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<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For Shame<br>
<br>
James Twitchell, author of the book, For Shame: The Loss of Common
Decency in American Culture, says that making people feel bad is one of
the cures for what ails us. Not every problem can be solved with
judicial solutions so shaming those who have made mistakes is becoming
popular.<br>
<br>
In colonial days they used to put public offenders in stockades in the
public square thereby making them feel embarrassed and singling them out
as "shameful" members of the community. Fortunately, our society has
evolved from that kind of treatment since everyone has certain
inalienable rights. But, since our judicial system seems to be waning,
there is a<br>
trend that appears to be going the other direction.<br>
<br>
In Florida, for example, repeatedly convicted drunk drivers are required
to use special license plates or bumper stickers alerting others to
their status. And in Rhode Island, child abusers have their photo appear
in the local newspaper with the caption, "I was convicted for child
molestation."</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><br>
Even here in our town there was a sign posted by the road that listed the names of the local drug offenders.<br>
<br>
Shaming people publicly is becoming an accepted practice. The belief is
that someone who commits an offense will experience enough shame and
embarrassment which will help to turn their lives around. In other
words, according to Twitchell, there is a social good in making
troublemakers feel bad.<br>
<br>
Somehow I cannot see Jesus agreeing with that philosophy.<br>
<br>
Keith Wagner, Living Without Shame <br>
_________________________________<br>
<br>
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Reconciliation</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 wise folk sayings of the Russian people is this: Make peace with
men, and make war with your sins." Unfortunately, we usually do the
opposite!"</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. Cox, The Minister's Manual for 1993, Harper Collins,</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt">1992, p. 326</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">Disharmony in Worship</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
was a church where the pastor and the minister of music were not
getting along. As time went by, this began to spill over into the
worship service.<br>
<br>
The first week the pastor preached on commitment and how we all should
dedicate ourselves to the service of God. The music director led the
song, "I Shall Not Be Moved."<br>
<br>
The second week the pastor preached on tithing and how we all should
gladly give to the work of the Lord. The director led the song, "Jesus
Paid it All."<br>
<br>
The third week the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should all
watch our tongues. The music director led the song, "I Love to Tell the
Story."<br>
<br>
With all this going on, the pastor became very disgusted over the
situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was
considering resigning. The musician led the song, "Oh Why Not Tonight?"<br>
<br>
As it came to pass, the pastor did indeed resign. The next week he
informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus
who was taking him away. The music leader led the song, "What a Friend
We Have in Jesus." </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">King Duncan, Collected Sermons, <a href="http://www.sermons.com/" target="_blank">www.Sermons.com</a></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">Criticism</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 trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.</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">Norman Vincent Peale</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">True Freedom in Forgiveness</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">When
Bill Clinton met Nelson Mandela for the first time, he had a question
on his mind: "When you were released from prison, Mr. Mandela," the
former President said, "I woke my daughter at three o'clock in the
morning. I wanted her to see this historic event." Then President
Clinton zeroed in on his question: "As you marched from the cellblock
across the yard to the gate of the prison, the camera focused in on your
face. I have never seen such anger, and even hatred, in any man as was
expressed on your face at that time. That's not the Nelson Mandela I
know today," said Clinton. "What was that about?"<br>
<br>
Mandela answered, "I'm surprised that you saw that, and I regret that
the cameras caught my anger. As I walked across the courtyard that day I
thought to myself, ‘They've taken everything from you that matters.
Your cause is dead. Your family is gone. Your friends have been killed.
Now they're releasing you, but there's nothing left for you out there.'
And I hated them for what they had taken from me. Then, I sensed an
inner voice saying to me, ‘Nelson! For twenty-seven years you were their
prisoner, but you were always a free man! Don't allow them to make you
into a free man, only to turn you into their prisoner!'"</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">You can never be free to be a whole person if you are unable to forgive.</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">King Duncan, Collected Sermons, <a href="http://www.sermons.com/" target="_blank">www.Sermons.com</a></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">Loving Confrontation</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">Several
years ago, a good friend and colleague in ministry came to visit me at
the church I was serving in Memphis. After we exchanged greetings, he
put his arm around my shoulders and said, "Johnny, you know I love you.
