<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body><font face="sans-serif">Forwarded: </font><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: 12/30/17 6:50 PM (GMT-05:00) </div><div>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> </div><div>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for ChristMass 2B: “Happy New Year! Are You Ready?” </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" face="Times New Roman">This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Happy New Year!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Are You Ready?” and deals with all the
lessons.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Here it is: </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">I can’t believe tomorrow starts our New Year- 2018!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, is the time when
the church thinks through naming, and specifically the naming of our Lord and
Savior Jesus, the Christ.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I hope you all
join me in ushering in the year 2018 in at God’s holy altar.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>ChristMass Eve, we heard how Mary and Joseph
named their baby “Jesus,” (God saves) just as the angel had instructed
them.<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 color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Naming is important.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I remember nine years ago after Cat/astrophe died. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I remember how Bill+ and I struggled to come
up with a name for our new kitten.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
thought about calling him “Astrophe-2,” but we were somehow uncomfortable with
that.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was like he needed his own name.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>After we saw him with his gorgeous soft,
brown coat and became impressed with his sweet, loving disposition- the perfect
name came to mind- “Magnificat,” because that’s what he is- a truly magnificent
cat!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We can’t go around the house
calling “Magnificat, “Magnificat, “Magnificat”- so it was clear we needed a
nickname.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>His nickname has evolved to
“Cat,” but now that he’s all of twelve years old and knows his way around life,
one of his most frequent names is “Bad Cat- No! No!”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Names are important, because they symbolize
us.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When someone writes my name and
spells it “Judi” instead of “Judy” or “Judith”- as understandable as this is,
it’s like they really aren’t referring to me.</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">So what’s the connection with the naming of Jesus and
New Year’s Day?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As you know, time is a
human-made invention.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We use the
movement of this planet to measure how long something lasts.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A day is how long it takes for the earth to
rotate on its axis.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A year is how long
it takes for our planet to make the journey of one complete revolution around
the sun.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So tomorrow, our earth will
have made 2018 complete revolutions around the sun since Jesus was born,
because our calendar is based on his birth (i.e. 2017 A.D.- anno domini”- “the
Lord’s year.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Actually, it’s really
probably about 2022 A.D., since Jesus was born more-or-less in 4 B.C.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>All of this can get really confusing, so I
want to move into what it means to us.</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">The most important thing to remember about time,
whether it’s our coming new year 2018 or whenever, is that God is in
charge.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What’s going to happen to me in
2018?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Will I live or die?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Will wonderful or terrible things happen to
me this year?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Will I win the lottery? (I
doubt it since I don’t buy tickets.)<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
truth is, we really don’t know what life will throw at us this coming
year.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Does anyone remember “David, the
Bubble Boy?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He was born with a terrible
birth defect- no immune system.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
least significant germ could kill him.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>To allow David to survive, he lived his life in a plastic bubble- with
no human touch.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I think the bubble had
built-in gloves so someone could reach into his bubble for the basic
necessities.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I have no idea how all this
worked- how he got food or a bath or whatever.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>What I do know is that many Christians think that’s how God does with
Christians- keeps evil away from us as if we are in a bubble.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s not how life is.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>God doesn’t spare his children, but he
strengthens and supports us.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You’ve
heard the saying, “People are like tea bags-you have to put them in hot water
before you know how strong they are.”<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>With God, we can take anything the coming new year dishes out!</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">Unfortunately, sometimes it’s not by chance that the
new year dishes out troubles.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We do it
to ourselves.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You know I’m an animal
lover, so when our children were little, we frequently went to the Detroit
Zoo.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It always amazed me how those
mighty elephants could be chained by just a peg in the ground.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I knew those huge elephants could easily pull
out that peg.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What happened?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’ll tell you what…when they were little, those
baby elephants were tied to a huge stake that they could not pull out.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’m sure those little elephants pulled and
tugged, but to no avail.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They were
conditioned to think breaking free was impossible, so now they don’t even
try.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With the Lord’s help, you’re mighty
like those huge elephants.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Don’t let the
Devil convince you you’re helpless against those habits you’d like to
break.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Claim God’s power in 2018 to
break free.<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 color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">The trick to overcoming, whether we’re talking about
what life throws at us or what we’ve done to ourselves is putting God first in
2018.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You know the usual advice- don’t
miss church, receive Holy Communion weekly, start and close every day with God,
bless every single bite of food you put in your mouth, do spiritual reading
consistently.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I can hear you now---Rev.
Judy, I don’t have time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We get so busy,
busy, busy- that we end up squeezing God out of our lives.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>How is it possible to get it all done?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’ll tell you how- give God his time
first.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you remember the story of the
father who was discussing the time problem with his teen-age son?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The teen’s problem was not God time, but
homework time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The father got a gallon
jar and filled it with large rocks, then asked his son if it was full.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Sure is!” said the son- that’s how my life
is before I have my homework done.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So
the father took some medium sized rocks and added them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Full now?” asked the father?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Now it’s full,” answered his son.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You know what happened next, the father added
small rocks, then gravel, and finally water.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>“That’s how you organize your life, son,” said the father.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You put the big important things in first.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Good advice!<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Take care of your responsibilities to God first: church, Bible reading,
prayer, and let the other things fit as they may.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Your life will have power like you wouldn’t
believe possible.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was Martin Luther who
said that the busier his day, the more important it was that he start it with
prayer- true.<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 color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Did you hear about the man, I’ll call him “George,”
who decided to make some changes in his life?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>He was bragging to a friend: “There's nothing like getting up at six in
the morning, going for a run around the park, and taking a brisk shower before
breakfast.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>His friend replied, “How
long have you been doing this?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>George
answered: “I start tomorrow.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Tomorrow
won’t work.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Start today, now, at God’s
altar.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>By God’s grace, you will
overcome.</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>
-- <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 href="mailto:propertalk.topic+unsubscribe@ecunet.org">propertalk.topic+unsubscribe@ecunet.org</a>.<br>
</body></html>