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<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org><br>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org><br>
Sent: Sat, Mar 30, 2019 5:58 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 4C: “The TWO Sons” or “My Father’s Heart”<br>
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<div style="line-height:normal;">Dear
Friends,</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">This
Sunday’s sermon is entitled “The TWO Sons” or “My Father’s Heart” and is based
on the gospel (Luke 15:11-32).<span> </span>Here it
is: <span> </span></div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">“Sons,
both of them?” you’re thinking!?<span> </span>I
thought there was just one- the prodigal son, the sinful adventurer.<span> </span>Just wait- we’re getting ahead of ourselves.<span> </span>This parable has many life lessons for
us.<span> </span>You just heard the story:<span> </span>The younger son was sick and tired of the
same boring routine and all the work that went along with farming.<span> </span>He wanted some excitement big time, so he
went to his father and asked for his inheritance now, instead of waiting until
his dad was dead.<span> </span>As you probably
remember, in that society, the oldest son got a double portion of the family
inheritance, so the younger son got one-third of the father’s belongings.<span> </span>Since the father wasn’t dead yet, we would
have been talking about livestock and the tools for making a living.<span> </span>This means that the father made a great
sacrifice in his own standard of living, because some of those livestock would
have gone on to reproduce.<span> </span>In our time
it would be like giving your child investments from your 401 k- the source from
which your retirement comes.<span> </span>Not only
was it a real sacrifice, it was extremely disrespectful.<span> </span>In that culture, as in ours, you just didn’t
do that!<span> </span>It was almost like telling his
father to “drop dead!”<span> </span>Well, in spite of
the rude request, the father gives the youngest son what would be his share of
the father’s belongings, and off the son goes.</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">You
know what happens next.<span> </span>The younger son
parties away all his money; then the economy goes bad, and the only kind of
work he can get is caring for pigs- animals considered by Jewish people of that
day to be filthy, unclean, and not to be even touched.<span> </span>He was starving- even willing to eat pig food
(probably carob leaves- used these days by health food lovers as fake chocolate)
- but no one would give him anything.<span> </span>He
comes to his senses and makes a plan for how to go home.<span> </span>He knows his father treats his hired servants
fairly, so he figures he can go back as one of the workers, save his wages, pay
his father back, and then be accepted once again as a son.<span> </span>His father must have been watching for him,
because he sees his younger son coming a long way off.<span> </span>He runs to him; embraces him; welcomes him
home, won’t listen to any of his “hired servant” scheme; and throws a gigantic
welcome-home party.<span> </span>You notice- there is
nothing said about the son getting more inheritance.<span> </span>This is where we usually end the story, but
we have so far only met one lost son.<span>
</span>Here comes the other, because the elder son is furious when he finds out
what happened!<span> </span>He won’t go in the house
to join in the celebrating, so the father comes out and entreats him.<span> </span>We never do find out what happened.</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">That’s
the story Jesus told.<span> </span>Each character
speaks to our lives today.<span> </span>Let’s look at
the younger son first.<span> </span>Did you hear
about the man who lost his gas cap at the gas station when he filled his tank?<span> </span>Instead of going back to the gas station and
meticulously retracing his path, he figured that other people had done the same
thing, and their caps would be along this very road, so he looked in the ditch
and found a gas cap that would fit.<span> </span>“In
fact,” he figured, “this one’s even better than the one I lost- it locks.”<span> </span>Considering himself very lucky, he put it on
his car.<span> </span>MISTAKE!<span> </span>That gas cap worked really well- until he
needed gas again, and then…….He got what he wanted, but the trouble was, he
didn’t know what to do with it when he got it.<span>
</span>That’s just what happened to that younger son.<span> </span>He must have considered himself very lucky
when his father fell for his request.<span> </span>He
got just the freedom he wanted, but he really didn’t know what to do with it
after he got it!<span> </span>Dr. Tony Evans reminds
us that sin is like that- slavery that looks like freedom for a while.<span> </span>Have you ever been like that younger son-
done something REALLY wrong or stupid or both?<span>
</span>Here are the temptations that go with being a “younger son” type:</div>
<div style="margin-left:.5in;line-height:normal;"><span>1)<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span><b>Did you notice he went to a far country where he
could be anonymous?</b><span> </span>Don’t fall for
that.<span> </span>Scripture is right when it says,
“Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23).<span> </span>Maybe no one else knows, but you and God both
know.<span> </span>Unconfessed sin will poison your
spirit.</div>
