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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: Thu, Jul 28, 2016 10:55 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 13C<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 “Greed” or “First
Things First” and deals with all the lessons.<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; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Our Bible lessons today are
really centered in reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
listen to the Old Testament lesson, we can almost feel the discouragement and
depression of the writer who struggles with the ultimate uselessness of material
possessions to make us happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t you
sometimes think, “Just try me!”- yet you know it’s true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Gospel, we hear Jesus refuse to get
involved with a property struggle between brothers after their father
dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then tells the story of the farmer
whose farm was producing more and more goods, so he built bigger barns in which
to store all his riches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear God
say, “You fool, tonight you will die.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus advice to his listeners was to be rich in the sight of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both St.
Paul and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. give us the
advice about what being “rich in the sight of God” might look like. </font></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: normal;"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">These Bible lessons hit very
close to home, because they run opposite to the brainwashing of our
society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
favorite pastime of many American women is shopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do we do when we shop?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We look around at malls until we find
something we like, then we buy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
many pairs of shoes does one person need?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God has no problem with us having what we need; it is the surplus that
creates the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you hear the
story of the little boy who was in the lunch line at his parochial school?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the front of the line was a beautiful bowl
of apples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In front of the apples was a
sign- “Take only one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is watching
you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he got to the end of the
line, he saw a bowl of even-better-looking cookies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He got his pencil and made a matching sign,
which read- “Take as many cookies as you want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God is watching the apples.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The problem is, our society is selling us a
lie along with the shoes and apples and cookies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll find out, as did the author of
Ecclesiastes, that they don’t satisfy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They can’t make us happy.</b></font></font></font></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">Being greedy creates another
difficulty that is illustrated by the thought for the week: “I don’t know how
big your house is, how much money you have, or how nice your car is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But…we came into this world with nothing, and
we are leaving with nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything
we get along the way is a blessing from God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Paul Azinger).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know
how tightly he or she holds on to that sock?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s how some of us hold on to our money and possessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back to the dog-sock illustration- whose sock
is it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure ours, but the dog acts like
it’s his or hers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hold on to our
possessions as if they’re ours, but whose stuff is it really?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course- God’s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Everything
we have, everything we buy, everything we store is God’s.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has simply entrusted us as the managers
of his resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you remember the
parable Jesus told of the servants who were entrusted with the master’s money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two invested it and gave a tidy sum to the
master on his return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The servant
described as “unfaithful” was afraid to invest it, so he hid it in the
ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you recall the disapproval he
faced on the master’s return?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only
do we face an unhappy Lord when we die, we face a difficult life now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many families have had relationships
destroyed over money and possessions when a father or mother dies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Money will buy:</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A bed, but not sleep;</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Books, but not brains;</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Food, but not appetite;</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Clothes, but not beauty;</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A house, but not a home;</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fun, but not happiness;</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A crucifix, but not a savior;</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"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A church pew, but not heaven.</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">There’s an old saying that
illustrates our third life lesson: “I’ve never seen a hearse with a U-Haul
behind it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The Rev. Bill Gruen, Jr., Princeton, Indiana).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you hear about the woman who lost her
purse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This wasn’t surprising, but she also found
herself surrounded by three other drivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“I hope you don’t mind if we watch, ma’am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sometimes our greedy lives get like that purse- so full of things that
there’s no room for God.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A life
built on material things is sad, lonely, and ultimately wasted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Only one life- will soon be past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only what’s done for God will last.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So be rich in the sight of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember how Jesus said, “Where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
need room in our hearts for God.</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">So check yourself out:</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">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do your closets look like- or your
refrigerator, or kids’ toys, or your CD’s?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you have what you need, or do you have stuff you never use?</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">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you do with the stuff you don’t use-
give it away or store it in case you might need it someday?</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">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would you do if you won the lottery?</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">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are other pertinent “greedy-type”
questions?</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"> </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">One more way to check
ourselves out is to listen to one of our Christian heroes- The Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two months before he
was shot, in his “Drum Major for Justice Speech” he described what he
considered important in his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
speech was also played at his funeral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How does your life measure up to his standard?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said, “If any of you are around when I
have to meet my day......tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace
Prize, that isn’t important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell them
not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that’s not
important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell them not to mention
where I went to school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like
somebody to mention that day that...Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his
life serving others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like for
somebody to say that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to say that day, that...I tried to
be right on the war question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you
to be able to say that day that...I did try to feed the hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I want you to be able to say that day,
that...I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to say, on that day, that...I did
try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to say that..I tried to love and
serve humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, if you want to say
that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum
major for righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And all of the
other shallow things will not matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
won’t have any money to leave behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I just want to leave a committed life
behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s all I want to say... ‘if
I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or
song, if I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong, then my living will not be
in vain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I can do my duty as a
Christian ought, if I can bring salvation to a world once wrought, if I can
spread the message as the master taught, then my living will not be in vain.’” </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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