From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  2 20:04:40 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 20:04:40 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_Trinity_Sunday=2C_June_3=2C_bas?=
 =?utf-8?b?ZWQgb24gSm9obiAzOjEtMTcsIOKAnFdoZXJlIGlzIEplc3VzP+KAnQ==?=
Message-ID: <8CF0F339B456A7A-1408-4EC8@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/7ovnhx8 is our sermonfor Trinity Sunday, June 3, based on John 3:1-17, ?Where is Jesus??
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120602/b3055e2c/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  2 21:21:54 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 21:21:54 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_Trinity_Sunday_based?=
 =?utf-8?b?IG9uIEpvaG4gMzoxLTE3LCAiwr9Ew7NuZGUgZXN0w6EgSmVzw7pzPyI=?=
Message-ID: <8CF0F3E65031B8F-1408-4F1F@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/6n9dt9l es nuestra serm?n para el la Sant?simaTrinidad, 3 de junio, basado enJuan 3:1-17, "?D?ndeest? Jes?s?"
Pazy bendiciones,
Joe
SanJuan dela Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth,NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120602/5d35c136/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  2 21:23:27 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 21:23:27 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Trinity Sunday-
	Year B
In-Reply-To: <bd8deb46-31a2-43bb-a585-eb5ee2718b95@x21g2000vbc.googlegroups.com>
References: <bd8deb46-31a2-43bb-a585-eb5ee2718b95@x21g2000vbc.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF0F3E9C6E35D7-1408-4F24@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 2, 2012 8:21 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Trinity Sunday- Year B


Dear Friends,

Tomorrow?s sermon is entitled ?Trinity Sunday- It?s God?s Day- It?s
Not about You!? and deals all the lessons.  Here it is:

Three weeks ago we celebrated Mothers? Day; in two Sundays we?ll
celebrate Fathers? Day; but today is a really special day- Trinity
Sunday- GOD?s Day!  Today is the day we honor and focus- not on our
earthly mother or father, but on our heavenly Father- God- actually
God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As you know, my husband and I live in the Poplars Apartment.  One of
the reasons we really like about this apartment complex is the nice
mixture of tenants.  Some years ago, there was this really nice young
man who lived a few doors away.  He?s long since moved, but I still
miss him.  This helpful young man was always ready to help with
groceries or hold the door open for us, but one thing- he had really
strange-looking arms.  What, you ask, was the matter with his arms?
Well, they were covered with tattoos- I mean REALLY covered with
tattoos!  I remember how I finally got the nerve to ask him the
meaning of his tattoos, and his answer was fascinating!  His upper
left arm had three distinct pictures spaced neatly from the top of his
arm almost to his elbow.  When I asked him what they meant, he said
they were Korean symbols for God, power, and love.  Now, I usually
don?t appreciate tattoos, but these were really insightful.  The top
tattoo for God was an angel and a cross.  Since they were on his arm,
and obviously the Almighty created his arm, they made a nice symbol
for the Trinity- his arm: Father/Creator, the cross: Son/Redeemer, and
the angel: Holy Spirit/Sustainer-Friend.  So- the top symbol: God is
the next two symbols: Love-Power.  In other words, God is All-Powerful
Love!  Amazing- all that from a simple tattoo!  So today, it?s not
about us- it?s about God; and, as usual, the Bible lessons provide
wonderful insight about God and how we can honor Him on His day.

The Old Testament Lesson (Exodus 3: 1-6) reminds us of the appropriate
way to approach Father- God.  Too often we act as if God is our buddy,
a ?good guy.?  Our American culture teaches us to be casual- too
casual- about God.  A common phrase about God is that He?s the ?Man
Upstairs.?  WRONG!  God is not a man- He is Spirit; and he is not
upstairs- he is everywhere.  You know how the Japanese culture expects
people to remove their shoes when they enter a house?  That?s what God
expected Moses to do when he approached the holy burning bush.  We
could learn from them- not about houses necessarily, but about respect
for God?s house and God?s planet.  When we enter this holy space, we
should bow or genuflect at the pew, then kneel and tell God ?hello?-
not just barge in, sit down, and start talking with our neighbor.  Our
minds should be focused on God from the time we walk in until the time
we depart.  When we leave, we should again kneel down and tell God
?good-by,? then bow or genuflect to the reserved sacrament before we
walk down the aisle.  While we are blessed to live on God?s wonderful
Earth, we should respect it, care for it, and not dirty-it-up.

The Epistle (Romans 8: 12-17) reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us
the power to say ?No? to things that are negatives in our lives or the
lives of others and live God?s way.  It brings to mind the angel part
of the God tattoo, because it is God, the Holy Spirit, who walks with
us and talks with us and reminds us, day by day, how to live as God?s
beloved children.

The Gospel (John 3: 1-17) brings to mind the cross part of the tattoo-
that Jesus died to save the world, not condemn it.  It also reminds us
of the last symbol of the tattoo- the ?love? symbol.  That familiar
set of verses reminds us (say it with me if you can) ?God so loved the
world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.?  Scripture goes on
to say in verse 17 that God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save it.  If that?s not supreme love, I
don?t know what is!

Finally, Psalm 29 really speaks to the middle tattoo- God?s power.
What more can we say about our amazing God than:
1 ?All of you angels in heaven,
	honor the glory and power of the LORD!
2 Honor the wonderful name of the LORD,
	and worship the LORD most holy and glorious.
3 The voice of the LORD echoes over the oceans.
	The glorious LORD God thunders above the roar of the raging sea,
4 and his voice
	is mighty and marvelous.
5 The voice of the LORD destroys the cedar trees;
	the LORD shatters cedars on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon skip like a calf
	and Mount Hermon jump like a wild ox.
7-8 The voice of the LORD makes lightning flash
	and the desert tremble.?

So all of today is not about us, but it?s about God.  The little girl
in the story I?m going to tell as our sermon comes to a close doesn?t
quite get it.  To her, it?s all about her.  Who can blame a child, but
we should know better.  The story goes: ?A mother noticed that it was
about time for school to dismiss and since it looked like it would
rain, she drove toward the school to pick up her eight year old
daughter. She turned down the street to see her daughter running
towards her down the sidewalk. A lightning bolt flashed and the little
girl looked up towards the sky, smiled, and then began running toward
her mother's van.  Another lightning bolt flashed and again the little
girl looked toward the sky, smiled, and resumed running. This happened
several more times until the little girl finally arrived where her
mother was parked.  Her mom immediately inquired as to the strange
behavior. ?Why did you keep stopping and smiling at the sky?? she
asked her daughter.  ?I had to, Mommy? replied the little girl. ?God
was taking my picture.??  (Religious Joke of the Day Web Site)

How many kids only call home when they need something?  How many
parents console themselves with the thought- ?No news is good news?
when they haven?t heard from their grown children for a long time?
Don?t be that way with God.  Say your prayers and read your Bible
daily, don?t miss church one single Sunday, do what He says and love
your neighbor as much as you love your self.  And for God?s day-
today- let?s give Him our best worship this morning.  Then- how short
is your memory?  Will you remember to kneel and pray before you leave
this holy place and then bow to the Sacrament as you walk out of the
pew, or will you have forgotten by then?  Will you remember to kneel
and pray when you enter next Sunday morning, and will you also
remember to bow to respect the Sacrament as you enter and exit the
pew?  May your worship enhance God?s special day this morning.  Amen.

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120602/a0e95f46/attachment.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun  3 12:54:33 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2012 10:54:33 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 5
Message-ID: <441B4FF382464B918840307D7558C42E@BobPC>

Collect for Proper 5, June 10:

Let us pray:

Father of our family,

you sent your first born son

to gather your children 

into one household.

May we always do your will

as true mother, brother and sister,

eternal kin

of  Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God for ever and ever.  Amen



For reflection on Proper 5 go to >  http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/



Bob Eldan

Lander, Wyoming

USA





 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120603/0f5394de/attachment.htm>

From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Jun  3 20:52:15 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 03 Jun 2012 20:52:15 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the SECOND SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <80303E82A2AB4F2F85814783974B908F@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, June 10, (Proper 5), according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of England (Common Worship), and Canadian BAS Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, C of E and Canada are identical to the RCL this Sunday. Note that the alternative RCL readings are not used in Canada.


OLD TESTAMENT:   1 Samuel 8: 4 - 11 (12 - 15) 16 - 20 (11:14 - 15)   (RCL)

1Sam 8:4 (NRSV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ra'mah, 5 and said to him, "You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations." 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." Samuel prayed to the LORD, 7 and the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only--you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." 
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day." 
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, "No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles." 

1Sam 11:14 (NRSV) Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gil'gal and there renew the kingship." 15 So all the people went to Gil'gal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gil'gal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the LORD, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly. 


Genesis 3: 9 - 15   (Roman Catholic)
Genesis 3: 8 - 15   (alt. for RCL

Gene 3:8 (NRSV) They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, 
"Because you have done this, 
cursed are you among all animals 
and among all wild creatures; 
upon your belly you shall go, 
and dust you shall eat 
all the days of your life. 
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, 
and between your offspring and hers; 
he will strike your head, 
and you will strike his heel." 


PSALM 138   (RCL)

Psal 138:1 (NRSV) I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; 
before the gods I sing your praise; 
2 I bow down toward your holy temple 
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; 
for you have exalted your name and your word 
above everything. 
3 On the day I called, you answered me, 
you increased my strength of soul. 
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, 
for they have heard the words of your mouth. 
5 They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, 
for great is the glory of the LORD. 
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; 
but the haughty he perceives from far away. 
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; 
you stretch out your hand, 
and your right hand delivers me. 
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; 
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. 
Do not forsake the work of your hands. 


138   Confitebor tibi      (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
  before the gods I will sing your praise.
 
2   I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
  because of your love and faithfulness;
 
3   For you have glorified your Name *
  and your word above all things.
 
4   When I called, you answered me; *
  you increased my strength within me.
 
5   All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *
  when they have heard the words of your mouth.
 
6   They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
  that great is the glory of the Lord.
 
7   Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
  he perceives the haughty from afar.
 
8   Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
  you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
  your right hand shall save me.
 
9   The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
  O Lord, your love endures for ever;
  do not abandon the works of your hands.
 

Psalm 130   (Roman Catholic; alt. for RCL)

Psal 130:1 (NRSV) Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. 
2 Lord, hear my voice! 
Let your ears be attentive 
to the voice of my supplications! 
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, 
Lord, who could stand? 
4 But there is forgiveness with you, 
so that you may be revered. 
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, 
and in his word I hope; 
6 my soul waits for the Lord 
more than those who watch for the morning, 
more than those who watch for the morning. 
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! 
For with the LORD there is steadfast love, 
and with him is great power to redeem. 
8 It is he who will redeem Israel 
from all its iniquities. 


130   De profundis      (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
  let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
 
2   If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
  O Lord, who could stand?
 
3   For there is forgiveness with you; *
  therefore you shall be feared. 
4   I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
  in his word is my hope.
 
5   My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
  more than watchmen for the morning.
 
6   O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
  for with the Lord there is mercy;
 
7   With him there is plenteous redemption, *
  and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.


NEW TESTAMENT:   2 Corinthians 4: 13 - 5: 1

2Cor 4:13 (NRSV) But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture--"I believed, and so I spoke"--we also believe, and so we speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. 15 Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 
16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 


GOSPEL:   Mark 3: 20 - 35  (all)

Mark 3:20 (NRSV) and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beel'zebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 
28 "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." 
31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120603/140f90ae/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun  5 09:50:47 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2012 09:50:47 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 10 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CF113957CE7573-C68-42F@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

 

Sermons for Proper 5:
 
Mark 3:20-35 - "Looking a Little Bit Crazy"
Mark 3:20-35 - "When You Are Wrongly Criticized" by Leonard Sweet
 
Mark 1 the sermon title "Looking a Little Bit Crazy"  

 

A photocopied sign was posted inside a church office. It was one of those humorous full-page slogans that people in different offices duplicate and pass among themselves. Most of us have seen this particular message, I suppose, but posted in a church office, the words took on a new meaning. There it was, taped to the cinder blocks behind a secretary's desk. The sign read, "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps." 

At one level, why not put a sign like that in a church? Many churches are busy, hectic, confusing places. There are worship services to plan, educational programs to run, choirs to rehearse, fellowship dinners to organize, and outreach efforts to facilitate. There is a lot going on, and things can get frantic. The running joke in one church I know is that the staff keeps saying, "Next week it's going to get quiet," but the quiet week never comes. The work load can become a little bit crazy. 

On a deeper level, there is a great deal of truth to that sign. There is something strange about the church. We are not just another club or civic organization. The church's view of reality is increasingly out of phase from a lot of prevailing views. In the church, we do and say things that do not always make sense to people outside of this house. 

The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  

_______________________



Mark 3 the sermon titled "When You Are Wrongly Criticized" by Leonard Sweet  


Anyone here like criticism? 

How do you respond to criticism? 

Does being criticized bring you down or fire you up? 

Do you want to hunker in your bunker or lob your own volley of vitriol back at your critics?

Learning how to respond to criticism is a lifetime journey. That's because critics will be accompanying you from cradle to grave! 

Since 2012 is a big election year there is no shortage of negative, critical remarks flying around the airwaves. Of course all politicians virtuously claim they hate "negative" ads. And, of course, every candidate uses them. The justification for both sides is "Negative ads work." Surveys allegedly show that those nasty, negative, often highly personal attacks are the most effective way of swaying public opinion. Negativity, bad-mouthing, accusatory honking profoundly changes the way we think and the way we act... 
 
_________________________ 

Constant Controversy 

Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever been misrepresented? Has anyone ever taken your words and motives and twisted them around and used them against you? If you live long enough in this world you are going to face that kind of a personal attack.

I can remember an instance in another church when a certain group in that church took my preaching tapes and listened to them to find words and phrases they disagreed with. These disagreeable sayings were brought up in a business meeting and used to attack me personally. It hurt at the time, but it was a good lesson to me. It served to remind me that God's servants will be attacked. It also reminded me to think about my words before I say them because I might be called on to give an account of them. 

The earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus was surrounded by constant controversy. Nearly everyone He met misunderstood Him and what He came to this world to do. Nearly everyone was guilty of misrepresenting His words and His works. The things He did and said in love were used to attack Him in hate! 

Alan Carr, The Servant Under Attack 

____________________________________



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120605/1fda8192/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun  5 09:52:56 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2012 09:52:56 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 10 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1139A4D5944F-C68-437@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


A Change in Control 

Last night a friend of mine was talking about his father: he spoke of how, for many years, his father binged out, how his father was a drunkard - a man who when sober was kind and gentle - and when drunk - well he was something else again. He had no control over himself. And this kind and gentle man brought pain and suffering upon others, or at least the force within him did so - the family had to move - to change homes and communities - almost every year - landlords were cheated, employers disappointed, children neglected, friends abandoned - or embarrassed or betrayed. 

And this continued on until one day, after taking his children to Sunday School for a period of time, after witnessing the faith of others and what it did for them, he accepted Jesus into his life. He asked God to take control, to guide his actions and save him from his sins and from the power of sin. And then things changed; debts still had to be paid, amends still had to be made, mistakes still occurred. But the inner man -the man that God made - was set free to grow and mature. No more booze, a lot more prayer. And the love and kindness of the man that could be glimpsed before - in the moments of sobriety - became apparent to all - for days, weeks, and finally years on end. The children who were still living at home stopped fearing what would happen next - they began to look forward to being with their father - they began to develop their own faith in God - a faith that still guides them to this day. This man, this father, this husband, experience a change in control - he went from being in the control of the devil to being in the control of God, and the result was the renewal of his inner nature, and in the end, when his earthly tent was destroyed, the result was a building from God - a house not made with hands - eternal in the heavens.. 

Richard J. Fairchild, Even Though.... 

___________________________________

Questioning the Source of the Power 

The scribes and Pharisees cannot deny what Jesus is doing; too many people have experienced it, too many people have been helped. So their strategy is to turn the people against Jesus by saying that He is ministering by the power of an evil spirit. 

It's sort of like Environmental groups in Canada receiving funding from people who want them to disrupt energy projects which conflict with their own financial interests. Or someone funding a Women's shelter with drug and prostitution money they make in their biker gang. 

You get the picture; suddenly the Environmentalist isn't the noble crusader anymore; the shelter benefits from the addiction and abuse it stands against. 

But it's not just a smear campaign that the Teachers of the Law are engaging in; they actually believe it. They are convinced that Jesus is in league with the devil because they can't see how it lines up with how God has worked in Israel in the past and how they understood the Law. 

Grant Gunnink, The Unforgivable Sin 

____________________________________

Humor: Differences of Opinions 

Dr. Eugene Brice tells a delightful but disturbing story about a minister who returned to visit a church he had once served. He ran into Bill, who had been an elder and leader in the church, but who wasn't around anymore. The pastor asked, "Bill, what happened? You used to be there every time the doors opened."

"Well, Pastor," said Bill, "a difference of opinion arose in the church. Some of us couldn't accept the final decision and we established a church of our own."

"Is that where you worship now?" asked the pastor.

"No," answered Bill, "we found that there, too, the people were not faithful and a small group of us began meeting in a rented hall at night."

"Has that proven satisfactory?" asked the minister.

"No, I can't say that it has," Bill responded. "Satan was active even in that fellowship, so my wife and I withdrew and began to worship on Sunday at home by ourselves."

"Then at last you have found inner peace?" asked the pastor.

"No, I'm afraid we haven't," said Bill. "Even my wife began to develop ideas I was not comfortable with, so now she worships in the northeast corner of the living room, and I am in the southwest."

King Duncan, quoting Eugene Brice, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
_______________________ 

Family Values

Last week I was reading a newspaper article on family values. The gist of the article was that everyone wants strong family values but few can agree on what they are. Then I heard Roger Rosenblatt on public radio being cynical about family values. Rosenblatt said that there are plenty of perfect families around like yours and mine. But, there are so many others that fall short, families like the Walker spy family or the Medicis in Italy or the Macbeths of Scotland or the Oedipus Rexes of Greece. Rosenblatt's point was that there is no perfect family and that family values have become so generalized they are meaningless. He said what is valuable in families is that they are normal people struggling to do good and be good, strengthening themselves by listening to each other, paying attention to other families, and encouraging each other to be fair, honest, and kind. Sounds like a decent list of family values to me, and even a single parent can do those things.

Some of us, when we think of family, think of more ordinary things, like clusters of dog hair on clothes and hot dogs with everything smushed in the glove compartment and peanut butter on the television screen and aging grease on the hood over the stove. Whatever your view of the family and its values might be, Jesus wrecks it all. Jesus' words are like answering the doorbell and getting a bucket of ice water in the face.

Kristin Borsgard Wee, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Do You Love Me?, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
____________________________

Training to Hear the Voice of God 

There is a positive message to be learned from these words of Jesus. The lesson is that we must keep ourselves alert to the way God is working in the world. Remember that those who were seeking to discredit Jesus were religious people. Their problem was that they just didn't expect God to be acting as Jesus said he was acting, so they missed the movement of God in their midst, and in fact, they called it evil. Today God may be speaking to us in causes that are unpopular, or in political events that cause us to feel threatened and insecure. The cries for justice and fairness in the world may come from quarters that we are not accustomed to listen to. We need to exercise diligence so that we don't miss the voice of God today just because it happens to be spoken by unfamiliar lips. 

I once sat in on a class my wife was taking in music appreciation. The instructor was asking the class members to listen for the recurring theme as it was passed from one instrument to another and was modified. I quickly lost it, but others in the class, who had benefited from their training, were able to keep track of the theme and even state which instrument was playing it. It is a law of life that we hear what we have trained ourselves to hear. What we must do is to train ourselves to listen for the voice of God in areas where we have not expected to hear it. We hear that voice only by attentive listening: by asking ourselves whether there is a valid message in those things which make us uncomfortable.

Jesus spoke of an unforgivable sin, not because any act is unforgivable, but to warn us that our own hardness of heart can close the channels through which God's forgiveness flows and, as a consequence, leave us feeling alienated. Let us, therefore, affirm the good that is in others, so that our own hearts become generous and accepting of others, even as God is generous and accepting of us.

David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company 
____________________ 

Think What God Can Do with Our Sins 

M. H. Schubert shares the story about a group of fishermen in the Scottish highlands. They gathered for tea and discussed the day's catch. As a waitress set down a cup of tea, a hand accidently knocked it against the wall. It left an ugly stain. One of the guests got up, went to the wall, and began sketching around the stain with a crayon. What emerged was a stag with magnificent antlers. The man was Sir Edwin Landseer, England's foremost painter of animals. If an artist can transform an unsightly stain into a beautiful masterpiece, think what God can do with our sins. He absolves them and, in their place, refashions us toward full maturity.

James Weekley, Tilted Haloes, CSS Publishing Company 

________________________ 

When Perceptions Shift 

In Mark 3, those who try to turn the work of God into the work of the devil show by so doing that they are so far gone, so deeply enmeshed in a spiritually inverted reality, that there is no reaching them. Some of you will recall the dwarves as depicted by C.S. Lewis in the last book of the Narnia series. The dwarves had been brought by Aslan the Lion into the glories of the New Narnia, which stood for heaven or the kingdom of God. These stubborn dwarves sat smack in the middle of a sunlit meadow full of wildflowers and were being fed fruit and vegetables more exquisitely flavorful and fresh than anyone had ever before imagined was possible. 

Yet their minds were darkened, their hearts were cold. And so they were convinced they were sitting in the middle of a stinky old stable being fed moldy bread and cow manure. When one of the other characters asks Aslan what can be done for these hapless figures, the answer comes back that...
 
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120605/4da7fb4e/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 10:56:50 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 10:56:50 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  June 10 (Proper 5B) Mark 3:20-35
Message-ID: <E51AD2CECBF74314A35A9A02D18094D9@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for June 10 (Proper 5B). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Mark 3:20-35, where Jesus says, "whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an
eternal sin."

To access those files, you MUST use the following links. If clicking on the
link fails to work, copy the link and paste it in the address window near
the top of your browser. Then hit the ENTER key or click GO.

MARK 3:20-35

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-10mk/Mark.3.20-35.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001lbsv-WW4OF_KSXXbuzcyW-U89JyBpI3T39B2ahdcCvPM
JGX7epw3ik9v_W_lTW6nHnligqAVJ5Gh3Bkgb8yvbA4FCSBeAQBSzP62MWweneNjjts1gVfKVNWY
OVU2RunJMFITtv2s_OIAaH76bURTCGdCvwzCEoJv> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-10mk/Mark.3.20-35.htm 
 

A TIP: If you want the Word file, LEFT-CLICK on the link and see what
happens. That should bring up a dialog box that asks if you want to open the
file or save it. Choose OPEN. Then save it wherever you like on your hard
drive. 

 
 If that doesn't work, RIGHT-CLICK on the link. You should get a sub-menu.
Hopefully, "Save Target As" will be one of the options. Click on that. Then
save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.  
  

http://www.lectionary.org/
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001lbsv-WW4OF_bdILjZi-9i-KQEZboV3TPxtBQktmbcBse
McfCohpBSRVKNWaIRk_Lec1wq_s4HdX7jRCh1Lm0LExg5aag4eMCfOXs_lArx0EGcRL0-idGOg==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/40d39ac2/attachment.htm>

From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Fri Jun  8 16:51:50 2012
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 16:51:50 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 5 b
Message-ID: <67520dcf.2f8e68.137cdde0bf6.Webtop.44@charter.net>

Here's my draft for Sunday.

I hope you have a great celebration!

Bob

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY                           THE 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
1 SAMUEL 8:4-20, 11:14-15                           	    	                	 
PROPER 5 B RCL
2 CORINTHIANS 4:13 ? 5:1		                                                	               	 
10th JUNE, 2012
MARK 3:20-35         					 
PSALM 138

	?Victory is mine!? began an article about newly elected bishops I 
received last Monday. ?Then (it suggested I) [stand for a full 
30-seconds with arms raised in the classic Richard Nixon double V pose 
while soaking in all the applause.] And you, good people of the Diocese 
of XXX are obviously smarter than the Episcopalians in (name the five 
dioceses in which you lost elections).

	?Thank you for finally getting me out of St. Thomas-by-the-Turnpike and 
away from all those annoying parishioners who kept showing up week after 
week and telling me all about their ?problems? at coffee hour. It?s been 
a long-time coming. And my wife and I are psyched that my current salary 
will now be doubled. Show me the money! And by the way here are some 
plans we had drawn up to redo the kitchen in the bishop?s residence 
[hand them to the diocesan treasurer].

	?To my fellow candidates: in an election, there can only be one winner. 
Thus, God thinks you?re a loser. As does this entire diocese. But take 
it from me ? there will be other elections and other chances to join ME 
in the House of Bishops. Until then please know that I won?t return your 
phone calls and, in fact, I?ve already forgotten all of your names.? 1

	That was actually a spoof written by someone who felt that newly 
elected bishops said or wrote too much of the same thing on hearing of 
the results of the Diocese?s search process decision. Think about it, 
though, and you may find more than a grain of truth, not just for 
prospective bishops, but people in many vocations. Whom do we want to 
lead us? And why?

	I have several friends who quietly or not so quietly are talking about 
how it might be less stressful to have a constitutional monarchy in the 
U.S. as we ooze towards November.

	Leaders, and their appointment or election, can produce so much 
tension, and there?s seldom any guarantee that things will work out ? if 
they ever do.

	You may be able to imagine what was running through Samuel?s mind at 
the time described in our first reading. First, his family was 
crumbling. His sons, on whom he?d probably pinned so much hope, his sons 
were incapable of assuming the role. Their behaviour was such that folk 
came to the prophet and said, to his face, ?We can?t go on like this. We 
need someone else. We need a king.?

	How little things change! Samuel?s family life was so dysfunctional ? 
possibly not completely the old man?s fault, but he would have had to 
have accepted at least some responsibility. The problem was probably the 
same as today?s ? Samuel was in control, but, for whatever reason, his 
sons were OUT of control, which, in turn, makes Samuel?s ministry less 
than effectual.

A glance at just one newspaper story last week showed much the same 
happening today. Hamid Karzai likely won?t be President of Afghanistan 
for much longer. He has many brothers and business partners. All of them 
are in the business of hanging on to control and power as tightly as 
they possibly can. There?s talk that one of the other brothers may run 
for the office of the Presidency when Hamid steps down. Meanwhile, the 
family are quarreling openly as well as under-handedly to hang on to 
vast bank accounts, and huge development complexes, and foreign 
investments ? and who knows how they?re involved in the tremendous 
mineral resources recently brought to light. 2

Sound familiar? It?s been repeated through history from the time Cain 
and Abel fought over who had the better job and could get the parental 
blessing. It happens in congregations too ? THAT shouldn?t be a 
surprise. A play on that famous quote and a vodka commercial might well 
run ?Absolut power corrupts Absolut-ly?!

	Now SOMEone has to be in charge, no doubt about that. And I?m not 
saying that Samuel was a peach of a prophet, all the time at any rate. I 
know that even Jesus ran into trouble. Who are My sisters and brothers, 
indeed! The biological ones probably wanted to keep for themselves what 
prestige and marketability they saw in being related Jesus, so they 
didn?t want Jesus making a fool of Himself and dragging the family name 
into disrepute. When He DID yank people?s chains, however, He would have 
been the last person they?d have acknowledged. They distanced themselves 
from Him as much as they possibly could. Leadership, power, control over 
others, and the inevitable money and property, and an 
often-misplaced-sense of respectability, they have such in incredible 
hold on our lives. And that?s precisely the
problem the readings address today.
	
	Nothing wrong with having a monarch, per se. However, the reason the 
people gave Samuel for it shows a lack of understanding of who they 
were. They said, quite bluntly, ? ... we are determined to have a king 
over us, so that we may be like other nations?.

	The whole point of Israel being Israel was that they were to be 
different, a special people, called by God to set the standard, to show 
what can be possible when you live with God and follow God?s guidance. 
There were no claims made by God as to how the people would be 
protected. God was looking for people who?d take a strong sense of 
purpose and mould it into such a pattern of behaviour that other nations 
would actually turn to look at them.

	Samuel, had, I?m sure, talked till he was blue in the face, but the 
problem didn?t seem to lie there. Even his sons were adults by this 
time. They, like the nation, had their own decisions to make, difficult 
decisions, decisions that might or might not be costly, but decisions 
nevertheless which would show how closely they aligned themselves with 
God.

	As the climax of the wonderful celebrations for the British Queen?s 
Diamond Jubilee celebrations last weekend, there was a service at 
Westminster Abbey at which the Archbishop of Canterbury preached. One of 
the more conservative newspapers took the Archbishop to task for talking 
about social issues, real-life issues. He pointed out that Queen 
Elizabeth never shirked responsibilities in terms of her public office, 
even when it was costly. Then he made a rather apropos point.

	He said, ?Moralists (archbishops included) can thunder away as much as 
they like; but they'll make no difference unless and until people see 
that there is something transforming and exhilarating about the prospect 
of a whole community rejoicing together - being glad of each other's 
happiness and safety.

	?This alone is what will save us from the traps of ludicrous financial 
greed, of environmental recklessness, of collective fear of strangers 
and collective contempt for the unsuccessful and marginal - and many 
more things that we see far too much of, around us and within us.

	?One crucial aspect of discovering such a vision - and many still do 
discover it in their service of others, despite everything - is to have 
the stories and examples available that show it's possible.

	?Thank God, there are many wonderful instances lived out unobtrusively 
throughout the country and the Commonwealth. But we are marking today 
the anniversary of one historic and very public act of dedication - a 
dedication that has endured faithfully, calmly and generously through 
most of the adult lives of most of us here.

	?We are marking six decades of living proof that public service is 
possible and that it is a place where happiness can be found. To seek 
one's own good and one's own well-being in the health of the community 
is sacrificially hard work - but it is this search that is truly natural 
to the human heart.

	?That's why it is not a matter of tight-lipped duty or grudging 
compliance with someone else's demands. Jesus himself says, ?My food is 
to do the will of him who sent me?, and that's what is at the heart of 
real dedication.? 3

	If we seek leaders, and if we do it in order to be just like, or one 
better than our neighbours, we?re bound to fail. If we, at any point in 
our lives, on any issue ? choosing a congregation with which to 
affiliate, choosing stores to patronise, choosing a candidate at an 
election ? if at any point in our lives we fail to see that God isn?t 
here to make sure that we?re comfortable, we court trouble. God?s point 
in calling us here, to be members of the family, to be brothers and 
sisters to one another, is not to make sure that we agree with one 
another, but to make sure that everyone is afforded respect, and 
dignity, and compassion. God?s point ? said with such a sigh by Jesus ? 
is that our sisters and our brothers are all around us, peering in our 
windows, waiting on our streets, looking for a response from us that 
isn?t guided by how good it will look on our resum?s, or whether the 
Chamber of Commerce will give us a good citizenship award, or whether 
it?ll tick off or please the bishop.

	Who are our sisters and brothers? What?s happening to them? Jesus? 
response was that there?s no limit to those who need our immediate and 
compassionate attention. I guess that?s one reason I?m so saddened by 
the way in which the Roman Catholic Curia has responded to the Women 
Religious in this country, and their sisters around the world. The first 
commandment, including loving God, is to love in a practical way. No 
matter what the cost, it means making sure that no one is left out, that 
people?s social and physical needs are met as well as their spiritual 
ones. There?s no denying that we all need spiritual care; but there?s no 
denying that we need care that addresses the needs of our bodies and 
minds also.