<div style="margin-left:.5in;line-height:normal;"><span>2)<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span><b>Thinking, “My sin is so terrible that it can’t be
forgiven</b>.”<span> </span>Hogwash!<span> </span>The blood of Jesus Christ is stronger than
any sin!<span> </span>Confess it; if possible make
restitution for it; and you and God turn your life around.<span> </span>If you fail, continue the process until you
succeed and also do number three (next item).</div>
<div style="margin-left:.5in;line-height:normal;"><span>3)<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span><b>Thinking, “My sin is a habit- I can’t change.”</b><span> </span>Again- hogwash!<span> </span>If necessary, make a formal confession to
your priest; get professional help; don’t miss one Sunday of the input of the
Word, your Holy Communion, and the support of your Christian friends.<span> </span>The power of God is stronger than anything
the devil can throw at you.</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">The
other lost son was the older one.<span> </span>Did
you notice how his jealousy and self-righteousness separated him from his
father?<span> </span>Have you ever looked at someone
and thought- “How could he or she do that?<span>
</span>And now they want MY forgiveness?”<span>
</span>Here are four thoughts about forgiveness that will reduce our tendency
to become like the lost older son: </div>
<div style="margin-left:.5in;line-height:normal;"><span>1)<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span><b>Forgiveness- what is it?</b><span> </span>One of the best definitions of “forgiveness”
that I’ve ever heard is as follows: “Forgiveness is giving up my right to hate
you for hurting me.”<span> </span>(Anonymous)</div>
<div style="margin-left:.5in;line-height:normal;"><span>2)<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span><b>Forgiveness- how often?</b><span> </span>When Peter asked Jesus how many times he had
to forgive, the answer was seventy times seven, in other words the whole thing
(seven) times ten (the whole thing) times seven (the whole thing).<span> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left:.5in;line-height:normal;"><span>3)<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span><b>Forgiveness- why bother?</b><span> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left:.75in;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span>Ø<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span></span>Our Lord’s Prayer says, “Forgive us our sins AS
(i.e. the same way) we forgive those who sin against us.”<span> </span>To be forgiven, we must forgive.</div>
<div style="margin-left:.75in;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span>Ø<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span></span>We don’t forgive others for their benefit.<span> </span>They probably don’t care if we forgive them
or not.<span> </span>Jesus tells us to forgive for
our own benefit.<span> </span>Bitterness is a heavy
load to bear and ruins lives.</div>
<div style="margin-left:.75in;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span>Ø<span style="font:7.0pt New;">
</span></span></span>We don’t know what’s ahead in our own
lives.<span> </span>We may do something worse (or
meaner) than the person we’re mad at.</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">The
father is the other character in the parable.<span>
</span>You know how often people comment about how a baby has her father’s
eyes, her mother’s smile, etc.<span> </span>We are
called to have our father’s heart, and you know who our father is!<span> </span>We may have our Father’s heart, but only God
can judge our neighbor.<span> </span>No one is
unredeemable.<span> </span>No matter how evil they
are, we can pray for them, love them (i.e. wish what is best for them), and
reach out to them when possible.<span> </span>The
problem is, sometimes when someone has caused special pain, it’s so easy to
say- “I can’t, I simply can’t forgive them.”<span>
</span>Let me close with a story.<span> </span>“A
holy man was engaged in his morning meditation under a tree whose roots
stretched out over the riverbank. During his meditation he noticed that the
river was rising, and a scorpion caught in the roots was about to drown. He
crawled out on the roots and reached down to free the scorpion, but every time
he did so, the scorpion struck back at him. The man finally flipped the
scorpion safely on the grass.<span> </span>An
observer who had been watching this whole process said to the holy man, ‘Don't
you know that's a scorpion, and it's in the nature of a scorpion to want to
sting?’ To which the holy man replied, ‘That may well be, but I’ve got my
Father’s heart, and it is our nature to love and to save.<span> </span>Must I change my nature because the scorpion
does not change its nature?’” (adapted from Joseph B. Modica)<span> </span>Brothers and sisters- we have our Father’s
heart, and it is in our nature to love.</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">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: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</a>
.</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;"> </div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">Blessed
preaching,</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">Judy
Boli</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">St.
Paul's Episcopal Church</div>
<div style="line-height:normal;">Saginaw,
Michigan</div>
</div>
<div></div>
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