<font color='black' size='4' face='Times New Roman, Times, serif'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" width="100%"><table style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; MARGIN: 5.5px 0px" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman, Times, serif; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; TEXT-DECORATION: none" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" width="380">January 6, 2012</td><td style="color:#FFFFFF;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;text-decoration:none;font-size:12pt;TEXT-ALIGN: right; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="right" width="180"><br>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color:#E6E6E6;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" bgcolor="#E6E6E6" width="100%">
<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color:#E6E6E6;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#E6E6E6" width="100%">
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td rowspan="1" colspan="1"><hr size="1"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; DISPLAY: table" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman, Times; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span><span>Sermons for Epiphany </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Matthew 2:1-12 - <strong>"Another Road"</strong></span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Matthew 2:1-12 <span>- <strong>"</strong></span><strong>A Baby Changes Everything"</strong><span> by Leonard Sweet</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Matthew 2<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">,</font></font> the sermon title "Another Road" </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>I want to start
this morning by taking a short poll. First: How many of you still have
your Christmas Tree up? Second: What do you have on the top of your
Christmas tree, a star or an angel. How many of you have stars on top of
your tree? How many of you have angels? </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The reason I asked
the first question is: Christmas, from the Christian perspective isn't
truly over until January 6th or Epiphany, the day we traditionally
celebrate the visit by the Wise Men. The reason I asked the second
question is: I think there are two types of people. Some are star people
and some are angel people. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Biblically, the
Angel represents those who had been waiting for the Messiah, for a sign
from God, for a long time, like the Shepherds. They knew what the Angel
meant when he told them about a Savior, a Messiah. They remembered the
old prophecies. They remembered with anticipation. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>And the Star was
for those who were still searching, those still unsure, those still with
questions, those on a quest to find out about this mystery and message
from God wrapped up in human flesh and swaddling clothes. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A friend reminded me that God sent both the Angel and the Star because God always meets us where we are... </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 sermon can be obtained by joining <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__909411652__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001v-A02_4yPf2uNfkvf13mvSLK6tHRIiG3ezQr7XXmJnwX6dyM3g9uSoc28sjhumohKR9KRjYSV2tI0tiMP4sepw7bnHPsMPreA8EBOOuUSU4F7XB6tyZdeGCp6DhxYI7h"><span>http://www.sermons.com/signup</span></a></span><span> </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> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Matthew 2<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">,</font></font> for the sermon titled "A Baby Changes Everything" </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Never leave dry dog
food or cat food outside overnight. If you do, chances are that sooner
or later something other than your furry family member will amble up to
help themselves. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>One of the most
startling creatures to belly-up to the kibble buffet is the opossum.
'Possums aren't particularly dangerous to humans (unless they are
rabid). But they have mastered the art of looking scary. Flick on the
porch light and catch a possum snout down in the dog's bowl and you will
be rewarded with glowing red eyes, snarling sharp teeth, grisly
growling, and a horrible hissing sound. Not to mention the fact that a
possum looks a whole lot like a huge, giant rat. It's actually a
marsupial, more related to a kangaroo or a koala bear. Opossums are to
koala bears what raccoons are to red panda bears. But after one
nighttime encounter with a startled opossum, you'll think "Rat." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>But if you step
slowly outside to confront the critter, instead of rushing it and
leaving it feeling cornered, the possum is far more likely to suddenly
shift from scary to supine. The phrase, "playing possum" comes from the
very real defensive technique possum's employ when they are confronted
by a larger opponent. They fall over, go stiff, and for all the world,
look as dead as a doornail. The possum's strategy is that if they look
like they are dead and gone, then their enemy will give them a sniff or
two and then leave them there to rot. When the danger - whether a
person, a dog, a cat, or a car - has passed, the possum miraculously
comes back to life and trundles off - after finishing the remainder of
Fido's food, of course. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>"Playing possum" is a trait human's have mastered as well...</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 sermon can be obtained by joining <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__909411652__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001v-A02_4yPf2uNfkvf13mvSLK6tHRIiG3ezQr7XXmJnwX6dyM3g9uSoc28sjhumohKR9KRjYSV2tI0tiMP4sepw7bnHPsMPreA8EBOOuUSU4F7XB6tyZdeGCp6DhxYI7h"><span>http://www.sermons.com/signup</span></a></span><span> </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><br>
Where Are You Looking for God?</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>We begin with a
story from a collection of the lives of saints - the saints of Islam -
which concerns a king of Balkh (now northern Afghanistan), named Ebrahim
ibn Adam. Ebrahim was wealthy according to every earthly measure. At
the same time, however, he sincerely and restlessly strove to be wealthy
spiritually as well.<br>
<br>
"One night the king was roused from sleep
by a fearful stumping on the roof above his bed. Alarmed, he shouted:
'Who's there?' 'A friend,' <span>came</span> the reply from the roof.
'I've lost my camel.' Perturbed by such stupidity, Ebrahim screamed:
'You fool! Are you looking for a camel on the roof?' 'You fool!' the
voice from the roof answered. 'Are you looking for God in silk clothing,
and lying on a golden bed?' The story goes on, according to Jesuit
theologian Walter G. <span>Burghardt</span>, to tell how these simple
words filled the king with such terror that he arose from his sleep to
become a most remarkable saint (Still Proclaiming your Wonders: Homilies
for the Eighties [New York: <span>Paulist</span> Press, 1984], 55).<br>
<br>
The camel on the roof raises the Epiphany question, <span>Where</span> are you looking for God? This compelling question of life properly stands at the beginning of a new year, just as <span>Where</span> have you found God? <span>nicely</span> serves as a question to cap a year's closing.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons, <a shape="rect"><span>www.Sermons.com</span></a></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> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The Parable of the Birds</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Do you remember
Louis Cassels' famous parable of the birds? It was Christmas Eve and the
man's wife and children were getting ready to go to church. He wasn't
going. "I simply can't understand what Christmas is all about, this
claim that God became man," he told his wife. <br>
<br>
It had been
snowing all day and it was beginning to snow harder as the man's family
rode off to church without him. He drew a chair up to the fireplace and
began to read his newspaper. <br>
<br>
A few minutes later, there was a
thudding sound at the kitchen window. When he went to investigate, he
found a flock of birds out in the back yard. They had been caught in the
storm, and in a desperate search for shelter, were trying to fly
through the kitchen window. He was a very kind man so he tried to think
of something he could do so the birds wouldn't freeze. "The barn!" he
thought. That would be a nice shelter. <br>
<br>
He put on his coat and
overshoes and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn and opened
the door wide and turned on the light. But the birds didn't come in.
Food will bring them in he thought. So he hurried back to the house for
bread crumbs which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail to the barn.
<br>
<br>
But the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop
around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by
walking around waving his arms. They scattered in every direction except
into the warm, lighted barn. "They find me a strange and terrifying
creature," he said to himself, "and I can't seem to think of any way to
let them know they can trust me." <br>
<br>
Puzzled and dismayed, he
pondered this thought, "If only I could be a bird myself for the moment,
perhaps I could lead them to safety." If only I could be a bird myself .
. . <br>
<br>
Just then the church bells began to ring, pealing the glad
tidings of Christmas. The man stood silently for a minute, then sank to
his knees in the snow. <br>
<br>
"Now I understand," he whispered as he lifted his gaze to the sky. "Now I see why You had to become man."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Louis Cassels, The Parable of the Birds</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><br>
</span></div>
</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></font>