<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body><div>Forwarded Part 1: </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div id="composer_signature"><div style="font-size:85%;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device</div></div><div><br></div><div style="font-size:100%;color:#000000"><!-- originalMessage --><div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org> </div><div>Date: 1/27/17 10:59 AM (GMT-10:00) </div><div>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> </div><div>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 4A </div><div><br></div></div><div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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 “God’s Way to
Happiness” and deals with the gospel (Matthew 5:1-12).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here it is: </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">We just heard Jesus
tell how to have a blessed life, which is another way to say “a happy
life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d all like a happy life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would make you happy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Listen to a few responses.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me tell you about a man who had the
chance to get anything he wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is a old, old story I’m repeating from some years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See if you can remember how it ends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we start, does anyone know the
commercial “I Wish I Was an Oscar Mayer Weiner?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does it go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Get responses.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, here’s the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man was walking along the beach when he
came across this very old oil lamp. The man started to rub it to remove all the
ocean crud when "poof" a genie appeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This genie, like all genies, was so happy to
be freed of the lamp that he granted the man three wishes...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"I wish to be the richest man in the
world,” the man said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Man,"
the genie replied, "It has already happened.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man’s wallet would hardly fit in his
pocket because of all the thousand dollar bills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Wait until you get your bank statement!”
said the genie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t know what to
do with all that money!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What's your
second wish?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Genie”, said
the man, “I want a CAR!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I want the most expensive Porsche
convertible made: Fire engine red, on board GPS
and the finest audio system ever installed in an automobile."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"That’ll work," said the
genie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He waved his hand and the finest
car anybody had ever seen popped out of the lamp. The genie then asked the man
for his third wish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thought and
thought, since he really wanted to choose wisely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, this was his last wish, so it had
to be a good one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally he said,
“Genie, I can't think of anything now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May I save the third wish for later?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"My, that’s unusual, responded the
genie, but of course you may wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just
call me when you're ready."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
that, whoosh, the genie disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The man leapt into his fire engine red Porsche convertible, turned on
the radio with the great audio system and pulled onto the highway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had the top down, so the wind was
whistling through his hair, the sun was shining, not another car was on the
road, and he was HAPPY- in fact so happy that he began to sing along with the
great music on his great radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up came
a commercial, and he continued to sing the old familiar tune: “Oh, I wish I was
an Oscar-Mayer Wiener...."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoosh-
what a wish!</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">A
wishing lamp with a genie really won’t make us happy, but God’s way will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s look at the Beatitudes in the bulletin
one by one to see God’s way<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: 3 “God
blesses those people who depend only on him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They belong to the kingdom of heaven!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you think about it, who or what else can you really depend on that
will never let you down?</span></font></font></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">4: “God blesses those people who grieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will find comfort!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, we’re talking about those whose hearts
are broken by the things that break the heart of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you so in touch with our Lord that human
pain, misery, injustice, cruelty, ignorance break your heart?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practice putting yourself in other’s shoes,
so you know how they feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then do
something about their pain.</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">5: “God blesses those people who are
humble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The earth will belong to
them!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know what this means- be
humble- be reality-oriented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live in a
real world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t pretend to be someone
you’re not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t pretend to know
something you don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acknowledge
your talents- they’re from God; compensate for your weaknesses- don’t hide
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words- know your
spiritual gifts and then develop them.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;">To be continued in Part 2...</p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"><br></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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 href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/"><u><font color="#0000ff" face="Times New Roman">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</font></u></a><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> .</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; mso-mirror-indents: yes;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p 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></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></div>
<p></p>
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