[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for ChristMass 1

[Joseph Parrish]

Forwarded:


Begin forwarded message:

> From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
> Date: December 29, 2011 10:36:25 PM EST
> To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
> Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for ChristMass 1
> Reply-To: propertalk.topic+owners at ecunet.org
> 

> Dear Friends,
> 
> Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “Happy New Year!- Are You Ready?” and
> deals with the Gospel (John 1: 1-18). Here it is:
> 
> I can’t believe today starts our New Year- 2012!  Today, New Year’s
> Day, is the time when the church thinks through naming, and
> specifically the naming of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ.  I
> thank you that you all joined me in ushering in the year 2012 in at
> God’s holy altar.  ChristMass Eve, we heard how Mary and Joseph named
> their baby “Jesus,” (God saves) just as the angel had instructed
> them.
> 
> Naming is important.  After our last cat- Cat/astrophe died, I
> remember how Bill+ and I struggled to come up with a name for our new
> kitten.  I remember how we thought about calling him “Astrophe-2,” but
> we were somehow uncomfortable with that.  It was like he needed his
> own name.  After we saw him with his gorgeous soft, brown coat and
> became impressed with his sweet, loving disposition- the perfect name
> came to mind- “Magnificat,” because that’s what he is- a truly
> magnificent cat!  We can’t go around the house calling “Magnificat,
> “Magnificat, “Magnificat”- so it was clear we needed a nickname.  I
> remember how Carla Wilson helped with that.  She suggested “McCat,”
> and it usually works.  Now that he’s all of six years old and knows
> his way around, one of his most frequent names is “Bad Cat- No! No!”
> Names are important, because they symbolize us.  When someone writes
> my name and spells it “Judi” instead of “Judy” or “Judith”- as
> understandable as this is, it’s like they really aren’t referring to
> me.
> 
> So what’s the connection with the naming of Jesus and New Year’s Day?
> As you know, time is a human-made invention.  We use the movement of
> this planet to measure how long something lasts.  A day is how long it
> takes for the earth to rotate on its axis.  A year is how long it
> takes for our planet to make the journey of one complete revolution
> around the sun.  So today, our earth will have made 2012 complete
> revolutions around the sun since Jesus was born, because our calendar
> is based on his birth (i.e. 2012 A.D.- anno domini”- “the Lord’s
> year.”  Actually, it’s really probably about 2016 A.D., since Jesus
> was born more-or-less in 4 B.C.  All of this can get really confusing,
> so I want to move into what it means to us.
> 
> The most important thing to remember about time, whether it’s our
> coming new year 2012 or whenever, is that God is in charge.  What’s
> going to happen to me in 2012?  Will I live or die?  Will wonderful or
> terrible things happen to me this year?  Will I win the lottery? (I
> doubt it since I don’t buy tickets.)  The truth is, we really don’t
> know what life will throw at us this coming year.  Does anyone
> remember “David, the Bubble Boy?” (September 21, 1971 – February 22,
> 1984, so you see he died when he was 12  years old).  David was born
> with a terrible birth defect- no immune system.  The least significant
> germ could kill him.  To allow him to survive, David lived his life in
> a plastic bubble- with no human touch.  I think the bubble had built-
> in gloves so someone could reach into his bubble for the basic
> necessities.  I have no idea how all this worked- how he got food or a
> bath or whatever.  What I do know is that many Christians think that’s
> how God does with Christians- keeps evil away from us as if we are in
> a bubble.  That’s not how life is.  God doesn’t spare his children,
> but he strengthens and supports us.  You’ve heard the saying, “People
> are like tea bags-you have to put them in hot water before you know
> how strong they are.”  With God, we can take anything the coming new
> year dishes out!
> 
> Unfortunately, sometimes it’s not by chance that the new year dishes
> out troubles.  We do it to ourselves.  You know I’m an animal lover,
> so when our children were little, we frequently went to the Detroit
> Zoo.  It always amazed me how those mighty elephants could be chained
> by just a peg in the ground.  I knew those huge elephants could easily
> pull out that peg.  What happened?  I’ll tell you what…when they were
> little, those baby elephants were tied to a huge stake that they could
> not pull out.  I’m sure those little elephants pulled and tugged, but
> to no avail.  They were conditioned to think breaking free was
> impossible, so now they don’t even try.  With the Lord’s help, you’re
> mighty like those huge elephants.  Don’t let the Devil convince you
> you’re helpless against those habits you’d like to break.  Claim God’s
> power in 2012 to break free.
> 
> The trick to overcoming, whether we’re talking about what life throws
> at us or what we’ve done to ourselves is putting God first in 2012.
> You know the usual advice- don’t miss church, receive Holy Communion
> weekly, start and close every day with God, bless every single bite of
> food you put in your mouth, do spiritual reading consistently.  I can
> hear you now---Rev. Judy, I don’t have time.  We get so busy, busy,
> busy- that we end up squeezing God out of our lives.  How is it
> possible to get it all done?  I’ll tell you how- give God his time
> first.  Do you remember the story of the father who was discussing the
> time problem with his teen-age son?  The teen’s problem was not God
> time, but homework time.  The father got a gallon jar and filled it
> with large rocks, then asked his son if it was full.  “Sure is!” said
> the son- that’s how my life is before I have my homework done.  So the
> father took some medium sized rocks and added them.  “Full now?” asked
> the father?  “Now it’s full,” answered his son.  You know what
> happened next, the father added small rocks, then gravel, and finally
> water.  “That’s how you organize your life, son,” said the father.
> You put the big important things in first.”  Good advice!  Take care
> of your responsibilities to God first: church, Bible reading, prayer,
> and let the other things fit as they may.  Your life will have power
> like you wouldn’t believe possible.  It was Martin Luther who said
> that the busier his day, the more important it was that he start it
> with prayer- true.
> 
> Did you hear about the man, I’ll call him “George,” who decided to
> make some changes in his life?  He was bragging to a friend: “There's
> nothing like getting up at six in the morning, going for a run around
> the park, and taking a brisk shower before breakfast.”   His friend
> replied, “How long have you been doing this?”  George answered: “I
> start tomorrow.”  Tomorrow won’t work.  Start today, now, at God’s
> altar.  By God’s grace, you will overcome.
> 
> For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
> wisdom statements are posted on our parish web site. The address is:
> http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .
> 
> Blessed preaching,
> Judy Boli
> St. Paul's Episcopal Church
> Saginaw, Michigan
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