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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, Jul 2, 2016 8:54 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 9C<br>
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<div 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></div>
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<div 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 “Stinkin’ Thinkin’
that Stands in the Way of our Freedom” and deals with the Old Testament Lesson (2nd<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">Kings 5: 1-14).</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Here it is: </font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Since tomorrow is the Fourth
of July- this is the time we think about our freedom as Americans, so it’s the
perfect time to reflect on the freedom we receive in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">Each character in today’s Old Testament
reading has a lesson for us about what can stand in the way of our
freedom.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Did you hear about the man who
leaned too far out of a window in his twelve-story apartment building and fell
out?</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">When he reached the sixth floor he
said to himself, “So far, so good.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">That
must be how Naaman, the Syrian general, felt when he found out he had
leprosy.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He knew it was only a matter of
time before he lost his position in the army and had to leave his home, due to
his dreaded disease.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">As we know from our
Old Testament Bible reading, a while before on one of his raids into </font><font color="#000000">Israel</font><font color="#000000">, Naaman
kidnapped a little Israelite girl and gave the child to his wife as her
slave.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The Israelite slave girl had
compassion on her master, so she told her mistress (who then told her husband)
about the prophet Elisha, a mighty man of </font><font color="#000000">Israel</font><font color="#000000">, who might be willing to
heal Naaman of his leprosy.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Naaman
figured it was worth a try, so he got a letter from the king of </font><font color="#000000">Syria</font><font color="#000000"> asking
the king of </font><font color="#000000">Israel</font><font color="#000000">
to cure Naaman’s leprosy.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">At the end of
his lengthy trip, when he presented the Syrian king’s letter, the king of </font><font color="#000000">Israel</font><font color="#000000"> was
furious!</font><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Israel</font><font color="#000000">’s king presumed this was a
trick to justify more raids into Israelite territory.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He didn’t know what else to do, so he sent
Naaman to Elisha.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">When Naaman went to
Elisha’s house, Elisha sent his servant (Gehazi) to tell Naaman to go and wash
in the Jordan River seven times.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Naaman
was infuriated, since Elisha didn’t come out personally to see him- just sent
“lowly servants.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Not only that, he had
come all that way to be told to wash in a muddy Israelite river!</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">“We have better rivers in </font><font color="#000000">Syria</font><font color="#000000">!” he
muttered.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Naaman’s servants convinced
him to try Elisha’s simple remedy, and he was healed.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Naaman went back to Elisha’s house to reward
him, but the prophet would accept no payment.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Naaman proclaimed, “There is a God in </font><font color="#000000">Israel</font><font color="#000000">,” took some Israelite soil
to use for worship, and started home- a healed and thankful person.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Now Gehazi (Elisha’s servant) thought it was
really foolish for the prophet to refuse any payment, so he followed Naaman’s
travel party. </font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">When they were far enough
away so Elisha couldn’t see, Gehazi caught up with Naaman and told him that
Elisha had changed his mind about not accepting any reward for the
healing.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Naaman gladly loaded Gehazi
down with the treasure he had brought.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Well, Elisha knew what had happened, so he confronted Gehazi about his
deception.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">You know the old saying-
“What goes around, comes around?”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Well
the leprosy that had afflicted Naaman was transferred to Gehazi, who then
became a leper.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Let’s look at each of the
characters to see what we can learn about stinkin’ thinkin’ pitfalls that have
the potential of diminishing our freedom and our fullness of living:</font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">1)</font><span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Stinkin’ thinkin’- type 1=
revenge, or at least enjoying the suffering of our neighbor when their evil
catches up with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">The Israelite girl
told her master about Elisha.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">She could
have kept it to herself and let Naaman suffer- “He has it coming to him!”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">We’ll hear Jesus parable of the Good
Samaritan next week.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">It teaches us that
anyone who needs a neighbor is our neighbor- this includes our enemy.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">2)</font><span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Stinkin’ thinkin’- type 2=
presuming a motive from someone’s behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></font><font color="#000000">The Israelite king presumed that Naaman’s visit was a “set-up.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">We can’t get inside someone’s head.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Guessing at motives puts us in the judging
role of God.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Ex.: if someone doesn’t
speak to me, my assumption might be they are mad at me.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The truth might be that they were deep in
thought and didn’t see me.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">3)</font><span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Stinkin’ thinkin’- type 3=
thinking some things (or some people) are “beneath us.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">Naaman was furious that Elisha sent a lowly
servant to speak to him, instead of coming out to speak himself.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He considered washing in the Jordan River
“beneath him”- after all, didn’t they have perfectly good rivers in Syria?</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">4)</font><span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></font></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Stinkin’ thinkin’- type 4=
“They owe it to me!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font color="#000000">This was a perfect
way for Gehazi to get rich at the hands of the hated Syrians- after all they’d
done to his people, they had it coming- they owed him and his people.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Truth- no one owes us anything (“forgive us
our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”).</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">You may have noticed that each of the above
people was tempted when life was difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></font><font color="#000000">I’m going to close with a story that sums up the importance of avoiding
stinkin’ thinkin’ and having a Christ-like attitude, no matter what we
face.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The preacher placed two identical
jars on the table next to the pulpit.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He
quoted I Samuel 16:7, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">Humans look at the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks at the heart.”</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He went on
to point out that “These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same
materials, can hold the same amount, and the substances inside them look
exactly the same.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">But they are
different,” he explained. Then he upset one and it oozed out honey.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">He turned over the other, and vinegar spilled
out. When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out. Until the jars were
upset, they looked alike.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">The difference
lay within, and could not be seen.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">When
they were upset, their contents were revealed.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000">
</font></span><font color="#000000">Until we are upset we put on a good front.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">But when we are upset, we reveal our
innermost thoughts and attitudes.</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font color="#000000"> </font></span><font color="#000000">My
prayer for all of us today is that when life tips us over, out will flow God’s
grace, love, patience, and endurance.</font></font></span></div>
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<div 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 target="_blank" href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/"><u><font color="#0000ff" face="Times New Roman"></font></u></a><u><font color="#0000ff" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org" target="_blank">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</a></font></u><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> .</font></span></div>
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<div 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></div>
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<div 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></div>
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<div 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></div>
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<div 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></div>
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