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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 23, 2016 1:35 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 12C<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 color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Why Does It
Sometimes Seem our Prayers Are NOT Answered?” and deals with the Gospel (11:1-13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here it is: </font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">We just read the episode in Luke from Jesus’ life when
he taught his disciples to pray the Lord’s Prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Jesus was finished, he made some rather
startling statements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said: “So I
tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the
door will be opened for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone
who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be
opened for everyone who knocks” (Luke 11:9-10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">My question to you today is- so why aren’t our prayers
answered?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was Jesus lying to us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was he just telling us what he thought we
wanted to hear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How come we pray for
healing, but our cancer remains; we pray for the deliverance of a son or
daughter or husband or wife from addiction to alcohol or gambling or abusive
relationships and nothing seems to happen; we pray for peace, instead we get
violence; we pray for a job and try and try and try- and nothing comes, and on
and on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s not just
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul prayed for deliverance from his
“thorn in the flesh”, but never got it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even Jesus prayed that “this cup pass from me” but he had to go through
with crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s happening?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we get what we pray for and
sometimes we don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?</font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Here’s a story about a person who seemed NOT to get
his prayer answered: A preacher asked a member of his church how his family was
getting along. “They're all fine,” the member said, “Except my uncle. He's very
sick.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Your uncle is not sick,"
the preacher said. It’s impossible for him to still be sick, because I’ve
prayed for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just THINKS he's
sick.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two weeks later, the preacher ran
into the church member on the street again. “How is your uncle getting along?”
he asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The member shrugged, “He
THINKS he's dead.”</font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">I don’t have any firm answers- but no- Jesus wasn’t
lying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s ways are not our ways, and
he said he would supply our needs, not our wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I do have some thoughts that I’d
like to share with you this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Obviously, many times our prayers are answered just as we would
choose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An amazing double- blind (i.e.
no one knows who is being prayed for, not doctor, not patient, not family, no
one) Harvard Medical School study with heart patients shows a measurable
positive difference between those prayed for as opposed to those not prayed
for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This study confirmed a smaller
study done ten years earlier by a San
Francisco cardiologist and reported in the Southern Medical
Journal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So sometimes our prayers get
answered with a wonderful “YES!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes, however, the answer seems to be “no.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What then?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here are six possibilities for you to mull this week:</font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are praying for a change of behavior
in someone else, keep going, be persistent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, keep in mind that God won’t force himself on anyone, but God
will allow life to present the need for change in that person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even God, as the perfect parent, did not
force righteousness on his children Adam and Eve.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is your problem a direct consequence of past
behavior?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God seldom removes the
consequences of sin, but he does walk with us through those consequences,
giving us the power to overcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact, what started out as a negative often turns out to be a blessing to
ourselves or someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>King David’s
adultery with Bathsheba resulted in the death of their infant, but the gift of
Solomon as king.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you are suffering because of someone
else’s sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr.
expanded the theology of the power of redemptive suffering- it was the backbone
of the civil rights movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It works
when we love our enemies and pray for those who misuse us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, their evil doesn’t infect us
with bitterness and bring us down to their level. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Example: what could be more evil than
crucifying the Son of God on a garbage dump, yet that evil redeemed the whole
creation.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you are doing something to block
God’s action or not doing something that needs to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you pray and nothing happens, check out
your behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you poisoning your
spiritual life with the bitterness of refusing to forgive an enemy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We just heard: “Forgive us our trespasses AS
we forgive those who trespass against us.”- remember Jesus’ parable of the
unforgiving servant in the Gospel of Matthew.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I heard a fictional story from one of my internet colleagues about a man
we shall call Jim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim had a serious
problem- he had lost his job and was broke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, he was about to lose everything he owned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a faithful Christian, he knew just what
he’d do- he prayed fervently that he would win the lottery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day when the winners were announced-
nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He prayed harder- “Please God,
let me win the lottery!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day he
listened again- nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once more he
prayed, this time reminding God that he had promised to answer all prayers, but
to no avail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kneeling at his bedside, he
pounded his hands in his pillow, when he heard a mighty clap of thunder and a
voice- “Jim, Jim, how about meeting me half way on this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy a lottery ticket!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, do your part.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This world isn’t a vacation spot; it’s a
training ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s intention isn’t
to make us happy, but to make us strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would you really want your child to grow up in a world with no pain or
discomfort?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What kind of human would
this produce?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How would your child ever
develop compassion, endurance, spiritual power, prayer power?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen Keller’s wise statement is true: “We
could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the
world.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That has a real probability of
being true.</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s my last possibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you remember reading in “Forward Day by
Day” a long time ago now of the writer who had heard of a terrible disaster?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t remember what it was, but perhaps it
was a tragic famine with pictures of dying children with swollen bellies
looking at the TV camera every time you turned on the news- anyway it was that
kind of thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked God why God
allowed such atrocities, and he felt the answer came back loud and clear: “I
was wondering the same thing about you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps our prayer isn’t being answered because someone else isn’t being
faithful to their ministry, or more to the point, perhaps someone else’s prayer
isn’t being answered because we aren’t being faithful to our ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cancer is a terrible curse on humankind, but
perhaps the person who was intended to lead the team of scientists as they
developed the cure is flipping burgers or bussing tables somewhere because we
didn’t put enough time, energy, and money in his or her education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We plead for a cure for AIDS, but maybe the
person designed for that ministry is doing time in prison because the church
down the street didn’t reach out and touch</font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Some Sunday’s ago, I read you a few children’s prayers
from David Heller little book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dear God:
Children’s Letters to God.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going
to close with a few more:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font></font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.5in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Ø<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">“Dear God, thank you for my parents, my sister Anita,
and for my grandma and grandpa. They are real warm and special. I forgive you
for my brother Phil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess you didn't
finish working on him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Sean- age 12)</font></span></font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.5in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Ø<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">“Dear God, my dad thinks he's you. Please straighten
him out.” (Wayne-
age 11)</font></span></font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.5in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Ø<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">“Dear God, my mom is acting weird because she is
getting old. Can you take back a few gray hairs? That would help bring back the
house to normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for what you can
do.” (Mike- age 9)</font></span></font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.5in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Ø<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">“Dear God, my mom and my father are divorced. For 3
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody's perfect. But why did you
pick us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish we were all with each
other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you could have them get
along- at least on weekends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please!
(Stephen- age 11)</font></span></font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 0.5in; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Ø<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">“Dear God, do you think there's enough love today? I
feel there's a shortage.” Love! (Ken- age 9)</font></span></font></div>
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<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">The last two prayers- from Stephen about his parent’s
divorce and from Ken about not enough love, touch our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who’s supposed to be the instrument for
answering these prayers- we are!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May God
bless us as we try faithfully to bring his Kingdom to fruition here, now, as we
reach out to others in His name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.</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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