	I find it really interesting in light of Rome?s crackdown on the 
Sisters? ministry, to read that a ?(Roman) Catholic bishop told 
President Obama in a meeting ? religious leaders had with him in the 
White House last year as the August debt crisis deal was being decided: 
??Mr. President, our scriptural mandate from Jesus does not say ?As you 
have done to the middle class, you have done to me.? It rather says, ?As 
you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.??? 4

	We?re still struggling with trying to define to whom we look for 
leadership and why. We?re still struggling with trying to define who are 
our sisters and brothers. It?s a heck of a job. But Jesus and Samuel 
both invite us to look for those whom everyone else ignores, or 
belittles, or attacks; to set aside any thoughts we might have about 
power and control; to ?think those things that are right, and by (God?s) 
merciful guiding ... do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord,? 5 for our 
own sakes as well as the sake of all of our sisters, and brothers, and 
mothers.

NOTES:

1 	The Rev. Tim Schenck, the rector of the Episcopal Parish of St. John 
the Evangelist in Hingham, MA 
http://www.teutopolispress.com/community/blogs/frtim/x1982680424/Victory-Speech-Bishop-s-Edition

2	?Intrigue in Karzai Family as an Afghan Era Closes by James Risen? 
3rd June, 2012 ? - The New York Times 
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=afhagni%20president's%20family%20power%20control&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CFkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2012%2F06%2F04%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fkarzai-family-moves-to-protect-its-privilege.html&ei=d9_QT6z0JKH56QG8tch7&usg=AFQjCNEIsFNFV8P_sOY7SHrH19_navZkPg

3	HM Queen Elizabeth?s Diamond Jubilee Celebratory Service sermon by 
Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2154808/Archbishop-Canterbury-hijacks-Diamond-Jubilee-Thanksgiving-sermon-preach-City-greed-environmental-issues.html#ixzz1x2UGEKpX

4	?The Missing Religious Principle in Our Budget Debates? by Jim Wallis. 
Sojourners 7th June, 2012 
http://sojo.net/blogs/2012/06/06/missing-religious-principle-our-budget-debates

5	Collect for Proper 5 b, Book of Common Prayer, page 229.



Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)



From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 17:47:10 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 17:47:10 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 1
Message-ID: <DE168C4845C146F785442E1A826B65F3@OwnerPC>

"Religion has fallen on hard times. Once religion was worn as a badge of
honor, but today virtually no one wants to be thought of as religious. Too
many people equate religion with the worst possible behaviors associated
with the church-self-righteousness, judgmentalism, condemnation, prejudice,
intolerance among them. Sects, factions, denominations, splinters, and
divisions send a message to the world that Christians can't get our own
story straight. Petty bickering and conflict within congregations reinforce
the impression that being Christian offers nothing of greater value than any
other club or association.

"So what can be done? While the answer is simple, it won't be easy. The time
has come to set aside differences and focus instead on what we share in
common. Jesus says in today's Gospel lesson, "But no one can enter a strong
man's house and plunder his property without first binding the strong man;
then indeed the house can be plundered." Let's begin here. Let's acknowledge
that we believe different things and value different things and seek
different things, but at our heart and core we are all one family, children
of God, and brothers and sisters of the Christ. It won't change anything
overnight, but one thing is certain. If we're all on the same side, there
won't be any of "those people" left to dislike."

http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/article/entry/2838/unbinding-the-strong-m
an

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/d699da91/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 20:20:46 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 20:20:46 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon  tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 2
Message-ID: <4C00F20B2584427BBF3843056545D8B4@OwnerPC>

Our situation as Xns is like the story of the old landlord told by Pr. Larry
Christiansen. Supposing that we live in a run-down apartment; the best you
can afford. There are holes in the walls & ceiling; the carpet is threadbare
with roaches everywhere. The windows leak cold air in the winter & let flies
in the summer...faucets drip constantly. Yet the landlord still collects the
rent, and when we hesitate to pay because of the poor conditions, he
threatens higher rent. We have nowhere else to live & can't afford anything
better, so we keep on paying the rent until one day, when we hear a knock at
the door. We open it to behold a well dressed, polite young woman who tells
us that she has just purchased the building we live in! She asks to inspect
the premises and as she sees what we are living with, she is appalled &
promises to make repairs & lower your rent. Shortly after she leaves you
hear another, harsher urgent knocking on the door, and open it to find our
angry old landlord standing there demanding his rent. Do we give in to his
intimidations & pay, or resist him? We are filled with fear as we realize
that we don't have the power that he has to make us pay! Then we remember,
the place doesn't belong to him anymore; we have a new landlord and so tell
the old one to take the matter up with the new owner.

The old landlord, Satan will harass & intimidate us, but the reality is that
the strong man is tied up! We have been bought & paid for and so have a new
landlord.

The stronger One who is both God and man prevails.

http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/predigt.php?id=3604
<http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/predigt.php?id=3604&kennung=20120610
en> &kennung=20120610en

Steve Saxe

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/c0605530/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 20:35:08 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 20:35:08 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon  tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 3
Message-ID: <AC3B80EE3198413684125783ECEEBE36@OwnerPC>

For further reflection

Brom, 21st century 
Men who fear demons see demons everywhere.

Jay McInerney, 21st century
The capacity for friendship is God's way of apologizing for our families.

Erma Bombeck, 20th century 
When your mother asks, "Do you want a piece of advice?" it's a mere
formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it
anyway. 

Oscar Wilde, 19th century 
After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relatives.

Trenton Lee Stewart, 21st century
You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on
blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best
friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you,
can be your family.

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, 20th century
Where there is prayer, the fallen spirits have no power. 

http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/weekly-seeds/gods-will.html
 
Kate Huey
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/c5c165a6/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 21:18:31 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 21:18:31 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] About blastpheming against the Holy Spirit
Message-ID: <D07D5228001743E5B85B18BAEEEC87A6@OwnerPC>

The word for sinning against is an aorist active I believe: 
blasfhmhsh
blasphEmEsE
G987
vs Aor Act 3 Sg
SHOULD-BE-HARM-AVERRING
should-be-blaspheming
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/mar3.pdf
so I am wondering if it is still continuous yet permanent and thus final
action, that we have continuously been deciding not to pay attention to the
Holy Spirit who is trying to save us for all of eternity, i.e., not
believing in the redemption offered by Christ.
 
Peace and blessings,
Joe Parrish
www.sjnj.org
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/720103f2/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 21:27:30 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 21:27:30 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 4
Message-ID: <4DF3F8565A624323A552AE5957AD9D1E@OwnerPC>

In 21st century industrialized society, the family looks and functions
differently. Even the definition of what constitutes family varies.
According to the  <http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-14.pdf>
U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 13.1 percent of households were headed by a
single female, and 26.7 of households consisted of a single person. The
number of husband-wife family households was down from 51.7 in 2000 to 48.4
in 2010.
<http://abcnews.go.com/Health/sex-couples-census-data-trickles-quarter-raisi
ng-children/story?id=13850332#.T9AMtVKwVhw> Census data also reveals that
more than 25% of same sex couples are rearing children within their family
unit. According to the
<http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/03/18/the-return-of-the-multi-generatio
nal-family-household/> Pew Research Center, 16.1% of the population lives in
households where there are two or more generations of adults. The idea of
mom and pop and 2.5 kids in a cul-de-sac split level is no longer the norm.

Think about the families within your faith community. Are grandparents
rearing grandchildren? Are gay and lesbian couples bringing their children
for baptism? How many couples in premarital counseling are already
cohabiting? What percentage of recent college grads have moved back in with
their parents? How many 20-somethings are sharing housing with a more
intentional sense of community?

http://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2012/06/one-big-hopeful-family/

Sharron Riessinger Blezard

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/e75d641b/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 20:09:55 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 20:09:55 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: Sermon for Proper 5B
Message-ID: <6998A792B3D04F7CB711203179120482@OwnerPC>

Forwarded: 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy [mailto:judy_boli at ecunet.org] 
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 7:29 PM
To: SERMONSHOP SERMONS
Subject: Sermon for Proper 5B

Dear Friends,

This Sunday's sermon is one I try to preach once a year.  We have had two
children shot in Saginaw, Michigan, this week (a recovering 4-year- old girl
and a dead 12 year old boy- sleeping in his grandfather's house), so now is
a good time to repeat it.  My goal is that our congregation works at
memorizing the concepts about dealing with evil and maybe adds to them.  The
sermon is entitled "Terrible Times- Don't Waste Them!" or "God can take your
mess and make it into your message." (Joel Osteen) or "Don't let evil defeat
you, but defeat evil with good." (Romans 12:19) and deals the Old Testament
lesson (Genesis
3: 1-15) and the Gospel (Mark 3: 20- 35).  Here it is:

As I've shared with you many times, my thinking about the presence of evil
in the world and how we deal with it as God's people got serious after
watching the awful events of 9-11.  I've shared the teachings in this sermon
with you at least every year since then (last year on 9/11/11), and today's
Bible lessons raise the question of evil once again.  In the Old Testament
lesson (Genesis 3: 1-15) we heard how sin (disobedience to God) started in
the first place.  As you heard this ancient Bible story- I'll bet you could
find yourself in this story!
Then in the gospel (Mark 3: 20-35), we heard Jesus teach about evil and give
us needed insights if we are going to overcome, especially in difficult,
painful times.

Guess what- difficult, painful times are present right now!  After an
epidemic of gun violence in the last few weeks, this last week we have had
two children shot: little 4-year-old Miyona Alexander (shot in the arm and
recovering) and 12-year-old Tamaris Steward (shot and killed in his sleep).
We have members struggling with cancer and other illnesses.  Last Monday we
buried Ms. JoAnn Washington (daughter of Mrs. Bernice Morris) and one year
and fourteen days ago we buried Mrs. Susie Cummings.  I'll bet I'm not the
only person in this church who still misses her!  We have people with money
problems, health problems, court and jail problems, moving problems, life
problems, relationship problems, etc.  In other words- join the human race.
This kind of pain is part of the human condition.  As I reminded you last
year, St. Paul has advice for us when we face situations like these.  In
Romans 12: 19 he says, "Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with
good."  I know how devoted you are to your Lord, so I'm sure that this is
how you intend to live your life.  Me too!  The problem is, in frustrating,
confusing times like these- how do you know how to defeat evil with good?
We'd be glad to do as God wants, but how do we know what that is?  For me,
one of the blessings of having lived through pain and suffering (as well as
wonderful times) is the chance to think through and refine my own personal
theology of evil based on scripture, and especially on Gospel.  I'd like to
share it with you again this morning.  As you may remember, I see five basic
principles in our dealing with evil.

FIRST PRINCIPLE: We mustn't delude ourselves about the power of the enemy.
Some years ago, I asked our Sunday school youngsters to tell me what Satan
looked like.  You know what they said: a little man in a red jump suit with
a tail, a pitchfork, fire coming out of his fingernails (too many video
games!), and horns- either red or black- couldn't decide which.  Wouldn't
that be nice- if we could always recognize him and his greatest desire was
to get us to swear or tell a
lie- don't we all wish it were that simple.  The devil (or Satan) is just
the name we give "the evil powers of this world that seek to corrupt and
destroy the creatures of God"- i.e. US!  ("Book of Common
Prayer"- Service of Holy Baptism, p. 302)  Satan's purpose is to close our
open minds; turn our loving hearts into cold, hateful hearts of stone; make
us suspicious of everyone and everything; divide us; enslave us by fear; and
diminish our spirit.

SECOND PRINCIPLE: Evil is highly contagious- look how evil spreads, worse
than smallpox or tuberculosis.  At the checkout line, a lady said, "I just
can't see why they (the terrorists) hate us so!"  I know.  Among other
reasons, one of them goes back to the Jewish holocaust in World War II.
When the war was over, our side- the winning side- officially established a
homeland for the Jews in Palestine and empowered them to become a nation.  I
have to be suspicious that one of the reasons this happened was plain and
simple anti-Semitism....they didn't want all those Jewish people in their
land.  I remember, as a little girl growing up in Detroit, seeing ad after
ad in the classified section of the Detroit News: "Apartment for
rent- no pets, no children, no Jews."  The problem of giving them a homeland
in Palestine was that someone else already lived there- the Palestinians.
The Jews said God promised the land to them through their ancestor Abraham
(God did, but the Palestinians are also Abraham's descendants.)  The
Palestinians said it was their land; hatred festered; and Satan sowed the
seed for the poisonous harvest that after all these years we are now
reaping.  Unfortunately, it's not just God's Kingdom that can start with a
mustard seed and grow into a mighty tree- if we water and inflame the
hatred, Satan's can also.  Unless we take preventative measures, what we sow
is what we get.

THIRD PRINCIPLE: Jesus' teachings, especially those in the Sermon on the
Mount, are the vaccination against being destroyed when evil is thrown at
us.  I was talking to a Bible teacher- definitely someone who should know
better, who said he thought we should just go in and bomb the you-know-what
out of any nation that allows terrorists to live within their borders.  He
justified his opinion by saying that the Bible is full of war- just look at
the Old Testament.  True, but Jesus came to fulfill the old covenant.  The
Old Testament was written for the people of God when they were just
beginning their journey.
"An eye for an eye" was a necessity to limit violence- so a whole family
couldn't be wiped out for the sin of one member.  You don't give a toddler
and a fifty-five year old grandmother or grandfather the same rules.  Jesus
said he had come to fulfill the law.  In fact, he said, "You have heard it
said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' but I tell you- love
(i.e. want what is best for) your enemy."  Remember, he's not talking about
love- a feeling, but love- an action, a choice.  St. Paul reminds us that
God says: "Vengeance is mine; I will repay."  One question I have for you-
actually, how committed are you to obeying Jesus?  Period, exclamation mark-
or only when it's not too hard?

FOURTH PRINCIPLE: Looked at through God's eyes, the power for who wins this
round- God or Satan, is not in the hands of the evil person or group, even
though they think and act as if they are in charge.  Power is in the hands
of the VICTIM.  It is the victim who allows God to take charge of the
encounter.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew that.
Why?  Because it is the victim who determines the response to the evil.
Satan can do nothing if the victim responds as a Christian and refuses to
spread anger and hate, but instead works to solve the initial problem that
the devil used to start the whole evil mess.
Look how this principle works.  Since Satan counts on being able to spread
his evil by using one evil person (or a group of evil people) to get
something going, he must pick his person carefully.  The more negatives
emotionally and physically this person or group can cause the better.  The
first incident only gets the ball going.  The power for good or evil is in
the hands of the victim.  Look- if an evil person throws a ball of nasty
garbage at me, I have a choice.  If I can't dodge it, the instinctual human
choice is to catch it and start
throwing it back, letting it splatter at everyone within range.    In
fact, I might even miss and get a whole lot of innocent people.  What
happens next?  Those on the other side do the same.  Before long, following
our natural tendencies, we are all a filthy stinking mess.
However, we are not called to follow our natural tendencies- we are much
more than the highest biological entity on this planet.  We are called to be
children of God, and there is a better way.  Instead, we might catch the
nasty ball and hold it until we figure out how to dispose of it with a
minimum of damage- I might even use it to fertilize our church garden. thus
taking care of the problem, but not spreading the filth.  If we are strong
enough, courageous enough, have enough Spirit power, the contamination stops
before it corrupts us or spreads to anybody else.

Bringing it down to the nitty-gritty of life, how do we do this?  Do we let
evil people walk all over us?  Of course not.  As Christians, our motivation
for an action is what is most important.  If a crazed gunman started
shooting children at our neighborhood school, what should law-enforcement
do?  They should stop him- using as much force as necessary, even if it
meant killing him.  Why?  To get revenge?
No- to stop the violence, the killing of innocent children.
Christians have no business getting revenge- only stopping evil and bringing
the guilty to justice.  If we try to get revenge, we will participate with
Satan in destroying our own spirit.  The Rt. Rev.
Nathan Baxter, former dean of the National Cathedral in Washington DC and
now bishop of Central Pennsylvania, expresses this idea well when he stated,
"As we act, we must not become the evil we deplore."

FIFTH PRINCIPLE: Don't waste terrible times!  When someone does something
terrible to you, or when encountering a ghastly life
tragedy- don't waste it!  What do I mean?  Think about it.  Think about the
huge negative energy generated by evil experience.  That energy can be
redirected, by your skill and obedience to our Lord, as positive power for
God and for good.  You don't believe me?  The best example of this is the
cross.  What worse catastrophe could Satan throw at us than having people
execute God's son naked on a garbage heap?  And yet, through Jesus'
obedience- came the glorious resurrection, eternal life, salvation,
fullness-of-living for all who would accept it.  The Chinese character for
calamity is a combination of characters- crisis and opportunity- same idea.
So my challenge to us today is, since we've already lived through the crisis
(I hope), find the opportunity.  What opportunities can we ferret out of the
messes of our lives?  Terrible times encourage us to reexamine our
priorities.  In 9-11, do you remember the three passengers who became heroes
(Jeremy Glick, Tom Burnett, and Mark Bingham) on United Airlines Flight 93
that crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside?
They prevented the terrorists from using the plane as a bomb against a
heavily-populated target by trying to take back the plane.  What did they do
as their crisis became apparent?  They used their cell phones to call family
and friends, they asked their listeners to say the Lord's Prayer with them,
and they made the decision to make their lives count- they knew they could
make a difference.  At that point, talking on their cell phones- all the
little disagreements, irritations didn't matter at all.  What are your
priorities?  When is the last time you told your family and friends that you
love them?  If you don't do it today, how do you know you'll get another
chance?  Are you making your life count- making a difference?  Are you
really spending your time and money on your true priorities?  Are you using
all your energy and problem-solving talent to work for God?  At the
beginning of this sermon, I said that we'd be glad to do what God
wants- I hope that's true!  Actually, in real life, how committed are you to
Jesus?  What about when the chips are down and you are mad as H---?!!  Will
you obey him then?  Saginaw's future depends on your answer as well as the
answer of other Christians.  Will you:
.	Snitch?  (To every mother or father, grandmother or grandfather,
aunt or uncle, Godparent, wife or significant other, pastor or friend- how
about stepping up to the plate and turning them in (anonymously if
necessary) when they do violence?)
.	Talk with beloved children, grand/Godchildren, other relatives,
friends about the evils of violence and remove their support- food, housing,
sex, money, transportation, etc. if they continue in their destructive,
terrorist ways?
.	Bring EVERYONE YOU CAN to church to be saved, and then help us
disciple them to erase Satan's values from their lives and replace them with
Jesus' values?
.	In other words, will you pray and PUT YOUR PRAYERS IN ACTION

I'm going to close with a very familiar story- almost a parable- that I use
at just about every funeral- just used it at Ms. JoAnn Washington's funeral
last Monday, but it's worth repeating.  This story illustrates using crises
and mistakes for positives.  Before I retired from teaching, Mr. Spencer
Porter was often the art teacher assigned to work with my fifth grade
students.  He was one of the best art teachers I have ever seen.  If the
youngsters were doing art on paper, he would start passing out the supplies,
and you could bet that by the time the last student got a paper, some of the
first students were already waving their hands.  "Mr. Porter," they would
say- "Mr.
Porter, I messed up my paper.  I need a new one."  Mr. Porter would answer,
"Turn it over and use the back."  Within a few minutes, the hands would
start to wave again.  "Mr. Porter, Mr. Porter, I messed up the back too!"
they would lament.  Spencer Porter's answer- "I'm not giving you another
paper.  Now is your chance to become an artist and really do art.  Look at
your paper on the front, and look at your paper on the back, and figure out
what you can turn your mistakes into."  My friends, some of the most amazing
artwork came from those students, because their "mistakes" forced them to
think outside the box, be creative, and try new solutions to what they
thought were impossible problems.  I only hope they are continuing to apply
that kind of thinking to their lives today, and I hope we learn from their
example.  The crises we face in our world today, plus those we face every
day in the normal demands of living, require fresh, Godly, Gospel solutions
and the sure knowledge that with God as our guide, mistakes are simply
lessons- lessons to be learned and used for the Kingdom.

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




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 22:06:25 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 22:06:25 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B,
 June 10, based on Mark 3:20-35
Message-ID: <8CF14C4C662360B-1510-2A0B@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/7387mzd is our sermonfor the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark3:20-35.
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s EpiscopalChurch
Elizabeth, NJ
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120609/2383656f/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 22:34:57 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 22:34:57 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost,
 Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark 3:20-35 - "Fit to be tied"
In-Reply-To: <8CF14C4C662360B-1510-2A0B@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>
References: <8CF14C4C662360B-1510-2A0B@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <8CF14C8C2389B1A-1510-2A36@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

The title is, "Fit to be tied."
 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Parrish <joeparrish at compuserve.com>
To: Propertalk <Propertalk at stsams.org>
Cc: propertalk.topic <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>; sermonshop-sermons.topic <sermonshop-sermons.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 9, 2012 10:06 pm
Subject: Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark 3:20-35


http://tinyurl.com/7387mzd is our sermonfor the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark3:20-35.
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s EpiscopalChurch
Elizabeth, NJ
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120609/32c64a69/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 23:53:45 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 23:53:45 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_the_Second_Sunday_af?=
 =?utf-8?q?ter_Pentecost=2C_Propio_5B=2C_10_de_junio=2C_con_base_en_Marcos?=
 =?utf-8?b?IDM6MjAtMzUsIOKAnEFwdG8gcGFyYSBzZXIgYXRhZGEu4oCd?=
Message-ID: <8CF14D3C4ABF868-AE0-249B@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/cds59hq es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol para el segundo domingo despu?s de Pentecost?s, Propio 5B, 10 de junio, con base en Marcos 3:20-35, ?Apto para ser atada.?
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de la Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120609/4250003e/attachment.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 10 13:28:50 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 11:28:50 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 6
Message-ID: <19F5D23EE3364C27B746B710E91CF034@BobPC>

Collect for Proper 6, June 17:

Let us pray:

God of heaven and earth,
you have been farming
longer than any of us have noticed.
>From our small seeds
you make good to sprout 
in our lives.
Awaken our eyes to see
what you have done
while we slept.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God for ever and ever. Amen

For reflection on Proper 6 go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
USA
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120610/704ccfef/attachment.htm>

From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Jun 10 21:56:52 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 21:56:52 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the THIRD SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <493849EF9EB2468197A18599E19ED5F4@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 17, (Proper 11, RCL, and Proper 6, ECUSA), according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless otherwise noted, the ECUSA, Canadian and Common Worship readings are identical to the RCL this Sunday. Note that the Canadian BAS does not allow the RCL alternative readings.



OLD TESTAMENT:  1 Samuel 15: 34 - 16: 13   (RCL)

1Sam 15:34 (NRSV) Then Samuel went to Ra'mah; and Saul went up to his house in Gib'eah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. 16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Beth'lehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 2 Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 
6 When they came, he looked on Eli'ab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is now before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 8 Then Jesse called Abin'adab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Sham'mah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." 11 Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ra'mah. 


Ezekiel 17: 22 - 24   (Roman Catholic, Alt. for RCL)

Ezek 17:22 (NRSV) Thus says the Lord GOD: 
I myself will take a sprig 
from the lofty top of a cedar; 
I will set it out. 
I will break off a tender one 
from the topmost of its young twigs; 
I myself will plant it 
on a high and lofty mountain. 
23 On the mountain height of Israel 
I will plant it, 
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, 
and become a noble cedar. 
Under it every kind of bird will live; 
in the shade of its branches will nest 
winged creatures of every kind. 
24 All the trees of the field shall know 
that I am the LORD. 
I bring low the high tree, 
I make high the low tree; 
I dry up the green tree 
and make the dry tree flourish. 
I the LORD have spoken; 
I will accomplish it. 


PSALM 20   (RCL)

Psal 20:1 (NRSV) The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! 
The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, 
and give you support from Zion. 
3 May he remember all your offerings, 
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. [Se'lah] 
4 May he grant you your heart's desire, 
and fulfill all your plans. 
5 May we shout for joy over your victory, 
and in the name of our God set up our banners. 
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. 
6 Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; 
he will answer him from his holy heaven 
with mighty victories by his right hand. 
7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, 
but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God. 
8 They will collapse and fall, 
but we shall rise and stand upright. 
9 Give victory to the king, O LORD; 
answer us when we call. 


20   Exaudiat te Dominus    (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, *
  the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;
 
2   Send you help from his holy place *
  and strengthen you out of Zion;
 
3   Remember all your offerings *
  and accept your burnt sacrifice;
 
4   Grant you your heart's desire *
  and prosper all your plans.
 
5   We will shout for joy at your victory
and triumph in the Name of our God; *
  may the Lord grant all your requests.
 
6   Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; *
  he will answer him out of his holy heaven,
  with the victorious strength of his right hand.
 
7   Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, *
  but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God.
 
8   They collapse and fall down, *
  but we will arise and stand upright.
 
9   O Lord, give victory to the king *
  and answer us when we call.


Psalm 92: 1 - 2, 12 - 15   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 92: 1 - 4, 12 - 15   (alt. for RCL)

Psal 92:1 (NRSV) It is good to give thanks to the LORD, 
to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, 
and your faithfulness by night, 
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, 
to the melody of the lyre. 
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; 
at the works of your hands I sing for joy. 

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, 
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; 
they flourish in the courts of our God. 
14 In old age they still produce fruit; 
they are always green and full of sap, 
15 showing that the LORD is upright; 
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 


92   Bonum est confiteri   (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, *
 and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;
 
2   To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning *
 and of your faithfulness in the night season;
 
3   On the psaltery, and on the lyre, *
 and to the melody of the harp.
 
4   For you have made me glad by your acts, O Lord; *
 and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.
 
 
11  The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, *
 and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.
 
12  Those who are planted in the house of the Lord *
 shall flourish in the courts of our God;
 
13  They shall still bear fruit in old age; *
 they shall be green and succulent;
 
14  That they may show how upright the Lord is, *
 my Rock, in whom there is no fault.
 


NEW TESTAMENT:   2 Corinthians 5: 6 - 10 (11 - 13) 14 - 17   (RCL)
                                      2 Corinthians 5: 6 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

2Cor 5:6 (NRSV)  So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord-- 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. 
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 


GOSPEL:   Mark 4: 26 - 34   (all)

Mark 4:26 (NRSV) He [Jesus] also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." 
30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." 
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120610/69aa0830/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 12 12:10:46 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:10:46 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 17 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1110212692203.1103889869952.45429.12.430500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1110212692203.1103889869952.45429.12.430500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CF16CD0F5CD29A-FD8-661@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


















        
	    
    
        
        

June 17, 2012



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Mark 4:26-34 - "The Kingdom and the Seed"
Mark 4:26-34 - "Celebrate the Small Stuff" by Leonard Sweet
 
Mark 4 the sermon title "The Kingdom and the Seed"  
 
Most of us have planted a garden or lived on or near a farm. In my case, I grew up in Chicago where they have to put cows in zoos because so many city people are shielded from agricultural life and would never otherwise get to see one. But for eleven years I served as the pastor of a church in the agriculturally-oriented community of Davenport, Iowa. Davenport is located in Scott County which is Mississippi River land. It is reported to be some of the richest soil in the world. I learned a lot about farming while living there. I learned about soil and seeds. I learned about the need for cooperation and balance between the various parts of nature - the sun, the soil, and the rain. Having returned recently from a trip to Iowa, I was very mindful of the soil
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  
Click here: http://www.sermons.com/signup or call 1-800-777-7731 to join.
 
_______________________
 
The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com.
Sign up today at: http://www.sermons.com/signup Or call: 1-800-777-7731.
 
Members: Mark 4 the sermon titled "Celebrate the Small Stuff" by Leonard Sweet 
 
Every book on change says the same thing. Change has changed. Change is no longer incremental. Change is exponential. 
 
Here is what no one will tell you: change is not just incremental, or exponential. Change is infinitesimal. 
 
So you gained a pound or two this year. It happens. Then it happens again next year. And the next year. Suddenly a decade has passed and you realize that "a pound or two" has compounded into two sacks of flour sitting on your hips! Infinitesimal change has caught up with you. 
 
In the early 1950s farmer Clarence Mauerhan was known as the "Chili Pepper King" of Orange County ("Anaheim peppers," anyone?). A mysterious buyer was paying top dollar for all the farms in the area, but farmer Mauerhan would have none of it. He was the lone holdout against payments for land that no one had dreamed were possible...
 
Click here: http://www.sermons.com/signup or call 1-800-777-7731 to join.
 
___________________________
 
A Riddle
 
About ten years ago, the youth director on our staff told me a riddle, and then he left town on a week-long camping trip without telling me the answer. He told me the riddle, and then he said "Oh yeah, only 17% of Stanford graduates figured out this riddle, but 80% of kindergarteners knew the answer." And then he left! I could have strangled him! But here' the riddle:

"What is stronger than God, 
more evil than the devil, 
poor people have it, 
rich people don't need it, 
and if you eat it, you'll die?" 
(Repeat)

The answer is: "Nothing." I knew I should have gone to Stanford!

Literally, the word parable means "a riddle." They are stories that leave the listener with the responsibility of figuring out just what they mean. Jesus told more than 40 parables during his ministry, and he only explained one of them to his disciples, so that left the disciples with a lot of figuring out to do. And then Jesus took the answers with him when he ascended into heaven. So here we are, some 2000 years later, still pondering what Jesus must have meant when he told the story of The Wedding Feast, or The Dishonest Steward, or The Good Samaritan.

Steven Molin, Yup, Them Are Mustard Seeds
_________________________________________
 


 
 


        
        
            

        
        
                
    
    
        
                        

    
    
        
                


(800) 777-7731


        
    
    
        
                

    
    
    













Sermons.com | 904 Pomelo Ave. | Sarasota | FL | 34236



 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120612/2266ac51/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 12 12:11:48 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:11:48 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon.com resources for June 17 - Part 2
Message-ID: <8CF16CD3402521A-FD8-668@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


Mortals Only See the Beginning
 
All their lives the two young brothers had lived in the city behind great stone walls and never saw field nor meadow. But one day they decided to pay a visit to the country.

As they went walking along the road they saw a farmer at his plowing. They watched him and were puzzled.

"What on earth is he doing that for!" they wondered. "He turns up the earth and leaves deep furrows in it. Why should someone take a smooth piece of land covered with nice green grass and dig it up?"

Later they watched the farmer sowing grains of wheat along the furrows.

"That man must be crazy!" they exclaimed. "He takes good wheat and throws it into the dirt."

"I don't like the country!" said one in disgust. "Only crazy people live here."

So he returned to the city.

His brother who remained in the country saw a change take place only several weeks later. The plowed field began to sprout tender green shoots, even more beautiful and fresher than before. This discovery excited him very much. So he wrote to his brother in the city to come at once and see for himself the wonderful change.

His brother came and was delighted with what he saw. As time passed they watched the sproutings grow into golden heads of wheat. Now they both understood the purpose of the farmer's work.

When the wheat became ripe the farmer brought his scythe and began to cut it down. At this the impatient one of the two brothers exclaimed: "The farmer is crazy! He's insane! How hard he worked all these months to produce this lovely wheat, and now with his own hands he is cutting it down! I'm disgusted with such an idiot and I'm going back to the city!"

