<font color='black' size='4' face='Times New Roman, Times, serif'>Forwarded:<br>
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<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org><br>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org><br>
Sent: Sat, Oct 3, 2015 9:38 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 22B<br>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Dear
Friends,</font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">This
Sunday’s sermon is entitled “A Heart Like Yours- CeCe Winans” or “WWJD (What
Would Jesus Do)- NOW?” and deals with the Gospel (Mark 10:2-16).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here it is:</font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Did you hear the story
of the little boy who was fascinated by the old family Bible that sat on the
living room coffee table?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day as he
was fingering through it, something fell out of the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He picked it up and looked at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed
in between the pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Mama, look what I
found!” the boy called out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What do you
have there, dear?” his mother asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With astonishment in the young boy’s voice, he answered: “It’s really
old- I think it’s Adam’s underwear!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s who we heard about in that extremely ancient story from the Old
Testament book of Genesis- Adam and the creation of Eve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you notice some basic teachings about
marriage?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An ancient Jewish tradition
points out this truth about Eve and her relationship to Adam: “Not from his
head to lord it over him; not from his feet to be lorded over; but from his rib
(next to his heart) to walk side by side as a partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you notice that the Bible describes them
as “one flesh?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This tells us that marriage
is not the ceremony (because there was none), but the coupling- mind to mind,
heart to heart, body to body that constituted the marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The logical extension of this is that if you
are in a sexual, loving relationship with someone (especially if you have a
child by that person), you are also married to that person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These days most people who think they’re
single have actually been married a number of times in God’s eyes.</font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Another story: did you
hear about the conversation between God and Adam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God asked Adam, “What’s wrong with you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I see you do these days is mope
around.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adam said he didn’t have anyone
to talk to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God said he would make a
companion for Adam, and the companion would be a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God said, “This person will gather food for
you; and when you discover clothing, she’ll wash it for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She will always agree with every decision you
make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She will bear your children and
never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She will not nag you and will always be the
first to admit she was wrong when you’ve had a disagreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She will never have a headache and will
freely give you love and passion whenever you want it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adam asked God, “What will a woman like this
cost?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God replied, “An arm and a
leg!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adam commented, “That’s way too
expensive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could I get for a
rib?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest is history!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He got Eve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He got trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He got woman,
actually woe-man!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what I’d like
us to look at for the rest of our sermon- the potential trouble men and women can
get into with their relationships, and – since Jesus specifically addressed it
in today’s gospel- divorce.</font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Did you notice what
Jesus said?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NO DIVORCE, and REMARRIAGE
AFTER DIVORCE PRODUCES ADULTERY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
are really harsh words, and they seem to have absolutely no “wiggle-room.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How is it then that the Episcopal Church
allows divorce plus remarriage after divorce (with the permission of the
bishop)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it because we’re not a
Bible-believing church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not true!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We read more Bible lessons than most denominations
(usually four).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ARE a Bible-believing
church and try to live that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
also an honest church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most churches
work hard to find loop-holes to allow for divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some don’t allow divorce but do declare
annulments to marriages, including many with children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some look the other way when members get a
divorce and then go before the justice of the peace to get married.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many don’t manage to notice when members
“play around”- and you know as well as I do that many a pastor is considered a
“lady’s man.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We Episcopalians work and
struggle to have a livable Bible faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While others seem to ask the question: “What DID Jesus do?” we ask what
WOULD Jesus do if he lived now, here, in the 21</font><sup><font size="2">st</font></sup><font size="3"> century?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To do that, we need to start with what it was
like living when Jesus lived, because this will give us a clue why he said what
he said about divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From that- with
the Spirit’s wisdom to guide us, we can think through what he would probably
say and do today, because it’s clear that marriage and divorce in the first
century are not the same as marriage and divorce in the twenty-first century.</font></font></font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Here are the facts
about life, marriage, and divorce in Jesus’ time:</font></div>