That's why I have to tell you this." And he proceeded to gently,
lovingly scold me for the way I had been handling a particular situation
in the church. And he was absolutely right. I knew that the way I had
been dealing with that situation was not the right way to handle it. My
motivation was good, but my actions were wrong. And after he left, I
knew that here was a friend who would stand beside me in tough times,
because he loved me enough to risk damaging our friendship by
confronting me with my mistake. Loving confrontation, which is what
Jesus calls his followers to practice, is never easy. Many of us would
prefer to just ignore it, or not name what it is, especially
in the church. Out of some sense of false humility, we would rather just
keep quiet about it. It's just easier not to get involved. But no
matter how painful it may be, sooner or later we must resolve our
differences in a Christ-like manner.</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">Johnny Dean, Gentiles ‘R Us</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">Building Bridges</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">Once
upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into
conflict. It was the first serious rift in their 40 years of working
together. It began with a small misunderstanding, and grew into a major
difference, and finally exploded into an exchange of bitter words
followed by weeks of silence. One morning, there was a knock on John's
door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm
looking for a few days' work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few
small jobs here and there that I could help with?</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">Yes,"
said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek
at that farm. That's my younger brother! Last week, there was a meadow
between us, but he took his bulldozer and dug a small river between us.
Well I'm going to do him one better. See that pile of old lumber? I want
you to build an 8 foot high fence between us. Then I won't need to see
his place or his face anymore." The carpenter said, "Show me the nails
and the tools, and I'll do a good job for you."</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
older brother had to go to town, so he left for the day. At sunset,
when he returned, this eyes opened wide, and his jaw dropped. There was
no fence there at all. The carpenter had built a bridge that stretched
from one side of the river to the other, with handrails and all! And his
younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched. "You're
quite the guy," he said, "after all I've said and done." The two
brothers met in the middle, and shook each other's hand. They turned to
see the carpenter leaving. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of
other projects for you," said the older brother. "I'd love to," the
carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build."</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">When
you and I come to the end of our days, just remember this: God won't
ask what kind of car we drove, but He will ask how many people we helped
get where they needed to go. He won't ask how big our house was, but He
will ask how many people we welcomed into our home. God won't ask what
neighborhood we lived in, but He will ask how we treated our neighbors.
And He won't ask how many fences we made, but He will ask how many
bridges we built.</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">Bob Tasler, Restoration: Confronting the Brother</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">Even in the Grocery Store</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
Washington Times carried a story not long ago about Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice. According to this newspaper article, Dr. Rice once
described to a Sunday school class at National Presbyterian Church in
Washington, how she had drifted from her Christian faith--and how God
reached out and brought her back:<br>
<br>
"I was a preacher's kid," says Dr. Rice, "so Sundays were church, no
doubt about that. The church was the center of our lives. In segregated
black Birmingham of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the church was not
just a place of worship. It was the place where families gathered; it
was the social center of the community, too.<br>
<br>
"Although I never doubted the existence of God," Dr. Rice continues, "I
think like all people I've had some ups and downs in my faith. When I
first moved to California in 1981 to join the faculty at Stanford, there
were a lot of years when I was not attending church regularly. I was
traveling a lot. I was a specialist in international politics, so I was
always traveling abroad. I was always in another time zone. One Sunday I
was in the Lucky's Supermarket not very far from my house--I will never
forget--among the spices and an African-American man walked up to me
and said he was buying some things for his church picnic. And he said,
'Do you play the piano by any chance?'…</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 list and for many additional illustrations and sermons for Proper 18 can be accessed at <a target="_blank" href="http://mail.churchmail.com/lists/lt.php?id=Kk8DBwAAAQFSRAMCAksDAABWWg%3D%3D">www.Sermons.com</a>.</span></div>
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