<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: 3/3/18 6:45 PM (GMT-05:00) </div><div>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> </div><div>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 3B- “Let my Heart Be Broken by the Things that Break the Heart of God.” (Bob Pierce) </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 “Let my Heart Be
Broken by the Things that Break the Heart of God.” (Bob Pierce) and deals with the
gospel (John 2: 13-22).<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">So far this Lent, we’ve looked at what the Bible says to us about
temptation- how vulnerable we are to wanting anything we’re not supposed to
have or to doing anything we’re not supposed to do.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In fact one of the Communion hymns that is
very appropriate in Lent is “Yield Not to Temptation for Yielding is Sin.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We’ve also considered one of our chief
temptations- to avoid the cross that Jesus expects us to carry.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Remember, last week Jesus said, “Take up your
cross and follow me”- and he wasn’t talking about jewelry on a gold chain; he
was talking about a chosen sacrifice for him.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Today I’d like us to look at where yielding to temptation leads us-
SIN!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Why do we yield?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Because we choose to, we want to.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Did you hear the story of the aged man who
wanted to pass the family Bible on to his daughter?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He wrapped it very carefully and took it to
the post office.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When the clerk took it
from him and started filling out the form, she asked “Is there anything
breakable in this package.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“No,”
answered the man, “nothing except the Ten Commandments.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We heard the Ten Commandments in the Old
Testament Exodus Bible lesson- using God’s name in vain is not sin- it’s A
sin.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Not coming to church on Sunday is
not sin- it’s A sin.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Stealing is not
sin- it’s A sin.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What is the difference
between SIN and SINS?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sins are the
result of sin.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We sin because we are
sinners- poisoned inside by original sin.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>What’s original sin?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Answer this
question and you’ll know.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What’s the
middle letter of “SIN?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sure- “I” is the
middle letter; and “I” represents what’s poisoned about the whole human
race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We care more about me, myself, and
mine than we do about God and all of God’s other children.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“I” reminds us that we’re by nature
self-centered, and self-centeredness poisons everything we touch.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Those precious children who try to sneak a
candy bar from a store without paying for it---why do they do it?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Because they want something.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Are they thinking about anyone else?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>No.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>What about gossiping or committing adultery or being jealous of what
someone else has?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When we do those
things, are we thinking about ourselves or someone else?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What about speeding or parking in a
“no-parking zone”- who are we thinking about?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Sure- ourselves.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Committing those
sins doesn’t make us sinners.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>No- we
come out of the womb as self-centered sinners and that’s why we sin.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s exactly what St. Paul is talking about
in the Romans- chapter 7 Bible lesson “15 <span style="margin: 0px;">In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I
know is right. I do the things I hate...18 I know that my selfish desires won't
let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>19 Instead of doing what I know is right, I
do wrong....23 But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my
mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do....24
What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed
to die?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>25 Thank God! Jesus Christ will
rescue me.”</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">So, how can I tell if something is a sin?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If it comes from my love of self at the
expense of God and my neighbor, it’s a sin.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Let me ask you a question: Anger is one of the seven deadly sins.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Didn’t we just hear of Jesus being
angry?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Well, I thought Jesus didn’t sin
because his center was pure- not poisoned by original self-centered sin?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>How is it possible for him to have been
angry?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Let’s look at the episode in
today’s Gospel (John <st1:time w:st="on" hour="14" minute="13">2:13</st1:time>-22),
and you’ll see.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What happened?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was Passover, so Jews from all over the
empire had traveled to Jerusalem
to pay their temple tithe and offer sacrifices for their sins.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Because they had traveled- mostly on foot-
for days, they were exhausted by the time they got there.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They had two problems.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>First, they were supposed to pay their temple
tax, but they couldn’t pay it in defiled pagan Roman money.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The temple authorities wouldn’t accept
it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They had to pay their tithes in
acceptable money.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We face the same
situation today when we go to Canada.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What’s the first thing we usually do after we
enter Canada?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sure, change our United States money to Canadian
money.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If we do it right at the border,
we usually get a fair exchange; but if we travel some distance into Canada- some
stores won’t give us a fair exchange at all.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>They know we’re stuck- it’s them or nobody.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s what the money-changers on the temple
porch did.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They knew those travelers
were stuck- so they made huge profits when they traded Roman coins for temple
tax coins.<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">There was a second rip-off.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Travelers coming all that distance couldn’t really bring the lamb or
goat or cow they intended to offer as sacrifice, so they just assumed they
could buy an animal when they got to Jerusalem, and they could- for a price- a
huge price!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Just like when we go to Cedar Point-
we sometimes don’t want to be bothered carrying food, so we assume we’ll buy it
there.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When we get inside the gates,
what do we find?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>How much does a simple
hot dog and some pop cost?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Maybe five
dollars, maybe more!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Why?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Because they know we’re stuck!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You want to make a guess how much the
merchants charged for a lamb or goat or cow, so the traveler could make his
sacrifice?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A lot- because the traveler
was stuck- they came all that way to sacrifice, so they had to have an animal.</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">There was one more problem.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
temple porch where all this buying and selling was going on (can you imagine
the noise and the smell?) was the Court of the Gentiles- the only place where
Gentile converts could pray at the temple.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Now, how were they supposed to enter into a spirit of prayer with all
that noise and confusion?</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">Do you see why Jesus was angry?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>People, vulnerable people- exhausted travelers and Gentile worshippers-
were being taking advantage of in God’s name- on God’s special property.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“I” (self-centeredness) wasn’t at the center
of Jesus’ anger.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Injustice, lack of
compassion, cold-heartedness, all done in the name of Almighty God- these were
the things that made Jesus angry.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was
his love for other people that made him angry.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>There are a few other instances when we hear of Jesus getting
angry.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He was furious at the Pharisees
who didn’t want the man with the withered hand to be healed on the Sabbath
Day.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He was angry when the disciples
didn’t want the children to be allowed to come to him.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Both of these situations were similar- vulnerable
people being taken advantage of in God’s name.</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 color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;">Now you see the message for us this
Lent.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We are tempted to sin because we
are self-centered sinners.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Taking anger
as an example</span></b><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;">- when we are angry
because of something that someone did to us or ours, it is sin because it is
“I-focused.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When we are angry at things
that break the heart of God (racism, sexism, abuse of all kinds, hunger, etc.),
it is not sin- it is holy anger.</span></font></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">So, what breaks God’s heart in your family, your block, your
neighborhood, city, country, world?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do
you care, really care, about God- his hopes, goals, dreams, desires?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If you really care, what are you going to do
about it?</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 Lent, may God grant us the wisdom to stand strong against
temptation, to fight self-centeredness, and to be angry enough to begin to heal
the things that break God’s heart.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Amen.
</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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