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<div style="font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; text-indent: 0.5in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font><font color="#000000">[Part 2]</font></font></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; text-indent: 0.5in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><br>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; text-indent: 0.5in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Out of the strange life of one of God’s greatest prophets, what’s the message for us?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Here are five thoughts:</font></font></span></div>
<font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica" size="3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font><font face="arial, helvetica"><span style="font-size: 13.3333330154419px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 13.3333330154419px;"></span></font>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">1)</font><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-stretch: normal;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">John didn’t follow the crowd and neither should we.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Don’t worry what everyone expects you to do.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Instead, be true to yourself and your Christian values- especially “Love one another as much as I have loved you.</font></font></span></div>
<font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica" size="3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font><font face="arial, helvetica"><span style="font-size: 13.3333330154419px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 13.3333330154419px;"></span></font>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">2)</font><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-stretch: normal;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Be careful about judging people by their appearances- these days: tattoos, piercings, drooping pants, hair, etc.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Look, if John the Baptist walked in here right now, I’m here to tell you that we’d probably get a little nervous because (to put it mildly) he’d look different.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Actually, we’d probably wonder if we had a crazy man in here!</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">If we didn’t take him seriously, we would have missed one of the holiest people in the Bible.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Remember, Jesus comes to us in other people.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">(“Whatever you do to the least of these, my sisters or brothers, you do to me.”)</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Don’t diminish anyone just because of how he looks or talks or what she wears.</font></font></span></div>
<font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica" size="3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font><font face="arial, helvetica"><span style="font-size: 13.3333330154419px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 13.3333330154419px;"></span></font>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">3)</font><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-stretch: normal;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">We love second chances for ourselves.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">As God has given us many second chances, so must we do the same for others.</font></font></span></div>
<font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica" size="3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font><font face="arial, helvetica"><span style="font-size: 13.3333330154419px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 13.3333330154419px;"></span></font>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">4)</font><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-stretch: normal;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Watch those promises.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Be careful about making them, and if you realize you’ve made an unloving one- face up to it and risk looking foolish, but don’t keep it.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Love, not honor, is our Christian expectation.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">5)</font><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-stretch: normal;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">If you meet people who aren’t quite sure about this “Jesus event,” be kind.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Remember, even John had his doubts when times were hard and he was in prison.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></div>
<font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica" size="3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font><font face="arial, helvetica"><span style="font-size: 13.3333330154419px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 13.3333330154419px;"></span></font>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">May God bless us as we try to faithfully follow our Lord in this difficult world.</font></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American wisdom statements are posted on our parish’s web site under “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: </font><a target="_blank" href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;"><u><font color="#0000ff" face="Times New Roman" size="3"></font></u></a><u><font color="#0000ff" face="Times New Roman" size="3"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</a></font></u> <font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">.</font></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Blessed preaching,</font></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Judy Boli</font></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">St. Paul's Episcopal Church</font></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13.3333330154419px; margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Saginaw, Michigan</font></div>
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