His brother, the patient one, held his peace and remained in the country. He watched the farmer gather the wheat into his granary. He saw him skillfully separate the grain from the chaff. He was filled with wonder when he found that the farmer had harvested a hundred-fold of the seed that he had sowed. Then he understood that there was logic in everything that the farmer had done.

The moral of the story: Mortals see only the beginning of any of God's works. Therefore they cannot understand the nature and the end of creation.

Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes, quoting from A Treasury of Jewish Folklore: Stories, Traditions, Legends, Humor, Wisdom and Folk Songs of the Jewish People, Edited by Nathan Ausubel Copyright, 1948, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York

__________________________ 

Let the Gospel Run Its Course
 
For me, one of the classic interpretations of this Biblical passage about the seed growing automatically (Mark 4:26) was written by Martin Luther when he said about this text: "After I preach my sermon on Sunday, when I return home, I drink my little glass of Wittenberg beer and I just let the gospel run its course." I like that. Luther said that after he pounded on the pulpit and expounded the gospel, he would go home and pull out the Sunday newspaper, and pull out his glass of warm Wittenberg beer and start to drink it and enjoy the afternoon. Luther knew that the power of his sermon was not based on the power of his theological acuity. He knew that the power of his sermon was not based on his eloquence or his abilities. He knew that the power of the sermon would have no effect whatsoever unless the very Word of God got into a person's heart. Luther knew that he couldn't do that. It was the Holy Spirit who did that. Luther keenly understood the power of the Word.

Edward F. Markquart, The Mustard Seed
_________________________________
 
Small Ways Every Day
 
I hate to bring up The Ten Commandments when I'm preaching on the Gospel of Mark, but...remember that they are very rarely Cecil B. de Mille, big-screen, neon-sign events. They really aren't. They are small choices made on small days, over and over and over again. Such as choosing to remember that God made us for freedom and gave us as a gift, not a punishment, rules to live by. Small things such as remembering God made us, so we don't make God. Such as remembering that we had better not put God's name on anything in a vain show of power. Such as remembering that if God made the universe from a little marble and rested, then we are just created and hard wired to let go of our tiny universes and rest too. Little things, like remembering not just to honor your parents when they are old and gray, but also to train your own children to honor you. And don't let them get away with small, crummy, petty things. And don't lie in small things. Then the great truths within you have a shot. And don't strike up teasing, betraying relationships. Almost every adulterous relationship that people bring to pastors like me is when their miserable family is imploding. Every one of them begins with small, careless choices. And don't murder, which may mean more than we want it to mean. And don't steal. I know that means more than any of us want stealing to mean. But if we don't steal in small ways, we won't get all messed up in big ways. And then this last one, which this year I think is the biggest one. Don't covet. Don't waste your life wanting another life. An old friend calls it a case of the "I wants." Whatever "I wants" you have right now-bigger, better, more, different-find little ways of not renting that room in your head. Little ways, like I will not think about this for five minutes kinds of ways. Things perhaps no bigger than a mustard seed.

I follow the God who showed up two thousand years ago in small ways on days of small things. A healing touch here. A compassionate word there. Small things like not giving up on flawed friends. Like praying every day. Small things like enjoying life. Jesus really enjoyed life. Small things like speaking truth to power. Like giving his small, mustard-seed-sized life so that the great labor of the new universe of resurrected, reborn life could be created.

Martha Sterne, A Day of Small Things
________________________________
 
What It Takes to Grow
 
James A. Garfield, prior to serving as President of the United States, was president of Hiram College in Ohio. One day a father asked Garfield if there were a short-cut whereby his son could get through college in less than the usual four years. He wanted his Son to get on with making money. The college president gave this reply, "Of course there is a way; it all depends on what you want your boy to do. When God wants to grow an oak tree, he takes 100 years. When he wants to make a squash, he only takes two months."
 
Emphasis, CSS Publishing
___________________________
 
We Are Called to Plant
 
When it comes to being God's fellow workers, the first thing to realize is that we are not in control of the growth. We are called to plant. God gives the growth. God gets the credit. We cannot boast about the success that comes when the seeds are planted. We must be very cautious about taking too much credit for apparent success in the spiritual area. A visitor to the Vatican was quite impressed with the beauty and power of the place. He asked Pope John XXIII this question: "How many people do you have working here?" With a twinkle in his eye, the pope replied, "About half of them." We must never get puffed up with ourselves in the spiritual realm. Only God produces growth. Real spiritual growth comes from God. We just plant seeds and try to nurture them as my farmer friends have taught me over the years.
 
Ron Lavin, The Advocate, CSS Publishing
______________________________
 
Humor: Size Is Less Important Than Spirit
 
A small fellow, not much over 5 feet tall, applied for a job as a lumberjack in Alaska. The foreman, thinking to discourage him, gave him a large ax, set him before a tree hundreds of feet tall, and yards in diameter, and told him to chop it down. Within minutes the tree had been felled. The amazed foreman asked him where he'd learned to chop trees so powerfully. The little fellow replied, "When I worked in the Sahara forest." "You mean, the Sahara desert." "That was after I got there," said the small lumberjack. 

The point of the story is that size is less important than spirit, or intelligence, or courage -- a point made when King David was selected at a young age: "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature ... for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 

A faith that grows has heart, a heart that belongs to God. Faith grows from the inside out. 

Merritt W. Ednie, God's Program In Process
___________________________________
  
Trifles Make Perfection
 
Michelangelo, one of the world's great artists, was also a great sculptor. One day a visitor was looking at a statue that Michelangelo was making. The visitor said, "I can't see that you have made any progress since I was here last time." 

Michelangelo answered, "Oh, yes, I have made much progress. Look carefully and you will see that I have retouched this part, and that I have polished that part. See, I have worked on this part of the statue, and have softened the lines here." 

"Yes," said the visitor, "but those are all trifles." 

"That may be," replied Michelangelo, "but...
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for Father's Day and Proper 6, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120612/3969b40e/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 12 12:47:42 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:47:42 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  June 17 (Proper 6B) Mark 4:26-34
Message-ID: <1BC58D3DF8ED48F7A34A07CF63D0B27F@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for June 17 (Proper 6B). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Mark 4:26-34, where Jesus says that the kingdom of God
"is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground" -- and "is like a
mustard seed."

To access those files, you MUST use the following links. If clicking on the
link fails to work, copy the link and paste it in the address window near
the top of your browser. Then hit the ENTER key or click GO.


MARK 4:26-34

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-17hg/Mark.4.26-34.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ovZPtV8x6CFBJMaG-HxmCxfYFCPxX8O5nVM84lfHSHa2
QTJhw1spnuQNQoir74pjRMv374UYulh6ji7uvep-0WEzrw84bT25Iy7OSWwpghiawdiHC5LgunFs
49zjuqcjucZVPN1hu2SfsXkdoXhE6Y8mUDSTyVgJ> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-17hg/Mark.4.26-34.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ovZPtV8x6CEVDnR_-SXnTNsnOW8WVmYrNr22xHnvCJZA
ElkiCOL2pKwa-0J_1qH7MI8Fru_lShcSBuxkuGfS_6lArVBzptFqGEMdxTt9Xd8woCjItEe8_Fm0
tc8PAdPBkRL-Oeg5vk70SvlW9-LsymKwLCIT4rlK> 



A TIP: If you want the Word file, LEFT-CLICK on the link and see what
happens. That should bring up a dialog box that asks if you want to open the
file or save it. Choose OPEN. Then save it wherever you like on your hard
drive.  
 

If that doesn't work, RIGHT-CLICK on the link. You should get a sub-menu.
Hopefully, "Save Target As" will be one of the options. Click on that. Then
save the file wherever you want on your hard drive. 

 
 
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ovZPtV8x6CF-UcCfHt83bNTue2cBR-JS-jLL8mxpC0y1
jZ-UUYpMSrfYNFxV3iyoZ5tqsHnvkOlpjuEXyU29zf5lRfaW_yFIMtw2GaL2x_dvBuB3vFe2rA==
>  http://www.lectionary.org/ 
 
Dick Donovan
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120612/e28cccae/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 11:53:48 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 11:53:48 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Weekly Illustration Mark 4: 26 - 34
Message-ID: <9D201B5785644A909BF16FCED1C37FCA@OwnerPC>

http://www.proclaimsermons.com/illustration.asp 

No Place for NIMBY

  In one community, a social service agency had acquired a home on a
residential street where they planned to house a few mentally impaired
adults, who would be there with caregivers. They had selected people who
could function in society and who were not a threat to anyone. Some of the
neighbors objected, though, claiming fear for safety and loss of property
value. Others, also in the neighborhood, felt that they should support the
project, and not a few cited the Christian value of loving one's neighbor.
The resulting argument was a bit of brouhaha, but the notion of NIMBY ...
Not In My Back Yard ... was challenged by the Christian concept of what it
means to be a neighbor and the realization that we cannot be Christians if
we just look after ourselves. The great Russian Christian and writer,
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, put it this way, "Mankind's sole salvation lies in
everybody making everything his business." And that goes especially for
Christians.

 

http://www.proclaimsermons.com/viewSermon.asp?title=Parables%20for%20Our%20T
imes
 
Proclaim Sermon for this Week


 

Parables for Our Times
June 17, 2012


 

Mark 4: 26 - 34
Proper 6 / Ordinary 11


 

Summary
The kingdom of God is as up to date as the current political scene, but it
is a slow, generally unspectacular miracle, one in which we work with God.


 

Excerpt
More than 19 centuries have gone by since Jesus lived on our planet, but we
still speak of him as one of the greatest, if not the greatest teacher that
ever lived. This title comes not simply from those of us who call ourselves
Christians and who are therefore his followers; it is said just as
frequently by persons who are not necessarily religious, and even by some
who are openly antagonistic to religion.
This is at least partly because what Jesus said 19 centuries ago is just as
true today as it was then. Sometimes it seems even truer today, almost as if
Jesus said it this week instead of centuries ago.


 

The kingdom parables
Jesus taught especially about his kingdom. He began his ministry by
announcing that people should change their ways because the kingdom of God
was at hand. He described what it would be like once his kingdom had come.
And he did this preaching and teaching about the kingdom mostly by telling
parables. But Jesus never said when his kingdom would come; he never set any
dates. Again and again his disciples pressed him for a specific time and he
gave them no answer.
One thing you and I know for sure: Jesus' kingdom hasn't come yet! We're
still waiting for it. The generation that knew Jesus face-to-face and that
heard his parables from his own voice - all of them died without seeing
God's kingdom come. And since then, more than 19 centuries of Jesus'
followers have come and gone, and still his kingdom has not come to pass.
Furthermore, Jesus wrote this kingdom into his prayer, the prayer his
believers call the "Our Father," or "The Lord's Prayer." The first petition
in that prayer is this: "Your kingdom come, / your will be done, / on earth
as it is in heaven." Human beings have offered that prayer to God literally
billions of times, probably trillions. After all, it's likely that it will
be said by individuals and in morning prayers and Masses several million
times this very day, in hundreds of languages around the world - this prayer
for the kingdom of God to come upon the earth.
Today, as we meet for worship, this kingdom is the subject of our scripture
lesson. It comes to us in parables - and I want to talk with you about it.
Why? Well, partly because it is the lectionary reading for today. And
especially because it is timely. The parables in this lesson are parables
for our times....(approximately 1,172 words remaining.)
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/8d2ebeab/attachment.htm>

From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Sat Jun 16 13:18:34 2012
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:18:34 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 6 b
Message-ID: <310bab36.3520d9.137f64dab7b.Webtop.44@charter.net>

I'm still working this over for tomorrow, but this may have some 
resemblance to what will be preached 8 - )

Bob


THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY 
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
1 SAMUEL 15:34 ? 16:13                   		    	                	 
PROPER 6 B - RCL
2 CORINTHIANS 5:6-17		                                                	               	 
17th JUNE, 2012
MARK 4:26-34         					 
PSALM 20

	?Did you ever grow
anything in the garden of your
mind? You can grow ideas in the
garden of your mind.? 1

These words of wisdom came from a former Presbyterian pastor. They?re 
actually very simple, but they contain a
powerful message.

	Down through history there have been religious groups which, it would 
seem, don?t put a whole lot of stock in mind or imagination. I can?t 
blame them. I like things spelled out clearly. That way it?s so much 
easier to know how to behave. We don?t have to worry about getting the 
information ourselves and having to make decisions. We don?t have to lie 
awake at night, worrying if we chose wisely, or if what we said might 
have been misinterpreted, or if we hurt someone else or ourselves.

	Most of the time, however, we don?t get a clear answer ? or at least 
not one that we can interpret clearly. More often than not we have to 
listen, then think, perhaps dream and, finally, we may have to rely on 
our gut feelings and go with whatever we feel brings the best results 
for the greatest number of people.

Note that I didn?t say that this would necessarily be the safest choice, 
one that keeps us from trouble or injury to body, mind or spirit. Quite 
the opposite; such a decision may take us straight into trouble, because 
it?s not what our friends, or the congregation, or the community want to 
have happen. Sometimes, though, we have to break with tradition and 
follow what may seem like the riskiest proposition. Sometimes we have to 
go to that wonderful garden of our minds and check out what?s planted 
there, what?s growing there, what might be beginning to ripen there. Out 
of that garden of imagination we can often find the most surprisingly 
fruitful solutions to the questions and problems that we face every day.

Making decisions, making choices that can affect us for the foreseeable 
future, that can disrupt our current relationships or can build up new 
ones ? this can be scary, yet it?s part of life. We have to use all the 
resources at our disposal ? including our friends and families ? but 
then the decision is, ultimately, ours to make.

One of the things that keeps amazing me is the way in which Jesus drew 
stories into His teaching about God, and about life, and about our 
every-day situations. Nothing about what Jesus said or did was without 
thought, not even His fiery responses when He saw something going awry. 
And the parables, those stories illustrative of deep decisions and 
truths, more often than not He built them on what the people right in 
front of them had experienced. The two in this morning?s Gospel reading 
are perfect examples. Sitting in a boat and talking to the crowd He must 
have glanced up at the hillside where someone may have been ploughing, 
or planting seed, or working the soil in one way or another. He talked 
about throwing seed into the ground. He talked about mustard seeds and 
their size. He used common analogies when trying to describe the Realm 
of God so that the people could understand how lavish is God?s love and 
how generously the invitations are scattered around.

It would have been hard to miss how personal this sort of approach to 
evangelism is. Jesus didn?t haul a copy of all Judaic law out of the 
synagogue and say, ?OK, stick to every one of these and you may have a 
chance of a good life with God.? He spoke plainly about everyday 
situations, using common, down-to-earth language to get His point 
across.

There?s been a discussion among some of the deputies going to General 
Convention in a couple of weeks about how we go about fulfilling Jesus? 
desire that we help people find peace, and acceptance, and comfort, and 
discover what God?s love can strengthen us to do. There are two 
apparently conflicting views.

One says that we wait for folk to come through the doors. Perhaps we 
take out ads in the paper, we run a good web-site, we develop a 
reputation in the community for being there when someone needs help, 
whether of a spiritual or a physical nature. If and when visitors come 
through the doors, we make them feel as welcome as we can. We don?t 
suffocate them with cloying attentiveness, but we don?t leave them to 
sink or swim through the bulletin and prayer book either. If we are 
truly welcoming and accept wherever that person is at, then she or he 
may return to become not a visitor but a newcomer, then a member of our 
congregation.

The other approach is to meet people where they are ? at the Post 
Office, in Costco, at a parade for the Fourth of
July, in the unemployment or social security office parking lots. Again, 
we don?t smother; we simple are there to listen, to smile, to help if 
we?re asked ? above all, we respect.

Both of these approaches work. Both of them are needed. And in both, we 
need to learn not to shoot ourselves in the foot, never mind shooting 
anyone else. They key is for us to learn about and be assured of God?s 
love for us, God?s accepting forgiveness of us, and God?s call to us to 
work this into our daily lives. Then we?re simply to trust God to do the 
rest.

Two things strike me about the Gospel parables, and they tie in to that 
scary first reading also. God expects us to participate in creation, to 
participate in building up the realm and increasing it. And God doesn?t 
want us to be overwhelmed with what we may think is the enormous 
responsibility of being Jesus? messengers. God works through us, with 
our gifts of every shape and size. Nothing is too small to be of 
importance to our ministries. Whoever we are, whatever we do, we are 
simply to offer it to the world as lavishly as we can. So if we accept 
that God can transform all of our gifts then it?s up to us to be as 
imaginative as we possibly can be, to visit our mind?s garden and dream 
about what we might be able to do ? say within a two or three square 
block area of this building, or of our home, or our work place.

The mystery isn?t just that God scatters gifts of life everywhere, 
without too close scrutiny of where they may land. The mystery is also 
that we?re to be just as lavish in the application of our gifts. Whether 
at worship in this room, at refreshments down the hall, in the parking 
lot here or wherever we may be in an hour?s time, wherever we are we?re 
to be so generous with what we conjure up to do with those skills we 
have. And if we can?t really put our fingers on what our skills may be, 
then Jesus invites to do a little dreaming. Imagine how Samuel felt 
about sneaking off while Saul was acting up. Imagine what was going on 
in Samuel?s mind as he inspected Jesse?s sons and wondered what on earth 
he was getting into. But he was told simply to make a choice, based on 
where he felt he was being led, and then to leave the rest up to God. 
The seed had to be planted. It might take a while to mature and to 
become something that was visible, but it WOULD grow, without a doubt in 
the world. We?re to join in this mystery, then.

The second thing that strikes me about the parables is that we?re called 
to accept and to use the obvious. Looking around, Jesus, on that day, 
began to talk about what he saw being flung around on the hillside. 
Sometimes not only do we think our gifts and skills are too 
insignificant, we think that Jesus couldn?t be interested in us, 
wouldn?t want to be bothered with the struggles and questions we face on 
a daily basis. We can be fairly skilled at belittling ourselves, 
possibly unintentionally, but not accepting what others may see and 
value in us ? thus we miss out on another opportunity to spread God?s 
message of love and compassion.

A member of a Christian Peacemaking Team in Hebron wrote about being 
there for school children and school staff as they have to get from one 
segregated area of town to another. Everyone going to the school has to 
pass through a dark tunnel with a metal turnstile guarded by Israeli 
soldiers.

The author wrote, ?It was heart wrenching to see the same teachers 
stopped and ID?ed every day by the same soldiers. One time I watched and 
documented, feeling helpless, as soldiers held a teacher. He was 
desperate to get to school and start his students? exam, but still they 
held him for nineteen minutes, knowing the longest they can legally hold 
him is twenty. It was as if they were trying to taunt him. Watching the 
soldiers hold the teacher for so long made me wonder, what good am I 
doing here? What am I doing here at all?

	?Upon his release the teacher answered these questions for me when he 
looked me in the eyes and said ?thank you.? I was reminded then that we 
are here so that people such as this teacher who have amazing dignity 
and strength and every day have to face the forces of the occupation are 
not alone and are not ignored. And we are here so that people near and 
far may open their minds, hearts and eyes, see what is happening here, 
share it with others, and pray that one day there will no longer be a 
soldier and a checkpoint to greet every child and teacher on their way 
to school.? 2

	There is nothing too small, nothing too plain, nothing we might think 
insignificant that cannot be the means to speak of love, the love of God 
for us, and the love of one human being for another.

We have to open our imaginations to the possibility of Jesus wanting to 
be present to us and to everyone else right where we are ? in our homes, 
in our offices, on our errands and visits, wherever we are.

	I came across a little writing the other day as I was thinking about 
where I might like to meet Jesus. It seemed to resonate with me 
particularly because the first sentence could talk to someone like me. 
This could be me, talking to Jesus, or it could be Jesus, talking to me. 
Either way, the writer said:

	I want to
discover your face
appearing over the
top of a pile of papers and
books threatening to
overwhelm the table and
topple on the floor; I
hope to have you offer to
help me mop the kitchen
floor; I?d like to share in
washing laundry at the
end of a long day, or put
our hands in sudsy water
where the dinner dishes call for
attention although we both
seem tired.
Although it?s nice, I
don?t expect your
clothes to be neatly pressed
every day. I won?t be alarmed to
find spinach
tucked neatly between your
teeth and gums and that you
wish to sit quietly rather than
converse when your
day has erupted in unplanned
directions. When I?m tired and
cancel anticipated small
pleasures and you smile your
understanding,
then I know you care and
will be there when those
earth-shaking events
threaten to disable my life.

	Jesus is a normal, every-day sort of a person for whom nothing will be 
beyond His interest. Nothing should ever persuade us otherwise.

	Oh, and that former Presbyterian pastor who talked of the Garden of our 
Minds? That was Fred Rogers ? Mr. Rogers to most people in this room, 
I?d bet!

	As Jesus said, in good Episcopal evangelese, ?Won?t you be my 
neighbor??

NOTES:

1              Mister Rogers Remixed: Gardens of your Mind 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM

2	?AL-KHALIL REFLECTION: Dignity in the face of humiliation? CPTnet: 8 
June, 2012. 
http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2012/06/08/al-khalil-reflection-dignity-face-humiliation 
To receive CPT's quarterly newsletter by email or in print, go to 
http://cpt.org/participate/subscribe



Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)



From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 17:56:00 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:56:00 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for June 17 based on Mark 4:26-34,
	"Investing in small things"
Message-ID: <8CF1A21F3D658B1-D3C-10C5@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/8xf99od is our sermon for June 17 based on Mark 4:26-34, "Investing in small things."
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/a763a4a6/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 18:55:28 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 18:55:28 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_June_17_basado_en_Ma?=
 =?utf-8?q?rcos_4=3A26-34=2C_=22Invertir_en_las_cosas_peque=C3=B1as=22?=
Message-ID: <8CF1A2A426FAE61-D3C-10FB@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/88vrpoj es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol para17 de junio basado en Marcos 4:26-34, "Invertir en las cosaspeque?as."
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de la Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/5b29318c/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 20:37:06 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:37:06 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 6B
In-Reply-To: <769edfd9-048f-4000-a884-364a9edd9104@m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>
References: <769edfd9-048f-4000-a884-364a9edd9104@m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1A38749AC3CA-D3C-114F@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>

Forwarded:
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 16, 2012 8:11 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 6B


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Our Father? or ?I Was Going to Ask
You the Same Thing? and deals the Gospel (Mark 4: 26- 34).  Here it
is:

Happy Fathers? Day!  This morning I?d like us to think about one of
the touchier questions we face as life problems begin to press upon
us; and as fathers (or mothers or mature friends)- they will.  We
heard Jesus promise that if only we had the faith of a grain of
mustard seed, we could make mountains move- or whatever.  Now maybe
we?re not interested in mountains moving, but maybe we are interested
in seeing positive change in a young man or lady or perhaps our own
father or mother or someone.  I KNOW we?re interested in stopping the
violence in Saginaw!  We pray, but it seems like nothing happens.  So
my question to you today is- so why aren?t our prayers answered?  How
come we pray for healing, but our cancer remains; we pray for the
deliverance of a son or daughter or husband or wife from addiction to
alcohol or gambling or abusive relationships and nothing seems to
happen; we pray for peace, instead we get violence; and on and on and
on.  But it?s not just us.  Paul prayed for deliverance from his
?thorn in the flesh?, but never got it.  Even Jesus prayed that ?this
cup pass from me? but he had to go through with crucifixion.  What?s
happening?  Sometimes we get what we pray for and sometimes we don?t.
Why?
	I don?t have any firm answers, but I?ve got thoughts that I?d like to
share with you this morning.  Obviously, many times our prayers are
answered just as we would choose.  Years ago, an amazing double- blind
(i.e. no one knows who is being prayed for, not doctor, not patient,
not family, no one) Harvard Medical School study with heart patients
show a measurable positive difference between those prayed for as
opposed to those not prayed for.  This study confirmed a smaller study
done ten years earlier by a San Francisco cardiologist and reported in
the Southern Medical Journal.  So sometimes our prayers get answered
with a wonderful ?YES!?  Sometimes, however, the answer seems to be
?no.?  What then?  Here are six possibilities for you to mull this
week:
	1.  If you are praying for a change of behavior in someone else, keep
going, be persistent.  However, keep in mind that God won?t force
himself on anyone, but God will allow life to present the need for
change in that person.  Even God, as the perfect parent, did not force
righteousness on his children Adam and Eve.
	2.  Is your problem a direct consequence of past behavior?  God
seldom removes the consequences of sin, but he does walk with us
through those consequences, giving us the power to overcome.  In fact,
what started out as a negative often turns out to be a blessing to
ourselves or someone else.  King David?s adultery with Bathsheba
resulted in the death of their infant, but the gift of Solomon as
king.
	3.  Maybe you are suffering because of someone else?s sin.  Dr,
Martin Luther King, Jr. expanded the theology of the power of
redemptive suffering- it was the backbone of the civil rights
movement.  It works when we love our enemies and pray for those who
misuse us.  Furthermore, their evil doesn?t infect us with bitterness
and bring us down to their level.  Example: what could be more evil
than crucifying the Son of God on a garbage dump, yet that evil
redeemed the whole creation.
	4.  Perhaps you are doing something to block God?s action or not
doing something that needs to be done.  If you pray and nothing
happens, check out your behavior.  Are you poisoning your spiritual
life with the bitterness of refusing to forgive an enemy?  (?Forgive
us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us.?-
remember Jesus? parable of the unforgiving servant in the Gospel of
Matthew.)  I heard a fictional story from one of my internet
colleagues about a man we shall call Jim.  Jim had a serious problem-
he had lost his job and was broke.  In fact, he was about to lose
everything he owned.  Being a faithful Christian, he knew just what
he?d do- he prayed fervently that he would win the lottery.  The next
day when the winners were announced- nothing.  He prayed harder-
?Please God, let me win the lottery!?  The next day he listened again-
nothing.  Once more he prayed, this time reminding God that he had
promised to answer all prayers, but to no avail.  Kneeling at his
bedside, he pounded his hands in his pillow, when he heard a mighty
clap of thunder and a voice- ?Jim, Jim, how about meeting me half way
on this.  Buy a lottery ticket!?  In other words, do your part.
	5.  This world isn?t a vacation spot; it?s a training ground.  (Where
do the Detroit Lions train?  Like that.)  God?s intention isn?t to
make us happy, but to make us strong.  Would you really want your
child to grow up in a world with no pain or discomfort?  What kind of
human would this produce?  How would your child ever develop
compassion, endurance, spiritual power, prayer power?  Helen Keller
was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She
earned it at Radcliff and then went on to be a well-known author and
speaker.  She once said: ?We could never learn to be brave and
patient, if there were only joy in the world.?  That has a real
probability of being true.
	6.  Here?s my last possibility.  Do you remember reading in ?Forward
Day by Day? a while ago of the writer who had heard of a terrible
disaster?  I don?t remember what it was, but perhaps it was a tragic
famine with pictures of dying children with swollen bellies looking at
the TV camera every time you turned on the news- anyway it was that
kind of thing.  He asked God why God allowed such atrocities, and he
felt the answer came back loud and clear: ?I was wondering the same
thing about you!?  Perhaps our prayer isn?t being answered because
someone else isn?t being faithful to their ministry, or more to the
point, perhaps someone else?s prayer isn?t being answered because we
aren?t being faithful to our ministry.  Cancer is a terrible curse on
humankind, but perhaps the person who was intended to lead the team of
scientists as they developed the cure is flipping burgers or bussing
tables somewhere because we didn?t put enough time, energy, and money
in his or her education.  We plead for a cure for AIDS, but maybe the
person designed for that ministry is doing time in prison because the
church down the street didn?t reach out and touch.  I?d like to close
by passing on a story that changed my life- that reminded me of the
importance of keeping the faith in the hard times, because God may be
counting on us to be the answer to someone else?s prayer.
	Bishop Quintin Primo (now in heaven with his Lord) told this story on
himself many years ago in the basement of Grace Episcopal Church,
Detroit.  As you recall, Bishop Primo was the first African-American
suffragan bishop of Chicago.  He told of the day he had so much to do
that he wondered how it would ever all happen.  He and his wife were
getting ready to go on vacation, and you know how long it takes to get
all those loose ends wrapped up so you can get away.  As you would
guess, the phone rang.  On the other end was the distraught voice of
one of his newer priests.  The young man said that his wife had just
been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas.  She was
extremely upset and was asking for Bishop Primo- would he please make
a pastoral call as soon as possible.  Bishop Primo told his secretary
what had happened and started on what would be a very long day.  The
hospital was a good distance away in one of the very distant, very
white suburbs- remember, this was a good while ago.  He missed the
freeway exit, had to double back through all the traffic.  To make
matters worse, the rain that had been forecast turned to slippery
sleet.  When he finally found the hospital and drove up to the parking
lot, the attendant told him it was full.  When asked about clergy
parking, he was told there wasn?t any.  Bishop Primo said he thought
that was strange, because this was a Roman Catholic hospital, and such
hospitals always provide clergy parking.  He ended up parking a few
blocks away and walking through the slush.  In response to his inquiry
about the young woman, the receptionist looked him over and stared in
disbelief that he wanted to make a pastoral call.  She told him that
this particular patient was in intensive care, so he would have to get
permission from the chaplain.  Bishop Primo?s next stop (as he sloshed
along with his wet socks and cold feet) was to the chaplain?s office
where he waited and waited and waited.  When the chaplain finally
appeared, he was embarrassed by the receptionist?s rudeness and
wondered out loud why he hadn?t been paged.  ?You did find the clergy
parking spots, didn?t you?? he asked- trying to make positive
conversation.  Obviously, Bishop Primo had permission for his pastoral
call, so he started on to find the intensive care unit.  This was an
unfamiliar hospital with many additions, twists, and turns, but no one
would help him find his way.  He finally spotted a cleaning lady, who
directed him to the intensive care unit.  Bishop Primo said that the
whole experience was finally beginning to get to him.  He said that he
thought to himself: ?She probably really doesn?t want to see me.  That
was most certainly just a courtesy call.  I am going where I am not
welcome, not wanted, and I am going to look like a fool.?  At that
moment, he saw the door to the intensive care unit.  He rang the
buzzer and the head nurse came to the door.  When he explained that he
was the suffragan bishop of Chicago and was making a pastoral call,
she responded, ?Oh no- you can?t see her!?  But Bishop Primo had
spotted the room number.  He walked right past her and entered the
room.  On the bed lay a very pale, very thin, very blond young lady
with tear streaks going down her cheeks.  She heard the sound of his
entrance, looked up, smiled, raised her hands to him as a child would
to a parent, and said, ?Oh Bishop Primo, I knew you?d come.  God
answers prayer.?  And Bishop Primo thought, ?What if....what if I
hadn?t come??
	So now you know the story too.  I hope you remember it when a
neighbor knocks at your door (or the door of your heart) at an
inconvenient time, because when you ask God why he allows such
terrible things in his creation, you really don?t want God answering,
?I was going to ask you the same question.?  Think about it.

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/02a71ae1/attachment.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 17 13:10:02 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:10:02 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 7
Message-ID: <027A80F56BB442D6BEAB3B4256B59152@BobPC>

Collect for Proper 7:

Let us pray:

God of storm and sea,

when we though you

asleep in the stern,

you cracked an eye 

to say to our fear

"Be still, quiet."

