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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Evil Does Not Win </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span><br>
Yes, there are
times that we wonder about God. It is true there is horrible evil out
there. There are evil people - the sociopaths, the mass murders, the
vicious child and spouse abusers. There are evil moments when otherwise
good people are drawn in - that scene played over and over on TV several
years ago of a dozen police officers beating and kicking a wounded
suspect. There are evil systems in which we all participate - people
going without food and shelter in a nation of abundance, people not
getting medical care because of no other reason than lack of money (and
greedy insurance companies). There are even evils born of sheer
stupidity, like the stupid promise Herod made to Salome. Do you remember
the novelist William Burroughs? Burroughs died at age 83. During a
drunken party in Mexico one night in 1951, he undertook to play William
Tell - he used a pistol to shoot a glass off his wife's head. He
missed...and put a bullet in her brain instead. How stupid. How evil.
Yes, it often seems that the evil wins. <br>
<br>
But the message of our faith says that evil does not have the last word. God does, and the word is "love."<br>
<br>
David E. Leininger, When Evil Wins<br>
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</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Vengeance: A Wound on Our Own Souls<br>
</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>When I was in high
school, a friend of mine was raped and if I had known at the time who
had done it, I would have attempted to beat him within an inch of his
life. I even had some terrible fantasies of vengeance that involved very
sharp knives. These feelings seem more than a desire for justice. If my
friend had to go through life with a deep psychological wound, I wanted
the assailant to feel some kind of pain too.<br>
<br>
I could convince
myself of noble intentions to protect someone I loved, or that the
perpetrator would never again harm someone. But in honesty, I felt an
inner rage that wanted satisfaction. There was a desire that somehow the
pain and brokenness could be healed or assuaged by inflicting it back
on the source. Of course, things never work out that way. Hurting
another person cannot heal the person we love. It only pulls us down to
the level of the perpetrator. The act of vengeance creates wounds on
our own souls. It is a great spiritual challenge to live in a world
where things cannot always be made right again.<br>
<br>
Todd Weir, Head on a Platter<br>
_________________________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span><br>
Naming What Is Wrong</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span><br>
Once when I was
a little girl, I saw news footage in which grown men and women screamed
and ranted at another little girl outside a school in Mississippi. When
the newsman said that she was 12, my age at the time, something inside
me broke. In my sheltered world, so-called colored children and white
children had always gone to the same schools, and grown-ups didn't
threaten kids. "Why are they yelling at her like that?" I asked my
mother in tears. "She's only a little girl." My mother made the sigh
adults make when children learn things no one should have to learn.
"Because they're ignorant," she said finally, my family's catch-all
phrase for explaining things that will never make sense. It wasn't
enough of an explanation, and that was a first lesson, too.<br>
<br>
But
the real lesson was that doing good and right things cannot protect you
from being badly hurt. There is real danger in naming what is wrong in
the world and trying to change it. <br>
<br>
Why is this awful story even
mentioned in the Bible? Well, it just might be that some of us who try
to follow Christ have been following too safe a course, sitting in
mighty comfortable seats at the banquet, so much so that we need this
awful story to help us ask if we are following the One whose way was
full of danger and whose final destination was a cross.<br>
<br>
Catherine Taylor, Re-Membering Faith<br>
_____________________________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A Christian Understanding of Worth</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>When we attempt to
live a life worthy of the Gospel it is because our understanding of
"worth" is far different from the world's. John the Baptist was not
beheaded because he went along with the status quo. John gave his life
because of his commitment to truth as he understood it, much like
Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his struggles with Nazism and Hitler. Being a
pastor in the German Lutheran Church, Bonhoeffer was forced to choose
between his loyalty to God or to an insane ruler. He was executed in
1945 for the opposition he voiced to the satanic rule of Hitler. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>As G.K. Chesterton
so concisely wrote: "It is not that Christianity has been tried and
found wanting, but tried and found difficult." Life has many roads to
travel. However, we choose the road on which the shadow of the cross
falls. It always leads to freedom and to victory when the final lap of
the race is run. Some 2000 years later, we speak of the reigns of the
Herods and Caesars with pity and disdain, but the names of John the
Baptist and Jesus Christ live on as those for whom life was lived with
devotion and courage. <br>
<br>
Eric S. Ritz, Faith in Conflict</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>_____________________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Public Pressure</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Lloyd J. Ogilve, in
his book Life without Limits, tells the story of a pastor who in the
space of one week heard the following comments from various people:</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A woman said, "I'm
under tremendous pressure from my son these days. I can't seem to
satisfy him, however hard I work. He really puts me under pressure."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A young man said,
"My parents have fantastic goals for me to take over the family
business. It's not what I want to do, but their pressure is unbearable."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A college woman
said, "I'm being pressured by my boyfriend to live with him before we
are married. You know...sort of try it out...to see if we are right for
each other."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A husband said, "My
wife is never satisfied. Whatever I do, however much I make, it's never
enough. Life with her is like living in a pressure cooker with the lid
fastened down and the heat on high."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A secretary said,
pointing to her phone, "That little black thing is driving me silly. At
the other end of the line are people who make impossible demands and
think they are the only people alive."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A middle-aged wife
said, "My husband thinks my faith is silly. When I feel his resistance
to Christ, I wonder if I'm wrong and confused. As a result, I've
developed two lives; one with him and one when I'm with my Christian
friends."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>An elderly woman
said, "My sister thinks she has all the answers about the faith and
tries to convince me of her point of view. I feel pressured to become
her brand of Christian, but I keep thinking if it means being like her, I
don't want it at all. When she calls, I just put the phone on my
shoulder and let her rant on while I do other things. A half-hour later,
she's still on the line blasting away, but I still feel pressure."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A young pastor at a
clergy conference said, "I hardly know who I am any more. There are so
many points of view in my congregation, I can't please them all.
