn2><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">[ii]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A>
See, for instance, Omar Waraich, “Faisal Shahzad Bomb Inquiry Looks at Pakistan
Training, “<A
href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100507/wl_time/08599198745500"><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none">http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100507/wl_time/08599198745500</SPAN></A>,
(8 May 2010).<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV style="mso-element: endnote" id=edn3>
<P class=MsoEndnoteText><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn3" title=""
href="#_ednref3" name=_edn3><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">[iii]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A>
“Christian Terrorists?” <I>The Christian Century</I>, 4 May 2010, page
7.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV style="mso-element: endnote" id=edn4>
<P class=MsoEndnoteText><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn4" title=""
href="#_ednref4" name=_edn4><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">[iv]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A>
Adapted from a story in an email dated 26 April 2010 from sermons.com. The
mail attributes the story to Tony Campolo, adapted by James Moore, “Collected
Sermons,” on sermons.com.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV style="mso-element: endnote" id=edn5>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt" class=MsoNormal><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn5"
title="" href="#_ednref5" name=_edn5><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">[v]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Edward F.
Markquart, “The Father is Still Living in Me,” from an email dated 4 May 2010
from sermons.com. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Webdings; COLOR: #008040; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">ü</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: navy; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: #008040; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"
lang=EN-GB>Please consider the environment before printing this
email.</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">emailed
from my home:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Rev.
Jeffrey Spencer</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Pastor
and Teacher at Niles Congregational Church, United Church of
Christ<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">PO Box
2265, Fremont CA 94536<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">510-797-0895
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><A
href="http://www.nccucc.org"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">www.nccucc.org</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">My
blog is: </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><A
href="jeffsjottings.wordpress.com"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">jeffsjottings.wordpress.com</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Follow
me on Facebook: </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><A
href="http://www.facebook.com/revjss"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">www.facebook.com/revjss</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Follow
me on Twitter: </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><A
href="http://www.twitter.com/revjss"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">www.twitter.com/revjss</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Check
out my curriculum for Adult Learners (and older youth) at: <A
href="http://www.deathpenaltycurriculum.com">www.deathpenaltycurriculum.com</A></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoEndnoteText><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>