May we in turn calm

the fears of each other

through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God for ever and ever.  Amen



For reflection on Proper 7 go to > http://preachingtip.com/preachng-tip-of-the-week/ 



Bob Eldan

Lander, Wyoming

USA
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120617/c9183b25/attachment.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 17 13:19:20 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:19:20 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 7
Message-ID: <EFEF0CF2C8464E6BA5DCE1B694616577@BobPC>

Sorry, previous post bad link.

Collect for Proper 7:

Let us pray:

God of storm and sea,

when we though you

asleep in the stern,

you cracked an eye 

to say to our fear

"Be still, quiet."

May we in turn calm

the fears of each other

through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God for ever and ever. Amen

For reflection on Proper 7 go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 




Bob Eldan

Lander, Wyoming

USA
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120617/69da28e4/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 07:52:45 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:52:45 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1C292CC8FD40-17B8-1779@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


Sermons for Proper 7 
Mark 4:35-41 - "Calming of the Tempest"
Mark 4:35-41 - "Stand by Me" by Leonard Sweet
 


 
_________________________________________
 
Mark 4, the sermon title "Calming of the Tempest"  
 
Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called "Ninety-Three." It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship's cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the cannon was greater than the fury of the storm.

That is like human life. Storms of life may blow about us, but it is not these exterior storms that pose the gravest danger. It is the terrible corruption that can exist within us which can overwhelm us. The furious storm outside may be overwhelming but what is going on inside can pose the greater threat to our lives. Our only hope lies in conquering that wild enemy?


1. Storms Come Suddenly.
2. Storms Can Make You Lose Direction.
3. Our Fear of the Storm Has the Power to Paralyze.
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup
  


_______________________
 
The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com. Sign up today at: http://www.sermons.com/signup Or call: 1-800-777-7731.
 
Members: Mark 4 the sermon titled ?Stand by Me" by Leonard Sweet   
 
As summer heats up it is important to always bring a sweater with you. 
 
Huh?! (Yes, I know a sweater is something your mother puts on you when she is cold!) 
 
Likewise if you head to Minnesota in mid-winter you would be wise to bring something lightweight and with short sleeves. 
 
Crazy?! 
 
These seemingly illogical suggestion are actually good ideas. Why? Because our culture is addicted to ?climate control.? Air conditioning and central heating make it possible for us to create any kind of climate, any sort of indoor ?weather,? we want. Since we still cannot control what kind of weather we encounter outside, in the real world, we over-compensate in our encapsulated climates ? our homes, shopping malls, restaurants, office buildings, airplanes?
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup
  


 
________________________
 
Unanswered Prayer
 
To someone like me, who was rescued from drowning in wind and wave, the imagery is very powerful without even descending to a symbolic level. I can recall being physically tossed about by powerful waves and buffeted by the cold wind; I know what it is like to be sinking in the sea for what seems to be the very last time, although in my case I didn?t have the benefit of a boat to slow my demise. I understand with absolute clarity how the disciples must have felt as disaster overtook them while their Master slept. 

I lived out this Bible story on March 12, 1967 in a very literal way. 

Since then, I have had several occasions to live it out in a metaphorical way, and I am ashamed that I still haven?t learned my lesson despite all these years. 

You know what I am talking about: there are times in your life when you know a great upheaval is coming. The wind rises ominously and the clouds don?t look right. People suddenly start doing and saying strange things and you know something is afoot. Relatives fall prey to strange persuasions; your health might even fail. The news on television starts sounding Biblical, and there are rumors the like of which you haven?t heard before. Your life is tossed upon the waves like a small ship on an angry sea. Panic sets in as you decide that the end of something is near; if not your family, if not your finances, if not your career, then maybe the whole world! 

?Master, Master,? you cry to God, ?Don?t you even care that I am perishing?? 

And you sit in your quiet room and stare at the ceiling, as if all your prayers never got past that point, and the silence from heaven is deafening. At most points in your life, if you heard an audible voice in answer to your prayer, you?d smile and look for the person who?s playing a joke on you. Or perhaps you?d search the yellow pages for a good psychiatrist who specializes in auditory hallucinations; but today in your distress there is a part of you that demands to hear what you?ve never heard, to see what you?ve never seen, because you are scared to your innermost being and you need comfort and rescue, and you need it now. 

How impudent of God not to answer. Doesn?t He know what you?re going through? 

Kenneth W. Collins, 'Unanswered' Prayer? 
______________________

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/8db498a8/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 07:53:59 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:53:59 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1C2958E23EC8-17B8-177F@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>



Fearful Times

When I was a kid, I was terrified of spiders. Even Daddy Long Legs, which I now understand are not, technically, spiders but have a very spiderly look about them, scared me to death. Once, almost literally, when one leapt out of a half bushel of peaches we had just bought by a road side stand, I leapt out of the car into the road. Fear can do that.
 
My sisters and brother didn't help. They enjoyed picking Daddy Long Legs up by a long leg and chasing me around the yard!
 
Since then, my fears have grown up a little. Now I fear things that really can hurt me like the national debt and global warming. Yesterday, the headlines named another fear, terrorists, this time, U.S. citizens, independent, guided by some 5,000 do-it-yourself terrorist self-help websites.
 
On top of these overwhelming world fears, each of us carries personal fears - a deadline, a pink slip, a visa bill, a doctor's appointment. We all have spiders ? some fear that gets us in the gut.
 
These are fearful times, but then ? they always have been. You would think, if ever there were a time and people who would be fearless it would be the disciples, walking and living in the very presence of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, Light of the World, 2000 years ago. But as Mark tells it, they could panic right along with the best of us.

Heather Entrekin, When We Are Afraid
___________________________

Listen for the Questions
 
The Scriptures include a significant number of life-and-death questions about meaning, purpose and value in life. Consider some of the questions posed by Scripture:

What will it profit us if we gain the whole world but forfeit our life? (Matthew 16:26)
Who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:15)
What are you looking for? (John 1:38)
Who is my neighbor? (Like 10:29)
What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17)
Who can separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:35)
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? (Mark 10:38)
Which commandment is the first of all? (Mark 12:28)
Where can I go from your Spirit? (Psalm 139:7).
What is this new teaching, with authority? (Mark 1:27)
Who is this about whom I hear such things? (Luke 9:9)
What is truth? (John 18:38)

And this morning?s Gospel lesson ends with the question, ?Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?? (Mark 4:41). Who is this Jesus, the one who speaks with a new level of authority, the one who is able to bring calm into the storms of life, the one who comes among us as prince of peace, suffering servant, fount of compassion and grace?

Joel D. Kline, Listen for the Questions
______________________________________

Humor: Sucked In, Washed Up, Blown Over

Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
 
The problems began when Chippie?s owner decided to clean Chippie?s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
 
The bird?s owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum cleaner, and opened the bag. There was Chippie - still alive, but stunned.
 
Since the bird was covered with dust, hair and all the stuff you find in a dust bag, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
 
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
 
A few days after the trauma, a friend who had heard about Chippie?s troubles contacted his owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore - he just sits and stares."
 
Who can blame him? Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
 
Things happen in our lives that come along unexpectedly and we end up feeling a bit like Chippie - sucked in, washed up, and blown over ? the song stolen from the stoutest of hearts.
 
I reckon there are very few here this morning who couldn?t stand up and give testimony to some aspect of their lives where they feel a bit like the disciples in that boat -  afraid, vulnerable, a decidedly sinking feeling! You know what it?s like to feel as though you are in the middle of a storm, tossed this way and that, and you wonder how you?re ever going to get to calmer waters.

Vince Gerhardy, Calm in a Storm
_____________________________________

Hard Work Is Required

Somewhere in my past, it was pointed out to me that having the wind stop is disastrous for sail boats. It means that the sailors have to do hard, manual labor to move the boat to where it is going. Even the presence of Christ and his great miracles may still mean a lot of hard work on our part to get where Christ wants us to go. If Jesus wanted the disciples on the other side of the lake, why not just "beam them over," rather than have them go through a storm and then to row the boat to shore?

While we may pray that Jesus would work miracles in our lives and in our world and in our neighborhoods, the miracles that come probably won't let us off the hook from doing some of the hard work required to do what Jesus has called us to do.

Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes
____________________________________



Courage in the Midst of Fear

I have several books on the shelves in my office that have stories of genuine heroes in them. These are people who have performed remarkable acts of courage. I find their stories thrilling. I also find them a little unsettling. How do people do those things? In a real crisis, what is to keep me from running in the other direction? The stories I like best are the ones that talk about courage in the midst of fear. Those are people I can really admire ... people who are scared to death and still do what needs to be done.

One such person was Marshall Ney, a captain in Napoleon's army. Napoleon often referred to Marshall Ney as the bravest man he had ever known. Yet, the captain's knees trembled so badly one morning before a battle that he had trouble getting on his horse. When he was finally in the saddle, he looked at his knees and said with disgust, "Shake away, knees. You would shake worse than that if you knew where I am going to take you." Now that's a man I can really like!

Kristin Borsgard Wee, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Do You Love Me?,  CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
_____________________________
 
The Four Chaplains
 
On a cold February 4, 1943, the American ship, the Dorchester, was carrying several hundred soldiers off the coast of Greenland. Suddenly, an enemy torpedo ripped into its hull. Within minutes the ship would go under. Amid the panic and confusion, four chaplains, Alex Good, Jewish; John Washington, Catholic; Clark Poling and George Fox, Protestants, stood together with their life belts on. Many of the soldiers had none. Without lifeboats, their chances for survival were nil. Quickly, the chaplains took off their belts and gave them to four men. As the ship sank, the chaplains, with hands firmly clasped, prayed the Lord's prayer. The chaplains gave their lives for the others, because One other had first stood in for them. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12) That's a tall order. Well, not so unreal, considering his love stand staller than life itself.

James Weekley, Tilted Haloes, CSS Publishing Company 
_______________________
 
Why Not You? 

A ministerial colleague tells of a conversation he had one day with a female medical assistant in a doctor's office, as he was waiting to see the doctor. The woman recognized him because she had occasionally attended his church, though she was a member of another church. "I want to tell you about my experience," she said. "I got saved in the Assemblies of God Church ... I gave my life to God ... and guess what? ... Life tumbled in! I developed a heart problem. My husband lost his executive job ... and he recently died of cancer." The minister says he tried to mumble a few theological sounding explanatory words about God's mysterious ways, thinking that was what the woman wanted. But she went right on with her story, indicating that she had repeatedly asked God, "Why me?" "And what do you think God told me?" she continued. "'Why not you?' That's what God said. 'Why should you be spared all the crises of life that everyone else must  gothrough?'" Then she wound up her story saying, "One day I said to God, 'Lord, you've forgiven me. Now I forgive you.'"

There is a woman who, from my point of view, has a healthy faith. Her faith is not a series of propositions, it is a relationship, and as in all relationships, it is one that changes and can tolerate challenges. It is vital because it is honest.

David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company 
_____________________________

Porcupines

Pastor John Ortberg has a delight discussion on porcupines in his book, Everybody?s Normal Until You Get to Know Them. Porcupines are members of the rodent family, says Ortberg. They have around 30,000 quills attached to their bodies. Each quill can be driven into an enemy, and the enemy?s body heat will cause the microscopic barb to expand and become more firmly embedded. The wounds can fester; the more dangerous ones, affecting vital organs, can be fatal.

The porcupine is not generally regarded as a lovable animal, Ortberg continues. Books and movies celebrate almost every other conceivable ani?mal. Dogs, cats, horses, pigs like Babe or Arnold Ziffel in the old TV show Green Acres, spiders as in Charlotte?s Web, dolphins like Flipper, bears like Gentle Ben, and killer whales as in Free Willy. Even skunks have Pepe Le Pew. There are no famous porcupines.

?As a general rule, porcupines have two methods for handling rela?tionships: withdrawal and attack?
 
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.
 



 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/e9e65d19/attachment.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 09:28:56 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:28:56 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  June 24 (Proper 7B) Mark 4:35-41
Message-ID: <F44A82B31C044A62BBE2330F1492A78D@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for June 24 (Proper 7B). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Mark 4:35-41, the story of Jesus stilling the storm at
sea.

To access those files, you MUST use the following links. If clicking on the
link fails to work, copy the link and paste it in the address window near
the top of your browser. Then hit the ENTER key or click GO.


MARK 4:35-41

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-24sr/Mark.4.35-41.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rKWLFkSSrgekvPuac3rBw0NBlK4zGj2YYwkDnRqdQUTy
H_a5BZ-9J9WuiKaURhWQhvRYOp1rcI5bn5Y7OBIR005weCusRi1yAnVpRReMdg0C__zPo6Rw24Ic
Y3zXueA2vvX1YoFj0YzubRtmdGflzeU58qvNixtG> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-24sr/Mark.4.35-41.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rKWLFkSSrgcL551oMtqQQosSEx0junYhzy-oVzMLnQ6N
Yq-VeqKjykitfO604OGo_EsgIrUbfOT598A0ttGZCTN9nTH2qHc24yz_lf7v2ji978zNkPRvWS_3
YVtodVON5_HB_jFlCqSqUVMlb7oRsiGiUNG622O1>  


A TIP: If you want the Word file, LEFT-CLICK on the link and see what
happens. That should bring up a dialog box that asks if you want to open the
file or save it. Choose OPEN. Then save it wherever you like on your hard
drive. 

 
 If that doesn't work, RIGHT-CLICK on the link. You should get a sub-menu.
Hopefully, "Save Target As" will be one of the options. Click on that. Then
save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.  
 

  

http://www.lectionary.org/
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rKWLFkSSrgf8SY8i7pZrrXPFIeDVthNkg1pVro1A-pyt
nypbPobznmRMSuQlwgqna8IHlVpq3k6EKt3oMCtOJkYzyN2g5AVNG04tTyJuc2SYbphmJ6ESEg==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/f7384894/attachment.htm>

From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Tue Jun 19 10:50:33 2012
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:50:33 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2
Message-ID: <42d18f67.36df30.13805393ccd.Webtop.46@charter.net>


Thanks, Joe,

There are some good lines here.

I'm not preaching this week, our Deacon is. And we're celebrating our 
patronal festival so are using the propers for St Alban's Day. Then we 
have a picnic afterwards.

We're using a liturgy shared with me by the Canon Liturgist of the 
Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban in St Albans, Britain, so we have 
a good time and have to be on our toes as things happen in slightly 
different sequences!! 8 - )

Bob


Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/79748661/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 22:28:43 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:28:43 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <42d18f67.36df30.13805393ccd.Webtop.46@charter.net>
References: <42d18f67.36df30.13805393ccd.Webtop.46@charter.net>
Message-ID: <8CF1CA38B6F8C14-17B8-23EC@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

Hi Bob,
We're 306 years old on Sunday, and our patron is St. John Baptist, so we plan to celebrate his birth, and propers, then.
And, alas, I shall, with the help of the Holy Spirit, preach, in English with Spanish interwoven, yea a sound to behold(!)

We send our friends at St. Alban very happy anniversary wishes, both in Oregon and beyond!

 

 Thanks!
Peace and blessings,
Joe


 

-----Original Message-----
From: robertpmorrison <robertpmorrison at charter.net>
To: Propertalk <propertalk at stsams.org>
Sent: Tue, Jun 19, 2012 11:03 am
Subject: Re: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2


Thanks, Joe,


There are some good lines here.


I'm not preaching this week, our Deacon is. And we're celebrating our patronal festival so are using the propers for St Alban's Day. Then we have a picnic afterwards.


We're using a liturgy shared with me by the Canon Liturgist of the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban in St Albans, Britain, so we have a good time and have to be on our toes as things happen in slightly different sequences!! 8 - )



Bob




Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell) 
 
_______________________________________________
Propertalk mailing list
Propertalk at stsams.org
http://mail.stsams.org/mailman/listinfo/propertalk_stsams.org

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/befe6c07/attachment.htm>

From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Thu Jun 21 10:05:11 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 10:05:11 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the FOURTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <DC03983E52AF4624B8A743EC3EBE4627@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, June 24, (Proper 7, ECUSA; Proper 12, RCL & Roman Catholic) according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of England (Common Worship), and Canadian (BAS) Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, Canada and England are identical to the RCL this Sunday.



OLD TESTAMENT:  1 Samuel 17: (1a, 4 - 11, 19 - 23) 32 - 49   (RCL)

1Sam 17:1 (NRSV) Now the Philis'tines gathered their armies for battle; 

4 And there came out from the camp of the Philis'tines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philis'tine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philis'tine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philis'tine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 

19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of E'lah, fighting with the Philis'tines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philis'tines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philis'tine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philis'tines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 

 32 David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philis'tine." 33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philis'tine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philis'tine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 David said, "The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philis'tine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you!" 
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philis'tine. 
41 The Philis'tine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philis'tine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philis'tine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philis'tine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philis'tine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." 45 But David said to the Philis'tine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philis'tine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hand." 
48 When the Philis'tine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philis'tine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philis'tine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. 


Job 38: 1 - 11   (alt. for RCL but not Can. BAS)
Job 38: 1, 8 - 11   (Roman Catholic)

Job  38:1 (NRSV) Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: 
2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 
3 Gird up your loins like a man, 
I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? 
Tell me, if you have understanding. 
5 Who determined its measurements--surely you know! 
Or who stretched the line upon it? 
6 On what were its bases sunk, 
or who laid its cornerstone 
7 when the morning stars sang together 
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? 
8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors 
when it burst out from the womb?-- 
9 when I made the clouds its garment, 
and thick darkness its swaddling band, 
10 and prescribed bounds for it, 
and set bars and doors, 
11 and said, "Thus far shall you come, and no farther, 
and here shall your proud waves be stopped'? 

16 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea, 
or walked in the recesses of the deep? 
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, 
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? 
Declare, if you know all this. 


1 Samuel 17: 57 - 18: 5, 10 - 16   (alt. for RCL)

1Sam 17:57 (NRSV) On David's return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite." 
18:1 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved. 
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; 11 and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. 14 David had success in all his undertakings; for the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them. 


PSALM 9: 9 - 20   (RCL - goes with the Goliath reading)

Psal 9:9 (NRSV) The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, 
a stronghold in times of trouble. 
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, 
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. 
Declare his deeds among the peoples. 
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; 
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD. 
See what I suffer from those who hate me; 
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death, 
14 so that I may recount all your praises, 
and, in the gates of daughter Zion, 
rejoice in your deliverance. 
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; 
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught. 
16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; 
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. [Higgai'on. Se'lah] 
17 The wicked shall depart to She'ol, 
all the nations that forget God. 
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, 
nor the hope of the poor perish forever. 
19 Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; 
let the nations be judged before you. 
20 Put them in fear, O LORD; 
let the nations know that they are only human. [Se'lah] 


9   Confitebor tibi     (ECUSA BCP)
 
9   The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, *
  a refuge in time of trouble.
 
10   Those who know your Name will put their trust in you, *
  for you never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.
 
11   Sing praise to the Lord who dwells in Zion; *
  proclaim to the peoples the things he has done.
 
12   The Avenger of blood will remember them; *
  he will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
 

13   Have pity on me, O Lord; *
  see the misery I suffer from those who hate me,
  O you who lift me up from the gate of death;
 
14   So that I may tell of all your praises
and rejoice in your salvation *
  in the gates of the city of Zion.
 
15   The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug, *
  and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.
 
16   The Lord is known by his acts of justice; *
  the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.
 
17   The wicked shall be given over to the grave, *
  and also all the people that forget God.
 
18   For the needy shall not always be forgotten, *
  and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.
 
19   Rise up, O Lord, let not the ungodly have the upper hand; *
  let them be judged before you.
 
20   Put fear upon them, O Lord; *
  let the ungodly know they are but mortal.


Psalm 133   (alt. for ECUSA - goes with the Saul / David reading)

Psal 133:1 (NRSV) How very good and pleasant it is 
when kindred live together in unity! 
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, 
running down upon the beard, 
on the beard of Aaron, 
running down over the collar of his robes. 
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, 
which falls on the mountains of Zion. 
For there the LORD ordained his blessing, 
life forevermore. 


133   Ecce, quam bonum!     (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *
  when brethren live together in unity!
 
2   It is like fine oil upon the head *
  that runs down upon the beard,
 
3   Upon the beard of Aaron, *
  and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
 
4   It is like the dew of Hermon *
  that falls upon the hills of Zion.
 
5   For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: *
  life for evermore.


Psalm 107: 23 - 26, 28 - 31   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 107: 1 - 3, 23 - 32   (alt. for RCL - goes with Job reading)

Psal 107:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 
for his steadfast love endures forever. 
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, 
those he redeemed from trouble 
3 and gathered in from the lands, 
from the east and from the west, 
from the north and from the south. 

23 Some went down to the sea in ships, 
doing business on the mighty waters; 
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, 
his wondrous works in the deep. 
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, 
which lifted up the waves of the sea. 
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; 
their courage melted away in their calamity; 
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, 
and were at their wits' end. 
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, 
and he brought them out from their distress; 
29 he made the storm be still, 
and the waves of the sea were hushed. 
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, 
and he brought them to their desired haven. 
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, 
for his wonderful works to humankind. 
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, 
and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 


107    (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *
  and his mercy endures for ever.
 
2   Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim *
  that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
 
3   He gathered them out of the lands; *
  from the east and from the west,
  from the north and from the south.

23   Some went down to the sea in ships *
  and plied their trade in deep waters;
 
24   They beheld the works of the Lord *
  and his wonders in the deep.
 
25   Then he spoke, and a stormy wind arose, *
  which tossed high the waves of the sea.
 
26   They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths; *
  their hearts melted because of their peril.
 
27   They reeled and staggered like drunkards *
  and were at their wits? end.
 
28   Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *
  and he delivered them from their distress.
 
29   He stilled the storm to a whisper *
  and quieted the waves of the sea.
 
30   Then were they glad because of the calm, *
  and he brought them to the harbor they were bound for.
 
31   Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *
  and the wonders he does for his children.
 
32   Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people *
  and praise him in the council of the elders.


NEW TESTAMENT:   2 Corinthians 6: 1 - 13   (RCL)

2 Cor 6:1 (NRSV) As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, 
"At an acceptable time I have listened to you, 
and on a day of salvation I have helped you." 
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see--we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 
11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return--I speak as to children--open wide your hearts also. 


2 Corinthians 5: 14 - 17   (Roman Catholic)

2Cor 5:14 (NRSV) For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 


GOSPEL:   Mark 4: 35 - 41   (all)

Mark 4:35 (NRSV) On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120621/75ffff21/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun 22 20:51:49 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 20:51:49 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_the_Nativity_of_St=2E_John_the_?=
 =?utf-8?q?Baptist=2C_our_church=E2=80=99s_patron=2C_for_Sunday=2C_June_24?=
 =?utf-8?q?=2C_=E2=80=9CWill_someone_turn_on_the_lights=3F=E2=80=9D?=
Message-ID: <8CF1EF18192665F-80C-2205@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/8558rbu is our sermon for the Nativity of St.John the Baptist, our church?s patron, for Sunday, June 24, ?Will someone turnon the lights?? based on Luke 1:57-80.
Our parish is celebratingits 306th anniversary.  Please pray forus.
Thanks!
Peace andblessings,
Joe
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ

    
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120622/0ba24b70/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun 22 21:23:55 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 21:23:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Spanish_sermon_for_the_Nativity_of_St=2E_J?=
 =?utf-8?q?ohn_the_Baptist_patrono_de_nuestra_iglesia=2C_para_24_de_junio?=
 =?utf-8?b?LCAiwr9BbGd1aWVuIGVuY2llbmRlIGxhcyBsdWNlcz8i?=
Message-ID: <8CF1EF5FD8017D2-FE4-1DDC@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/7wl9r6o es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol para la Natividad de San Juan Bautista, patrono de nuestra iglesia,para el domingo, 24 de junio, "?Alguien enciende las luces?"basado en Lucas 1:57-80.
Nuestraparroquia est? celebrando su aniversario 306.  Por favor, oren por nosotros.
Gracias!
Pazy bendiciones,
Joe
SanJuan dela Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth,NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120622/f87c82f1/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 23 20:14:10 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2012 20:14:10 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 7B
In-Reply-To: <9a7cb209-8ebe-4fbb-ab59-cbbe05dd11da@g5g2000yqg.googlegroups.com>
References: <9a7cb209-8ebe-4fbb-ab59-cbbe05dd11da@g5g2000yqg.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1FB569D52E8C-FE4-25B6@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 23, 2012 7:15 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 7B


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?David and Goliath? or ?What Storm??
or ?Be All that You Can Be!? and deals the the Old Testament Lesson
(1st Samuel 17:32-39) and the Gospel (Mark 4: 35- 41).  Here it is:

Today we heard two of my very favorite Bible stories: ?David and
Goliath? and ?Jesus Calms the Storm?.  Both of these episodes- one in
the life of Mighty King David and one in the life of Mighty King
Jesus.  Let me ask you a question- Do you have any storms, any
Goliaths, any evil giants in your life?  Paul did.  His very precious
Christian sisters and brothers in Corinth were telling disrespectful
lies about him.  Have you ever had people you love and trust lie about
you or stop respecting you?  That?s a storm. That?s a giant.  Then
there?s the psalmist talking about how wonderful it is when kinfolk
live in peace.  We know that doesn?t always happen.  Have you ever had
discord, hatred in your own family- relationships, even marriages
falling apart?  That?s a storm.  That?s a giant.  Other possible
storms: financial troubles, kid troubles, job troubles, education
troubles, housing troubles, chronic illness troubles, addictions, car
troubles, self-doubt, fear, panic-attacks.  We just finished listing a
few of the possible personal troubles.  What about trouble on a larger
scale- terrorists, gang violence, racism, sexism, ageism, global
warming.  If you will open your mind to God?s word this morning, these
two stories contain gems of wisdom for dealing with storms, giants,
evil.

FIRST GEM: DON?T PANIC.  GOD IS IN CHARGE.  What was Jesus doing while
the disciples were panicking as they tried to ride out the storm?
Sure, he was asleep.  When they woke him up, you could almost hear him
say, ?What storm??  What kind of attitude did little David have as he
faced the huge Goliath?  Look at 1st Samuel 17: 47: ?The LORD doesn't
need swords or spears to save his people. The LORD always wins his
battles.?  The prophet Zechariah reminds us (4:6b): ??Not by might,
nor by power, but by my Spirit,? says the Lord.?  God is in charge,
but there?s one problem with this truth.  Remember how we pray ?Your
Kingdom come? in the Lord?s prayer.  Just be sure you?re on God?s
side, and you haven?t tried to make God be on your side.  God will
win- so if your life isn?t working out as you wish, check it out.  Are
you living God?s way or are you making excuses why your way is best.
Be sure the giants in your life aren?t being used by God to get you to
change your ways.  Be sure they aren?t the natural consequences of
your actions.  Once you?re sure that you?re on God?s side, take Jesus?
example and relax, sleep even through the storm.  Give your worries
(even the gigantic ones) to God.  There?s no point in both of you
being up all night, and God?s going to be up anyway.

SECOND GEM: BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE.  DON?T TRY TO BE SOMEBODY ELSE.
When King Saul tried to get David to wear his armor and use his
weapons, David was wise enough to use the tools HE was comfortable
with- his slingshot and five smooth stones.  Don?t try to be someone
else.  Be yourself.  Claim your own history, your own spiritual
gifts.  Wishing forever won?t make you richer or poorer, fatter or
thinner, darker or lighter, older or younger.  Wishing won?t change
who your parents are or how they treated you.  Wishing won?t change
how some people treat you or undo the mistakes you?ve made in the
past.  Use the tools you have so you and God can overcome those giants
you face.  Those parts of your life that simply ?grind? you- they can
destroy you or they can become part of your own unique spiritual and
personal power.  When a small grain of sand gets inside an oyster
shell, the oyster has two choices.  He can simply decide life is no
longer worth living, or else he can do the best he can with what he
has.  As time passes, the oyster?s body encases the irritant with
layer after layer of a smooth coating, so the oyster can continue
functioning.  What?s the result?  What started as a problem has become
a pearl.  Sometimes God heals the negatives in our lives, as Jesus
calmed the storm.  Other times, he uses the negatives to produce
pearls to enrich our lives and those of others.  If good Christians
had never faced awful problems and made huge mistakes in their lives,
who could God use to help other people in similar difficulties?  The
apostle Paul asked God three times to heal him from an infirmity.
God?s answer: ?My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.?  Accept who you are, improve what you can and
give God the rest to use to help others.

THIRD GEM: DON?T JUST SIT THERE!  THINK AND ACT OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Isn?t that what David did when he agreed to fight the giant?
Goliath?s statement was correct- whoever heard of a boy with a
slingshot being sent to fight a man who has the latest weapons?
Wishing won?t make it so- only prayer and action will change our lives
and the lives of those we love.  What?s your most powerful weapon?
Holy Communion.  The Christians in the Book of Acts received Holy
Communion at least once a week- every Sunday.  Are we better, more
spiritually mature than they are?  Use the power of your Holy
Communion to start the changes you want to make in your life.  Use the
power of your Holy Communion to face those giants down and ride out
whatever storm the devil puts in your path.  So what is it that God
wants you to do?  What changes in your life need to be made?  What do
you need to give up, start up, strengthen up?  I?m going to close with
a story by Bruce Thielemann (?Tide Riding?) that shows how Satan
thinks outside the box, so we must also.  ?Once Satan called to him
all the emissaries of hell and said he wanted to send one of them to
earth to aid women and men in the ruination of their souls. He asked
which one would want to go. One creature came forward and said, ?I
will go.?  Satan said, ?If I send you, what will you tell the children
of Earth??  The creature said, ?I will tell them that there is no
heaven.? Satan said, ?They will not believe you, for there is a bit of
heaven in every human heart.  In the end everyone knows that right and
good must have the victory. You may not go.?

Then another came forward, meaner and more foul than the first.  Satan
said, ?If I send you, what will you tell the children of Earth?? She
said, ?I will tell them there is no hell.?  Satan looked at her and
said, ?Oh, no; they will not believe you, for in every human heart
there's a thing called conscience, an inner voice which testifies to
the truth that not only will good be triumphant, but that evil will be
defeated. You may not go.?

Then one last creature came forward, this one from the pit of hell
itself.  Satan said to him, ?And if I send you, what will you say to
women and men to aid them in the destruction of their souls?? ?That?s
easy!? he said. ?I will tell them there is no hurry.?  Satan said,
?Go!??

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120623/f09476d4/attachment.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 24 14:35:56 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (bob eldan)
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 12:35:56 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 8
Message-ID: <web-39595754@be-2.cluster1.bresnan.net>

Collect for Proper 8, July 1

Let us pray:

Mirthful God,
you laugh together with us
when joy brings tears to our eyes.
The dreadful mourners
laughed at Jesus in their pessimism.
May we learn to always laugh with each other,
never at each other.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.  Amen

for reflection on Proper 8 go to > 
 http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
USA








From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Jun 24 20:48:15 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 20:48:15 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the FIFTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <4C06C605F00541DD95A862F7485F6291@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost,July 1, (Proper 8, ECUSA; Proper 13, RCL & Roman Catholic) according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of England, and Canadian (BAS) Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, Canada and England are identical to the RCL this Sunday. Note that the RCL alternative readings are not used in the Canadian BAS.



