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From: Judy <<a href="mailto:judy_boli@ecunet.org" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;">judy_boli@ecunet.org</a>><br>
To: Propertalk <<a href="mailto:propertalk.topic@ecunet.org" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;">propertalk.topic@ecunet.org</a>><br>
Sent: Sat, Oct 24, 2015 8:18 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 25B<br>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Dear Friends,</font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><font color="#000000">This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “‘LIFE’ is Centered in ‘THE BIG IF!” or “The Great Unknown” </font></font><font color="#000000" size="3">and deals with Halloween and a Christian understanding of death).</font><font color="#000000" size="3"> </font><font color="#000000" size="3">Here it is:</font></font></div>
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<div style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">You know what holiday is coming up this coming Saturday? </font><font color="#000000">Please allow me to be the first person to wish you and yours a Happy Halloween!</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">There’s an ancient Scottish group prayer called a litany.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">It goes: “From ghosties and ghoulies and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night- good Lord deliver us!”</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Did you hear the story about 5-year old Johnny?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">He was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. “Hey mom!” he said.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">“It’s dark in there and I’m scared.” She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, “It’s OK—Jesus will be in there with you.” Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: “Jesus, if you’re in there, would you please hand me that can of tomato soup?”</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Been there; done that!</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">We may not be afraid of a dark pantry, but we surely do know what it feels like to be afraid of the unknown- doctor’s reports, test results, financial problems, moving to a new location, and on…and on…and on- the great “IF” that’s at the center of life.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">That’s one of the reasons Halloween is so popular.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">It gives us a chance to poke fun at those ghosties and ghoulies that populate our nightmares.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Of all the things that go “bump in the night,” the one that scares us the most often- the biggest “IF” of all- is death.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Did you hear the story of the three friends standing around the casket of a co-worker?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">The pastor was there and asked: “When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning, what would you like to hear them say about you?”</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">The first person says, “I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man.”</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">The second person says, “I would like to hear that I was a wonderful wife and school teacher who made a huge difference in the next generation."</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">The last person replies, “I would like to hear them say, ‘Look! He's moving!’”</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">We have all sorts of ways to avoid thinking about death.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">We seldom say someone died; instead we say that they “passed away.”</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Undertakers make the departed look as if they are in the best of health- just asleep.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Often loved ones won’t talk about their impending death- everyone pretends all is fine.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">In Hispanic culture, Halloween is celebrated as “The Day of the Dead,” so this morning, I’d like us to think about a hard subject: DEATH.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Specifically, I’d like us to think about what the Bible and the church teach us about death and the implications for our own personal lives right now.</font><font color="#000000"> </font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">FIRST- DEATH IS A BIRTH PROCESS. </font><font color="#000000">The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on </font><font color="#000000">January 15, and our society honors him on this day- which is fine- actually- it’s about time. </font><font color="#000000">The church, however, also honors him on April 4, the day of his death.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Why?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Because all of the saints are honored on their death day, since that day is an even more important birthday- their birthday into heaven.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">For us to remember- dying is a birth process.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">It is our birth into the next stage of our life.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">We’ve gone from being in the womb to being born into this training ground- Earth to being born into heaven.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Getting dead is frequently extremely unpleasant (as is any birth process), but being dead on the Earth is wonderful because it means we have been born into heaven.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">The nice thing is- we won’t have to wait.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">When did Jesus say the penitent thief would see him?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">(Yes, today.)</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">SECOND- WE WILL HAVE BODIES LIKE JESUS’ RESURRECTED BODY. </font><font color="#000000">You know how people tend to wonder what kind of body we will have in heaven. </font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">In fact, some people wonder if we will have a body at all, or if we will just be like ghosts.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">If they read the Bible, they would know.</font><font color="#000000"> St. Paul</font><font color="#000000"> reminds the Corinthian church that Jesus is the firstfruit (1</font><sup><font color="#000000">st</font></sup><font color="#000000"> Corinthians </font><font color="#000000">15: 23</font><font color="#000000">).</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Who loves tomatoes?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">You know that first tomato that you pick from the vine every summer- how wonderful it tastes!</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">When you bite into that tomato, you know it’s only the firstfruit- there are more to come.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Our heavenly body will be like Jesus’ resurrected body.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">THIRD- YES, OUR DEAR ONES KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING DOWN HERE. </font><font color="#000000">Do you recall how the author of the Hebrews reminds us that since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (those who have died), let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1)?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">It’s like we are in a huge stadium with those we love who have already made their transition cheering us on and encouraging us and praying for us.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Let me give you two examples.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Think back how hard Rev. Sims tried to get us to sing loudly to the glory of God.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">He fussed and begged and pleaded and almost threatened to get our congregation to sing, with very mixed results.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Now that Rev. Stan’s in heaven with Jesus, look how well we sing!</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">It’s amazing, but we shouldn’t be surprised- he’s probably bringing our voices and worship to Jesus.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Now tell me- how can we not sing?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Another example: When I was a little girl, I loved Superman; in fact I loved him so much that I used to put a towel on my shoulders like a cape and try to fly off the kitchen table.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Well, Kathy Wilson Thompson has a daughter who visits us occasionally- Taylor (Carla’s niece and my honorary grand-daughter). When Taylor was six-years-old, she was also fascinated with flying- so fascinated with it that she tried flying off the second floor railing in her home and landed flat on her back.</font><font color="#000000"> 9-1-1</font><font color="#000000"> was immediately called, everyone expected the worst; but </font><font color="#000000">Taylor</font><font color="#000000"> emerged without even a scratch and without even losing consciousness.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Who do you think was praying for her at the very throne of God?</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">Sure, probably Lucille Wilson- her beloved grandmother (John Wilson’s wife; Carla’s mother) who had died about three years earlier.</font><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000">So count on those prayers and don’t do anything in this life that would disappoint those you love in the next; because they can see you.</font></font></span></div>
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