<font color='black' size='4' face='Times New Roman, Times, serif'>Forwarded: <br>
<br>
<br>
<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: Fri, Mar 10, 2017 4:37 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 2A<br>
<br>
<div id="AOLMsgPart_1.2_d8c95c9b-3e83-427d-a79c-de4aa15df07f">
<div class="aolReplacedBody">
<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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 “We’ve Come this Far
by Faith” and deals with all the lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here it is: </font></span></div>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today we heard about two people,
Abraham and Nicodemus, and their journey in faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at their journeys can illuminate and
inform our own life journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
first encounter Abraham, he is comfortably wealthy and living in the land of Ur, when God asks him to trust him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you hear the story of the hiker named
John? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the story, God asked him to
trust also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John was walking along,
looking at the stars instead of where he was going, and fell off a cliff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily on his way down to certain death, he
managed to grab on to a tree branch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
there he was, dangling from his tree, shouting at the top of his lungs to see
if anyone was around to help, and wondering how long he could hold on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly he heard a voice calling his name:
“John, John.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Who are you,” asked John,
“and how do you know my name?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am
GOD,” responded the voice, “so obviously I know your name.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well,” said John, “since you’re God, I’m
praying to you now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would you please
help me out of this mess?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Of course,”
responded God, “do you trust me enough to do what I say?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Anything,” said John, just help me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well,” said God, “let go.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a long silence, then John shouted,
“Anybody else up there?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abraham must
have felt like John, because God asked him to leave his home and travel to an
unknown land, which God promised would be his and his descendants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of that, God promised him descendants
as numerous as the stars in heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
problem was, Abraham was about 75 years old when God called him, and he didn’t
have any children yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wife Sarah
was no child bride- she was about 75 years old also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a lot of traveling if you’re in your
seventies, and a lot of trusting for a baby at 75!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazingly, Abraham and Sarah obeyed- left
home and traveled, claiming the Promised Land for his descendants- which are
indeed as numerous as the stars in the heavens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How many Jews and Arabs are there on this planet now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through all of this, what changed most in
this story?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a what, it’s a who-
Abraham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The faith required in the
journey changed Abraham from a person of doubt to a person of courage.</font></font></font><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then there was Nicodemus, a member
of the Jewish council, a learned teacher- who came to Jesus by night, probably
because he was either afraid or embarrassed to be seen in Jesus’ company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was in this exchange of ideas that we hear
Jesus’ teaching about being born again to enter the Kingdom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an aside- there’s much confusion about the
phrase “born again.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Greek word used
in this instance for “born” means “begotten”- the job of the father in the
start of a child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Jesus says “of
water,” he is referring to the waters of baptism. When he says “the Holy
Spirit” he is referring to allowing God to “beget us,” recreate us in his
image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For someone who was born into a
Christian family and can’t remember a time when he or she wasn’t a Christian,
this “born again process” can happen slowly and gradually over a lifetime. The
best example would be when a sculptor sands the imperfections off a precious work
of art he or she is creating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the
other hand, for someone who has lived much of his or her life far from God-
misusing substances, sex, and other people, the “born again process” might be
more like a hammer and chisel breaking off huge imperfections and blemishes so
the artist can get to the gorgeous core and then refine it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Nicodemus asked for more specifics about
how all of this happens, Jesus compared the work of God’s Spirit to the wind-
you don’t know where it comes from, you don’t know where it’s going, but you
surely can see its results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of us
have been privileged to watch God change lives- sometimes slowly and gradually,
sometimes dramatically fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often
can’t understand when all this really started or how God will use this particular
beloved person, but we most certainly can see the result of God’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’ example really applies here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know when the wind’s been active, and you
know when God’s Spirit has been active!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you remember how Nicodemus ends up in Scripture?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He went from being afraid of even being seen
with Jesus to boldly claiming his body from Pilate after the crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through all of this, what changed most in
this story?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, it’s not a what,
it’s a who- this time Nicodemus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
faith required in the journey changed Nicodemus from a person of fear to a
person of conviction.</font></font></font></div>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now, what about you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where are you in this life journey of
yours?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you, like Abraham and Sarah
at the beginning of their journey, laughing at God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know you love Jesus, but are you quietly
telling yourself that living like he said just isn’t practical in 2017?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you do when the going gets
tough?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Psalm can help us here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at the first two verses of Psalm 121.
(“I look to the hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where will I find
help?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will come from the Lord who
created the heavens and the earth.”)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
many years, I thought that meant- look up to the hills (like look up to the
heavens) for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not what it
means at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you know what were at
the top of those hills in the Promised Land?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Idols- that’s what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear the
psalmist reject leaning on idols, and instead- he chooses to lean on the Lord
through the difficult times in his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When the going gets tough, do you do like John (the man in the story at
the beginning of the sermon) and look around for an easier way to get through
it- alcohol, nicotine, shoplifting, sex that you know is unacceptable to God,
TV, shopping, eating, sleeping, etc.?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are you like Nicodemus at the beginning of his journey- basically
two-faced, not standing up for what you believe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is God your first love or only a convenience-
Someone to help you when you fall off one of life’s cliffs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re off to a great start this Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give all your life to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let go of the branch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speak up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Say no to harmful and self-centered ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say yes to God and love.</font></font></font></div>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<div style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In closing, I’m going to leave you
with an image for the rest of your Lent, and maybe if this story touches you as
it did me- the rest of your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
prophet Malachi (3:3) describes God as a silversmith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“The LORD will purify the descendants of
Levi, as though they were gold or silver.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Strange words to describe God, until one of my internet friends asked a
silversmith how her work paralleled God’s work in redemption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“That’s easy,” answered the artist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“When I refine metal, I must hold the silver
in the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest so all the impurities
can be burned away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The heat gets
intense; sweat pours off my face; my hand and arm frequently suffer burns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s worse, when the area around the fire
gets unbearably hot, I must stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
can’t leave the silver in the fire untended one single second, or it may be
destroyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how uncomfortable I
get, I must keep my eyes, my focus, on the silver the entire time so I remove
it at exactly the right moment.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And
how do you know when that moment is?” asked my friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Simply by watching,” answered the
silversmith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I know the silver is
refined when I can see my own face in it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There it is- God- the silversmith- with us through the fire, through the
heat, through the pain and joy of the journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So GOD, the creator of the
entire universe, can see his face in us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stick with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blessed Lent!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blessed journey!</font></font></font></div>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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"> </font></span></div>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<div 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></div>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font>
<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>
<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></div>
<div></div>
-- <br>
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Propertalk" group.<br>
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:propertalk.topic+unsubscribe@ecunet.org">propertalk.topic+unsubscribe@ecunet.org</a>.<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</font>