OLD TEASTAMENT:  2 Samuel 1: 1, 17 - 27  (RCL)

2Sam 1:1 (NRSV) After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amal'ekites, David remained two days in Zik'lag. 

17 David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jash'ar.) He said: 
19 Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! 
How the mighty have fallen! 
20 Tell it not in Gath, 
proclaim it not in the streets of Ash'kelon; 
or the daughters of the Philis'tines will rejoice, 
the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult. 
21 You mountains of Gilbo'a, 
let there be no dew or rain upon you, 
nor bounteous fields! 
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, 
the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more. 
22 From the blood of the slain, 
from the fat of the mighty, 
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, 
nor the sword of Saul return empty. 
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! 
In life and in death they were not divided; 
they were swifter than eagles, 
they were stronger than lions. 
24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, 
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury, 
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 
25 How the mighty have fallen 
in the midst of the battle! 
Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. 
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; 
greatly beloved were you to me; 
your love to me was wonderful, 
passing the love of women. 
27 How the mighty have fallen, 
and the weapons of war perished! 


Wisdom 1: 13 - 15, 2: 23 - 24   (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)

Wisdom 1:13 (NRSV) because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.
14 For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
15 For righteousness is immortal. 

2:23 for God created us for incorruption,
and made us in the image of his own eternity,
24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to his company experience it. 


PSALM 130   (RCL)

Psal 130:1 (NRSV) Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. 
2 Lord, hear my voice! 
Let your ears be attentive 
to the voice of my supplications! 
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, 
Lord, who could stand? 
4 But there is forgiveness with you, 
so that you may be revered. 
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, 
and in his word I hope; 
6 my soul waits for the Lord 
more than those who watch for the morning, 
more than those who watch for the morning. 
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! 
For with the LORD there is steadfast love, 
and with him is great power to redeem. 
8 It is he who will redeem Israel 
from all its iniquities. 


Psalm 30: 1, 3 - 5, 10 - 11a, 12b   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 30  (alt. for RCL)

Psal 30:1 (NRSV) I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, 
and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 
2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, 
and you have healed me. 
3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, 
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, 
and give thanks to his holy name. 
5 For his anger is but for a moment; 
his favor is for a lifetime. 
Weeping may linger for the night, 
but joy comes with the morning. 
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, 
""I shall never be moved." 
7 By your favor, O LORD, 
you had established me as a strong mountain; 
you hid your face; 
I was dismayed. 
8 To you, O LORD, I cried, 
and to the LORD I made supplication: 
9 "What profit is there in my death, 
if I go down to the Pit? 
Will the dust praise you? 
Will it tell of your faithfulness? 
10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! 
O LORD, be my helper!" 
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; 
you have taken off my sackcloth 
and clothed me with joy, 
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. 
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever. 

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is one greater than the above.


Lamentations 3: 23 - 33   (alt. for RCL)

Lame 3:23 (NRSV) they are new every morning; 
great is your faithfulness. 
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, 
""therefore I will hope in him." 
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, 
to the soul that seeks him. 
26 It is good that one should wait quietly 
for the salvation of the LORD. 
27 It is good for one to bear 
the yoke in youth, 
28 to sit alone in silence 
when the Lord has imposed it, 
29 to put one's mouth to the dust 
(there may yet be hope), 
30 to give one's cheek to the smiter, 
and be filled with insults. 
31 For the Lord will not 
reject forever. 
32 Although he causes grief, he will have compassion 
according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 
33 for he does not willingly afflict 
or grieve anyone. 

Note: This is an alternative for Psalm 30 in the RCL


NEW TESTAMENT:  2 Corinthians 8: 7 - 15   (RCL)
                                     2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

2Cor 8:7 (NRSV)  Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you --so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. 
8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something-- 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has--not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written, 
"The one who had much did not have too much, 
and the one who had little did not have too little." 


GOSPEL:   Mark 5: 21 - 43   (RCL)
                     Mark 5: 21 - 24 (25 - 34) 35 - 43   (Roman Catholic)

Mark 5:21 (NRSV) When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jai'rus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24 So he went with him. 
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, "Who touched me?'" 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 
35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Tal'itha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. 



Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120624/772c05de/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 26 11:43:14 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:43:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for July 1 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF21C9880A55F3-80C-1CBB@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

Sermon Resources for July 1



                    
Sermons for Proper 8
Mark 5:21-43 - "The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging Woman"
Mark 5:21-43 - "Be Healed, Be Held" by Leonard Sweet
 
Mark 5, the sermon title "The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging Woman"  
 
A business executive became depressed. Things were not going well at work, and he was bringing his problems home with him every night. Every evening he would eat his dinner in silence, shutting out his wife and five-year-old daughter. Then he would go into the den and read the paper using the newspaper to wall his family out of his life. 

After several nights of this, one evening his daughter took her little hand and pushed the newspaper down. She then jumped into her father?s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him strongly. The father said abruptly, ?Honey, you are hugging me to death!? ?No, Daddy,? the little girl said, ?I?m hugging you to life!? 

This was the greatness of Jesus. He took people where they were and hugged them to life. That is precisely what we see Jesus doing here in this dramatic passage in Mark 5?
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  
_______________________
 
Mark 5, the sermon titled ?Be Healed, Be Held" by Leonard Sweet   
 
Every morning all humans do the same thing. We get up, take a shower, brush our teeth, and then decide what we are going to wear. 
 
Generally in western culture it remains true that ?Clothes make the man,? or in the name of a popular website, ?Clothes make the girl.? Got a teenager? Then you know what I?m talking about. Then you know oh-so-purse-painfully how important it is to have the ?right look.? To wear the ?right duds? so you can be the ?right dudes.? Even if you are not a ?fashionista,? it is almost impossible not to be influenced by what the current culture says is ?cool? (or ?hot?). Who doesn?t want to ?look good? and so ?feel good? about themselves?
 
Every week the tabloids are filled with planted or paparazzi celebrity photos ? either looking their best or revealing their worst. But whatever shape they are in, what those celebrities are sporting influences the fashion choices of thousands. Designers count on it. In fact they literally ?bank? on it. If someone fabulous and famous wears something, it will sell. The ?knock ?em dead? designs on red carpet runways are immediately copied into much cheaper ?knock-offs? so that those with a bit of disposable income can outfit themselves like royalty. Even countries without ?royal families? have their ?royalty.? 
 
But while all of us ? whether teenager or ladder climbing corporate bureaucrat ? think that our clothes lend use power and prestige, the opposite was the case for Jesus in Galilee in the first century?
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
________________________
 
Touch in Church
One of my cyberfriends came across this in a church newsletter called "Touch in Church:"

What is all this touching in church? It used to be a person could come to church and sit in the 
pew and not be bothered by all this friendliness and certainly not by touching.

I used to come to church and leave untouched. Now I have to be nervous about what's expected of me. I have to worry about responding to the person sitting next to me.

Oh, I wish it could be the way it used to be; I could just ask the person next to me: How are you?
And the person could answer: Oh, just fine, And we'd both go home... strangers who have known each other for twenty years.

But now the minister asks us to look at each other. I'm worried about that hurt look I saw in that woman's eyes.

Now I'm concerned, because when the minister asks us to greet one another, the man next to me held my hand so tightly I wondered if he had been touched in years.

Now I'm upset because the lady next to me cried and then apologized and said it was because I was so kind and that she needed a friend right now.

Now I have to get involved. Now I have to suffer when this community suffers. Now I have to be more than a person coming to observe a service.

That man last week told me I'd never know how much I'd touched his life.

All I did was smile and tell him I understood what it was to be lonely.

Lord, I'm not big enough to touch and be touched! The stretching scares me.

What if I disappoint somebody? What if I'm too pushy? What if I cling too much? What if somebody ignores me?

"Pass the peace." "The peace of Christ be with you." "And also with you." And mean it. Lord, I can't resist meaning it! I'm touched by it, I'm enveloped by it! I find I do care about that person next to me! I find I AM involved! And I'm scared.

O Lord, be here beside me. You touch me, Lord, so that I can touch and be touched! So that I can care and be cared for! So that I can share my life with all those others that belong to you!

All this touching in church -- Lord, it's changing me!

What was it our audacious friend said so many centuries ago? "If I but touch...I will be healed." 
 
David E. Leininger, ChristianGlobe Illustrations, www.Sermons.com 
_____________________________________
 


 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120626/cbb2225e/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 26 11:45:14 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:45:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for July 1 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF21C9CFE5F623-80C-1CC6@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


12 Years
 
Twice in this story Jesus is touched by or himself touches someone ritually and ceremonially unclean but not only is Jesus not contaminated, the ones who had been contaminated to begin with are made holy and whole. Jesus has crossed the boundaries that had once defined the community, has rewritten the rules, and so has revealed a new day. Make no mistake: this story is all about the creation of a New Israel. Mark seeded this story with clues. How long had the woman been bleeding? Twelve years. How old was the little girl Jesus raised? Twelve years. No Jewish person reading this story could fail to see the repetition of the number twelve as a symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Long about the same time that Jairus welcomed his little girl into the world, a women he didn't know began to hemorrhage. For twelve years this woman suffered. For twelve years this little girl grew and became ever-more-dear to her father. Both women were headed toward a rendezvous with Jesus on the very same day. Although their paths to Jesus were as different as could be, both of these daughters of Israel would point forward to the new community Jesus came to build. 

Scott Hoezee, The Touch
_______________________________________


The Wounded Healers
 
With all its imperfections, sins, blemishes, and warts, the Church of Jesus Christ is the intended healer of the world?s wounds. Christians are called to be compassionate, wounded healers.

Perhaps, Henri Nouwen, the Roman Catholic theologian, has said this better than anyone else. The author of many books, Nouwen speaks of Christians as "wounded healers" who have compassion. 

Compassion is not pity. Pity lets us stay at a distance. It is condescending.
Compassion is not sympathy. Sympathy is for superiors over inferiors. 
Compassion is not charity. Charity is for the rich to continue in their status over the poor. 
Compassion is born of God. It means entering into the other person?s problems. It means taking on the burdens of the other. It means standing in the other person?s shoes. It is the opposite of professionalism. It is the humanizing way to deal with people. "Just as bread without love can bring war instead of peace, professionalism without compassion will turn forgiveness into a gimmick." 


Ron Lavin, Alone/Together, CSS Publishing Co., Inc. 
_____________________________
 
Qualification for the Gift of the Gospel
 
Jesus came to raise the dead. The only qualification for the gift of the Gospel is to be dead. You don't have to be smart. You don't have to be good. You don't have to be wise. You don't have to be wonderful. You don't have to be anything...you just have to be dead. That's it.
 
Robert Farrar Capon
______________________
 
Priorities
 
What is at about human nature that makes us put off the most important things until a crisis looms? So often we coast in our relationships until they skid into a crisis. We think nothing of spending thousands on a car and blindly drive it by the homeless shelter everyday. We think nothing of a sixty-hour workweek but can?t find time for dinner as a family.
 
We live lives of loneliness and sorrow because those things that could build our friendships, family, and faith get our leftover time. 
 
Then, one day it is too late, we have waited too long. We are like the Rabbi who did not run to Jesus until his daughter was ?at the point of death .?
 
Take a moment to examine your life today. What is at the ?eschatos? ? the point of death ? in your life right now? What part of your spiritual or relational life is barely breathing? Find ways to make those areas (family, friendships and faith) a higher priority than career and income. Do something different this week. Before scheduling anything else, book time with God, schedule an appointment with those in your own family. Then, after prioritizing God and your family, then set up the rest of the week.
 
Jerry Goebel, Arise!
________________________________
 
Our Relationship with God
One of the reasons people tend to see faith as a religion about God instead of a relationship with God is the sense that they are not worthy of the attention of an Almighty God.  "My problems are too small for God to care about."  or "With all the pain and suffering in this world, why would God care about me?" are a couple of ways people give expression to this sense of insignificance. The sense is the one expressed by our theme title today, "How can one so great care for one so small."
 
Have you ever felt that sense of insignificance?  There have been times when I've gazed into the incredible expanse of a starlit sky and felt ever so small and insignificant.  Even our planet is hardly a speck of dust in the vast cosmos.
 
And yet, the heart of the lesson for today says that God is attentive to the heartache and suffering of all persons, no matter how insignificant they may seem to the world around them.
 
Religion can get in the way of a relationship with God. Faith is not about rules, regulations and religion. It is about we human beings reaching out to a God who reaches out to us through Jesus Christ who reaches into the pain and anguish of our living. The good news for the people in our scripture lesson is that the barriers all fall away. For the woman, for Jairus and for the little girl - the greatness of God and the good news of Jesus Christ eliminate all obstacles to health and life.
 
And aren't you glad that Christ cares more about our wholeness and our living than he does about the niggling details of religious convention? When I am in anguish and wish for the presence of Christ, I do not need to worry that I am too great a sinner or that some folks would consider me to be unacceptable -- I know that Jesus cared for a woman who was a social reject and for a little girl that was not among the children of his followers.
 
John Jewell, Can One So Great Care for One So Small?
______________________________
 
The Grow in Clusters
 
Though I have never seen the Sequoia trees of California, known as Redwoods, I am told they are spectacular. Towering as much as 300 feet above the ground. Strangely, these towering trees have unusually shallow root systems that spider out just under the surface of the ground to catch as much of the surface moisture they can. And this is their vulnerability. Storms with heavy winds would almost always bring these giants crashing to the ground but this rarely happens because they grow in clusters and their intertwining roots provide support for one another against the storms.
 
When we are together, either as a family or a church, we provide this same support. Pain and suffering come to all of us. But, just like those giant Sequoia trees, we can be supported in those difficult times by the touch of one another's lives. The knowledge that we have someone; that we are not alone; that there is someone who is willing to touch us, hold us, keeps us from being destroyed.
 
Brett Blair, eSermons.com
_____________________
 
Jesus Brings Life
 
With whom do you most identify in today's gospel? There are plenty of characters here who are being stung by death. There is a woman whose whole life has been caught, dominated by a terrible, life-demanding illness. There is a distraught father. A little girl whose young life is being cut short. There are the baffled disciples, the crowd who doesn't know what to think of all this. Where are you?
 
And yet, intruding into the story is another face, the strong, live-giving face of Jesus. Mark says that Jesus was forever intruding into fixed, settled, hopeless situations and bringing life. Hear his strong voice speaking over the laments and dirges in today's gospel? Hear him as he calls to the little girl, "Get up!"
 
I think he may be calling to you?
 
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120626/2b1e6e96/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 30 19:49:15 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 19:49:15 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for July 1, "Healing," based on Mark 5:21-43
Message-ID: <8CF253217ACB17D-FE4-5D41@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/72guvau is our sermon for July 1, "Healing," based on Mark 5:21-43.
Peace and blessings,
Joe 
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120630/262d4c59/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 30 20:45:40 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:45:40 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_the_Fifth_Sunday_aft?=
 =?utf-8?q?er_Pentecost_=28B=29=2C_01_de_julio=2C_con_base_en_Marcos_5=3A2?=
 =?utf-8?b?MS00MywgIlNhbmFjacOzbi4i?=
Message-ID: <8CF2539F8FD0C07-FE4-5D7A@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/73cha85 es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol parael quinto domingo despu?s de Pentecost?s (B), 01 de julio, con base en Marcos5:21-43, "Sanaci?n."
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de la Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120630/233001c1/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 30 20:47:06 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:47:06 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 8B
In-Reply-To: <92a1f3b9-5b02-4ffd-8dd4-a43351e2ddb6@x39g2000yqx.googlegroups.com>
References: <92a1f3b9-5b02-4ffd-8dd4-a43351e2ddb6@x39g2000yqx.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF253A2C4C50C7-FE4-5D7D@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 30, 2012 8:41 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 8B


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Share What You Have? or ?Reach Out
and Touch? and deals all the lessons.  Here it is:

Good morning.  Once again we have really thought-provoking Bible
lessons, but this time they meddle, because each of them is talking
about a subject we?d really like to say is our personal business- i.e.
nobody?s business but our own.  Paul sums up what these lessons are
about in the epistle when he says: ?It is only fair for you to share
with others when you have so much and they have so little? (2nd
Corinthians 8:13b-14).  That?s the Christianity-rubber-hits-the-road
topic: sharing.  Our Bible lessons teach about five important aspects
of sharing for us to use as we walk with our Lord through life.  Then
our thought for the week tells one important reason why we share: ?We
make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we
give? (Norman MacFinan).

Let?s look at the Old Testament lesson from Exodus (15:7-11).  As you
can see, the topic is loans, but its basic teaching is about lending a
helping hand.  Moses, speaking for God, tells his people that they are
to help those in need whenever they can, even if it is at their own
disadvantage.  Their society had a wonderful custom given to them by
God.  In every seventh year (Sabbath year), they were expected to
forgive all debts.  That?s where Jubilee comes from.  Every Sabbath
year of Sabbath years (7X7 years plus 1- due to how they counted), all
property reverted to its original owner, all slaves were freed, every
family had a second chance.  What we heard Moses warning the
Israelites about was to forget about which year it was if someone was
in need.  Just help them.  If it is year one of seven years, you have
six years to get your stuff back; if it is year six of seven years-
you only have one year to get it back.  Don?t think about yourself-
think about the person in need and help them, even if you yourself end
up getting shortchanged.  How many friendships have been wrecked, how
many relationships have been destroyed, how much violence has been
done because someone couldn?t (not wouldn?t- couldn?t) pay back a
debt.  That?s hard teaching, because the message to us is ?Forget
about yourself and concentrate on the needy person and help him or
her.?  If you get your stuff back- fine.  If not (and it?s not their
fault)- forgive.

The Psalm reminds us that what goes around comes around- good an well
as bad.  Do you want blessings?  Well then- be a blessing to others.
Did you hear the story of the little girl who went to the doctor?s
office with her mother?  She was usually absolutely awful in the
waiting room, but this time she was wonderful- even when she had to be
left alone while her mother went in to see the doctor.  The
receptionist was so impressed that she offered the child some candy
from her candy jar, but the little girl dropped her eyes and looked
shy, so the receptionist just took a handful and gave it to her.  As
soon as they were outside, her mother couldn?t stand it any longer-
since she knew her daughter was NOT shy.  ?Why didn?t you get your own
candy?? she asked.  ?Oh, that?s easy,? said her daughter.  ?The
receptionist has bigger hands!?   That receptionist?s hands may be big
and therefore able to hold more goodies, but God?s hands are
infinitely bigger and they can hold an amazing amount of blessings.
We don?t give to be blessed, but when we give- blessings just seem to
find us.

In today?s epistle, we hear Paul trying to get his church in Corinth
to share.  What you need to know is that the Jerusalem church was in
serious difficulty because there was a famine in that part of the
world.  People were starving.  Paul did his best to get the other
churches to send money to the Jerusalem church to relieve their
desperate food needs.  The problem was- most of the Christians in the
Jerusalem church were Jews, and many of the Christians in Paul?s
churches were gentiles.  You already know that Jews discriminated
against gentiles, so you can only imagine what people said when Paul
told them to send some of their hard-earned cash to help those Jews,
but Paul didn?t back down.  The lesson for us: don?t worry about if
you like the person in need; don?t even worry about if they are your
enemy- in Jesus? name, help them.

Today?s gospel shows Jesus in the act of sharing- reaching out to
those in need, not with money- but with himself.  First he starts to
Jairus? house to heal his daughter.  Part way there, he feels a woman
touch him- and you know the rest of the story.  He stops and has a
rather lengthy discussion with her to be sure she is healed and whole,
then goes on to Jairus? house.  The lesson for us- those distractions;
don?t we hate them!  We just start one task when the phone rings or
someone calls our name.  We stop to help them and while we are still
doing it- someone rings the doorbell.  What did Jesus do?  He went
with the flow.  He handled the interruptions as they came, without
anger- but with compassion.  Easy?  NO, but who ever said following
Jesus would be easy?  It seems I remember something about a cross.

Listening to these lessons, it sounds like we should help everyone who
comes to us, but that?s not what the Bible teaches.  Paul faced a
problem in his Thessalonian church that speaks to this.  Members in
this church were sure that Jesus was coming back soon, like maybe
today or tomorrow, so some of them didn?t see any need to work.  They
quit their jobs and just sponged food from their hard-working
Christian sisters and brothers who had maintained their jobs.  When
Paul found out about it, he wrote that under circumstances like these
when someone was just being lazy and not using the gifts God had given
them, he gave them this rule: ?If you don't work, you don't eat? (2nd
Thessalonians 3:10).  The lesson for us- don?t let people misuse your
goodness, or you will just enable and weaken them.  Help those who
need it, but use good judgment.  (Some people would call it ?Tough
Love.?) and don?t let people con you.

In closing, I?m going to tell you a personal story, something that
really happened to me, so you can learn from my mistake.  It?s a
warning about how important it is to reach out, share of yourself,
even if we?re talking about a huge interruption.  Shortly after I was
ordained, I was doing a hospital call at St. Mary?s.  Along with the
person I was seeing from St. Paul?s, there was also an out-of-town
woman who had asked to see an Episcopal priest.  I was still teaching
full time then, and I was really tired when I finished seeing the St.
Paul?s person, so I went to the nursing station to see how the out-of-
town woman was doing.  (These were the old days when I could find
out.)  The nurse said she was doing fine and would probably be going
home in a day or two, so I decided I would just drag my tired self
home to my recliner and TV set- I could go back the next day.  Well,
the next day I went up to the floor, but couldn?t find the lady.  When
I asked at the desk, the nurse said, ?Oh, she died last night.?
Lesson for me?  You bet- it changed my priesthood.  Never again!  I?ve
learned to listen to those Holy Spirit whispers.

May God bless you as you share from your abundance with those in
need.  Amen.

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120630/22a16963/attachment.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  2 20:04:40 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 20:04:40 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_Trinity_Sunday=2C_June_3=2C_bas?=
 =?utf-8?b?ZWQgb24gSm9obiAzOjEtMTcsIOKAnFdoZXJlIGlzIEplc3VzP+KAnQ==?=
Message-ID: <8CF0F339B456A7A-1408-4EC8@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/7ovnhx8 is our sermonfor Trinity Sunday, June 3, based on John 3:1-17, ?Where is Jesus??
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120602/b3055e2c/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  2 21:21:54 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 21:21:54 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_Trinity_Sunday_based?=
 =?utf-8?b?IG9uIEpvaG4gMzoxLTE3LCAiwr9Ew7NuZGUgZXN0w6EgSmVzw7pzPyI=?=
Message-ID: <8CF0F3E65031B8F-1408-4F1F@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/6n9dt9l es nuestra serm?n para el la Sant?simaTrinidad, 3 de junio, basado enJuan 3:1-17, "?D?ndeest? Jes?s?"
Pazy bendiciones,
Joe
SanJuan dela Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth,NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120602/5d35c136/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  2 21:23:27 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 21:23:27 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Trinity Sunday-
	Year B
In-Reply-To: <bd8deb46-31a2-43bb-a585-eb5ee2718b95@x21g2000vbc.googlegroups.com>
References: <bd8deb46-31a2-43bb-a585-eb5ee2718b95@x21g2000vbc.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF0F3E9C6E35D7-1408-4F24@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 2, 2012 8:21 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Trinity Sunday- Year B


Dear Friends,

Tomorrow?s sermon is entitled ?Trinity Sunday- It?s God?s Day- It?s
Not about You!? and deals all the lessons.  Here it is:

Three weeks ago we celebrated Mothers? Day; in two Sundays we?ll
celebrate Fathers? Day; but today is a really special day- Trinity
Sunday- GOD?s Day!  Today is the day we honor and focus- not on our
earthly mother or father, but on our heavenly Father- God- actually
God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As you know, my husband and I live in the Poplars Apartment.  One of
the reasons we really like about this apartment complex is the nice
mixture of tenants.  Some years ago, there was this really nice young
man who lived a few doors away.  He?s long since moved, but I still
miss him.  This helpful young man was always ready to help with
groceries or hold the door open for us, but one thing- he had really
strange-looking arms.  What, you ask, was the matter with his arms?
Well, they were covered with tattoos- I mean REALLY covered with
tattoos!  I remember how I finally got the nerve to ask him the
meaning of his tattoos, and his answer was fascinating!  His upper
left arm had three distinct pictures spaced neatly from the top of his
arm almost to his elbow.  When I asked him what they meant, he said
they were Korean symbols for God, power, and love.  Now, I usually
don?t appreciate tattoos, but these were really insightful.  The top
tattoo for God was an angel and a cross.  Since they were on his arm,
and obviously the Almighty created his arm, they made a nice symbol
for the Trinity- his arm: Father/Creator, the cross: Son/Redeemer, and
the angel: Holy Spirit/Sustainer-Friend.  So- the top symbol: God is
the next two symbols: Love-Power.  In other words, God is All-Powerful
Love!  Amazing- all that from a simple tattoo!  So today, it?s not
about us- it?s about God; and, as usual, the Bible lessons provide
wonderful insight about God and how we can honor Him on His day.

The Old Testament Lesson (Exodus 3: 1-6) reminds us of the appropriate
way to approach Father- God.  Too often we act as if God is our buddy,
a ?good guy.?  Our American culture teaches us to be casual- too
casual- about God.  A common phrase about God is that He?s the ?Man
Upstairs.?  WRONG!  God is not a man- He is Spirit; and he is not
upstairs- he is everywhere.  You know how the Japanese culture expects
people to remove their shoes when they enter a house?  That?s what God
expected Moses to do when he approached the holy burning bush.  We
could learn from them- not about houses necessarily, but about respect
for God?s house and God?s planet.  When we enter this holy space, we
should bow or genuflect at the pew, then kneel and tell God ?hello?-
not just barge in, sit down, and start talking with our neighbor.  Our
minds should be focused on God from the time we walk in until the time
we depart.  When we leave, we should again kneel down and tell God
?good-by,? then bow or genuflect to the reserved sacrament before we
walk down the aisle.  While we are blessed to live on God?s wonderful
Earth, we should respect it, care for it, and not dirty-it-up.

The Epistle (Romans 8: 12-17) reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us
the power to say ?No? to things that are negatives in our lives or the
lives of others and live God?s way.  It brings to mind the angel part
of the God tattoo, because it is God, the Holy Spirit, who walks with
us and talks with us and reminds us, day by day, how to live as God?s
beloved children.

The Gospel (John 3: 1-17) brings to mind the cross part of the tattoo-
that Jesus died to save the world, not condemn it.  It also reminds us
of the last symbol of the tattoo- the ?love? symbol.  That familiar
set of verses reminds us (say it with me if you can) ?God so loved the
world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.?  Scripture goes on
to say in verse 17 that God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save it.  If that?s not supreme love, I
don?t know what is!

Finally, Psalm 29 really speaks to the middle tattoo- God?s power.
What more can we say about our amazing God than:
1 ?All of you angels in heaven,
	honor the glory and power of the LORD!
2 Honor the wonderful name of the LORD,
	and worship the LORD most holy and glorious.
3 The voice of the LORD echoes over the oceans.
	The glorious LORD God thunders above the roar of the raging sea,
4 and his voice
	is mighty and marvelous.
5 The voice of the LORD destroys the cedar trees;
	the LORD shatters cedars on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon skip like a calf
	and Mount Hermon jump like a wild ox.
7-8 The voice of the LORD makes lightning flash
	and the desert tremble.?

So all of today is not about us, but it?s about God.  The little girl
in the story I?m going to tell as our sermon comes to a close doesn?t
quite get it.  To her, it?s all about her.  Who can blame a child, but
we should know better.  The story goes: ?A mother noticed that it was
about time for school to dismiss and since it looked like it would
rain, she drove toward the school to pick up her eight year old
daughter. She turned down the street to see her daughter running
towards her down the sidewalk. A lightning bolt flashed and the little
girl looked up towards the sky, smiled, and then began running toward
her mother's van.  Another lightning bolt flashed and again the little
girl looked toward the sky, smiled, and resumed running. This happened
several more times until the little girl finally arrived where her
mother was parked.  Her mom immediately inquired as to the strange
behavior. ?Why did you keep stopping and smiling at the sky?? she
asked her daughter.  ?I had to, Mommy? replied the little girl. ?God
was taking my picture.??  (Religious Joke of the Day Web Site)

How many kids only call home when they need something?  How many
parents console themselves with the thought- ?No news is good news?
when they haven?t heard from their grown children for a long time?
Don?t be that way with God.  Say your prayers and read your Bible
daily, don?t miss church one single Sunday, do what He says and love
your neighbor as much as you love your self.  And for God?s day-
today- let?s give Him our best worship this morning.  Then- how short
is your memory?  Will you remember to kneel and pray before you leave
this holy place and then bow to the Sacrament as you walk out of the
pew, or will you have forgotten by then?  Will you remember to kneel
and pray when you enter next Sunday morning, and will you also
remember to bow to respect the Sacrament as you enter and exit the
pew?  May your worship enhance God?s special day this morning.  Amen.

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120602/a0e95f46/attachment-0001.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun  3 12:54:33 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2012 10:54:33 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 5
Message-ID: <441B4FF382464B918840307D7558C42E@BobPC>

Collect for Proper 5, June 10:

Let us pray:

Father of our family,

you sent your first born son

to gather your children 

into one household.

May we always do your will

as true mother, brother and sister,

eternal kin

of  Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God for ever and ever.  Amen



For reflection on Proper 5 go to >  http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/



Bob Eldan

Lander, Wyoming

USA





 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120603/0f5394de/attachment-0001.htm>

From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Jun  3 20:52:15 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 03 Jun 2012 20:52:15 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the SECOND SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <80303E82A2AB4F2F85814783974B908F@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, June 10, (Proper 5), according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of England (Common Worship), and Canadian BAS Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, C of E and Canada are identical to the RCL this Sunday. Note that the alternative RCL readings are not used in Canada.


OLD TESTAMENT:   1 Samuel 8: 4 - 11 (12 - 15) 16 - 20 (11:14 - 15)   (RCL)

1Sam 8:4 (NRSV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ra'mah, 5 and said to him, "You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations." 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." Samuel prayed to the LORD, 7 and the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only--you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." 
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day." 
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, "No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles." 

1Sam 11:14 (NRSV) Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gil'gal and there renew the kingship." 15 So all the people went to Gil'gal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gil'gal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the LORD, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly. 


Genesis 3: 9 - 15   (Roman Catholic)
Genesis 3: 8 - 15   (alt. for RCL

Gene 3:8 (NRSV) They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, 
"Because you have done this, 
cursed are you among all animals 
and among all wild creatures; 
upon your belly you shall go, 
and dust you shall eat 
all the days of your life. 
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, 
and between your offspring and hers; 
he will strike your head, 
and you will strike his heel." 


PSALM 138   (RCL)

Psal 138:1 (NRSV) I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; 
before the gods I sing your praise; 
2 I bow down toward your holy temple 
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; 
for you have exalted your name and your word 
above everything. 
3 On the day I called, you answered me, 
you increased my strength of soul. 
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, 
for they have heard the words of your mouth. 
5 They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, 
for great is the glory of the LORD. 
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; 
but the haughty he perceives from far away. 
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; 
you stretch out your hand, 
and your right hand delivers me. 
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; 
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. 
Do not forsake the work of your hands. 


138   Confitebor tibi      (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
  before the gods I will sing your praise.
 