Everyone wants to capture me for his camp and get me to shape the church
around his convictions. The pressure makes me want to leave the
ministry."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>All of these
persons have one thing in common. They are being pressured by other
people. We all, at one time or another, experience people-pressure. The
question is how will it effect our judgment? That is the question Herod
faced. After making an oath to a pretty young girl that she could have
up to half of his kingdom, she surprised him and asked for the head of
the Baptist. Mark 6:26 indicates that the King was thrown into distress,
he knew it was wrong, but because of his oath and his dinner guests, he
did not want to refuse her. He sent the executioner and on a platter
was delivered the head of a holy man.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Brett Blair, <a __removedlink__1673153888__href="http://www.eSermons.com" target="_blank">www.eSermons.com</a>. The John Ogilve book is out of print.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>_________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Responding to Biblical Mandates</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>William Sloane
Coffin, Jr., who died at the age of 81, was an honored scholar, civil
rights leader, antiwar activist, and a prophet. He summed up his faith
by saying, "I believe Christianity is a worldview that undergirds all
progressive thought and action." He also said, "The Christian church is
called to respond to Biblical mandates like truth-telling, confronting
injustice, and pursuing peace." His actions and words are evidence that
he was able to navigate the tension created by those who would separate
power into the categories of church and state, or more accurately, of
God and man. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>His words are good
to reflect upon, particularly given the world we live in, where power
and authority are often thought of in terms of personal privilege and
gain. Are the choices we make to live our lives progressively seen as
authentic demonstrations of Biblical mandates or do these choices simply
challenge authority and invite criticism? And what if we are
criticized? Should we let that deter our actions and cause us to forsake
the Gospel mandate? </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Debbie Royals </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>___________________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>No Going Back</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>When Julius Caesar
landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold
and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture.
Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he
commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they
saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in
flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now
that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was
nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is
exactly what they did.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Source Unknown</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>How Do You Spell God</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Three women die and
all three reach Heaven at the same time. There they meet St. Peter. He
tells them he has some other important business to transact and asks
them to wait outside. Finally he returns and calls the first woman into
his office. He apologizes for making her wait so long. "Oh, I don't mind
at all," the woman says. "I'm so thrilled just to be here in Heaven."
St. Peter is delighted by her attitude. "Well, then, if you can just
answer one question for me, we can finish processing your papers. Now
tell me, how do you spell `God'?" The woman spells it for him, then she
goes on into the celestial realm. St. Peter calls in the next woman and
also apologizes to her for making her wait. "It will be worth it, I'm
sure," she answers. "I am willing to wait one thousand years if
necessary in order to see God face to face." St. Peter is very pleased.
He insists, though, on asking her one more question for the Records.
"Tell me, dear lady, how do you spell `God'?" The woman spells it
perfectly, then enters the Pearly Gates.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Finally, St. Peter calls in the third woman...</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__1673153888__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001HaRPtrPfdZ-8PKICyh2CIMX1oOa9Jw5uLCV_I5IP4v4gPj9Ggd8h3hgsp4FRyV-T0JkPG5giqBEdtZ79v_KuYTBe228Y_AQLFJLJ0P2_BfY=">www.Sermons.com</a>. <br>
</span></div>
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