<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: 9/29/18 9:29 PM (GMT-05:00) </div><div>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> </div><div>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 21B: "Which Side Are You On? </div><div><br></div></div><div dir="ltr">
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Dear
Friends,</font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">This
Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Which Side Are You On?” and deals with the Old
Testament Lesson (Esther<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>7:1-6, 9-10;
9:20-22).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Here it is: <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></font></font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Does anyone know the
song, “Which Side Are You On?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It
started out as a union song, then became a civil rights song in the
sixties.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I remember singing at the top
of my lungs (so no one would know how afraid I was) “Which side are you on,
friends?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Which side are you on?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Which side are you on, friends?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Which side are you on?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I can’t remember the rest of it, can
you?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Anyway, in the episode from the Old
Testament we heard about Esther- one of the great women in the Bible.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s really a story about someone- Esther-
who had to make a risky decision about which side she was on.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She could take the easy way and not concern
herself about things that were not her problem; or she could choose to do the
risky, right thing and try to save her people- God’s chosen people, the Jews
from certain death.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>To refresh your
memory, here’s an abbreviated rendition of how the story goes: </font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">The story begins in the
city of Susa, in the winter palace of the Persian King Xerxes, who had just
divorced his wife for disobeying him.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>His search for her replacement produced Esther, who was crowned
queen.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Now Esther’s parents had died
when she was very young, so she was raised by her uncle Mordecai, who loved her
dearly.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Before she was chosen queen, Mordecai warned
her not to tell anyone that she was Jewish, since there were many in Persia who
hated Jewish people.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Later Mordecai
discovered a plot to assassinate King Xerxes and warned him, thus saving his
life.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Soon after that, Haman (one of
Mordecai’s rivals) became prime minister.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Haman immediately began showing off his power by requiring everyone to
bow to him.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Of course, Mordecai could
not, because the first Commandment says, “You shall have no other gods but
me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You shall not bow down to them or
worship them.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Haman was enraged at
Mordecai’s refusal.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What was worse, he
realized that the problem wasn’t just Mordecai- none of the Jews would bow to
him for the very same reason; and he’d look like a fool.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>To get revenge, he convinced King Xerxes to
issue a decree that all Jews would be killed.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>As Haman thought about how wonderful it would be to kill Mordecai, he
ordered a gallows built right by his house- just waiting to be used on the man
who had refused to worship him.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In the
meantime, Mordecai informed Esther and begged her to appeal to the king so
Jewish lives would be spared.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He told
her, “It may be that you were made queen for a time like this” (Esther 4
14b).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was a dangerous undertaking,
for two reasons: (1) the king did not know that Esther (his queen) was Jewish;
and (2) no one was allowed to come into the king’s presence without an
invitation, and King Xerxes had not sent for Esther for 30 days.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>To come uninvited meant certain death unless
the king extended his golden scepter to permit the person to enter and speak.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Esther decided it was now or never; now was
the time to bravely declare herself on God’s side, so she took the risk and appeared
uninvited before the king.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>King Xerxes
was so enthralled by her beauty that he extended his scepter and asked what she
wanted.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She invited the king and Haman
(the evil prime minister) to a banquet, which lasted two days.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>On the second day, she made her request- we
read it earlier today in the Old Testament lesson.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Esther said, “Your Majesty, if you really
care for me and are willing to help, you can save me and my people.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That's what I really want, because a reward
has been promised to anyone who kills my people” (Esther 7:3).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When King Xerxes asked, Queen Esther
identified herself as a Jew and Haman as the person who planned to kill all her
people.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The king was so infuriated that
he ordered Haman to be hanged on the same gallows he had so carefully built for
Mordecai’s execution.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So- what goes
around; comes around- especially in this story.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">What Mordecai said to Queen
Esther really applies to us:<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“It may be
that you were made queen for a time like this” (Esther 4 14b).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You’ve heard people say that things happen
for a reason.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’d go a step
further.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>God doesn’t make evil things
happen, but he surely uses them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When
something happens, I’m sure God looks around to see who’s available.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In the story, that person was Esther; today
many times in many situations in your life, that person is YOU.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“I’m not qualified!” you say.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Well, neither was Esther.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She was a simple Jewish girl, but God knew he
could count on her to save his people.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Did
you hear the story of the little girl who, after a week of kindergarten,
decided she wasn’t qualified for school and was just wasting her time by going?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Why” asked her mother, “do you feel this
way?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Well,” said the little girl, “I
can't read, I can't write and they won’t let me talk!”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’m here to tell you that even that little
child is qualified to do God’s work in her family, school, neighborhood, and
life, so you know God can use you.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Have
you heard the saying, “God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the
called.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What Mordecai said to Esther
also applies to us: “It may be that you were made husband or wife or son or
daughter or cousin or aunt or uncle or Godparent or friend or neighbor or
outreach minister or van driver or youth worker or doctor or plant worker or
helper or fixer or who-knows-what for a time like this” (Esther 4 14b).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The Marines used to say they were looking for
a few good men.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>(I’m sure now they add women.)<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Well- so is God.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Are you available?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s no job for the wishy-washy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You can’t be for God one minute and watching
out for number one (yourself) the next minute.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>You can’t back off and say “It’s not my problem.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The pay is nonexistent, the work is hard, but
life is unbelievably meaningful and the retirement is out-of-this-world!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Did you hear about the man who was sweating
out his first exam in college?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>All the
questions were “true” or “false.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In desperation,
he took out a quarter and started flipping it.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>If “heads” came out, he chose “true.”<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>If “tails” appeared, he chose “false.”<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The rest of the class was still sweating the exam when he finished, but
he didn’t think it would look good for him to leave too early.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Soon the instructor came by his desk to see
what the problem was.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There he was-
tossing his quarter, muttering, and cursing.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>“Son, what’s the problem?” he asked.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>“Oh, this exam is just getting to me,” he answered.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“I’m all done, so I’m rechecking my answers
and I’m getting confused.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Don’t be like
that.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s bad enough in exams, but
it’s worse in life.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Don’t flip sides
back and forth.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Choose Jesus.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Be on God’s side.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>God is looking for a few good men and women
and children, specifically- YOU!</font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><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><font color="#000000" size="3">
.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Blessed
preaching,</font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Judy
Boli</font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">St.
Paul's Episcopal Church</font></p>
<p style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Saginaw,
Michigan</font></p>
</div>
<p></p>
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