<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:04/16/2016 8:33 PM (GMT-05:00) <br>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> <br>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter 4C <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;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Dear Friends,</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;"><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;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “To Whom Are You
Listening?” or “Do You Qualify?” and deals with all the lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">Here it is: </font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></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;"><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 face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Does anyone remember to old hymn- “Jesus Calls Us,” by
Cecil Alexander?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">It goes like this:</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.5in; line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">“Jesus
calls us over the tumult of our life’s wild, restless, sea;</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.5in; line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Day by
day His sweet voice soundeth, saying, ‘Christian, follow Me!’”</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"><font color="#000000">Today’s gospel says the same thing- just not in
song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">Jesus says, “My sheep know my
voice, and I know them. They follow me, and I give them eternal life, so that
they will never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my hand” (John </font><st1:time w:st="on" hour="10" minute="27"><font color="#000000">10:27</font></st1:time><font color="#000000">-28).</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: 8pt;"><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 face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Did you notice the wonderful promises for God’s
sheep?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">They’re proclaimed in today’s
Bible readings.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">I’m just going to list
them here:</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><ol type="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" start="1"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><li style="line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Eternal life</span></li><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><li style="line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Never lost</span></li><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><li style="line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">No one can snatch them out of God’s hand.</span></li><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></ol><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">Then we have all the comforting promises in the 23<sup>rd</sup></font><font color="#000000">
Psalm.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">We recite it at every
funeral.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Let’s say the King James
Version of that beloved Psalm together: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not
want.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”</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: 8pt;"><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 face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">There’s only one problem- true enough- these are wonderful promises,
but- do you qualify?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">Let me tell you a
story that hopefully will clarify this question.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Until the terrible war and violence erupted
all over the </font><font color="#000000">Middle East</font><font color="#000000">, I used to want to go
to </font><font color="#000000">Israel</font><font color="#000000">
and walk on the very ground that Jesus trod.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Our wonderful friend- now in heaven with her Lord, Deacon Joan Kemp
actually made it, and this story is about a traveler who also made it.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He truly had a chance to see sheep following
their own particular shepherd.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">“This
tourist was traveling in the </font><font color="#000000">Middle East</font><font color="#000000">. He
saw three shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water from a
brook. One of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, ‘Manah.
Manah. Manah.’ (Manah means, ‘follow me’ in Arabic.) Immediately his sheep
separated themselves from the rest and followed him.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Then one of the two remaining shepherds
called out, ‘Manah. Manah.’ and his sheep left the common flock to follow him.
The traveler then said to the third shepherd, ‘I would like to try that. Let me
put on your cloak and turban and see if I can get the rest of the sheep to
follow me.’</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The shepherd smiled
knowingly as the traveler wrapped himself in the cloak, put the turban on his
head and called out, ‘Manah. Manah.’ The sheep did not respond to the
stranger's voice. Not one of them moved toward him. ‘Will the sheep ever follow
someone other than you?’ The traveler asked.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">‘Oh yes,’ the shepherd replied, ‘sometimes a sheep gets sick, and then
it will follow anyone.’” (John M. Braaten, </font><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><font color="#000000">The
Greatest Wonder of All</font></i><font color="#000000">)</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></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: 8pt;"><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 face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">The answer to the question: “Do you qualify?” depends on you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">You know, we live in a sick, polluted culture
of violence, greed, selfishness, and misuse of God’s precious gift of sex.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">American culture’s chief value can be summed
up in four words: “It’s all about me!”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Have you been brainwashed by American culture’s values, or are you true
to Jesus values?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Which shepherd do you
follow?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Look at your actions- don’t
bother to listen to your words, as you decide.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">I’m about to meddle.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you
courageously speak God’s truth to help a victim, or do you remain silent-
afraid to be called a snitch.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Are you
completely honest, or do you take what is not yours if you can get away with
it?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you keep your promises- even if
you don’t feel like it, or do you make excuses?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Do you help only yourself or those in your family, or do you lend a hand
to anyone who needs it?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Are you loyal to
your boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other, fiancé, wife; or do you have
affairs behind their back?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you come
to church every Sunday, or only when it’s not too inconvenient?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you cheat to win and/or get good grades,
or are you a person of honor?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you act
like a devil behind the wheel, but then like a Christian in church, or do you
respect others- even when no one knows who you are?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you follow your peers, or do you think for
yourself?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">How do you act when you’re
really angry or frustrated?</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: 8pt;"><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 face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">I can hear you now- “Oh, Rev. Judy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">You don’t understand!”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">If you’re thinking this, you need to know- I
DO understand!</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">I understand following
Jesus as your shepherd requires love for God, dedication, and
self-sacrifice.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The devil’s way starts
out as the easy way.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Do you remember
last week’s thought for the week: “How do you want to spend eternity- smoking
or non-smoking?”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">I intend to follow
Jesus and not our sick culture; and I intend to attain God’s promises.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">What about you?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Amen.</font></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; tab-stops: .25in;"><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; tab-stops: .25in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">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">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</font></u></a><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;"><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;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Blessed preaching,</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;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Judy Boli</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;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">St. Paul's Episcopal Church</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;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Saginaw, Michigan</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></div>
<p></p>
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