[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Tomorrow's sermon

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:
Dear Friends,
Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Never Give Up” or “What’s Tattooed on
our Heart?” and deals with all the lessons.  Here it is:
Today we heard Jesus tell the story of a poor widow facing down a
owerful judge.  As you know- in those days (as often in our own
ime), widows were usually among the poorest and most vulnerable
eople in town.  No matter how rich their husbands were, widows in the
ewish culture of Jesus’ day did not inherit property.  The common
ractice was for the widow to become the wife of the oldest brother of
er husband.  If he would not have her or this was not possible, she
ould be taken in the household of her father or another male
elative.  If no male would take her in, she could prostitute or steal
r beg or sell herself and her children into slavery or starve to
eath.  Well- apparently someone owed this widow money, but the judge
ouldn’t listen to her.  Perhaps he only heard cases of those who had
 large enough bribe to make it worth his while.  We heard what the
idow did.  Every day- cold or hot, wet or dry, she appeared and
epeated her claim.  Finally he became so sick and tired of her
agging that he did the right thing and granted justice to her.  Let’s
ook at this parable to see what Jesus intends us to learn about how
o live our lives successfully as his beloved children.
FIRST- NEVER GIVE UP ON YOURSELF.  Widows in that culture were
requently scorned and abused.  People usually figured either the
idow or her husband or both were responsible for the misfortune that
ad caused the husband’s death.  In fact, many religious leaders of
he time taught that tragedies were the punishments from a righteous
od and were proof that the sufferers were terrible sinners.  So you
ee, she could have believed all the negatives she had heard from the
ime she was born and just assumed she was a huge nothing, a zero.
nstead, she wrestled with that judge like Jacob wrestled with the
ngel; and as the angel blessed Jacob, so the judge blessed the
idow.  The famous minister Norman Vincent Peale (who wrote The Power
f Positive Thinking) once traveled to Hong Kong. As he passed a local
attoo shop, he noticed some of the designs people could have tattooed
n their bodies - a flag, a dagger, and various slogans. One slogan
specially caught his eye: “Born to Lose.” He was curious and went
nside to ask about it. “Do people really ask for that tattoo?” he
sked. “Yes,” the owner replied.  Someone that very day had just asked
or it, in fact. “Why in the world,” asked Dr. Peale, “would anyone
ant to be branded with a saying like that?”  The old man shrugged and
aid, “Before the tattoo is needled into the body, that tattoo is
lready branded on the mind.”  Use the widow as a role model, and
on’t give up on yourself.
SECOND- DON’T GIVE UP ON OTHERS.  That widow could easily have given
p on that judge, but her persistence paid off and he finally did do
he right thing.  God could easily have given up on sneaky, lying
acob, but God’s persistence with Jacob produced the father of the
sraelites.  The Rev. Richard Donovan tells the story of another
inister, the Rev. George Mueller who pastored in the last century.
ev. Donovan says, “Early in his ministry, Mueller began to pray for
ive people by name.  He prayed for them every day without exception.
ick or well -- at home or abroad -- he prayed for them every day.
fter eighteen months, one of the five became a Christian.  Eighteen
onths- that’s a long time.  Mueller kept praying.  Five years later,
ne more became a Christian.  Five years- that’s a long time.  Six
ore years passed, and a third became a Christian.  That means that
ueller had prayed every day for twelve years, and only three of the
ive became Christians.  Mueller kept praying for the other two, but
hen he died without seeing his prayers answered.  But then, more than
ifty years after Mueller began his prayers, the other two finally
ecame Christians.  Mueller did not live to see it, but his prayers
ere answered.”  As the widow didn’t give up on the judge, as God
idn’t give up on Jacob, as Rev. Mueller didn’t give up on his people-
on’t give up on others.
THIRD- DON’T GIVE UP ON GOD.  When our hearts are breaking or our
eeds are great, this is sometimes the hardest of Jesus’ lessons.  At
he end of the parable, we hear Jesus ask, “When the Son of Man comes,
ill he find anyone on earth with faith?”  Our culture teaches us to
xpect quick results.  You’ve got a headache?  Take a pill for instant
elief.  Come home hungry?  Pop something in the microwave.  We’ve
ven got a name for restaurants that meet our need for instant relief
rom hunger- fast food!  Friends, God doesn’t work like that.  God’s
ays are not our ways and his timing is certainly not our timing.  We
ometimes act as if our prayers are like the quarter we put in the
andy machine- send your prayer up to God and get your answer back
ight now.  Some people treat God like a super-genie: make your wish
nd rub the bottle, but this time our wish is a prayer and we get to
kip rubbing the bottle.  All those wishes…all those prayers…what if
hey were all answered?  What if every team won?  What if no one got
ick and died?  What if we never had to wait for something, struggle
ith something?  Remember, God is our coach.  His purpose for us is to
hape and sharpen us up so we become more and more in the image of
hrist.  The most important thing prayer changes is ourselves.  Our
erspective changes.  We see life more and more through God’s eyes.
ften while God is in process of changing us, he’s using us to change
he world.  Dr. Tony Evans (of the Urban Alternatives Ministry) says,
It’s worth it to wait on God, because when He moves, He moves well.”
’m going to close with an old story of how God moves in surprising
ays.  “Once upon a time there was a good lady who lived next door to
n atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear
er. He thought to himself, ‘She sure is crazy, praying all the time
ike that. Doesn't she know there is no GOD?’ Many times while she was
raying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying, ‘Lady, why
o you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no GOD?’ But she
ept on praying.  One day, she had a really serious situation, because
he ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to the Lord
xplaining her situation and thanking Him for what He was going to do.
s usual, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself,
Humph...I'll fix her!’  He went to the grocery store, bought a whole
unch of groceries, took them to her house, dropped them off on the
ront porch, rang the door bell and then hid in the bushes to see what
he would do. When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she
egan to praise the Lord with all her heart, jumping, singing, and
houting everywhere!  The atheist then jumped out of the bushes and
old her, ‘You crazy old lady. God didn't buy you those groceries, I
ought those groceries!’ Well, she broke out and started running down
he street, shouting and praising the Lord even more. When he finally
aught her, he asked what her problem was. She said ‘I knew the Lord
ould provide me with some groceries, but I never guessed he’d make
he devil himself get them for me.’”
Don’t give up on yourself.  Don’t give up on others.  And, most
mportant- don’t give up on God.  Amen.
For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
isdom statements are posted on our NEW PARISH WEB SITE. The address
s: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .
Blessed preaching.
udy Boli
t. Paul's Episcopal Church
aginaw, Michigan
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20101016/e8f0b176/attachment.htm>