<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div><br>Forwarded:<br><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> Judy <<a href="mailto:judy_boli@ecunet.org">judy_boli@ecunet.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> September 1, 2012 11:35:15 AM CDT<br><b>To:</b> Propertalk <<a href="mailto:propertalk.topic@ecunet.org">propertalk.topic@ecunet.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 17B</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> <a href="mailto:propertalk.topic+owners@ecunet.org"><a href="mailto:propertalk.topic+owners@ecunet.org">propertalk.topic+owners@ecunet.org</a></a><br><br></div></blockquote><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>Dear Friends,</span><br><span></span><br><span>This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “What Comes Out of Your Mouth?” or</span><br><span>“Breath Mints Won’t Help!” and deals with the gospel (Mark 7:1-8,</span><br><span>14-15, [16], 21-23). Here it is:</span><br><span></span><br><span>This morning, we heard Jesus talking about what makes us unclean, and</span><br><span>I’d like us to think about the implications of his teachings. In the</span><br><span>part of the Bible immediately before our Gospel begins, the Pharisees</span><br><span>had just criticized Jesus for allowing his disciples to eat without</span><br><span>washing their hands. Jesus responded with the statement we heard in</span><br><span>the gospel- it’s not what you put into your mouth that makes you</span><br><span>unclean. It’s what comes out of your mouth that makes you unclean.</span><br><span>You know He’s right! I do our household shopping once a week, and-</span><br><span>WOW! You should see the huge number of products for bad breath-</span><br><span>mints, pocket packs, pocket mist, mouthwash, special toothpaste,</span><br><span>tongue scrapers on those shelves! Guess what, friends? They’re</span><br><span>really not going to help that much, except maybe the tongue scraper,</span><br><span>since the cause of most bad breath is a rotten tooth, a gum disease,</span><br><span>an infection, an illness, or that garlic you had at dinner! A breath</span><br><span>mint or its equivalent just won’t cut it, because the source of the</span><br><span>problem is deep inside your body. You know how deodorant won’t help</span><br><span>if someone hasn’t showered or bathed for a week. We’ve got to clean</span><br><span>up the inside before we worry about the outside.</span><br><span></span><br><span>What’s true with bad breath and deodorant is true with a sinful</span><br><span>heart. What we put in our mouths won’t affect the state of our souls</span><br><span>any more than breath mints will clean up seriously bad breath or</span><br><span>deodorant will clean up a filthy body. We’ve got to clean up from the</span><br><span>inside out. It’s what comes out of our mouths that signifies what’s</span><br><span>on the inside. So what comes out of your mouth?</span><br><span></span><br><span>Do you have a bad habit of using God’s name in vain? It is so very</span><br><span>easy to pick up this habit- saying “Oh, Lord!” or such phrases. What</span><br><span>does the commandment say? “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord</span><br><span>thy God in vain.” You wouldn’t use your mother’s name that way. In</span><br><span>fact, I still remember from my teaching days how many fights either</span><br><span>started or almost started because of the way someone was talking about</span><br><span>someone else’s mother. So- watch your mouth. The ancient Israelites</span><br><span>didn’t even speak the name of God- they considered it too holy. We</span><br><span>can learn from them. If you’ve got a bad habit in this regard, break</span><br><span>it. Only use God’s name with the highest reverence, respect, and</span><br><span>honor.</span><br><span></span><br><span>What about other kinds of swearing that do not use God’s name in</span><br><span>vain? Are they sinful? That depends. If the words are used to</span><br><span>describe another person or as a weapon against that person, then they</span><br><span>are very sinful. If, however, they are simply part of your vocabulary</span><br><span>or used to express anger at someTHING (not someONE)- they may not</span><br><span>project the image you want, but they’re probably not sinful.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Most times when someone continually uses God’s name in vain or swears</span><br><span>casually, it usually signifies a bad habit, not a sinful, poisonous</span><br><span>heart; however there’s other poisonous nasty verbiage that comes out</span><br><span>of our mouths far too often. Gossip; put-downs; lies; swearing AT</span><br><span>people; labeling people as bad, stupid, ugly, etc.- these seriously</span><br><span>show a heart problem, not coronary artery disease but poisoned spirit</span><br><span>disease. These kinds of remarks have heart-roots of jealousy, anger,</span><br><span>hatred, poor self-esteem, desire to look better than others, and other</span><br><span>negative emotions. Molefi Asante reminds us, “There are two things</span><br><span>over which you have complete dominion, authority, and control- your</span><br><span>mind and your mouth.” He’s right, and you get control of your mouth</span><br><span>by getting control of your mind. Don’t think evil thoughts. Don’t</span><br><span>dwell on negatives. Remember the old Cherokee who was telling his</span><br><span>grandson about a fight that constantly goes on inside himself. It’s a</span><br><span>fight between two wolves. One is evil: full of anger, envy, regret,</span><br><span>guilt, false pride, resentment, inferiority, superiority, etc. The</span><br><span>other is good: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,</span><br><span>faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The</span><br><span>grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather</span><br><span>“Grand-daddy, which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee thought for a minute</span><br><span>and then replied simply, “The one that I feed.” Don’t feed the</span><br><span>negatives. When you find yourself dwelling on such thoughts, take</span><br><span>charge. Go for a walk. Wash the dishes. Listen to some music. Read</span><br><span>your Bible. Say your prayers. Call a friend on the phone. Change</span><br><span>the content of your thoughts from negatives to positives. That’s</span><br><span>exactly what St. Paul meant when he taught the Philippians (4:8)</span><br><span>“Finally, my friends- keep your minds on whatever is true, pure,</span><br><span>right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what</span><br><span>is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>Why bother to watch your mouth? Because when evil words come out,</span><br><span>they can never be recalled. They can be explained, forgiven, maybe if</span><br><span>you’re lucky forgotten- but when they’re out, they’re out. I want to</span><br><span>close with a story I’ve told many times before, but it explains so</span><br><span>very well why we’ve simply got to think before we speak and keep Jesus</span><br><span>in control of our lips. There was a little boy with a bad temper.</span><br><span>His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he</span><br><span>lost his temper, to shut his mouth and hammer a nail in the back</span><br><span>fence. The first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Gradually</span><br><span>the number of nails he was pounding into the fence dwindled down. He</span><br><span>discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails</span><br><span>into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his</span><br><span>temper at all. He told his father about it, and the father suggested</span><br><span>that now the boy should pull out one nail for each day that he was</span><br><span>able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was</span><br><span>finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The</span><br><span>father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said,</span><br><span>“You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The</span><br><span>fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave</span><br><span>a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a person and draw</span><br><span>it out. It won't matter how many times you say “I'm sorry,” the wound</span><br><span>is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.” And</span><br><span>while we’re thinking of such things, you know who gets the worst of</span><br><span>our poison? Those we especially love- our family and dear friends.</span><br><span>How we act at home and with those we love is the true test of what’s</span><br><span>in our hearts. So remember Jesus warning, it’s not what you put into</span><br><span>your mouth that makes you unclean, but what comes out of your mouth-</span><br><span>because it shows the state of your heart. May God bless us as we</span><br><span>clean up our hearts and watch our mouths.</span><br><span></span><br><span>For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American</span><br><span>wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.</span><br><span>The address is: <a href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.com">http://www.stpaulsepisag.com</a> .</span><br><span></span><br><span>Blessed preaching,</span><br><span>Judy Boli</span><br><span>St. Paul's Episcopal Church</span><br><span>Saginaw, Michigan</span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>