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</font><ol style="list-style-type: decimal; direction: ltr;"><li style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<div style="line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; punctuation-wrap: simple; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;">Marriages were not instituted by the couple falling in
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marriages were arranged by the
parents involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that for a
man to divorce his wife was to dishonor his parents, who had chosen the wife
and contracted for her purchase (bride money- remember, we women were owned by
our men).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It broke the 5<sup>th</sup>
commandment (“Honor your father and your mother.”)</div>
</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; punctuation-wrap: simple; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;">Marriages were between two extended families, not two
individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a male from one family
and a female from another family were offered in marriage, it was frequently
for social, political, or economic reasons; and the two families became one
united family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a man divorced his
wife, it separated the family into two usually-feuding groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bloodshed often followed.</div>
</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; punctuation-wrap: simple; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;">While Roman law allowed a woman to divorce her husband
as well as a husband to divorce his wife, Jewish law did not allow women to
divorce their husbands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only husbands
could divorce wives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Remember- Jesus
was a Jew speaking to Jewish men.)</div>
</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; punctuation-wrap: simple; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;">It was easy for a man to divorce his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some periods of history, all he had to do
was say three times- “I divorce you” and that was it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By Jesus’ time, a written statement that you
are not my wife and I am not your husband was all that was required.</div>
</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; punctuation-wrap: simple; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;">There was no welfare system- no safety net- in Jesus’
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divorce was extremely cruel to
women and children, as is pointed out in the Old Testament book of Malachi (2:13-16)
God said, “You cry noisily and flood the LORD'S altar with your tears, because
he isn't pleased with your offerings and refuses to accept them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why isn't God pleased?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's because he knows that each of you men
has been unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You promised that she would be your partner,
but now you have broken that promise....The LORD God All-Powerful of Israel
hates anyone who is cruel enough to divorce his wife. So take care never to be
unfaithful!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How was divorce cruel?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman had to be under the care of a man all
her life or she and her children had no means of support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a husband divorced his wife, she had five
choices: she could try to get her father, brother, or other male relative to
take her and her children into their home; she could prostitute herself; she
could steal; she could sell herself and her children into slavery; or they
could starve to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No wonder Jesus
prohibited divorce!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a justice issue!</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;"> </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;">What about today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An internet pastor-friend wrote to say that a
member of his congregation came to him in tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had endured an extremely abusive marriage
for years, but now her husband had started to abuse their small son as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking for a friendly shoulder to
cry on, she confided in her sister that she was planning on divorcing him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh!” said her sister in horror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You can’t do that- you’ll go to hell!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friends, my question to you is not what
did Jesus say in those ancient circumstances when women were just about
owned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My question to you is what WOULD
Jesus say to do in today’s circumstances?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I cannot believe he would expect women and children to stay in abusive
situations, because women can now care for their children- alone if
necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not the best way, but
better than being continually mistreated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t get me wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
such thing as a good divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divorce
causes pain, disunity, confused children, economic hardship all around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when hardness of heart causes the death
of a relationship with the accompanying back-biting, sharp tongues, disloyalty,
and potential violence; divorce is often the best of a bunch of bad
choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it what God intends for our
marriages?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it often the result of living is a
sin-sick world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there life in Jesus after divorce?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most certainly.</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;"> </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;">May God bless us all as
we continue to allow his Spirit to turn our hearts of stone into the heart of
his beloved Son; and may we live our lives asking, “What WOULD Jesus do this
time?”</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"> </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-mirror-indents: yes; tab-stops: .25in;">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: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/"><u><font color="#0000ff"></font></u></a><u><font color="#0000ff"><a href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org" target="_blank">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</a></font></u>
.</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"> </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-mirror-indents: yes;">Blessed
preaching,</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-mirror-indents: yes;">Judy
Boli</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-mirror-indents: yes;">St.
Paul's Episcopal Church</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; mso-mirror-indents: yes;">Saginaw,
Michigan</div>
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