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From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org><br>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org><br>
Sent: Sat, Jan 7, 2017 9:16 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 1A<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 “Who’s Unclean in
Your World?” or “Who’s on Your Sheet? “and deals with the Acts lesson (10:34-38).<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 color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">In today’s gospel, we heard the episode of Jesus’ baptism by his cousin
John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the start of our Lord’s
public ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then in the Old
Testament lesson from Isaiah (which parallels Jesus’ first sermon- Luke 4:16-21),
we heard what this ministry was: Jubilee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You recall how in ancient Israel, every seventh day was a Sabbath- a day
of spiritual refreshment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every seventh
year was also a Sabbath year, when the land was to rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seven Sabbath years would be every fifty
years. (They counted from “one”, not “zero” as we do.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Sabbath of Sabbaths was the Jubilee year
as described in Leviticus 25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone
had a fresh start- slaves were freed, land and belongings reverted back to the
original owners, in other words- the basic concept of Jubilee was the great
equalizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah reminds us that the
messiah would institute the Jubilee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, in the Bible reading from the book of Acts, we heard a portion
of the encounter between Peter and the Roman (Gentile) officer, Cornelius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s this story that points out exactly what
Jubilee meant when Peter tried to live it in his life in the first century and
when we try to live it today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The modern
day saint and hero who best typifies Jubilee was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., whose birthday is next Sunday, celebrated nationally next Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he were still alive, he would be 88 years
old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s look at the Acts story.</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">To understand the significance of Peter’s experience, you need to
recall how Jews felt about Gentiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do
you remember the extremely cruel childhood game of the so-and-so touch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It begins by a popular child touching a
tormented, picked-on child, let’s call her “Judy”- I feel better using
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The popular child then runs to
catch another child and touches him or her, as in tag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, here’s the difference- once you are
tagged, you have the “Judy touch.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s how Jews felt about Gentiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If even the shadow of a Gentile fell on a Jew, he or she was unclean and
had to wash to cleanse himself or herself from the defilement of the “Gentile
touch.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It goes without saying that Jews
never ate with Gentiles or even considered inviting Gentiles into their
homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the cultural background of
the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see how their 1<sup>st</sup>
century culture brainwashed them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
must be very careful that we don’t allow 21<sup>st</sup> century culture to
brainwash us today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, the story from
the book of Acts starts with Peter, who is visiting Simon, the tanner, asleep
on the roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his dream- unless you
want to call it a nightmare, Peter is famished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of a sudden a huge sheet descends from heaven with many kinds of
unclean animals on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter hears a
voice saying, “Arise, Peter, kill and eat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Peter answers, “Lord, you know that I’ve never eaten anything unclean in
my life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sheet goes back to heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter remains hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know what happens- down comes the sheet
again with the same words: “Arise, Peter, kill and eat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, Peter answers, “Lord, you know
that I’ve never eaten anything unclean in my life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back goes the sheet up to heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, Peter is still very hungry, when-
you know what happened- down comes the sheet again with the same words: “Arise,
Peter, kill and eat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again Peter answered,
“Lord, you know that I’ve never eaten anything unclean in my life.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, God responds: “Peter, don’t you
ever call something unclean that I’ve created.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At once, Peter awakens to find two servants and one soldier of the
Gentile, Cornelius, at his door. Cornelius was sending for Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter invited the Gentile guests to spend the
night, then went with them to instruct and subsequently baptize Cornelius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the substance of the Acts lesson when
Peter proclaimed everyone equal- amazing insight for a first century Jewish
man!</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">So, what’s the significance of this story in our own lives today as we
try to live as faithful Christians?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are citizens of a Kingdom in which everyone is equal; a Kingdom in which every
day is a fresh start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s be more
specific.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who is your Cornelius?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What kind of person is it that you just don’t
like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember the sheet- everybody gets
a fresh start- no one is unclean whom God has created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s another possibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To whom are you a Cornelius?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who treats you as if you aren’t quite as good
as they are?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s your color, maybe
it’s your sex, maybe it’s your age, maybe it’s your educational level (too high
or too low), maybe it’s how much money you have or don’t have (too rich or too
poor), maybe it’s how you speak (too proper or not proper enough), maybe it’s
your weight (too fat or too thin), etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Remember the sheet- in God’s eyes there aren’t any “too anythings.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ground is always level at the foot of the
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe in your Creator, believe
in yourself, and speak up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you
don’t have any Cornelius’s and maybe you’ve never been a Cornelius to anyone
else, but you can’t live long in this society without seeing someone treated
like a Cornelius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when your
loyalty to Jesus and his mission comes in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No matter the cost, speak up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not just Jesus who was called to institute Jubilee and justice, he
does it through his followers- us.</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">May God bless us as we attempt to consider no one “unclean” as we live
out this 2017.</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" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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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