<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 9.00.8112.16464"></HEAD>
<BODY leftMargin=0 rightMargin=0 topMargin=0>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Admitting We Need
Help</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Sign seen in a textile
mill, "When your thread becomes tangled, call the foreman." A young woman was
new on the job. Her thread became tangled and she thought, "I'll just straighten
this out myself." She tried, but the situation only worsened. Finally she called
the foreman. "I did the best I could," she said. "No you didn't. To do the best,
you should have called me." </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Traditional</SPAN></P>
<P
style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>___________________________<SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Where Are We At the
Parable's End?<SPAN class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Let's step back outside
with the older brother, still in need of a shower, arms folded across his chest,
the moral high road. "But when this son of yours came back ... you killed the
fatted calf for him." He cannot even bring himself to acknowledge his brother
with a name -- "this son of yours." A sense of unfairness, as you know, can turn
venomous rather quickly. <BR><BR>So where are we at parable's end? Are we inside
the party celebrating? Or are we standing outside with our arms folded, refusing
to come in? Jesus will not tell us how this story will end. The father
passionately invites the older son inside, "pleads with him" to join in the
welcome. Curiously, however, we are never told what the older brother decides to
do. The story ends but it doesn't end. You can almost hear the voice of Walter
Cronkite saying, "You are there." Will we RSVP to a party thrown by an unfair
God? Or will we stubbornly remain outside? In a world where God does not play
fair, this parable forces us to make a choice. Who is the real "prodigal" here?
Who is the real "waster"? From the beginning Jesus says that this is a story
about two brothers. Which one is the authentic prodigal? Which one has yet to
come home to the Father's extravagant love? <SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Frank G. Honeycutt, Sermons
on the Gospel Reading, Cycle C, CSS Publishing</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P
style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>____________________________<SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Our Own Sin Is Hard To
See<SPAN class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Let me tell you a true
story. Back in 1893 there were a group of four sisters. The Cherry Sisters they
called themselves, who made their stage debut in Cedar Rapids in a skit they
wrote themselves. For three years, the Cherry Sisters performed to packed
theaters throughout the Midwest. People came to see them to find out if they
were as bad as they had heard. Their unbelievably atrocious acting enraged
critics and provoked the audience to throw vegetables at the would-be actresses.
Wisely, the sisters thought it best to travel with an iron screen which they
would erect in front of the stage in self-defense.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Amazingly, in 1896 the
girls were offered a thousand dollars a week to perform on Broadway -- not
because they were so good, but because they were so unbelievably bad. Seven
years later, after the Cherry Sisters had earned what in that day was a
respectable fortune of $200,000, they retired from the stage for the peaceful
life back on the farm. Oddly enough, these successful Broadway "stars" remained
convinced to the end that they were truly the most talented actresses ever to
grace the American stage. They never had a clue as to how bad they truly
were!<SPAN class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>The parable this morning
does not tell us what the elder brother did when his father came out to speak to
him. It doesn't reveal to us whether he realized that his envy and disdain had
made him just as bad as his younger brother. Yes, the elder brother had never
stooped to find himself in the pigpens of life. He would never have been caught
dead carousing with prostitutes or wasting his resources in riotous living but
in the end his refusal to rejoice at the return of his sinful brother was, to
Jesus, just as offensive.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>The tragedy was that he
never realized just how bad HE truly was!<SPAN class=838280804-06032013><FONT
color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Lee Griess, Taking The Risk
Out Of Dying, CSS Publishing Company.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>_________________<SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>We Prefer Justice to
Mercy<SPAN class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Perhaps you remember the
cartoon strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is a little boy with an overactive
imagination and a stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who comes to life as his imaginary
friend. In one cartoon strip, Calvin turns to his friend Hobbes and says, "I
feel bad I called Susie names and hurt her feelings. I'm sorry I did that."
Hobbes replies, "Maybe you should apologize to her." Calvin thinks about it for
a moment and then responds, "I keep hoping there's a less obvious solution." We
have trouble accepting those whom God accepts because we take God's acceptance
for granted and God's forgiveness as our right.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>We are much like the elder
brother who preferred justice to mercy. We have worked for what we have (or so
we think), and it's unfair that everyone else should not have to do the same. We
have earned God's favor (or so we think) by "staying at home." We have merited
his acceptance by the good life that we live. So how dare God receive and accept
our sinful brother who has returned home saying he's sorry.<SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Lee Griess, Taking The Risk
Out Of Dying, CSS Publishing Company.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>_______________<SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Who Resented The Prodigal's
Return?<SPAN class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>The Religious Ed teacher
was reading this story of the Prodigal Son to his class, clearly emphasizing the
resentment the older brother expressed at the return of his brother. When he was
finished telling the story, he asked the class, "Now who was really sad that the
prodigal son had come home?" After a few minutes of silence, one little boy
raised his hand and confidently stated, "The fatted calf."</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Staff, <A
title=blocked::http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuAj2FjLiSTCpQOMX07BnLMGP1fXaYmmO9p9Owqj-Il2TjXbmg5GtyFhQBwGiL90j1mBw_2DMKVtKLJpgMPEhWFc16h4Y2t5yM=
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuAj2FjLiSTCpQOMX07BnLMGP1fXaYmmO9p9Owqj-Il2TjXbmg5GtyFhQBwGiL90j1mBw_2DMKVtKLJpgMPEhWFc16h4Y2t5yM="
shape=rect target=_blank>www.Sermons.com</A></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>______________</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>What the World Expects of
the Church</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>On a cold, dreary December
evening, several hundred people gathered at a large downtown church in
Winston-Salem to celebrate the Christmas season. Bishop Ernest Fitzgerald,
present that evening, had gone down a long hallway to help a small boy who was
pushing against massive oak doors trying to get outside. The boy was about 2
years old and as he pushed he was crying as if his heart would break.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>The Bishop picked him up,
thinking he belonged to someone at one of the Christmas parties but as he opened
the doors and looked outside he spotted an old-model car speeding away in the
darkness. Gradually, it dawned on him that the child he held in his arms had
been abandoned.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Phone calls were made, and
soon the church was filled with people wanting to help in any way they could.
Within moments, the local TV stations interrupted their usual programs to ask if
anyone knew the identity of the little boy. The next morning, one of the city's
newspapers put the child's picture on the front page. Under the picture there
was an article describing the events of the evening before. The article began
with this striking line: "Someone trusted the church last night, and the church
came through!"</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Bishop Fizgerald later
reflected on this event and wrote these words...<SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">The rest of this illustration and
<SPAN>many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Holy Week, and
Easter can be accessed at <A
title=blocked::http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuAj2FjLiSTCpQOMX07BnLMGP1fXaYmmO9p9Owqj-Il2TjXbmg5GtyFhQBwGiL90j1mBw_2DMKVtKLJpgMPEhWFc16h4Y2t5yM=
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuAj2FjLiSTCpQOMX07BnLMGP1fXaYmmO9p9Owqj-Il2TjXbmg5GtyFhQBwGiL90j1mBw_2DMKVtKLJpgMPEhWFc16h4Y2t5yM="
shape=rect target=_blank>www.Sermons.com</A>. <SPAN
class=838280804-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=838280804-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P></BODY></HTML>