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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Sermons for Proper 27</div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 12:38-44</span><span> - <strong>"</strong></span><strong>Giving"</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 12:38-44</span><span> <span>- <strong>"</strong></span><strong>The Lost Five Commandments"</strong><span> by Leonard Sweet</span></span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 12<font size="4">,</font> the sermon title "</span>Giving"<span> <br>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>There was a man who
called at the church and asked if he could speak to the Head Hog at the
trough. The secretary said, "Who?" Then she gathered herself and said
"Sir, if you mean our pastor you will have to treat him with a little
more respect than that and ask for the 'Reverend' or 'The Pastor.' But
certainly you cannot refer to him as the Head Hog at the Trough." The
man said, "I understand. I was calling because I have $10,000 I was
thinking about donating to the building fund." She said, "Hold on for
just a moment - I think the big pig just walked in the door."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Now I am sure the
secretary wouldn't treat me like that, some of the laity perhaps but not
the secretary! But we all are subject to changing our tune when money
is suddenly involved. That is why this passage of Scripture has been an
enduring image throughout the ages. We play favorites. We treat those
who give more as if they are the pillars on which the church is erected.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>But consider with
me another image. Jesus, sitting opposite the place where the offerings
were put, is observing the people make their donations as they come into
the temple. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The full text of the following sermon is available at <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__1197341827__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AovHxoSOy2E5s5HF-oRtqHylPxSofcXSevZvERUvICs3sYCZLXXCBGM9X9aSta6F4gR_UcSJhpSXYwsKGZnWPInw_CvAudOEVoIMc4sD8nU="><span>www.Sermons.com</span></a></span><span>. Sign up today at: <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__1197341827__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AovHxoSOy2H1CtFgX2Jz267hE8WEvFVhAScl1W0hjo-qsD52QFuCRgON3TJc7tavN95JydpJDvpnxKHpXzy-S8bAeL8cItCFaWHTmwuMe4TTBfXTLVo2lWaQQoXRMom5">http://www.sermons.com/signup</a></span><span> Or call: 1-800-777-7731.</span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Members: See Mark 12 for the sermon titled "</span><span>The Lost Five Commandments</span><span>"</span><span> by Leonard Sweet </span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>When Moses
descended from the heights of Mount Sinai, he juggled in his arms not
two but three Tablets of the Covenant, with five commandments inscribed
on each. At least that's how Mel Brooks tells it in his classic comedy
"History of the World, Part I." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>'Hear me, o hear
me! All pay heed!' the movie Moses proclaims. 'The Lord, the Lord
Jehovah, has given unto you these fifteen . . . [One stone tablet drops
and shatters. A perplexed Moses looks down and mutters 'Oy!'] . . . ten,
TEN commandments for all to obey!'</span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Of course, it never
really happened that way. But what if it had? What if God had
originally meant to give us fifteen commandments, and five got lost?"</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>What are the "Lost
Five commandments," the "Other Five Commandments?" We can all wonder
what was on that "lost tablet" and can nominate whatever five
commandments we would like to add to God's "perfect ten." So this is a
very personal list...</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>You Never Missed It</span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A priest once asked
one of his parishioners to serve as financial chairman of his parish.
The man, manager of a grain elevator, agreed on two conditions: no
report would be due for a year, and no one would ask any questions
during the year. At the end of the year he made his report. He had paid
off the church debt of $200,000. He had redecorated the church. He had
sent money to missions. He had $5,000 in the bank. Needless to say,
everyone wanted to know how. The man quietly explained, "You people
bring your grain to my elevator. As you did business with me, I simply
withheld 10 percent and gave it to the church. You never missed it." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>David E. Leininger, The View from Jesus' Pew</span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Giving Till It Hurts</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Don't give till it
hurts. Give till it helps. The story is told of a very wealthy man who
had never been known for his generosity to the church. The church was
involved in a big financial program and they resolved to pay him a
visit. When the committee met with the man one afternoon, they said that
in view of his considerable resources they were sure that he would like
to make a substantial contribution to this program.</span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>"I see," he said,
"so you have it all figured out have you? In the course of your
investigation did you discover that I have a widowed mother who has no
other means of support but me?" No, they responded, they did not know
that. "Did you know that I have a sister who was left by a drunken
husband with five children and no means to provide for them?" No, they
said, we did not know that either. "Well, sir, did you know also that I
have a brother who is handicapped due to an automobile accident and can
never work another day to support his wife and family?" </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Embarrassingly,
they responded, no sir, we did not know that either. "Well," he
thundered triumphantly, "I've never given any of them a cent so why
should I give anything to you?"</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Like that man, most
of us never give till it hurts or helps. It is interesting to me that
people who tithe in the church never speak of it as hurting. My wife and
I tithe and it has not made life painful for us in the least. We
started discussing some days ago what our pledge to the church for next
year would be and how we could increase it. That doesn't sound like it
hurts does it? It is the grudging giver, who is the one who always
registers the complaint: At that church all they talk about is money."
So let us get off of this notion of give till it hurts so that we affirm
we give till it helps.</span></div>
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