<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body ><div>Forwarded:</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div style="font-size:8px;color:#575757">From my Android phone on T-Mobile. The first nationwide 4G network.</div></div><br><br>-------- Original message --------<br>From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org> <br>Date:11/07/2015 10:16 PM (GMT-05:00) <br>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> <br>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 27B <br><br><div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Dear
Friends,</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><font color="#000000">This
Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Money” and deals with the gospel (Mark 12:38-44).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font></font><font color="#000000" size="3">Here it is:</font></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">In today’s Gospel, we heard how the leaders of the Jewish people gave
money for show; and we heard how a poor widow gave all she had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">Jesus pointed out that she only put in two
small coins.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">How did he know?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">In those days, people didn’t use collection
plates for collecting tithes and offerings.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Instead, there was a winding metal tube that led from an above
ground-level collection spot down to the safe way below ground.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Have you ever opened a bank full of coins and
emptied it on the cashier’s desk at a bank?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">You know the noise it makes?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Well,
when people dropped a lot of coins in the collection tube, they did the same
thing- they clattered and clanged through the metal tube all the way to the
safe.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Everybody standing around could
hear how much people donated, because they could hear how much noise the money
made as it banged against the tubing.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Jesus
pointed out that the prominent, rich people give some of what they had, but the
poor widow gave her all.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Those two coins
were about the amount she would need for dinner, and she gave them to God.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">What’s the point?</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: normal;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Money doesn’t buy happiness</span></b><span style="background: lime; font-size: 11pt; mso-highlight: lime;">:</span></font><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000"> These Bible lessons hit very close to home, because
they run opposite to the brainwashing of our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">From everywhere we are bombarded with
messages to get all that we can get, get it first, and get the most- in other
words, be greedy.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The favorite pastime of
many American women is shopping.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">What do
we do when we shop?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">We look around at
malls until we find something we like, then we buy it.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">How many pairs of shoes does one person
need?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">God has no problem with us having
what we need, it is the surplus that creates the problem.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Did you hear the story of the little boy who
was in the lunch line at his parochial school?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">At the front of the line was a beautiful bowl of apples.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">In front of the apples was a sign- “Take only
one.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">God is watching you!”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">When he got to the end of the line, he saw a
bowl of even-better-looking cookies.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He
got his pencil and made a matching sign, which read- “Take as many cookies as
you want.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">God is watching the
apples.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The problem is, our society is
selling us a lie along with the shoes and apples and cookies.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">We’ll find out, new stuff makes us happy in
the short term, it doesn’t make us happy or satisfied in the long term. </font></span></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000">Everything we have is God’s:</font></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000"> There’s a wise saying by Paul Azinger (87<sup>th</sup></font><font color="#000000">
PGA champion) that says: “I don’t know how big your house is, how much money
you have, or how nice your car is.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">But…we came into this world with nothing, and we are leaving with nothing.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Everything we get along the way is a blessing
from God.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Have you ever been in a hurry
to get dressed and your dog decided to play tug-of-war with the sock you’re
trying to put on?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">You know how tightly
he or she holds on to that sock?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">That’s
how some of us hold on to our money and possessions.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Back to the dog-sock illustration- whose sock
is it?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Sure ours, but the dog acts like
it’s his or hers.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">We hold on to our
possessions as if they’re ours, but whose stuff is it really?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Of course- God’s.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Everything we have, everything we buy,
everything we store is God’s.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">God has
simply trusted us as the managers of his resources.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you remember the parable Jesus told of the
servants who were entrusted with the master’s money.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Two invested it and gave a tidy sum to the
master on his return.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The servant
described as “unfaithful” was afraid to invest it, so he hid it in the
ground.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you recall the disapproval he
faced on the master’s return?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Not only
do we face an unhappy Lord when we die, we face a difficult life now.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">How many families have had relationships
destroyed over money and possessions when a father or mother dies?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">A thought for the week that we’ve used many
times reminds us that “The most important things in your home are the people”
(Anonymous). </font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Think about it.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Money will buy:</font></span></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">A bed, but not sleep;</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Books, but not brains;</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Food, but not
appetite;</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Clothes, but not
beauty;</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">A house, but not a
home;</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Fun, but not
happiness;</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">A crucifix, but not a
savior;</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">A church pew, but not
heaven.</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000">You can’t take it with you!</font></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">There’s an old
saying that illustrates this third life lesson: “I’ve never seen a hearse with
a U-Haul behind it.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">(The Rev. Bill
Gruen, Jr., Princeton, Indiana).</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Did you
hear about the woman who lost her purse?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">She was relieved when she got a phone call from the bus company saying
she had left it under the seat, and everything was safe and sound.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">When she went to reclaim her purse, she found
the contents spread out on the counter, since an inventory had to be made by
the driver.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">This wasn’t surprising, but
she also found herself surrounded by three other drivers.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">“I hope you don’t mind if we watch, ma’am.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Even though we all tried, none of us could
fit everything back into the purse, and we’d like to see just how you do
it.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Sometimes our greedy lives get like
that purse- so full of things that there’s no room for God.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">A life built on material things is sad,
lonely, and ultimately wasted.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">“Only one
life- will soon be past.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Only what’s
done for God will last.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">So be rich in
the sight of God.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Remember how Jesus
said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">We need room in our hearts for God.</font></span></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">So check yourself out:</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">(Continued in Part 2)</span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes; tab-stops: .25in;"><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 href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/"><u><font color="#0000ff" face="Times New Roman" size="3">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</font></u></a><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
.</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Blessed
preaching,</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Judy
Boli</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">St.
Paul's Episcopal Church</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Saginaw,
Michigan</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></div>
<p></p>
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