<html><body>The second part<div><br></div><div><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> That woman isn’t typical of all
mothers. I know that. Nor are all fathers abusive. But one is one too many. And
we know that there are way more than one who betray the image of God within
them, who, for whatever reason, turn their back on seeking help.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Perhaps that’s all that’s necessary.
Open discussion of the problems; a willingness to admit a lack of understanding
and a need for help. However it happens, we know that every betrayal <b><u>IS</u></b> serious; that every betrayal <b><u>DOES</u></b> hurt and damage others and
ourselves, if not physically, then certainly emotionally and spiritually. <b><u>THAT</u></b> is why betrayals of any
sort carry such tremendous consequences.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> But here’s where the Good News comes
in – the Easter that is always present and living within us. The passage read
from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles describes how Peter discovered that
God was leading him to change. He’d allowed his devotion to the law and customs
to blind him to the scope of God’s love. As John was shown in the vision granted
him, <b><u>ALL</u></b> things are in the
process of being made new. There’s nothing, nothing at all, that cannot be
changed in our lives – if we don’t betray our faith, betray God, by assuming
that there are some things that God doesn’t want to change; that there are some
people whom God has no interest in reaching, and loving back into a healthy
relationship in the group.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> On Friday night, people around the
world who followed Jewish customs and ritual emphasised the family nature of
life. They told stories and sang songs of the way God has a personal
relationship with all of us, and seeks to help us live out to the fullest our
potential as human beings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> What is scary about our lives is
that it remains so easy for us to betray. As one cleric put it, “The Episcopal
Church tries to open its arms to all the diversity of God’s creation; and
although it fails miserably at times, it never stops trying.” <sup>3</sup><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> We have to remember, for ourselves
as much as for others, that there are signs of God’s love which we must carry
with us through life. They may not look like Trolley, but they can certainly
take on the properties. The lilies have gone from in front of the Altar. But
they are still there, and the plants are waiting to be planted in someone’s
garden as signs from God. The bare cross in the Narthex is still there. And there
<b><u>ARE</u></b> other signs all around
us, signs of the love of God which overcomes even the fiercest betrayal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 8.35pt 0.0001pt 0in;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Suzanne Guthrie wrote, “</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">How DID Jesus love us? By
befriending and eating with outcasts and sinners, collaborators and
prostitutes, the unclean, the impure, the unloved. By stretching the boundaries
of his own love. By self-sacrificial life and death. By this everyone will know
that you are my disciples, if you have this kind of love for one another.” <sup>4</sup></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 8.35pt 0.0001pt 0in;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Within
a few hours of Jesus’ comments to His disciples, Jesus is taken. He is
betrayed. He is nailed to a cross as a dangerous, crazy man who preached love
over everything else; within a few hours, Jesus added to the Good News. He
said, “Father, forgive them.” And He meant it about everyone, absolutely
everyone, no matter what each had done to betray the love of God. There is
nothing, there is no one, who is not forgiven, who is not drawn into the
family. And <b><u>WE</u></b> – you and I – are here because of that. So we must
be here and everywhere for anyone and everyone else.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 8.35pt 0.0001pt 0in;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Love
<b><u>DOES</u></b> win! Hope <b><u>IS</u></b> always present. Betrayals, no
matter how serious, are <b><u>NOT</u></b> the end. Jesus <b><u>STILL</u></b>
calls us to the Altar – everyone of us, to feed and to be renewed. As there was
an empty chair at the table last Friday night, so there is <b><u>ALWAYS</u></b>
a place set and waiting at God’s banquet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 8.35pt 0.0001pt 0in;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> THANKS
BE TO GOD!</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">NOTES:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> From <i>“The Ten Plagues”</i> in a Passover Haggadah<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
font-weight:normal;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">2</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-weight:normal;
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222;
font-weight:normal"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjpmdmszaXMAhUQ-2MKHTI0AzsQFggfMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdedalvs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F129269968477%2Fsuricattus-clanwilliam-ellidfics&usg=AFQjCNFcR8dYYbsxlLoBNJSWuEXix21Gew"><span style="color:#660099">clanwilliam: ellidfics - Imeimei - Tumblr</span></a> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#006621;font-weight:normal;mso-bidi-font-weight:
bold">dedalvs.tumblr.com/post/129269968477/suricattus-clanwilliam-ellidfics</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray"><o:p> </o:p></span></h3>
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">3</span></span><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif""> The Rev.
Rose Hassan, St. Luke and St. Mary Episcopal Church, Hope., N.J.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">4</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> “<i>At the Edge of the Enclosure Soulwork
towards Sunday 5 Easter c” </i>Suzanne Guthrie <a href="http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/easter5c.html">http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/easter5c.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>