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<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: 10pt; color: black;">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org><br>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org><br>
Sent: Sat, Apr 23, 2011 7:39 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter Sunday<br>
<br>
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<pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt>Dear Friends,<br>
<br>
Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “Living Easter Power in a Good Friday<br>
World” and deals with the Gospel (John 20: 1-18). Here it is:<br>
<br>
Happy Easter on this glorious day of our Lord’s resurrection! Lent is<br>
done and Easter is here! It seems like just yesterday we were getting<br>
our Lenten ashes. Did you hear about the little boy who asked his<br>
pastor what “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” meant? “Ah!” said the<br>
pastor. It means we all come from dust and we all go to dust.”<br>
“Well,” said the child, “you’d better get over to my house right away<br>
and look under my bed, because there’s someone there who’s either<br>
coming or going!”<br>
<br>
We are all aware of how atrociously painful Jesus’ last days were,<br>
but- if you think about it, his friends had also lived in crisis. Did<br>
you notice how the Gospel of John tells us about the awful reality<br>
Mary Magdalene experienced as she struggled to move from Good Friday<br>
tragedy to Easter Sunday delight? The entire week had been<br>
unbelievably bad for all of Jesus’ friends- actually going from<br>
terrible to worse. They’d watched everyone turn against him; with<br>
even his disciples leaving him to face his worst times alone. They saw<br>
the trial, the beatings, the mocking, the torture, his execution, and<br>
his burial. Worse yet, because the Sabbath was approaching, they<br>
couldn’t even give Jesus a proper burial- he had to be just quickly<br>
placed in the grave and locked in with a huge stone. Early Sunday<br>
morning, Mary went to see the body of Jesus. The scripture didn’t say<br>
why, maybe she went to anoint the body as the other women did. Maybe<br>
she just couldn’t sleep. Whatever- when she got there, the stone was<br>
rolled away and the body was gone- only the grave clothes were there-<br>
carefully folded and placed on the floor. Mary assumed that the body<br>
had been moved, so she started to cry. Everything seemed hopeless, but<br>
then Jesus called her name and Easter was the new reality.<br>
<br>
That’s what happened- Jesus is alive, but what’s it to you? Let’s be<br>
honest with each other. Really- what difference does it make in your<br>
life as you struggle to pay your bills, help the people you love get<br>
along, avoid trouble, and get a little joy out of life. The answer to<br>
this question presented itself again the day before yesterday at the<br>
very end of our Good Friday service. Twenty-nine of us (at one time<br>
or another throughout the three hours) sat around the cross and kept<br>
vigil, as you would in a hospital room while you waited for the death<br>
of a loved one. As we did the Stations of the Cross and the Good<br>
Friday prayer book liturgy, we counted down the minutes. At ten<br>
seconds to three o’clock, we started counting: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,<br>
3, 2, 1, 0- and shouted “It is accomplished!” because that’s what<br>
Jesus said. He didn’t say, “It’s over.” He said, “ACCOMPLISHED!” So<br>
I ask you, what’s accomplished? I can answer in two words REGIME<br>
CHANGE! Eight years ago (and many deaths later), President Bush<br>
announced the start of the Iraq war. “Shock and awe” followed, with<br>
war planes and bombs all over Iraq- like a wild video game- but it was<br>
real! It wasn’t long before Saddam Hussein’s forces fell and we took<br>
over- a regime change! That’s what the Good Friday/Easter Sunday<br>
events accomplished- regime change. The entire universe was reclaimed<br>
from the forces of chaos, destruction, and evil; heaven had been<br>
claimed, and the forces of God and good and life had won. God is in<br>
charge.<br>
<br>
How do you claim this regime change? Well, first of all- have you<br>
accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not- don’t wait! Do it<br>
now! Tell me when you come up to the altar at Communion time, and we<br>
can take care of that today.<br>
<br>
But say you accepted Jesus years ago. My question to you today then<br>
is- are you living as if God and good and life are in charge; or are<br>
you living as if evil and death are in charge? Are you living a Good<br>
Friday life or an Easter life? Are you on the winning side, or are<br>
you on the losing side, and how can you tell?<br>
12. Good Friday life- the perspective is defense; Easter life- the<br>
perspective is offense!<br>
13. Good Friday life- I don’t get mad; I get even! Easter life- drop<br>
it; don’t let hatred poison your spirit; give the problem to God and<br>
leave it there (i.e. God says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay- and<br>
God does a much better job than we ever could and can even get<br>
spiritual growth in the lives of our enemies.).<br>
14. Good Friday life- hate your enemy! Easter life- forgive and love<br>
your enemy (i.e. Christian love- want what’s best for him or her).<br>
15. Good Friday life – you only go around once in life so get all you<br>
can get (and forget about everyone else)! Easter life- everything I<br>
have is a gift from God and there’s more than enough to go around, so<br>
share.<br>
16. Good Friday life- I can’t take it! I’ve got to have something<br>
(alcohol, TV, drugs, nicotine, food, etc.) to make it through another<br>
day! Easter life- God can get you through anything!<br>
17. Good Friday life- my time and money and family and material things<br>
are my own! Easter life- everything I have is a gift from God to be<br>
used to make my life and the lives of God’s other children better.<br>
18. Good Friday life- I can’t! Easter life- if it’s God’s will, I<br>
can!<br>
19. Good Friday life- I only associate with “my kind.” Easter life-<br>
the ground is level at the foot at the cross.<br>
20. Good Friday life- no one has a claim on me! Easter life- reach<br>
out and touch.<br>
21. Good Friday life- it’s the hair (or clothes or car or intelligence<br>
or house) that counts! Easter life- it’s the life that counts!.<br>
22. Good Friday life- when you’re dead, you’re dead! Easter life-<br>
Jesus is the firstfruit; so death is new birth into heaven.<br>
<br>
So, are you on the winning side? If not, why not get there! Wishing<br>
won’t do it. Living in the past won’t do it. Making a decision to<br>
live as Jesus’ Easter people will. In his book Teaching the Elephant<br>
to Dance, James Belasco describes how trainers shackle young elephants<br>
with heavy chains to deeply embedded stakes. In that way the elephant<br>
learns to stay in its place. Older, powerful elephants never try to<br>
leave—even though they have the strength to pull the stake and walk<br>
away. Their conditioning has limited their movements. With only a<br>
small metal bracelet around their foot attached to nothing, they stand<br>
in place. The stakes are actually gone!<br>
<br>
Don’t let your past determine your future! Get rid of everything that<br>
works to hold you back. The future belongs to God and you. Think<br>
BIG! If you can conceive it, and God wants you to do it, the sky’s<br>
the limit; and the Risen Christ can give you the power to overcome!<br>
<br>
For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American<br>
wisdom statements are posted on our parish web site. The address is:<br>
<a href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.com" target="_blank">http://www.stpaulsepisag.com</a> .<br>
<br>
Blessed preaching.<br>
Judy Boli<br>
St. Paul's Episcopal Church<br>
Saginaw, Michigan<br>
<br>
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