2   I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
  because of your love and faithfulness;
 
3   For you have glorified your Name *
  and your word above all things.
 
4   When I called, you answered me; *
  you increased my strength within me.
 
5   All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *
  when they have heard the words of your mouth.
 
6   They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
  that great is the glory of the Lord.
 
7   Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
  he perceives the haughty from afar.
 
8   Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
  you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
  your right hand shall save me.
 
9   The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
  O Lord, your love endures for ever;
  do not abandon the works of your hands.
 

Psalm 130   (Roman Catholic; alt. for RCL)

Psal 130:1 (NRSV) Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. 
2 Lord, hear my voice! 
Let your ears be attentive 
to the voice of my supplications! 
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, 
Lord, who could stand? 
4 But there is forgiveness with you, 
so that you may be revered. 
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, 
and in his word I hope; 
6 my soul waits for the Lord 
more than those who watch for the morning, 
more than those who watch for the morning. 
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! 
For with the LORD there is steadfast love, 
and with him is great power to redeem. 
8 It is he who will redeem Israel 
from all its iniquities. 


130   De profundis      (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
  let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
 
2   If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
  O Lord, who could stand?
 
3   For there is forgiveness with you; *
  therefore you shall be feared. 
4   I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
  in his word is my hope.
 
5   My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
  more than watchmen for the morning.
 
6   O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
  for with the Lord there is mercy;
 
7   With him there is plenteous redemption, *
  and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.


NEW TESTAMENT:   2 Corinthians 4: 13 - 5: 1

2Cor 4:13 (NRSV) But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture--"I believed, and so I spoke"--we also believe, and so we speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. 15 Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 
16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 


GOSPEL:   Mark 3: 20 - 35  (all)

Mark 3:20 (NRSV) and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beel'zebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 
28 "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." 
31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120603/140f90ae/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun  5 09:50:47 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2012 09:50:47 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 10 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CF113957CE7573-C68-42F@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

 

Sermons for Proper 5:
 
Mark 3:20-35 - "Looking a Little Bit Crazy"
Mark 3:20-35 - "When You Are Wrongly Criticized" by Leonard Sweet
 
Mark 1 the sermon title "Looking a Little Bit Crazy"  

 

A photocopied sign was posted inside a church office. It was one of those humorous full-page slogans that people in different offices duplicate and pass among themselves. Most of us have seen this particular message, I suppose, but posted in a church office, the words took on a new meaning. There it was, taped to the cinder blocks behind a secretary's desk. The sign read, "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps." 

At one level, why not put a sign like that in a church? Many churches are busy, hectic, confusing places. There are worship services to plan, educational programs to run, choirs to rehearse, fellowship dinners to organize, and outreach efforts to facilitate. There is a lot going on, and things can get frantic. The running joke in one church I know is that the staff keeps saying, "Next week it's going to get quiet," but the quiet week never comes. The work load can become a little bit crazy. 

On a deeper level, there is a great deal of truth to that sign. There is something strange about the church. We are not just another club or civic organization. The church's view of reality is increasingly out of phase from a lot of prevailing views. In the church, we do and say things that do not always make sense to people outside of this house. 

The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  

_______________________



Mark 3 the sermon titled "When You Are Wrongly Criticized" by Leonard Sweet  


Anyone here like criticism? 

How do you respond to criticism? 

Does being criticized bring you down or fire you up? 

Do you want to hunker in your bunker or lob your own volley of vitriol back at your critics?

Learning how to respond to criticism is a lifetime journey. That's because critics will be accompanying you from cradle to grave! 

Since 2012 is a big election year there is no shortage of negative, critical remarks flying around the airwaves. Of course all politicians virtuously claim they hate "negative" ads. And, of course, every candidate uses them. The justification for both sides is "Negative ads work." Surveys allegedly show that those nasty, negative, often highly personal attacks are the most effective way of swaying public opinion. Negativity, bad-mouthing, accusatory honking profoundly changes the way we think and the way we act... 
 
_________________________ 

Constant Controversy 

Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever been misrepresented? Has anyone ever taken your words and motives and twisted them around and used them against you? If you live long enough in this world you are going to face that kind of a personal attack.

I can remember an instance in another church when a certain group in that church took my preaching tapes and listened to them to find words and phrases they disagreed with. These disagreeable sayings were brought up in a business meeting and used to attack me personally. It hurt at the time, but it was a good lesson to me. It served to remind me that God's servants will be attacked. It also reminded me to think about my words before I say them because I might be called on to give an account of them. 

The earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus was surrounded by constant controversy. Nearly everyone He met misunderstood Him and what He came to this world to do. Nearly everyone was guilty of misrepresenting His words and His works. The things He did and said in love were used to attack Him in hate! 

Alan Carr, The Servant Under Attack 

____________________________________



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120605/1fda8192/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun  5 09:52:56 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2012 09:52:56 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 10 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1110157818120.1103889869952.45429.12.460500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1139A4D5944F-C68-437@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


A Change in Control 

Last night a friend of mine was talking about his father: he spoke of how, for many years, his father binged out, how his father was a drunkard - a man who when sober was kind and gentle - and when drunk - well he was something else again. He had no control over himself. And this kind and gentle man brought pain and suffering upon others, or at least the force within him did so - the family had to move - to change homes and communities - almost every year - landlords were cheated, employers disappointed, children neglected, friends abandoned - or embarrassed or betrayed. 

And this continued on until one day, after taking his children to Sunday School for a period of time, after witnessing the faith of others and what it did for them, he accepted Jesus into his life. He asked God to take control, to guide his actions and save him from his sins and from the power of sin. And then things changed; debts still had to be paid, amends still had to be made, mistakes still occurred. But the inner man -the man that God made - was set free to grow and mature. No more booze, a lot more prayer. And the love and kindness of the man that could be glimpsed before - in the moments of sobriety - became apparent to all - for days, weeks, and finally years on end. The children who were still living at home stopped fearing what would happen next - they began to look forward to being with their father - they began to develop their own faith in God - a faith that still guides them to this day. This man, this father, this husband, experience a change in control - he went from being in the control of the devil to being in the control of God, and the result was the renewal of his inner nature, and in the end, when his earthly tent was destroyed, the result was a building from God - a house not made with hands - eternal in the heavens.. 

Richard J. Fairchild, Even Though.... 

___________________________________

Questioning the Source of the Power 

The scribes and Pharisees cannot deny what Jesus is doing; too many people have experienced it, too many people have been helped. So their strategy is to turn the people against Jesus by saying that He is ministering by the power of an evil spirit. 

It's sort of like Environmental groups in Canada receiving funding from people who want them to disrupt energy projects which conflict with their own financial interests. Or someone funding a Women's shelter with drug and prostitution money they make in their biker gang. 

You get the picture; suddenly the Environmentalist isn't the noble crusader anymore; the shelter benefits from the addiction and abuse it stands against. 

But it's not just a smear campaign that the Teachers of the Law are engaging in; they actually believe it. They are convinced that Jesus is in league with the devil because they can't see how it lines up with how God has worked in Israel in the past and how they understood the Law. 

Grant Gunnink, The Unforgivable Sin 

____________________________________

Humor: Differences of Opinions 

Dr. Eugene Brice tells a delightful but disturbing story about a minister who returned to visit a church he had once served. He ran into Bill, who had been an elder and leader in the church, but who wasn't around anymore. The pastor asked, "Bill, what happened? You used to be there every time the doors opened."

"Well, Pastor," said Bill, "a difference of opinion arose in the church. Some of us couldn't accept the final decision and we established a church of our own."

"Is that where you worship now?" asked the pastor.

"No," answered Bill, "we found that there, too, the people were not faithful and a small group of us began meeting in a rented hall at night."

"Has that proven satisfactory?" asked the minister.

"No, I can't say that it has," Bill responded. "Satan was active even in that fellowship, so my wife and I withdrew and began to worship on Sunday at home by ourselves."

"Then at last you have found inner peace?" asked the pastor.

"No, I'm afraid we haven't," said Bill. "Even my wife began to develop ideas I was not comfortable with, so now she worships in the northeast corner of the living room, and I am in the southwest."

King Duncan, quoting Eugene Brice, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
_______________________ 

Family Values

Last week I was reading a newspaper article on family values. The gist of the article was that everyone wants strong family values but few can agree on what they are. Then I heard Roger Rosenblatt on public radio being cynical about family values. Rosenblatt said that there are plenty of perfect families around like yours and mine. But, there are so many others that fall short, families like the Walker spy family or the Medicis in Italy or the Macbeths of Scotland or the Oedipus Rexes of Greece. Rosenblatt's point was that there is no perfect family and that family values have become so generalized they are meaningless. He said what is valuable in families is that they are normal people struggling to do good and be good, strengthening themselves by listening to each other, paying attention to other families, and encouraging each other to be fair, honest, and kind. Sounds like a decent list of family values to me, and even a single parent can do those things.

Some of us, when we think of family, think of more ordinary things, like clusters of dog hair on clothes and hot dogs with everything smushed in the glove compartment and peanut butter on the television screen and aging grease on the hood over the stove. Whatever your view of the family and its values might be, Jesus wrecks it all. Jesus' words are like answering the doorbell and getting a bucket of ice water in the face.

Kristin Borsgard Wee, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Do You Love Me?, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
____________________________

Training to Hear the Voice of God 

There is a positive message to be learned from these words of Jesus. The lesson is that we must keep ourselves alert to the way God is working in the world. Remember that those who were seeking to discredit Jesus were religious people. Their problem was that they just didn't expect God to be acting as Jesus said he was acting, so they missed the movement of God in their midst, and in fact, they called it evil. Today God may be speaking to us in causes that are unpopular, or in political events that cause us to feel threatened and insecure. The cries for justice and fairness in the world may come from quarters that we are not accustomed to listen to. We need to exercise diligence so that we don't miss the voice of God today just because it happens to be spoken by unfamiliar lips. 

I once sat in on a class my wife was taking in music appreciation. The instructor was asking the class members to listen for the recurring theme as it was passed from one instrument to another and was modified. I quickly lost it, but others in the class, who had benefited from their training, were able to keep track of the theme and even state which instrument was playing it. It is a law of life that we hear what we have trained ourselves to hear. What we must do is to train ourselves to listen for the voice of God in areas where we have not expected to hear it. We hear that voice only by attentive listening: by asking ourselves whether there is a valid message in those things which make us uncomfortable.

Jesus spoke of an unforgivable sin, not because any act is unforgivable, but to warn us that our own hardness of heart can close the channels through which God's forgiveness flows and, as a consequence, leave us feeling alienated. Let us, therefore, affirm the good that is in others, so that our own hearts become generous and accepting of others, even as God is generous and accepting of us.

David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company 
____________________ 

Think What God Can Do with Our Sins 

M. H. Schubert shares the story about a group of fishermen in the Scottish highlands. They gathered for tea and discussed the day's catch. As a waitress set down a cup of tea, a hand accidently knocked it against the wall. It left an ugly stain. One of the guests got up, went to the wall, and began sketching around the stain with a crayon. What emerged was a stag with magnificent antlers. The man was Sir Edwin Landseer, England's foremost painter of animals. If an artist can transform an unsightly stain into a beautiful masterpiece, think what God can do with our sins. He absolves them and, in their place, refashions us toward full maturity.

James Weekley, Tilted Haloes, CSS Publishing Company 

________________________ 

When Perceptions Shift 

In Mark 3, those who try to turn the work of God into the work of the devil show by so doing that they are so far gone, so deeply enmeshed in a spiritually inverted reality, that there is no reaching them. Some of you will recall the dwarves as depicted by C.S. Lewis in the last book of the Narnia series. The dwarves had been brought by Aslan the Lion into the glories of the New Narnia, which stood for heaven or the kingdom of God. These stubborn dwarves sat smack in the middle of a sunlit meadow full of wildflowers and were being fed fruit and vegetables more exquisitely flavorful and fresh than anyone had ever before imagined was possible. 

Yet their minds were darkened, their hearts were cold. And so they were convinced they were sitting in the middle of a stinky old stable being fed moldy bread and cow manure. When one of the other characters asks Aslan what can be done for these hapless figures, the answer comes back that...
 
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120605/4da7fb4e/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 10:56:50 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 10:56:50 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  June 10 (Proper 5B) Mark 3:20-35
Message-ID: <E51AD2CECBF74314A35A9A02D18094D9@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for June 10 (Proper 5B). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Mark 3:20-35, where Jesus says, "whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an
eternal sin."

To access those files, you MUST use the following links. If clicking on the
link fails to work, copy the link and paste it in the address window near
the top of your browser. Then hit the ENTER key or click GO.

MARK 3:20-35

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-10mk/Mark.3.20-35.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001lbsv-WW4OF_KSXXbuzcyW-U89JyBpI3T39B2ahdcCvPM
JGX7epw3ik9v_W_lTW6nHnligqAVJ5Gh3Bkgb8yvbA4FCSBeAQBSzP62MWweneNjjts1gVfKVNWY
OVU2RunJMFITtv2s_OIAaH76bURTCGdCvwzCEoJv> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-10mk/Mark.3.20-35.htm 
 

A TIP: If you want the Word file, LEFT-CLICK on the link and see what
happens. That should bring up a dialog box that asks if you want to open the
file or save it. Choose OPEN. Then save it wherever you like on your hard
drive. 

 
 If that doesn't work, RIGHT-CLICK on the link. You should get a sub-menu.
Hopefully, "Save Target As" will be one of the options. Click on that. Then
save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.  
  

http://www.lectionary.org/
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001lbsv-WW4OF_bdILjZi-9i-KQEZboV3TPxtBQktmbcBse
McfCohpBSRVKNWaIRk_Lec1wq_s4HdX7jRCh1Lm0LExg5aag4eMCfOXs_lArx0EGcRL0-idGOg==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/40d39ac2/attachment-0001.htm>

From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Fri Jun  8 16:51:50 2012
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 16:51:50 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 5 b
Message-ID: <67520dcf.2f8e68.137cdde0bf6.Webtop.44@charter.net>

Here's my draft for Sunday.

I hope you have a great celebration!

Bob

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY                           THE 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
1 SAMUEL 8:4-20, 11:14-15                           	    	                	 
PROPER 5 B RCL
2 CORINTHIANS 4:13 ? 5:1		                                                	               	 
10th JUNE, 2012
MARK 3:20-35         					 
PSALM 138

	?Victory is mine!? began an article about newly elected bishops I 
received last Monday. ?Then (it suggested I) [stand for a full 
30-seconds with arms raised in the classic Richard Nixon double V pose 
while soaking in all the applause.] And you, good people of the Diocese 
of XXX are obviously smarter than the Episcopalians in (name the five 
dioceses in which you lost elections).

	?Thank you for finally getting me out of St. Thomas-by-the-Turnpike and 
away from all those annoying parishioners who kept showing up week after 
week and telling me all about their ?problems? at coffee hour. It?s been 
a long-time coming. And my wife and I are psyched that my current salary 
will now be doubled. Show me the money! And by the way here are some 
plans we had drawn up to redo the kitchen in the bishop?s residence 
[hand them to the diocesan treasurer].

	?To my fellow candidates: in an election, there can only be one winner. 
Thus, God thinks you?re a loser. As does this entire diocese. But take 
it from me ? there will be other elections and other chances to join ME 
in the House of Bishops. Until then please know that I won?t return your 
phone calls and, in fact, I?ve already forgotten all of your names.? 1

	That was actually a spoof written by someone who felt that newly 
elected bishops said or wrote too much of the same thing on hearing of 
the results of the Diocese?s search process decision. Think about it, 
though, and you may find more than a grain of truth, not just for 
prospective bishops, but people in many vocations. Whom do we want to 
lead us? And why?

	I have several friends who quietly or not so quietly are talking about 
how it might be less stressful to have a constitutional monarchy in the 
U.S. as we ooze towards November.

	Leaders, and their appointment or election, can produce so much 
tension, and there?s seldom any guarantee that things will work out ? if 
they ever do.

	You may be able to imagine what was running through Samuel?s mind at 
the time described in our first reading. First, his family was 
crumbling. His sons, on whom he?d probably pinned so much hope, his sons 
were incapable of assuming the role. Their behaviour was such that folk 
came to the prophet and said, to his face, ?We can?t go on like this. We 
need someone else. We need a king.?

	How little things change! Samuel?s family life was so dysfunctional ? 
possibly not completely the old man?s fault, but he would have had to 
have accepted at least some responsibility. The problem was probably the 
same as today?s ? Samuel was in control, but, for whatever reason, his 
sons were OUT of control, which, in turn, makes Samuel?s ministry less 
than effectual.

A glance at just one newspaper story last week showed much the same 
happening today. Hamid Karzai likely won?t be President of Afghanistan 
for much longer. He has many brothers and business partners. All of them 
are in the business of hanging on to control and power as tightly as 
they possibly can. There?s talk that one of the other brothers may run 
for the office of the Presidency when Hamid steps down. Meanwhile, the 
family are quarreling openly as well as under-handedly to hang on to 
vast bank accounts, and huge development complexes, and foreign 
investments ? and who knows how they?re involved in the tremendous 
mineral resources recently brought to light. 2

Sound familiar? It?s been repeated through history from the time Cain 
and Abel fought over who had the better job and could get the parental 
blessing. It happens in congregations too ? THAT shouldn?t be a 
surprise. A play on that famous quote and a vodka commercial might well 
run ?Absolut power corrupts Absolut-ly?!

	Now SOMEone has to be in charge, no doubt about that. And I?m not 
saying that Samuel was a peach of a prophet, all the time at any rate. I 
know that even Jesus ran into trouble. Who are My sisters and brothers, 
indeed! The biological ones probably wanted to keep for themselves what 
prestige and marketability they saw in being related Jesus, so they 
didn?t want Jesus making a fool of Himself and dragging the family name 
into disrepute. When He DID yank people?s chains, however, He would have 
been the last person they?d have acknowledged. They distanced themselves 
from Him as much as they possibly could. Leadership, power, control over 
others, and the inevitable money and property, and an 
often-misplaced-sense of respectability, they have such in incredible 
hold on our lives. And that?s precisely the
problem the readings address today.
	
	Nothing wrong with having a monarch, per se. However, the reason the 
people gave Samuel for it shows a lack of understanding of who they 
were. They said, quite bluntly, ? ... we are determined to have a king 
over us, so that we may be like other nations?.

	The whole point of Israel being Israel was that they were to be 
different, a special people, called by God to set the standard, to show 
what can be possible when you live with God and follow God?s guidance. 
There were no claims made by God as to how the people would be 
protected. God was looking for people who?d take a strong sense of 
purpose and mould it into such a pattern of behaviour that other nations 
would actually turn to look at them.

	Samuel, had, I?m sure, talked till he was blue in the face, but the 
problem didn?t seem to lie there. Even his sons were adults by this 
time. They, like the nation, had their own decisions to make, difficult 
decisions, decisions that might or might not be costly, but decisions 
nevertheless which would show how closely they aligned themselves with 
God.

	As the climax of the wonderful celebrations for the British Queen?s 
Diamond Jubilee celebrations last weekend, there was a service at 
Westminster Abbey at which the Archbishop of Canterbury preached. One of 
the more conservative newspapers took the Archbishop to task for talking 
about social issues, real-life issues. He pointed out that Queen 
Elizabeth never shirked responsibilities in terms of her public office, 
even when it was costly. Then he made a rather apropos point.

	He said, ?Moralists (archbishops included) can thunder away as much as 
they like; but they'll make no difference unless and until people see 
that there is something transforming and exhilarating about the prospect 
of a whole community rejoicing together - being glad of each other's 
happiness and safety.

	?This alone is what will save us from the traps of ludicrous financial 
greed, of environmental recklessness, of collective fear of strangers 
and collective contempt for the unsuccessful and marginal - and many 
more things that we see far too much of, around us and within us.

	?One crucial aspect of discovering such a vision - and many still do 
discover it in their service of others, despite everything - is to have 
the stories and examples available that show it's possible.

	?Thank God, there are many wonderful instances lived out unobtrusively 
throughout the country and the Commonwealth. But we are marking today 
the anniversary of one historic and very public act of dedication - a 
dedication that has endured faithfully, calmly and generously through 
most of the adult lives of most of us here.

	?We are marking six decades of living proof that public service is 
possible and that it is a place where happiness can be found. To seek 
one's own good and one's own well-being in the health of the community 
is sacrificially hard work - but it is this search that is truly natural 
to the human heart.

	?That's why it is not a matter of tight-lipped duty or grudging 
compliance with someone else's demands. Jesus himself says, ?My food is 
to do the will of him who sent me?, and that's what is at the heart of 
real dedication.? 3

	If we seek leaders, and if we do it in order to be just like, or one 
better than our neighbours, we?re bound to fail. If we, at any point in 
our lives, on any issue ? choosing a congregation with which to 
affiliate, choosing stores to patronise, choosing a candidate at an 
election ? if at any point in our lives we fail to see that God isn?t 
here to make sure that we?re comfortable, we court trouble. God?s point 
in calling us here, to be members of the family, to be brothers and 
sisters to one another, is not to make sure that we agree with one 
another, but to make sure that everyone is afforded respect, and 
dignity, and compassion. God?s point ? said with such a sigh by Jesus ? 
is that our sisters and our brothers are all around us, peering in our 
windows, waiting on our streets, looking for a response from us that 
isn?t guided by how good it will look on our resum?s, or whether the 
Chamber of Commerce will give us a good citizenship award, or whether 
it?ll tick off or please the bishop.

	Who are our sisters and brothers? What?s happening to them? Jesus? 
response was that there?s no limit to those who need our immediate and 
compassionate attention. I guess that?s one reason I?m so saddened by 
the way in which the Roman Catholic Curia has responded to the Women 
Religious in this country, and their sisters around the world. The first 
commandment, including loving God, is to love in a practical way. No 
matter what the cost, it means making sure that no one is left out, that 
people?s social and physical needs are met as well as their spiritual 
ones. There?s no denying that we all need spiritual care; but there?s no 
denying that we need care that addresses the needs of our bodies and 
minds also.

	I find it really interesting in light of Rome?s crackdown on the 
Sisters? ministry, to read that a ?(Roman) Catholic bishop told 
President Obama in a meeting ? religious leaders had with him in the 
White House last year as the August debt crisis deal was being decided: 
??Mr. President, our scriptural mandate from Jesus does not say ?As you 
have done to the middle class, you have done to me.? It rather says, ?As 
you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.??? 4

	We?re still struggling with trying to define to whom we look for 
leadership and why. We?re still struggling with trying to define who are 
our sisters and brothers. It?s a heck of a job. But Jesus and Samuel 
both invite us to look for those whom everyone else ignores, or 
belittles, or attacks; to set aside any thoughts we might have about 
power and control; to ?think those things that are right, and by (God?s) 
merciful guiding ... do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord,? 5 for our 
own sakes as well as the sake of all of our sisters, and brothers, and 
mothers.

NOTES:

1 	The Rev. Tim Schenck, the rector of the Episcopal Parish of St. John 
the Evangelist in Hingham, MA 
http://www.teutopolispress.com/community/blogs/frtim/x1982680424/Victory-Speech-Bishop-s-Edition

2	?Intrigue in Karzai Family as an Afghan Era Closes by James Risen? 
3rd June, 2012 ? - The New York Times 
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=afhagni%20president's%20family%20power%20control&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CFkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2012%2F06%2F04%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fkarzai-family-moves-to-protect-its-privilege.html&ei=d9_QT6z0JKH56QG8tch7&usg=AFQjCNEIsFNFV8P_sOY7SHrH19_navZkPg

3	HM Queen Elizabeth?s Diamond Jubilee Celebratory Service sermon by 
Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2154808/Archbishop-Canterbury-hijacks-Diamond-Jubilee-Thanksgiving-sermon-preach-City-greed-environmental-issues.html#ixzz1x2UGEKpX

4	?The Missing Religious Principle in Our Budget Debates? by Jim Wallis. 
Sojourners 7th June, 2012 
http://sojo.net/blogs/2012/06/06/missing-religious-principle-our-budget-debates

5	Collect for Proper 5 b, Book of Common Prayer, page 229.



Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)



From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 17:47:10 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 17:47:10 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 1
Message-ID: <DE168C4845C146F785442E1A826B65F3@OwnerPC>

"Religion has fallen on hard times. Once religion was worn as a badge of
honor, but today virtually no one wants to be thought of as religious. Too
many people equate religion with the worst possible behaviors associated
with the church-self-righteousness, judgmentalism, condemnation, prejudice,
intolerance among them. Sects, factions, denominations, splinters, and
divisions send a message to the world that Christians can't get our own
story straight. Petty bickering and conflict within congregations reinforce
the impression that being Christian offers nothing of greater value than any
other club or association.

"So what can be done? While the answer is simple, it won't be easy. The time
has come to set aside differences and focus instead on what we share in
common. Jesus says in today's Gospel lesson, "But no one can enter a strong
man's house and plunder his property without first binding the strong man;
then indeed the house can be plundered." Let's begin here. Let's acknowledge
that we believe different things and value different things and seek
different things, but at our heart and core we are all one family, children
of God, and brothers and sisters of the Christ. It won't change anything
overnight, but one thing is certain. If we're all on the same side, there
won't be any of "those people" left to dislike."

http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/article/entry/2838/unbinding-the-strong-m
an

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/d699da91/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 20:20:46 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 20:20:46 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon  tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 2
Message-ID: <4C00F20B2584427BBF3843056545D8B4@OwnerPC>

Our situation as Xns is like the story of the old landlord told by Pr. Larry
Christiansen. Supposing that we live in a run-down apartment; the best you
can afford. There are holes in the walls & ceiling; the carpet is threadbare
with roaches everywhere. The windows leak cold air in the winter & let flies
in the summer...faucets drip constantly. Yet the landlord still collects the
rent, and when we hesitate to pay because of the poor conditions, he
threatens higher rent. We have nowhere else to live & can't afford anything
better, so we keep on paying the rent until one day, when we hear a knock at
the door. We open it to behold a well dressed, polite young woman who tells
us that she has just purchased the building we live in! She asks to inspect
the premises and as she sees what we are living with, she is appalled &
promises to make repairs & lower your rent. Shortly after she leaves you
hear another, harsher urgent knocking on the door, and open it to find our
angry old landlord standing there demanding his rent. Do we give in to his
intimidations & pay, or resist him? We are filled with fear as we realize
that we don't have the power that he has to make us pay! Then we remember,
the place doesn't belong to him anymore; we have a new landlord and so tell
the old one to take the matter up with the new owner.

The old landlord, Satan will harass & intimidate us, but the reality is that
the strong man is tied up! We have been bought & paid for and so have a new
landlord.

The stronger One who is both God and man prevails.

http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/predigt.php?id=3604
<http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/predigt.php?id=3604&kennung=20120610
en> &kennung=20120610en

Steve Saxe

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/c0605530/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 20:35:08 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 20:35:08 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon  tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 3
Message-ID: <AC3B80EE3198413684125783ECEEBE36@OwnerPC>

For further reflection

Brom, 21st century 
Men who fear demons see demons everywhere.

Jay McInerney, 21st century
The capacity for friendship is God's way of apologizing for our families.

Erma Bombeck, 20th century 
When your mother asks, "Do you want a piece of advice?" it's a mere
formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it
anyway. 

Oscar Wilde, 19th century 
After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relatives.

Trenton Lee Stewart, 21st century
You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on
blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best
friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you,
can be your family.

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, 20th century
Where there is prayer, the fallen spirits have no power. 

http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/weekly-seeds/gods-will.html
 
Kate Huey
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/c5c165a6/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 21:18:31 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 21:18:31 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] About blastpheming against the Holy Spirit
Message-ID: <D07D5228001743E5B85B18BAEEEC87A6@OwnerPC>

The word for sinning against is an aorist active I believe: 
blasfhmhsh
blasphEmEsE
G987
vs Aor Act 3 Sg
SHOULD-BE-HARM-AVERRING
should-be-blaspheming
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/mar3.pdf
so I am wondering if it is still continuous yet permanent and thus final
action, that we have continuously been deciding not to pay attention to the
Holy Spirit who is trying to save us for all of eternity, i.e., not
believing in the redemption offered by Christ.
 
Peace and blessings,
Joe Parrish
www.sjnj.org
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/720103f2/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun  8 21:27:30 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 21:27:30 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for June 10, Mark 3:20-35 - Part 4
Message-ID: <4DF3F8565A624323A552AE5957AD9D1E@OwnerPC>

In 21st century industrialized society, the family looks and functions
differently. Even the definition of what constitutes family varies.
According to the  <http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-14.pdf>
U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 13.1 percent of households were headed by a
single female, and 26.7 of households consisted of a single person. The
number of husband-wife family households was down from 51.7 in 2000 to 48.4
in 2010.
<http://abcnews.go.com/Health/sex-couples-census-data-trickles-quarter-raisi
ng-children/story?id=13850332#.T9AMtVKwVhw> Census data also reveals that
more than 25% of same sex couples are rearing children within their family
unit. According to the
<http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/03/18/the-return-of-the-multi-generatio
nal-family-household/> Pew Research Center, 16.1% of the population lives in
households where there are two or more generations of adults. The idea of
mom and pop and 2.5 kids in a cul-de-sac split level is no longer the norm.

Think about the families within your faith community. Are grandparents
rearing grandchildren? Are gay and lesbian couples bringing their children
for baptism? How many couples in premarital counseling are already
cohabiting? What percentage of recent college grads have moved back in with
their parents? How many 20-somethings are sharing housing with a more
intentional sense of community?

http://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2012/06/one-big-hopeful-family/

Sharron Riessinger Blezard

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120608/e75d641b/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 20:09:55 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 20:09:55 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: Sermon for Proper 5B
Message-ID: <6998A792B3D04F7CB711203179120482@OwnerPC>

Forwarded: 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy [mailto:judy_boli at ecunet.org] 
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 7:29 PM
To: SERMONSHOP SERMONS
Subject: Sermon for Proper 5B

Dear Friends,

This Sunday's sermon is one I try to preach once a year.  We have had two
children shot in Saginaw, Michigan, this week (a recovering 4-year- old girl
and a dead 12 year old boy- sleeping in his grandfather's house), so now is
a good time to repeat it.  My goal is that our congregation works at
memorizing the concepts about dealing with evil and maybe adds to them.  The
sermon is entitled "Terrible Times- Don't Waste Them!" or "God can take your
mess and make it into your message." (Joel Osteen) or "Don't let evil defeat
you, but defeat evil with good." (Romans 12:19) and deals the Old Testament
lesson (Genesis
3: 1-15) and the Gospel (Mark 3: 20- 35).  Here it is:

As I've shared with you many times, my thinking about the presence of evil
in the world and how we deal with it as God's people got serious after
watching the awful events of 9-11.  I've shared the teachings in this sermon
with you at least every year since then (last year on 9/11/11), and today's
Bible lessons raise the question of evil once again.  In the Old Testament
lesson (Genesis 3: 1-15) we heard how sin (disobedience to God) started in
the first place.  As you heard this ancient Bible story- I'll bet you could
find yourself in this story!
Then in the gospel (Mark 3: 20-35), we heard Jesus teach about evil and give
us needed insights if we are going to overcome, especially in difficult,
painful times.

