<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body dir="auto"><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 Samsung Galaxy smartphone.</div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div style="font-size:100%;color:#000000" dir="auto"><!-- originalMessage --><div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org> </div><div>Date: 14/12/2019 9:03 pm (GMT-05:00) </div><div>To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org> </div><div>Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 3A: “Jubilee” or “Claim Your Freedom!” </div><div><br></div></div><div dir="ltr">
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal">Dear Friends,</span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal"> (Part 2 of 2)</span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal">This Sunday’s sermon is
entitled “Jubilee” or “Claim Your Freedom!” and is based on the gospel (Matthew
11:2-11).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Here it is, Part 2 of 2. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal"> </span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"><br></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"12",serif">In
closing, I’m going to tell you a story about those attitudes, addictions, sins
that start small and grow to gigantic size.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>A mother was catching up with a week’s worth of laundry when, all of a sudden,
the sink started backing up. When she plunged her hand into the almost
overflowing sink and felt the drain, she found nothing. She called her husband
and together they bailed out the water and then took apart the trap. There was
no obvious clog. Next they used a plumber's snake to try and remove the
obstruction- all without success. All of a sudden, she noticed something
missing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Where’s that toy lizard that
was next to the sink?” she asked.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“What
lizard?” her husband asked.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“You know,
the one the kids were playing with that starts small and dry, but swells to 100
times its size when it gets wet,” she answered.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>A plumbers’ snake, drain cleaner, and finally a plumber’s bill of $123
got the swollen toy out of the drain.</span></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:
11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"12",serif"> </span></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:
11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"12",serif">Like our toy lizard,
negative attitudes, childhood abuse, sin, addictions often start small, and
then grow to life-choking proportions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>How do you get out of these traps?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Ideas:</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"12",serif">1.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Limit the
activity you’re concerned about.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If it’s
illegal, obviously eliminate it.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"12",serif">2.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just say NO,
and then think about something else.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Get
out of the house; go for a walk; call a friend; listen to good music.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"12",serif">3.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Talk about it
with your doctor or your priest or both.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"12",serif">4.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If it’s a
serious addiction and you can’t break free by yourself, get help.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Get into treatment; get some counseling, go
to Celebrate Recovery, join AA or NA or another type of support group.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"12",serif">5.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Give it to God at the altar- today, and then
keep your spiritual walk going through the week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Come to Wednesday noon Mass and Thursday
evening Bible study, say your prayers five times a day, read parts of your
bulletin every day, read your Forward Day by Day booklet.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"12",serif">6.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><b>Most important- NEVER GIVE UP!</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If none of these seem to work- talk to
me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Together with Jesus, we shall
overcome!</span></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:
11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"12",serif"> </span></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:
11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"12",serif">May God bless us as we
claim our Christ’s promise of freedom.</span></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal"> </span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;tab-stops:.25in;
mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:
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 href="http://www.stpaulsepisag.org/"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">http://www.stpaulsepisag.org</span></a>
.</span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal"> </span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal">Blessed preaching,</span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal">Judy Boli</span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal">St. Paul's Episcopal Church</span></strong></p>
<p style="line-height:normal;mso-mirror-indents:yes"><strong><span style="font-family:"12",serif;font-weight:normal">Saginaw, Michigan</span></strong></p>
</div>
<p dir="auto"></p>
-- <br dir="auto">
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to <a href="mailto:propertalk.topic+unsubscribe@ecunet.org" dir="auto">propertalk.topic+unsubscribe@ecunet.org</a>.<br dir="auto">
</body></html>