<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body><div>Forwarded</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: 8/5/17 5:42 PM (GMT-05:00) </div><div>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> </div><div>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 13A- "In God We Trust!" </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 “In God We Trust!” and
deals with the Gospel (Matthew 14: 13-21, 44-52).<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;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
morning I’d like us to think through our Old Testament reading about Jacob’s
wrestling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To understand the
implications for our lives today, we really need to go back to the beginning of
the Jacob story, actually as close to a Biblical soap-opera as we get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s bring us up to date in our story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you recall, Abraham and Sarah gave birth
to Isaac (the child of promise) in their extreme old age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we followed the story as Isaac and his
wife Rebekah had twin sons, Esau (the oldest) and Jacob (the youngest).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember how Isaac favored Esau because he
was an outdoorsman, while Rebekah preferred Jacob because he was a home-body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you recall how Rebekah helped Jacob trick
both his slightly older twin, Esau, and also his aged father, Isaac, into
giving him the firstborn rights and blessing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At that point, to avoid the murderous rage of his twin brother Esau,
Jacob decided to travel to the distant home of his uncle Laban and move in for
a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">While there, he married Laban’s daughters- Leah and Rachel, had many
children, and grew rich off his uncle, mostly by trickery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since Laban and his sons were getting angrier
by the day as they watched Jacob get richer while they grew poorer, Jacob
decided to return to his home and take over his stolen role as first-born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and his family took off when Laban was
gone for three days shearing sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Little did Jacob know that Rachel took advantage of her father’s absence
by stealing his household idols.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
Laban got back from shearing the sheep, he immediately found that Jacob had
taken off in his absence, along with his daughters, grandchildren, and all the
sheep and goats that Jacob had claimed as his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also missing were Laban’s household
idols.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took him three days to catch
up with Jacob’s caravan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he accused
Jacob of stealing the idols, Jacob very self-righteously declared himself and
his entire entourage innocent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob
told Laban he could search anywhere he chose; and if he found anyone with the
idols, that person would be killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rachel now had a problem, because she had the idols.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She put them in her saddle bags, then sat on
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When her father came to search
her, Rachel maintained that she couldn’t stand up to be searched- it wouldn’t
be proper because she was having her menstrual period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laban let her be, so he left without ever
finding his idols, and Rachel’s life was spared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, Jacob sent messengers ahead to tell
Esau he was coming, but the messengers returned saying that Esau was headed
their way with 400 men!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob figured
he’d better cut his losses, so he sent half his servants and belongings one
way, half another way, and the women and children on just ahead of him to cross
the river up ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a mess he had
made of his life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His uncle hated
him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His twin brother was out to get him
with 400 men!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob decided to stay
behind for the night before crossing the river, and he lay down to sleep.</span></font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s the background for today’s episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly Jacob found himself wrestling with
someone whom he thought was another man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The prophet Hosea (12:4) said it was an angel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, Jacob said he thought it was God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoever it was Jacob wrestled with
physically, do you know with whom he was mentally wrestling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He had lived his life; getting everything he wanted by lying, cheating,
deceiving, stealing, trickery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had to
make a decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was he coming back to
continue in his old evil ways, or was he going to be God’s person, trust God,
and let God’s family name continue in power?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He chose God’s way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To symbolize
the new Jacob, his name was changed to “Israel,”
a name that has many meanings- one of which is “God Is in Charge.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His meeting with Esau was joyous and all was
well.</font></font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">That’s
the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, what’s in it for
us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trust
God and don’t hedge your bets!</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr.
Tony Evans reminds us in our thought for the week, “Your circumstances are
never the last word as long as God is on the scene.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So do your part and then TRUST GOD!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be like Rachel and hedge your
bets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She kept the household idols
“just-in-case.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you keep in
reserve if God’s response isn’t quick enough for you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you carry a rabbit’s foot?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me, why in the world would you think a
rabbit’s foot would bring you good luck?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It surely didn’t bring the rabbit good luck, did it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you call psychic hot lines or have someone
read your future in tea leaves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you
know your sign?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those stars don’t control your future!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You and God working as a team do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians have nothing to do with
astrology!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, don’t be like
Rachel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t hedge your bets with
idols.</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">What
else can we learn from today’s lessons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Don’t be like Jacob and use a sinful action
to get what you need (or think you need). </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t trick or sneak or lie or manipulate or
shoplift (i.e. steal).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you hear the
story of the wife who just suffered the loss of her husband?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had a lot of positives, and she was really
going to miss him, but he had one over-riding negative- he was STINGY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On his deathbed, the man made his wife
promise to bury him with all his money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the funeral when the family went downstairs in the church for the
dinner, her grown children asked if she had kept her promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Of course!” she replied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I would never lie to a dying man!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put all his money into my account and then
threw a check into his casket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where
he’s going- if he can cash it; he can have it!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Good for the wife, but don’t be sneaky!</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin: 1em 0px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Finally,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">do be like the new Jacob- i.e. “Israel”
and never give up</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you remember
how the being who was wrestling with Jacob said to let him go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob/Israel replied, “I will not let you go
until you bless me!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is waiting to
bless you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stick with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Claim your blessing. </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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