Guess what- difficult, painful times are present right now!  After an
epidemic of gun violence in the last few weeks, this last week we have had
two children shot: little 4-year-old Miyona Alexander (shot in the arm and
recovering) and 12-year-old Tamaris Steward (shot and killed in his sleep).
We have members struggling with cancer and other illnesses.  Last Monday we
buried Ms. JoAnn Washington (daughter of Mrs. Bernice Morris) and one year
and fourteen days ago we buried Mrs. Susie Cummings.  I'll bet I'm not the
only person in this church who still misses her!  We have people with money
problems, health problems, court and jail problems, moving problems, life
problems, relationship problems, etc.  In other words- join the human race.
This kind of pain is part of the human condition.  As I reminded you last
year, St. Paul has advice for us when we face situations like these.  In
Romans 12: 19 he says, "Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with
good."  I know how devoted you are to your Lord, so I'm sure that this is
how you intend to live your life.  Me too!  The problem is, in frustrating,
confusing times like these- how do you know how to defeat evil with good?
We'd be glad to do as God wants, but how do we know what that is?  For me,
one of the blessings of having lived through pain and suffering (as well as
wonderful times) is the chance to think through and refine my own personal
theology of evil based on scripture, and especially on Gospel.  I'd like to
share it with you again this morning.  As you may remember, I see five basic
principles in our dealing with evil.

FIRST PRINCIPLE: We mustn't delude ourselves about the power of the enemy.
Some years ago, I asked our Sunday school youngsters to tell me what Satan
looked like.  You know what they said: a little man in a red jump suit with
a tail, a pitchfork, fire coming out of his fingernails (too many video
games!), and horns- either red or black- couldn't decide which.  Wouldn't
that be nice- if we could always recognize him and his greatest desire was
to get us to swear or tell a
lie- don't we all wish it were that simple.  The devil (or Satan) is just
the name we give "the evil powers of this world that seek to corrupt and
destroy the creatures of God"- i.e. US!  ("Book of Common
Prayer"- Service of Holy Baptism, p. 302)  Satan's purpose is to close our
open minds; turn our loving hearts into cold, hateful hearts of stone; make
us suspicious of everyone and everything; divide us; enslave us by fear; and
diminish our spirit.

SECOND PRINCIPLE: Evil is highly contagious- look how evil spreads, worse
than smallpox or tuberculosis.  At the checkout line, a lady said, "I just
can't see why they (the terrorists) hate us so!"  I know.  Among other
reasons, one of them goes back to the Jewish holocaust in World War II.
When the war was over, our side- the winning side- officially established a
homeland for the Jews in Palestine and empowered them to become a nation.  I
have to be suspicious that one of the reasons this happened was plain and
simple anti-Semitism....they didn't want all those Jewish people in their
land.  I remember, as a little girl growing up in Detroit, seeing ad after
ad in the classified section of the Detroit News: "Apartment for
rent- no pets, no children, no Jews."  The problem of giving them a homeland
in Palestine was that someone else already lived there- the Palestinians.
The Jews said God promised the land to them through their ancestor Abraham
(God did, but the Palestinians are also Abraham's descendants.)  The
Palestinians said it was their land; hatred festered; and Satan sowed the
seed for the poisonous harvest that after all these years we are now
reaping.  Unfortunately, it's not just God's Kingdom that can start with a
mustard seed and grow into a mighty tree- if we water and inflame the
hatred, Satan's can also.  Unless we take preventative measures, what we sow
is what we get.

THIRD PRINCIPLE: Jesus' teachings, especially those in the Sermon on the
Mount, are the vaccination against being destroyed when evil is thrown at
us.  I was talking to a Bible teacher- definitely someone who should know
better, who said he thought we should just go in and bomb the you-know-what
out of any nation that allows terrorists to live within their borders.  He
justified his opinion by saying that the Bible is full of war- just look at
the Old Testament.  True, but Jesus came to fulfill the old covenant.  The
Old Testament was written for the people of God when they were just
beginning their journey.
"An eye for an eye" was a necessity to limit violence- so a whole family
couldn't be wiped out for the sin of one member.  You don't give a toddler
and a fifty-five year old grandmother or grandfather the same rules.  Jesus
said he had come to fulfill the law.  In fact, he said, "You have heard it
said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' but I tell you- love
(i.e. want what is best for) your enemy."  Remember, he's not talking about
love- a feeling, but love- an action, a choice.  St. Paul reminds us that
God says: "Vengeance is mine; I will repay."  One question I have for you-
actually, how committed are you to obeying Jesus?  Period, exclamation mark-
or only when it's not too hard?

FOURTH PRINCIPLE: Looked at through God's eyes, the power for who wins this
round- God or Satan, is not in the hands of the evil person or group, even
though they think and act as if they are in charge.  Power is in the hands
of the VICTIM.  It is the victim who allows God to take charge of the
encounter.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew that.
Why?  Because it is the victim who determines the response to the evil.
Satan can do nothing if the victim responds as a Christian and refuses to
spread anger and hate, but instead works to solve the initial problem that
the devil used to start the whole evil mess.
Look how this principle works.  Since Satan counts on being able to spread
his evil by using one evil person (or a group of evil people) to get
something going, he must pick his person carefully.  The more negatives
emotionally and physically this person or group can cause the better.  The
first incident only gets the ball going.  The power for good or evil is in
the hands of the victim.  Look- if an evil person throws a ball of nasty
garbage at me, I have a choice.  If I can't dodge it, the instinctual human
choice is to catch it and start
throwing it back, letting it splatter at everyone within range.    In
fact, I might even miss and get a whole lot of innocent people.  What
happens next?  Those on the other side do the same.  Before long, following
our natural tendencies, we are all a filthy stinking mess.
However, we are not called to follow our natural tendencies- we are much
more than the highest biological entity on this planet.  We are called to be
children of God, and there is a better way.  Instead, we might catch the
nasty ball and hold it until we figure out how to dispose of it with a
minimum of damage- I might even use it to fertilize our church garden. thus
taking care of the problem, but not spreading the filth.  If we are strong
enough, courageous enough, have enough Spirit power, the contamination stops
before it corrupts us or spreads to anybody else.

Bringing it down to the nitty-gritty of life, how do we do this?  Do we let
evil people walk all over us?  Of course not.  As Christians, our motivation
for an action is what is most important.  If a crazed gunman started
shooting children at our neighborhood school, what should law-enforcement
do?  They should stop him- using as much force as necessary, even if it
meant killing him.  Why?  To get revenge?
No- to stop the violence, the killing of innocent children.
Christians have no business getting revenge- only stopping evil and bringing
the guilty to justice.  If we try to get revenge, we will participate with
Satan in destroying our own spirit.  The Rt. Rev.
Nathan Baxter, former dean of the National Cathedral in Washington DC and
now bishop of Central Pennsylvania, expresses this idea well when he stated,
"As we act, we must not become the evil we deplore."

FIFTH PRINCIPLE: Don't waste terrible times!  When someone does something
terrible to you, or when encountering a ghastly life
tragedy- don't waste it!  What do I mean?  Think about it.  Think about the
huge negative energy generated by evil experience.  That energy can be
redirected, by your skill and obedience to our Lord, as positive power for
God and for good.  You don't believe me?  The best example of this is the
cross.  What worse catastrophe could Satan throw at us than having people
execute God's son naked on a garbage heap?  And yet, through Jesus'
obedience- came the glorious resurrection, eternal life, salvation,
fullness-of-living for all who would accept it.  The Chinese character for
calamity is a combination of characters- crisis and opportunity- same idea.
So my challenge to us today is, since we've already lived through the crisis
(I hope), find the opportunity.  What opportunities can we ferret out of the
messes of our lives?  Terrible times encourage us to reexamine our
priorities.  In 9-11, do you remember the three passengers who became heroes
(Jeremy Glick, Tom Burnett, and Mark Bingham) on United Airlines Flight 93
that crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside?
They prevented the terrorists from using the plane as a bomb against a
heavily-populated target by trying to take back the plane.  What did they do
as their crisis became apparent?  They used their cell phones to call family
and friends, they asked their listeners to say the Lord's Prayer with them,
and they made the decision to make their lives count- they knew they could
make a difference.  At that point, talking on their cell phones- all the
little disagreements, irritations didn't matter at all.  What are your
priorities?  When is the last time you told your family and friends that you
love them?  If you don't do it today, how do you know you'll get another
chance?  Are you making your life count- making a difference?  Are you
really spending your time and money on your true priorities?  Are you using
all your energy and problem-solving talent to work for God?  At the
beginning of this sermon, I said that we'd be glad to do what God
wants- I hope that's true!  Actually, in real life, how committed are you to
Jesus?  What about when the chips are down and you are mad as H---?!!  Will
you obey him then?  Saginaw's future depends on your answer as well as the
answer of other Christians.  Will you:
.	Snitch?  (To every mother or father, grandmother or grandfather,
aunt or uncle, Godparent, wife or significant other, pastor or friend- how
about stepping up to the plate and turning them in (anonymously if
necessary) when they do violence?)
.	Talk with beloved children, grand/Godchildren, other relatives,
friends about the evils of violence and remove their support- food, housing,
sex, money, transportation, etc. if they continue in their destructive,
terrorist ways?
.	Bring EVERYONE YOU CAN to church to be saved, and then help us
disciple them to erase Satan's values from their lives and replace them with
Jesus' values?
.	In other words, will you pray and PUT YOUR PRAYERS IN ACTION

I'm going to close with a very familiar story- almost a parable- that I use
at just about every funeral- just used it at Ms. JoAnn Washington's funeral
last Monday, but it's worth repeating.  This story illustrates using crises
and mistakes for positives.  Before I retired from teaching, Mr. Spencer
Porter was often the art teacher assigned to work with my fifth grade
students.  He was one of the best art teachers I have ever seen.  If the
youngsters were doing art on paper, he would start passing out the supplies,
and you could bet that by the time the last student got a paper, some of the
first students were already waving their hands.  "Mr. Porter," they would
say- "Mr.
Porter, I messed up my paper.  I need a new one."  Mr. Porter would answer,
"Turn it over and use the back."  Within a few minutes, the hands would
start to wave again.  "Mr. Porter, Mr. Porter, I messed up the back too!"
they would lament.  Spencer Porter's answer- "I'm not giving you another
paper.  Now is your chance to become an artist and really do art.  Look at
your paper on the front, and look at your paper on the back, and figure out
what you can turn your mistakes into."  My friends, some of the most amazing
artwork came from those students, because their "mistakes" forced them to
think outside the box, be creative, and try new solutions to what they
thought were impossible problems.  I only hope they are continuing to apply
that kind of thinking to their lives today, and I hope we learn from their
example.  The crises we face in our world today, plus those we face every
day in the normal demands of living, require fresh, Godly, Gospel solutions
and the sure knowledge that with God as our guide, mistakes are simply
lessons- lessons to be learned and used for the Kingdom.

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




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 22:06:25 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 22:06:25 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B,
 June 10, based on Mark 3:20-35
Message-ID: <8CF14C4C662360B-1510-2A0B@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/7387mzd is our sermonfor the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark3:20-35.
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s EpiscopalChurch
Elizabeth, NJ
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120609/2383656f/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 22:34:57 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 22:34:57 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost,
 Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark 3:20-35 - "Fit to be tied"
In-Reply-To: <8CF14C4C662360B-1510-2A0B@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>
References: <8CF14C4C662360B-1510-2A0B@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <8CF14C8C2389B1A-1510-2A36@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

The title is, "Fit to be tied."
 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Parrish <joeparrish at compuserve.com>
To: Propertalk <Propertalk at stsams.org>
Cc: propertalk.topic <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>; sermonshop-sermons.topic <sermonshop-sermons.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 9, 2012 10:06 pm
Subject: Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark 3:20-35


http://tinyurl.com/7387mzd is our sermonfor the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5B, June 10, based on Mark3:20-35.
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s EpiscopalChurch
Elizabeth, NJ
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120609/32c64a69/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun  9 23:53:45 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 23:53:45 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_the_Second_Sunday_af?=
 =?utf-8?q?ter_Pentecost=2C_Propio_5B=2C_10_de_junio=2C_con_base_en_Marcos?=
 =?utf-8?b?IDM6MjAtMzUsIOKAnEFwdG8gcGFyYSBzZXIgYXRhZGEu4oCd?=
Message-ID: <8CF14D3C4ABF868-AE0-249B@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/cds59hq es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol para el segundo domingo despu?s de Pentecost?s, Propio 5B, 10 de junio, con base en Marcos 3:20-35, ?Apto para ser atada.?
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de la Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120609/4250003e/attachment-0001.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 10 13:28:50 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 11:28:50 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 6
Message-ID: <19F5D23EE3364C27B746B710E91CF034@BobPC>

Collect for Proper 6, June 17:

Let us pray:

God of heaven and earth,
you have been farming
longer than any of us have noticed.
>From our small seeds
you make good to sprout 
in our lives.
Awaken our eyes to see
what you have done
while we slept.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God for ever and ever. Amen

For reflection on Proper 6 go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
USA
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120610/704ccfef/attachment-0001.htm>

From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Jun 10 21:56:52 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 21:56:52 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the THIRD SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <493849EF9EB2468197A18599E19ED5F4@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 17, (Proper 11, RCL, and Proper 6, ECUSA), according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless otherwise noted, the ECUSA, Canadian and Common Worship readings are identical to the RCL this Sunday. Note that the Canadian BAS does not allow the RCL alternative readings.



OLD TESTAMENT:  1 Samuel 15: 34 - 16: 13   (RCL)

1Sam 15:34 (NRSV) Then Samuel went to Ra'mah; and Saul went up to his house in Gib'eah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. 16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Beth'lehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 2 Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 
6 When they came, he looked on Eli'ab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is now before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 8 Then Jesse called Abin'adab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Sham'mah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." 11 Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ra'mah. 


Ezekiel 17: 22 - 24   (Roman Catholic, Alt. for RCL)

Ezek 17:22 (NRSV) Thus says the Lord GOD: 
I myself will take a sprig 
from the lofty top of a cedar; 
I will set it out. 
I will break off a tender one 
from the topmost of its young twigs; 
I myself will plant it 
on a high and lofty mountain. 
23 On the mountain height of Israel 
I will plant it, 
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, 
and become a noble cedar. 
Under it every kind of bird will live; 
in the shade of its branches will nest 
winged creatures of every kind. 
24 All the trees of the field shall know 
that I am the LORD. 
I bring low the high tree, 
I make high the low tree; 
I dry up the green tree 
and make the dry tree flourish. 
I the LORD have spoken; 
I will accomplish it. 


PSALM 20   (RCL)

Psal 20:1 (NRSV) The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! 
The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, 
and give you support from Zion. 
3 May he remember all your offerings, 
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. [Se'lah] 
4 May he grant you your heart's desire, 
and fulfill all your plans. 
5 May we shout for joy over your victory, 
and in the name of our God set up our banners. 
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. 
6 Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; 
he will answer him from his holy heaven 
with mighty victories by his right hand. 
7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, 
but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God. 
8 They will collapse and fall, 
but we shall rise and stand upright. 
9 Give victory to the king, O LORD; 
answer us when we call. 


20   Exaudiat te Dominus    (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, *
  the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;
 
2   Send you help from his holy place *
  and strengthen you out of Zion;
 
3   Remember all your offerings *
  and accept your burnt sacrifice;
 
4   Grant you your heart's desire *
  and prosper all your plans.
 
5   We will shout for joy at your victory
and triumph in the Name of our God; *
  may the Lord grant all your requests.
 
6   Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; *
  he will answer him out of his holy heaven,
  with the victorious strength of his right hand.
 
7   Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, *
  but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God.
 
8   They collapse and fall down, *
  but we will arise and stand upright.
 
9   O Lord, give victory to the king *
  and answer us when we call.


Psalm 92: 1 - 2, 12 - 15   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 92: 1 - 4, 12 - 15   (alt. for RCL)

Psal 92:1 (NRSV) It is good to give thanks to the LORD, 
to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, 
and your faithfulness by night, 
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, 
to the melody of the lyre. 
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; 
at the works of your hands I sing for joy. 

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, 
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; 
they flourish in the courts of our God. 
14 In old age they still produce fruit; 
they are always green and full of sap, 
15 showing that the LORD is upright; 
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 


92   Bonum est confiteri   (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, *
 and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;
 
2   To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning *
 and of your faithfulness in the night season;
 
3   On the psaltery, and on the lyre, *
 and to the melody of the harp.
 
4   For you have made me glad by your acts, O Lord; *
 and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.
 
 
11  The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, *
 and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.
 
12  Those who are planted in the house of the Lord *
 shall flourish in the courts of our God;
 
13  They shall still bear fruit in old age; *
 they shall be green and succulent;
 
14  That they may show how upright the Lord is, *
 my Rock, in whom there is no fault.
 


NEW TESTAMENT:   2 Corinthians 5: 6 - 10 (11 - 13) 14 - 17   (RCL)
                                      2 Corinthians 5: 6 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

2Cor 5:6 (NRSV)  So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord-- 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. 
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 


GOSPEL:   Mark 4: 26 - 34   (all)

Mark 4:26 (NRSV) He [Jesus] also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." 
30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." 
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120610/69aa0830/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 12 12:10:46 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:10:46 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 17 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1110212692203.1103889869952.45429.12.430500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1110212692203.1103889869952.45429.12.430500B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CF16CD0F5CD29A-FD8-661@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


















        
	    
    
        
        

June 17, 2012



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Mark 4:26-34 - "The Kingdom and the Seed"
Mark 4:26-34 - "Celebrate the Small Stuff" by Leonard Sweet
 
Mark 4 the sermon title "The Kingdom and the Seed"  
 
Most of us have planted a garden or lived on or near a farm. In my case, I grew up in Chicago where they have to put cows in zoos because so many city people are shielded from agricultural life and would never otherwise get to see one. But for eleven years I served as the pastor of a church in the agriculturally-oriented community of Davenport, Iowa. Davenport is located in Scott County which is Mississippi River land. It is reported to be some of the richest soil in the world. I learned a lot about farming while living there. I learned about soil and seeds. I learned about the need for cooperation and balance between the various parts of nature - the sun, the soil, and the rain. Having returned recently from a trip to Iowa, I was very mindful of the soil
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  
Click here: http://www.sermons.com/signup or call 1-800-777-7731 to join.
 
_______________________
 
The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com.
Sign up today at: http://www.sermons.com/signup Or call: 1-800-777-7731.
 
Members: Mark 4 the sermon titled "Celebrate the Small Stuff" by Leonard Sweet 
 
Every book on change says the same thing. Change has changed. Change is no longer incremental. Change is exponential. 
 
Here is what no one will tell you: change is not just incremental, or exponential. Change is infinitesimal. 
 
So you gained a pound or two this year. It happens. Then it happens again next year. And the next year. Suddenly a decade has passed and you realize that "a pound or two" has compounded into two sacks of flour sitting on your hips! Infinitesimal change has caught up with you. 
 
In the early 1950s farmer Clarence Mauerhan was known as the "Chili Pepper King" of Orange County ("Anaheim peppers," anyone?). A mysterious buyer was paying top dollar for all the farms in the area, but farmer Mauerhan would have none of it. He was the lone holdout against payments for land that no one had dreamed were possible...
 
Click here: http://www.sermons.com/signup or call 1-800-777-7731 to join.
 
___________________________
 
A Riddle
 
About ten years ago, the youth director on our staff told me a riddle, and then he left town on a week-long camping trip without telling me the answer. He told me the riddle, and then he said "Oh yeah, only 17% of Stanford graduates figured out this riddle, but 80% of kindergarteners knew the answer." And then he left! I could have strangled him! But here' the riddle:

"What is stronger than God, 
more evil than the devil, 
poor people have it, 
rich people don't need it, 
and if you eat it, you'll die?" 
(Repeat)

The answer is: "Nothing." I knew I should have gone to Stanford!

Literally, the word parable means "a riddle." They are stories that leave the listener with the responsibility of figuring out just what they mean. Jesus told more than 40 parables during his ministry, and he only explained one of them to his disciples, so that left the disciples with a lot of figuring out to do. And then Jesus took the answers with him when he ascended into heaven. So here we are, some 2000 years later, still pondering what Jesus must have meant when he told the story of The Wedding Feast, or The Dishonest Steward, or The Good Samaritan.

Steven Molin, Yup, Them Are Mustard Seeds
_________________________________________
 


 
 


        
        
            

        
        
                
    
    
        
                        

    
    
        
                


(800) 777-7731


        
    
    
        
                

    
    
    













Sermons.com | 904 Pomelo Ave. | Sarasota | FL | 34236



 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120612/2266ac51/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 12 12:11:48 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:11:48 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon.com resources for June 17 - Part 2
Message-ID: <8CF16CD3402521A-FD8-668@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


Mortals Only See the Beginning
 
All their lives the two young brothers had lived in the city behind great stone walls and never saw field nor meadow. But one day they decided to pay a visit to the country.

As they went walking along the road they saw a farmer at his plowing. They watched him and were puzzled.

"What on earth is he doing that for!" they wondered. "He turns up the earth and leaves deep furrows in it. Why should someone take a smooth piece of land covered with nice green grass and dig it up?"

Later they watched the farmer sowing grains of wheat along the furrows.

"That man must be crazy!" they exclaimed. "He takes good wheat and throws it into the dirt."

"I don't like the country!" said one in disgust. "Only crazy people live here."

So he returned to the city.

His brother who remained in the country saw a change take place only several weeks later. The plowed field began to sprout tender green shoots, even more beautiful and fresher than before. This discovery excited him very much. So he wrote to his brother in the city to come at once and see for himself the wonderful change.

His brother came and was delighted with what he saw. As time passed they watched the sproutings grow into golden heads of wheat. Now they both understood the purpose of the farmer's work.

When the wheat became ripe the farmer brought his scythe and began to cut it down. At this the impatient one of the two brothers exclaimed: "The farmer is crazy! He's insane! How hard he worked all these months to produce this lovely wheat, and now with his own hands he is cutting it down! I'm disgusted with such an idiot and I'm going back to the city!"

His brother, the patient one, held his peace and remained in the country. He watched the farmer gather the wheat into his granary. He saw him skillfully separate the grain from the chaff. He was filled with wonder when he found that the farmer had harvested a hundred-fold of the seed that he had sowed. Then he understood that there was logic in everything that the farmer had done.

The moral of the story: Mortals see only the beginning of any of God's works. Therefore they cannot understand the nature and the end of creation.

Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes, quoting from A Treasury of Jewish Folklore: Stories, Traditions, Legends, Humor, Wisdom and Folk Songs of the Jewish People, Edited by Nathan Ausubel Copyright, 1948, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York

__________________________ 

Let the Gospel Run Its Course
 
For me, one of the classic interpretations of this Biblical passage about the seed growing automatically (Mark 4:26) was written by Martin Luther when he said about this text: "After I preach my sermon on Sunday, when I return home, I drink my little glass of Wittenberg beer and I just let the gospel run its course." I like that. Luther said that after he pounded on the pulpit and expounded the gospel, he would go home and pull out the Sunday newspaper, and pull out his glass of warm Wittenberg beer and start to drink it and enjoy the afternoon. Luther knew that the power of his sermon was not based on the power of his theological acuity. He knew that the power of his sermon was not based on his eloquence or his abilities. He knew that the power of the sermon would have no effect whatsoever unless the very Word of God got into a person's heart. Luther knew that he couldn't do that. It was the Holy Spirit who did that. Luther keenly understood the power of the Word.

Edward F. Markquart, The Mustard Seed
_________________________________
 
Small Ways Every Day
 
I hate to bring up The Ten Commandments when I'm preaching on the Gospel of Mark, but...remember that they are very rarely Cecil B. de Mille, big-screen, neon-sign events. They really aren't. They are small choices made on small days, over and over and over again. Such as choosing to remember that God made us for freedom and gave us as a gift, not a punishment, rules to live by. Small things such as remembering God made us, so we don't make God. Such as remembering that we had better not put God's name on anything in a vain show of power. Such as remembering that if God made the universe from a little marble and rested, then we are just created and hard wired to let go of our tiny universes and rest too. Little things, like remembering not just to honor your parents when they are old and gray, but also to train your own children to honor you. And don't let them get away with small, crummy, petty things. And don't lie in small things. Then the great truths within you have a shot. And don't strike up teasing, betraying relationships. Almost every adulterous relationship that people bring to pastors like me is when their miserable family is imploding. Every one of them begins with small, careless choices. And don't murder, which may mean more than we want it to mean. And don't steal. I know that means more than any of us want stealing to mean. But if we don't steal in small ways, we won't get all messed up in big ways. And then this last one, which this year I think is the biggest one. Don't covet. Don't waste your life wanting another life. An old friend calls it a case of the "I wants." Whatever "I wants" you have right now-bigger, better, more, different-find little ways of not renting that room in your head. Little ways, like I will not think about this for five minutes kinds of ways. Things perhaps no bigger than a mustard seed.

I follow the God who showed up two thousand years ago in small ways on days of small things. A healing touch here. A compassionate word there. Small things like not giving up on flawed friends. Like praying every day. Small things like enjoying life. Jesus really enjoyed life. Small things like speaking truth to power. Like giving his small, mustard-seed-sized life so that the great labor of the new universe of resurrected, reborn life could be created.

Martha Sterne, A Day of Small Things
________________________________
 
What It Takes to Grow
 
James A. Garfield, prior to serving as President of the United States, was president of Hiram College in Ohio. One day a father asked Garfield if there were a short-cut whereby his son could get through college in less than the usual four years. He wanted his Son to get on with making money. The college president gave this reply, "Of course there is a way; it all depends on what you want your boy to do. When God wants to grow an oak tree, he takes 100 years. When he wants to make a squash, he only takes two months."
 
Emphasis, CSS Publishing
___________________________
 
We Are Called to Plant
 
When it comes to being God's fellow workers, the first thing to realize is that we are not in control of the growth. We are called to plant. God gives the growth. God gets the credit. We cannot boast about the success that comes when the seeds are planted. We must be very cautious about taking too much credit for apparent success in the spiritual area. A visitor to the Vatican was quite impressed with the beauty and power of the place. He asked Pope John XXIII this question: "How many people do you have working here?" With a twinkle in his eye, the pope replied, "About half of them." We must never get puffed up with ourselves in the spiritual realm. Only God produces growth. Real spiritual growth comes from God. We just plant seeds and try to nurture them as my farmer friends have taught me over the years.
 
Ron Lavin, The Advocate, CSS Publishing
______________________________
 
Humor: Size Is Less Important Than Spirit
 
A small fellow, not much over 5 feet tall, applied for a job as a lumberjack in Alaska. The foreman, thinking to discourage him, gave him a large ax, set him before a tree hundreds of feet tall, and yards in diameter, and told him to chop it down. Within minutes the tree had been felled. The amazed foreman asked him where he'd learned to chop trees so powerfully. The little fellow replied, "When I worked in the Sahara forest." "You mean, the Sahara desert." "That was after I got there," said the small lumberjack. 

The point of the story is that size is less important than spirit, or intelligence, or courage -- a point made when King David was selected at a young age: "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature ... for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 

A faith that grows has heart, a heart that belongs to God. Faith grows from the inside out. 

Merritt W. Ednie, God's Program In Process
___________________________________
  
Trifles Make Perfection
 
Michelangelo, one of the world's great artists, was also a great sculptor. One day a visitor was looking at a statue that Michelangelo was making. The visitor said, "I can't see that you have made any progress since I was here last time." 

Michelangelo answered, "Oh, yes, I have made much progress. Look carefully and you will see that I have retouched this part, and that I have polished that part. See, I have worked on this part of the statue, and have softened the lines here." 

"Yes," said the visitor, "but those are all trifles." 

"That may be," replied Michelangelo, "but...
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for Father's Day and Proper 6, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120612/3969b40e/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 12 12:47:42 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:47:42 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  June 17 (Proper 6B) Mark 4:26-34
Message-ID: <1BC58D3DF8ED48F7A34A07CF63D0B27F@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for June 17 (Proper 6B). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Mark 4:26-34, where Jesus says that the kingdom of God
"is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground" -- and "is like a
mustard seed."

To access those files, you MUST use the following links. If clicking on the
link fails to work, copy the link and paste it in the address window near
the top of your browser. Then hit the ENTER key or click GO.


MARK 4:26-34

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-17hg/Mark.4.26-34.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ovZPtV8x6CFBJMaG-HxmCxfYFCPxX8O5nVM84lfHSHa2
QTJhw1spnuQNQoir74pjRMv374UYulh6ji7uvep-0WEzrw84bT25Iy7OSWwpghiawdiHC5LgunFs
49zjuqcjucZVPN1hu2SfsXkdoXhE6Y8mUDSTyVgJ> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-17hg/Mark.4.26-34.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ovZPtV8x6CEVDnR_-SXnTNsnOW8WVmYrNr22xHnvCJZA
ElkiCOL2pKwa-0J_1qH7MI8Fru_lShcSBuxkuGfS_6lArVBzptFqGEMdxTt9Xd8woCjItEe8_Fm0
tc8PAdPBkRL-Oeg5vk70SvlW9-LsymKwLCIT4rlK> 



A TIP: If you want the Word file, LEFT-CLICK on the link and see what
happens. That should bring up a dialog box that asks if you want to open the
file or save it. Choose OPEN. Then save it wherever you like on your hard
drive.  
 

If that doesn't work, RIGHT-CLICK on the link. You should get a sub-menu.
Hopefully, "Save Target As" will be one of the options. Click on that. Then
save the file wherever you want on your hard drive. 

 
 
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ovZPtV8x6CF-UcCfHt83bNTue2cBR-JS-jLL8mxpC0y1
jZ-UUYpMSrfYNFxV3iyoZ5tqsHnvkOlpjuEXyU29zf5lRfaW_yFIMtw2GaL2x_dvBuB3vFe2rA==
>  http://www.lectionary.org/ 
 
Dick Donovan
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120612/e28cccae/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 11:53:48 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 11:53:48 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] Weekly Illustration Mark 4: 26 - 34
Message-ID: <9D201B5785644A909BF16FCED1C37FCA@OwnerPC>

http://www.proclaimsermons.com/illustration.asp 

No Place for NIMBY

  In one community, a social service agency had acquired a home on a
residential street where they planned to house a few mentally impaired
adults, who would be there with caregivers. They had selected people who
could function in society and who were not a threat to anyone. Some of the
neighbors objected, though, claiming fear for safety and loss of property
value. Others, also in the neighborhood, felt that they should support the
project, and not a few cited the Christian value of loving one's neighbor.
The resulting argument was a bit of brouhaha, but the notion of NIMBY ...
Not In My Back Yard ... was challenged by the Christian concept of what it
means to be a neighbor and the realization that we cannot be Christians if
we just look after ourselves. The great Russian Christian and writer,
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, put it this way, "Mankind's sole salvation lies in
everybody making everything his business." And that goes especially for
Christians.

 

http://www.proclaimsermons.com/viewSermon.asp?title=Parables%20for%20Our%20T
imes
 
Proclaim Sermon for this Week


 

Parables for Our Times
June 17, 2012


 

Mark 4: 26 - 34
Proper 6 / Ordinary 11


 

Summary
The kingdom of God is as up to date as the current political scene, but it
is a slow, generally unspectacular miracle, one in which we work with God.


