<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body><div><br></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: 9/2/17 4:15 PM (GMT-06:00) </div><div>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> </div><div>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 17A: “Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me” or “It’s Not About You- Part 2” </div><div><br></div></div><div dir="ltr">
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Dear Friends,</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Take Up Your Cross
and Follow Me” or “It’s Not About You- Part 2” and deals with the Old Testament
lesson (Exodus 15).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Here it is: <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">(Continuef from Part 1:)</span></font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Do you remember the story of the little girl and the pearls?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The little girl was about six years old- just
started first grade that year and she had just lost her first tooth.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She and her mother were in the dollar store
when the little girl spotted what looked to her like a beautiful pearl
necklace.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Oh mother, can I please have
it?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“I’m broke, said her mother, so
you’ll have to raid your piggy bank.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>All
that week she thought about that pearl necklace.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Her piggy bank was short, so her aunt gave
her the quarter she needed to make it up, but only after the little girl had
cleaned the whole kitchen including the dishes.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Next Saturday, she and her mother went back to the Dollar Store and
bought the necklace.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’ll have you know
that child wore that necklace everywhere, even to bed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Pretty soon, her neck started to get a green
ring around it- that’s what cheap jewelry will do- but the little girl didn’t
care.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She still wore her necklace.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One evening when her daddy was listening to
her bedtime prayers, he asked “Jenny, do you love me?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you,”
she answered.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Well then, if you really
love me,” said her father, “give me your pearls.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Oh daddy,” she said, not my pearls- but you
can have my Barbie- you know, the one that came with a horse.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She’s my favorite.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“That's okay, Honey,” her Daddy responded.
“Daddy loves you.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Good night.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>About a week later, after the bedtime
prayers, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Daddy,” she said, “you know I love
you."<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>"Then give me your
pearls," he said.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Oh Daddy,” she
answered, “not my pearls.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But you can
have my babydoll.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The brand new one I
got for my birthday.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She is so beautiful
and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>"That's okay,” said her father. “Sleep
well.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>God bless you, little one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Daddy loves you.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And as always, he brushed her cheek with a
gentle kiss.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A few nights later when her
daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed
Indian-style.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As he came close, he
noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>"What is it, Jenny?” he asked.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“What's the matter?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jenny didn't say anything, but lifted her
little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl
necklace.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With a little quiver, she
finally said, "Here, Daddy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It's
for you."<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With tears gathering in
his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the
dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and
pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to
Jenny.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He had them all the time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He was just waiting for her to give up the
dollar store stuff so he could give her a genuine treasure.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">So... how much do you love Him?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You call Him your savior.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Is He really your Lord?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If he is, those crosses- keep at it...take up
your cross, your own special cross, not your affliction- your cross, and follow
Him.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">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">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</font></u></a><font color="#000000"> .</font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Blessed preaching,</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Judy Boli</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">St. Paul's Episcopal Church</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Saginaw, Michigan</font></span></p>
</div>
<p></p>
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