 

Excerpt
More than 19 centuries have gone by since Jesus lived on our planet, but we
still speak of him as one of the greatest, if not the greatest teacher that
ever lived. This title comes not simply from those of us who call ourselves
Christians and who are therefore his followers; it is said just as
frequently by persons who are not necessarily religious, and even by some
who are openly antagonistic to religion.
This is at least partly because what Jesus said 19 centuries ago is just as
true today as it was then. Sometimes it seems even truer today, almost as if
Jesus said it this week instead of centuries ago.


 

The kingdom parables
Jesus taught especially about his kingdom. He began his ministry by
announcing that people should change their ways because the kingdom of God
was at hand. He described what it would be like once his kingdom had come.
And he did this preaching and teaching about the kingdom mostly by telling
parables. But Jesus never said when his kingdom would come; he never set any
dates. Again and again his disciples pressed him for a specific time and he
gave them no answer.
One thing you and I know for sure: Jesus' kingdom hasn't come yet! We're
still waiting for it. The generation that knew Jesus face-to-face and that
heard his parables from his own voice - all of them died without seeing
God's kingdom come. And since then, more than 19 centuries of Jesus'
followers have come and gone, and still his kingdom has not come to pass.
Furthermore, Jesus wrote this kingdom into his prayer, the prayer his
believers call the "Our Father," or "The Lord's Prayer." The first petition
in that prayer is this: "Your kingdom come, / your will be done, / on earth
as it is in heaven." Human beings have offered that prayer to God literally
billions of times, probably trillions. After all, it's likely that it will
be said by individuals and in morning prayers and Masses several million
times this very day, in hundreds of languages around the world - this prayer
for the kingdom of God to come upon the earth.
Today, as we meet for worship, this kingdom is the subject of our scripture
lesson. It comes to us in parables - and I want to talk with you about it.
Why? Well, partly because it is the lectionary reading for today. And
especially because it is timely. The parables in this lesson are parables
for our times....(approximately 1,172 words remaining.)
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/8d2ebeab/attachment-0001.htm>

From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Sat Jun 16 13:18:34 2012
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:18:34 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 6 b
Message-ID: <310bab36.3520d9.137f64dab7b.Webtop.44@charter.net>

I'm still working this over for tomorrow, but this may have some 
resemblance to what will be preached 8 - )

Bob


THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY 
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
1 SAMUEL 15:34 ? 16:13                   		    	                	 
PROPER 6 B - RCL
2 CORINTHIANS 5:6-17		                                                	               	 
17th JUNE, 2012
MARK 4:26-34         					 
PSALM 20

	?Did you ever grow
anything in the garden of your
mind? You can grow ideas in the
garden of your mind.? 1

These words of wisdom came from a former Presbyterian pastor. They?re 
actually very simple, but they contain a
powerful message.

	Down through history there have been religious groups which, it would 
seem, don?t put a whole lot of stock in mind or imagination. I can?t 
blame them. I like things spelled out clearly. That way it?s so much 
easier to know how to behave. We don?t have to worry about getting the 
information ourselves and having to make decisions. We don?t have to lie 
awake at night, worrying if we chose wisely, or if what we said might 
have been misinterpreted, or if we hurt someone else or ourselves.

	Most of the time, however, we don?t get a clear answer ? or at least 
not one that we can interpret clearly. More often than not we have to 
listen, then think, perhaps dream and, finally, we may have to rely on 
our gut feelings and go with whatever we feel brings the best results 
for the greatest number of people.

Note that I didn?t say that this would necessarily be the safest choice, 
one that keeps us from trouble or injury to body, mind or spirit. Quite 
the opposite; such a decision may take us straight into trouble, because 
it?s not what our friends, or the congregation, or the community want to 
have happen. Sometimes, though, we have to break with tradition and 
follow what may seem like the riskiest proposition. Sometimes we have to 
go to that wonderful garden of our minds and check out what?s planted 
there, what?s growing there, what might be beginning to ripen there. Out 
of that garden of imagination we can often find the most surprisingly 
fruitful solutions to the questions and problems that we face every day.

Making decisions, making choices that can affect us for the foreseeable 
future, that can disrupt our current relationships or can build up new 
ones ? this can be scary, yet it?s part of life. We have to use all the 
resources at our disposal ? including our friends and families ? but 
then the decision is, ultimately, ours to make.

One of the things that keeps amazing me is the way in which Jesus drew 
stories into His teaching about God, and about life, and about our 
every-day situations. Nothing about what Jesus said or did was without 
thought, not even His fiery responses when He saw something going awry. 
And the parables, those stories illustrative of deep decisions and 
truths, more often than not He built them on what the people right in 
front of them had experienced. The two in this morning?s Gospel reading 
are perfect examples. Sitting in a boat and talking to the crowd He must 
have glanced up at the hillside where someone may have been ploughing, 
or planting seed, or working the soil in one way or another. He talked 
about throwing seed into the ground. He talked about mustard seeds and 
their size. He used common analogies when trying to describe the Realm 
of God so that the people could understand how lavish is God?s love and 
how generously the invitations are scattered around.

It would have been hard to miss how personal this sort of approach to 
evangelism is. Jesus didn?t haul a copy of all Judaic law out of the 
synagogue and say, ?OK, stick to every one of these and you may have a 
chance of a good life with God.? He spoke plainly about everyday 
situations, using common, down-to-earth language to get His point 
across.

There?s been a discussion among some of the deputies going to General 
Convention in a couple of weeks about how we go about fulfilling Jesus? 
desire that we help people find peace, and acceptance, and comfort, and 
discover what God?s love can strengthen us to do. There are two 
apparently conflicting views.

One says that we wait for folk to come through the doors. Perhaps we 
take out ads in the paper, we run a good web-site, we develop a 
reputation in the community for being there when someone needs help, 
whether of a spiritual or a physical nature. If and when visitors come 
through the doors, we make them feel as welcome as we can. We don?t 
suffocate them with cloying attentiveness, but we don?t leave them to 
sink or swim through the bulletin and prayer book either. If we are 
truly welcoming and accept wherever that person is at, then she or he 
may return to become not a visitor but a newcomer, then a member of our 
congregation.

The other approach is to meet people where they are ? at the Post 
Office, in Costco, at a parade for the Fourth of
July, in the unemployment or social security office parking lots. Again, 
we don?t smother; we simple are there to listen, to smile, to help if 
we?re asked ? above all, we respect.

Both of these approaches work. Both of them are needed. And in both, we 
need to learn not to shoot ourselves in the foot, never mind shooting 
anyone else. They key is for us to learn about and be assured of God?s 
love for us, God?s accepting forgiveness of us, and God?s call to us to 
work this into our daily lives. Then we?re simply to trust God to do the 
rest.

Two things strike me about the Gospel parables, and they tie in to that 
scary first reading also. God expects us to participate in creation, to 
participate in building up the realm and increasing it. And God doesn?t 
want us to be overwhelmed with what we may think is the enormous 
responsibility of being Jesus? messengers. God works through us, with 
our gifts of every shape and size. Nothing is too small to be of 
importance to our ministries. Whoever we are, whatever we do, we are 
simply to offer it to the world as lavishly as we can. So if we accept 
that God can transform all of our gifts then it?s up to us to be as 
imaginative as we possibly can be, to visit our mind?s garden and dream 
about what we might be able to do ? say within a two or three square 
block area of this building, or of our home, or our work place.

The mystery isn?t just that God scatters gifts of life everywhere, 
without too close scrutiny of where they may land. The mystery is also 
that we?re to be just as lavish in the application of our gifts. Whether 
at worship in this room, at refreshments down the hall, in the parking 
lot here or wherever we may be in an hour?s time, wherever we are we?re 
to be so generous with what we conjure up to do with those skills we 
have. And if we can?t really put our fingers on what our skills may be, 
then Jesus invites to do a little dreaming. Imagine how Samuel felt 
about sneaking off while Saul was acting up. Imagine what was going on 
in Samuel?s mind as he inspected Jesse?s sons and wondered what on earth 
he was getting into. But he was told simply to make a choice, based on 
where he felt he was being led, and then to leave the rest up to God. 
The seed had to be planted. It might take a while to mature and to 
become something that was visible, but it WOULD grow, without a doubt in 
the world. We?re to join in this mystery, then.

The second thing that strikes me about the parables is that we?re called 
to accept and to use the obvious. Looking around, Jesus, on that day, 
began to talk about what he saw being flung around on the hillside. 
Sometimes not only do we think our gifts and skills are too 
insignificant, we think that Jesus couldn?t be interested in us, 
wouldn?t want to be bothered with the struggles and questions we face on 
a daily basis. We can be fairly skilled at belittling ourselves, 
possibly unintentionally, but not accepting what others may see and 
value in us ? thus we miss out on another opportunity to spread God?s 
message of love and compassion.

A member of a Christian Peacemaking Team in Hebron wrote about being 
there for school children and school staff as they have to get from one 
segregated area of town to another. Everyone going to the school has to 
pass through a dark tunnel with a metal turnstile guarded by Israeli 
soldiers.

The author wrote, ?It was heart wrenching to see the same teachers 
stopped and ID?ed every day by the same soldiers. One time I watched and 
documented, feeling helpless, as soldiers held a teacher. He was 
desperate to get to school and start his students? exam, but still they 
held him for nineteen minutes, knowing the longest they can legally hold 
him is twenty. It was as if they were trying to taunt him. Watching the 
soldiers hold the teacher for so long made me wonder, what good am I 
doing here? What am I doing here at all?

	?Upon his release the teacher answered these questions for me when he 
looked me in the eyes and said ?thank you.? I was reminded then that we 
are here so that people such as this teacher who have amazing dignity 
and strength and every day have to face the forces of the occupation are 
not alone and are not ignored. And we are here so that people near and 
far may open their minds, hearts and eyes, see what is happening here, 
share it with others, and pray that one day there will no longer be a 
soldier and a checkpoint to greet every child and teacher on their way 
to school.? 2

	There is nothing too small, nothing too plain, nothing we might think 
insignificant that cannot be the means to speak of love, the love of God 
for us, and the love of one human being for another.

We have to open our imaginations to the possibility of Jesus wanting to 
be present to us and to everyone else right where we are ? in our homes, 
in our offices, on our errands and visits, wherever we are.

	I came across a little writing the other day as I was thinking about 
where I might like to meet Jesus. It seemed to resonate with me 
particularly because the first sentence could talk to someone like me. 
This could be me, talking to Jesus, or it could be Jesus, talking to me. 
Either way, the writer said:

	I want to
discover your face
appearing over the
top of a pile of papers and
books threatening to
overwhelm the table and
topple on the floor; I
hope to have you offer to
help me mop the kitchen
floor; I?d like to share in
washing laundry at the
end of a long day, or put
our hands in sudsy water
where the dinner dishes call for
attention although we both
seem tired.
Although it?s nice, I
don?t expect your
clothes to be neatly pressed
every day. I won?t be alarmed to
find spinach
tucked neatly between your
teeth and gums and that you
wish to sit quietly rather than
converse when your
day has erupted in unplanned
directions. When I?m tired and
cancel anticipated small
pleasures and you smile your
understanding,
then I know you care and
will be there when those
earth-shaking events
threaten to disable my life.

	Jesus is a normal, every-day sort of a person for whom nothing will be 
beyond His interest. Nothing should ever persuade us otherwise.

	Oh, and that former Presbyterian pastor who talked of the Garden of our 
Minds? That was Fred Rogers ? Mr. Rogers to most people in this room, 
I?d bet!

	As Jesus said, in good Episcopal evangelese, ?Won?t you be my 
neighbor??

NOTES:

1              Mister Rogers Remixed: Gardens of your Mind 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM

2	?AL-KHALIL REFLECTION: Dignity in the face of humiliation? CPTnet: 8 
June, 2012. 
http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2012/06/08/al-khalil-reflection-dignity-face-humiliation 
To receive CPT's quarterly newsletter by email or in print, go to 
http://cpt.org/participate/subscribe



Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)



From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 17:56:00 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:56:00 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for June 17 based on Mark 4:26-34,
	"Investing in small things"
Message-ID: <8CF1A21F3D658B1-D3C-10C5@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/8xf99od is our sermon for June 17 based on Mark 4:26-34, "Investing in small things."
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/a763a4a6/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 18:55:28 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 18:55:28 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_June_17_basado_en_Ma?=
 =?utf-8?q?rcos_4=3A26-34=2C_=22Invertir_en_las_cosas_peque=C3=B1as=22?=
Message-ID: <8CF1A2A426FAE61-D3C-10FB@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/88vrpoj es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol para17 de junio basado en Marcos 4:26-34, "Invertir en las cosaspeque?as."
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de la Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/5b29318c/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 16 20:37:06 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:37:06 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 6B
In-Reply-To: <769edfd9-048f-4000-a884-364a9edd9104@m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>
References: <769edfd9-048f-4000-a884-364a9edd9104@m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1A38749AC3CA-D3C-114F@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>

Forwarded:
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 16, 2012 8:11 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 6B


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Our Father? or ?I Was Going to Ask
You the Same Thing? and deals the Gospel (Mark 4: 26- 34).  Here it
is:

Happy Fathers? Day!  This morning I?d like us to think about one of
the touchier questions we face as life problems begin to press upon
us; and as fathers (or mothers or mature friends)- they will.  We
heard Jesus promise that if only we had the faith of a grain of
mustard seed, we could make mountains move- or whatever.  Now maybe
we?re not interested in mountains moving, but maybe we are interested
in seeing positive change in a young man or lady or perhaps our own
father or mother or someone.  I KNOW we?re interested in stopping the
violence in Saginaw!  We pray, but it seems like nothing happens.  So
my question to you today is- so why aren?t our prayers answered?  How
come we pray for healing, but our cancer remains; we pray for the
deliverance of a son or daughter or husband or wife from addiction to
alcohol or gambling or abusive relationships and nothing seems to
happen; we pray for peace, instead we get violence; and on and on and
on.  But it?s not just us.  Paul prayed for deliverance from his
?thorn in the flesh?, but never got it.  Even Jesus prayed that ?this
cup pass from me? but he had to go through with crucifixion.  What?s
happening?  Sometimes we get what we pray for and sometimes we don?t.
Why?
	I don?t have any firm answers, but I?ve got thoughts that I?d like to
share with you this morning.  Obviously, many times our prayers are
answered just as we would choose.  Years ago, an amazing double- blind
(i.e. no one knows who is being prayed for, not doctor, not patient,
not family, no one) Harvard Medical School study with heart patients
show a measurable positive difference between those prayed for as
opposed to those not prayed for.  This study confirmed a smaller study
done ten years earlier by a San Francisco cardiologist and reported in
the Southern Medical Journal.  So sometimes our prayers get answered
with a wonderful ?YES!?  Sometimes, however, the answer seems to be
?no.?  What then?  Here are six possibilities for you to mull this
week:
	1.  If you are praying for a change of behavior in someone else, keep
going, be persistent.  However, keep in mind that God won?t force
himself on anyone, but God will allow life to present the need for
change in that person.  Even God, as the perfect parent, did not force
righteousness on his children Adam and Eve.
	2.  Is your problem a direct consequence of past behavior?  God
seldom removes the consequences of sin, but he does walk with us
through those consequences, giving us the power to overcome.  In fact,
what started out as a negative often turns out to be a blessing to
ourselves or someone else.  King David?s adultery with Bathsheba
resulted in the death of their infant, but the gift of Solomon as
king.
	3.  Maybe you are suffering because of someone else?s sin.  Dr,
Martin Luther King, Jr. expanded the theology of the power of
redemptive suffering- it was the backbone of the civil rights
movement.  It works when we love our enemies and pray for those who
misuse us.  Furthermore, their evil doesn?t infect us with bitterness
and bring us down to their level.  Example: what could be more evil
than crucifying the Son of God on a garbage dump, yet that evil
redeemed the whole creation.
	4.  Perhaps you are doing something to block God?s action or not
doing something that needs to be done.  If you pray and nothing
happens, check out your behavior.  Are you poisoning your spiritual
life with the bitterness of refusing to forgive an enemy?  (?Forgive
us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us.?-
remember Jesus? parable of the unforgiving servant in the Gospel of
Matthew.)  I heard a fictional story from one of my internet
colleagues about a man we shall call Jim.  Jim had a serious problem-
he had lost his job and was broke.  In fact, he was about to lose
everything he owned.  Being a faithful Christian, he knew just what
he?d do- he prayed fervently that he would win the lottery.  The next
day when the winners were announced- nothing.  He prayed harder-
?Please God, let me win the lottery!?  The next day he listened again-
nothing.  Once more he prayed, this time reminding God that he had
promised to answer all prayers, but to no avail.  Kneeling at his
bedside, he pounded his hands in his pillow, when he heard a mighty
clap of thunder and a voice- ?Jim, Jim, how about meeting me half way
on this.  Buy a lottery ticket!?  In other words, do your part.
	5.  This world isn?t a vacation spot; it?s a training ground.  (Where
do the Detroit Lions train?  Like that.)  God?s intention isn?t to
make us happy, but to make us strong.  Would you really want your
child to grow up in a world with no pain or discomfort?  What kind of
human would this produce?  How would your child ever develop
compassion, endurance, spiritual power, prayer power?  Helen Keller
was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She
earned it at Radcliff and then went on to be a well-known author and
speaker.  She once said: ?We could never learn to be brave and
patient, if there were only joy in the world.?  That has a real
probability of being true.
	6.  Here?s my last possibility.  Do you remember reading in ?Forward
Day by Day? a while ago of the writer who had heard of a terrible
disaster?  I don?t remember what it was, but perhaps it was a tragic
famine with pictures of dying children with swollen bellies looking at
the TV camera every time you turned on the news- anyway it was that
kind of thing.  He asked God why God allowed such atrocities, and he
felt the answer came back loud and clear: ?I was wondering the same
thing about you!?  Perhaps our prayer isn?t being answered because
someone else isn?t being faithful to their ministry, or more to the
point, perhaps someone else?s prayer isn?t being answered because we
aren?t being faithful to our ministry.  Cancer is a terrible curse on
humankind, but perhaps the person who was intended to lead the team of
scientists as they developed the cure is flipping burgers or bussing
tables somewhere because we didn?t put enough time, energy, and money
in his or her education.  We plead for a cure for AIDS, but maybe the
person designed for that ministry is doing time in prison because the
church down the street didn?t reach out and touch.  I?d like to close
by passing on a story that changed my life- that reminded me of the
importance of keeping the faith in the hard times, because God may be
counting on us to be the answer to someone else?s prayer.
	Bishop Quintin Primo (now in heaven with his Lord) told this story on
himself many years ago in the basement of Grace Episcopal Church,
Detroit.  As you recall, Bishop Primo was the first African-American
suffragan bishop of Chicago.  He told of the day he had so much to do
that he wondered how it would ever all happen.  He and his wife were
getting ready to go on vacation, and you know how long it takes to get
all those loose ends wrapped up so you can get away.  As you would
guess, the phone rang.  On the other end was the distraught voice of
one of his newer priests.  The young man said that his wife had just
been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas.  She was
extremely upset and was asking for Bishop Primo- would he please make
a pastoral call as soon as possible.  Bishop Primo told his secretary
what had happened and started on what would be a very long day.  The
hospital was a good distance away in one of the very distant, very
white suburbs- remember, this was a good while ago.  He missed the
freeway exit, had to double back through all the traffic.  To make
matters worse, the rain that had been forecast turned to slippery
sleet.  When he finally found the hospital and drove up to the parking
lot, the attendant told him it was full.  When asked about clergy
parking, he was told there wasn?t any.  Bishop Primo said he thought
that was strange, because this was a Roman Catholic hospital, and such
hospitals always provide clergy parking.  He ended up parking a few
blocks away and walking through the slush.  In response to his inquiry
about the young woman, the receptionist looked him over and stared in
disbelief that he wanted to make a pastoral call.  She told him that
this particular patient was in intensive care, so he would have to get
permission from the chaplain.  Bishop Primo?s next stop (as he sloshed
along with his wet socks and cold feet) was to the chaplain?s office
where he waited and waited and waited.  When the chaplain finally
appeared, he was embarrassed by the receptionist?s rudeness and
wondered out loud why he hadn?t been paged.  ?You did find the clergy
parking spots, didn?t you?? he asked- trying to make positive
conversation.  Obviously, Bishop Primo had permission for his pastoral
call, so he started on to find the intensive care unit.  This was an
unfamiliar hospital with many additions, twists, and turns, but no one
would help him find his way.  He finally spotted a cleaning lady, who
directed him to the intensive care unit.  Bishop Primo said that the
whole experience was finally beginning to get to him.  He said that he
thought to himself: ?She probably really doesn?t want to see me.  That
was most certainly just a courtesy call.  I am going where I am not
welcome, not wanted, and I am going to look like a fool.?  At that
moment, he saw the door to the intensive care unit.  He rang the
buzzer and the head nurse came to the door.  When he explained that he
was the suffragan bishop of Chicago and was making a pastoral call,
she responded, ?Oh no- you can?t see her!?  But Bishop Primo had
spotted the room number.  He walked right past her and entered the
room.  On the bed lay a very pale, very thin, very blond young lady
with tear streaks going down her cheeks.  She heard the sound of his
entrance, looked up, smiled, raised her hands to him as a child would
to a parent, and said, ?Oh Bishop Primo, I knew you?d come.  God
answers prayer.?  And Bishop Primo thought, ?What if....what if I
hadn?t come??
	So now you know the story too.  I hope you remember it when a
neighbor knocks at your door (or the door of your heart) at an
inconvenient time, because when you ask God why he allows such
terrible things in his creation, you really don?t want God answering,
?I was going to ask you the same question.?  Think about it.

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120616/02a71ae1/attachment-0001.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 17 13:10:02 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:10:02 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 7
Message-ID: <027A80F56BB442D6BEAB3B4256B59152@BobPC>

Collect for Proper 7:

Let us pray:

God of storm and sea,

when we though you

asleep in the stern,

you cracked an eye 

to say to our fear

"Be still, quiet."

May we in turn calm

the fears of each other

through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God for ever and ever.  Amen



For reflection on Proper 7 go to > http://preachingtip.com/preachng-tip-of-the-week/ 



Bob Eldan

Lander, Wyoming

USA
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120617/c9183b25/attachment-0001.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 17 13:19:20 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:19:20 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 7
Message-ID: <EFEF0CF2C8464E6BA5DCE1B694616577@BobPC>

Sorry, previous post bad link.

Collect for Proper 7:

Let us pray:

God of storm and sea,

when we though you

asleep in the stern,

you cracked an eye 

to say to our fear

"Be still, quiet."

May we in turn calm

the fears of each other

through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God for ever and ever. Amen

For reflection on Proper 7 go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 




Bob Eldan

Lander, Wyoming

USA
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120617/69da28e4/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 07:52:45 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:52:45 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1C292CC8FD40-17B8-1779@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


Sermons for Proper 7 
Mark 4:35-41 - "Calming of the Tempest"
Mark 4:35-41 - "Stand by Me" by Leonard Sweet
 


 
_________________________________________
 
Mark 4, the sermon title "Calming of the Tempest"  
 
Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called "Ninety-Three." It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship's cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the cannon was greater than the fury of the storm.

That is like human life. Storms of life may blow about us, but it is not these exterior storms that pose the gravest danger. It is the terrible corruption that can exist within us which can overwhelm us. The furious storm outside may be overwhelming but what is going on inside can pose the greater threat to our lives. Our only hope lies in conquering that wild enemy?


1. Storms Come Suddenly.
2. Storms Can Make You Lose Direction.
3. Our Fear of the Storm Has the Power to Paralyze.
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup
  


_______________________
 
The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com. Sign up today at: http://www.sermons.com/signup Or call: 1-800-777-7731.
 
Members: Mark 4 the sermon titled ?Stand by Me" by Leonard Sweet   
 
As summer heats up it is important to always bring a sweater with you. 
 
Huh?! (Yes, I know a sweater is something your mother puts on you when she is cold!) 
 
Likewise if you head to Minnesota in mid-winter you would be wise to bring something lightweight and with short sleeves. 
 
Crazy?! 
 
These seemingly illogical suggestion are actually good ideas. Why? Because our culture is addicted to ?climate control.? Air conditioning and central heating make it possible for us to create any kind of climate, any sort of indoor ?weather,? we want. Since we still cannot control what kind of weather we encounter outside, in the real world, we over-compensate in our encapsulated climates ? our homes, shopping malls, restaurants, office buildings, airplanes?
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup
  


 
________________________
 
Unanswered Prayer
 
To someone like me, who was rescued from drowning in wind and wave, the imagery is very powerful without even descending to a symbolic level. I can recall being physically tossed about by powerful waves and buffeted by the cold wind; I know what it is like to be sinking in the sea for what seems to be the very last time, although in my case I didn?t have the benefit of a boat to slow my demise. I understand with absolute clarity how the disciples must have felt as disaster overtook them while their Master slept. 

I lived out this Bible story on March 12, 1967 in a very literal way. 

Since then, I have had several occasions to live it out in a metaphorical way, and I am ashamed that I still haven?t learned my lesson despite all these years. 

You know what I am talking about: there are times in your life when you know a great upheaval is coming. The wind rises ominously and the clouds don?t look right. People suddenly start doing and saying strange things and you know something is afoot. Relatives fall prey to strange persuasions; your health might even fail. The news on television starts sounding Biblical, and there are rumors the like of which you haven?t heard before. Your life is tossed upon the waves like a small ship on an angry sea. Panic sets in as you decide that the end of something is near; if not your family, if not your finances, if not your career, then maybe the whole world! 

?Master, Master,? you cry to God, ?Don?t you even care that I am perishing?? 

And you sit in your quiet room and stare at the ceiling, as if all your prayers never got past that point, and the silence from heaven is deafening. At most points in your life, if you heard an audible voice in answer to your prayer, you?d smile and look for the person who?s playing a joke on you. Or perhaps you?d search the yellow pages for a good psychiatrist who specializes in auditory hallucinations; but today in your distress there is a part of you that demands to hear what you?ve never heard, to see what you?ve never seen, because you are scared to your innermost being and you need comfort and rescue, and you need it now. 

How impudent of God not to answer. Doesn?t He know what you?re going through? 

Kenneth W. Collins, 'Unanswered' Prayer? 
______________________

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/8db498a8/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 07:53:59 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:53:59 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <534bd94ca9a2e33c32bcf2b6c801904a@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1C2958E23EC8-17B8-177F@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>



Fearful Times

When I was a kid, I was terrified of spiders. Even Daddy Long Legs, which I now understand are not, technically, spiders but have a very spiderly look about them, scared me to death. Once, almost literally, when one leapt out of a half bushel of peaches we had just bought by a road side stand, I leapt out of the car into the road. Fear can do that.
 
My sisters and brother didn't help. They enjoyed picking Daddy Long Legs up by a long leg and chasing me around the yard!
 
Since then, my fears have grown up a little. Now I fear things that really can hurt me like the national debt and global warming. Yesterday, the headlines named another fear, terrorists, this time, U.S. citizens, independent, guided by some 5,000 do-it-yourself terrorist self-help websites.
 
On top of these overwhelming world fears, each of us carries personal fears - a deadline, a pink slip, a visa bill, a doctor's appointment. We all have spiders ? some fear that gets us in the gut.
 
These are fearful times, but then ? they always have been. You would think, if ever there were a time and people who would be fearless it would be the disciples, walking and living in the very presence of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, Light of the World, 2000 years ago. But as Mark tells it, they could panic right along with the best of us.

Heather Entrekin, When We Are Afraid
___________________________

Listen for the Questions
 
The Scriptures include a significant number of life-and-death questions about meaning, purpose and value in life. Consider some of the questions posed by Scripture:

What will it profit us if we gain the whole world but forfeit our life? (Matthew 16:26)
Who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:15)
What are you looking for? (John 1:38)
Who is my neighbor? (Like 10:29)
What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17)
Who can separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:35)
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? (Mark 10:38)
Which commandment is the first of all? (Mark 12:28)
Where can I go from your Spirit? (Psalm 139:7).
What is this new teaching, with authority? (Mark 1:27)
Who is this about whom I hear such things? (Luke 9:9)
What is truth? (John 18:38)

And this morning?s Gospel lesson ends with the question, ?Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?? (Mark 4:41). Who is this Jesus, the one who speaks with a new level of authority, the one who is able to bring calm into the storms of life, the one who comes among us as prince of peace, suffering servant, fount of compassion and grace?

Joel D. Kline, Listen for the Questions
______________________________________

Humor: Sucked In, Washed Up, Blown Over

Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
 
The problems began when Chippie?s owner decided to clean Chippie?s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
 
The bird?s owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum cleaner, and opened the bag. There was Chippie - still alive, but stunned.
 
Since the bird was covered with dust, hair and all the stuff you find in a dust bag, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
 
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
 
A few days after the trauma, a friend who had heard about Chippie?s troubles contacted his owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore - he just sits and stares."
 
Who can blame him? Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
 
Things happen in our lives that come along unexpectedly and we end up feeling a bit like Chippie - sucked in, washed up, and blown over ? the song stolen from the stoutest of hearts.
 
I reckon there are very few here this morning who couldn?t stand up and give testimony to some aspect of their lives where they feel a bit like the disciples in that boat -  afraid, vulnerable, a decidedly sinking feeling! You know what it?s like to feel as though you are in the middle of a storm, tossed this way and that, and you wonder how you?re ever going to get to calmer waters.

Vince Gerhardy, Calm in a Storm
_____________________________________

Hard Work Is Required

Somewhere in my past, it was pointed out to me that having the wind stop is disastrous for sail boats. It means that the sailors have to do hard, manual labor to move the boat to where it is going. Even the presence of Christ and his great miracles may still mean a lot of hard work on our part to get where Christ wants us to go. If Jesus wanted the disciples on the other side of the lake, why not just "beam them over," rather than have them go through a storm and then to row the boat to shore?

While we may pray that Jesus would work miracles in our lives and in our world and in our neighborhoods, the miracles that come probably won't let us off the hook from doing some of the hard work required to do what Jesus has called us to do.

Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes
____________________________________



Courage in the Midst of Fear

I have several books on the shelves in my office that have stories of genuine heroes in them. These are people who have performed remarkable acts of courage. I find their stories thrilling. I also find them a little unsettling. How do people do those things? In a real crisis, what is to keep me from running in the other direction? The stories I like best are the ones that talk about courage in the midst of fear. Those are people I can really admire ... people who are scared to death and still do what needs to be done.

One such person was Marshall Ney, a captain in Napoleon's army. Napoleon often referred to Marshall Ney as the bravest man he had ever known. Yet, the captain's knees trembled so badly one morning before a battle that he had trouble getting on his horse. When he was finally in the saddle, he looked at his knees and said with disgust, "Shake away, knees. You would shake worse than that if you knew where I am going to take you." Now that's a man I can really like!

Kristin Borsgard Wee, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Do You Love Me?,  CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
_____________________________
 
The Four Chaplains
 
On a cold February 4, 1943, the American ship, the Dorchester, was carrying several hundred soldiers off the coast of Greenland. Suddenly, an enemy torpedo ripped into its hull. Within minutes the ship would go under. Amid the panic and confusion, four chaplains, Alex Good, Jewish; John Washington, Catholic; Clark Poling and George Fox, Protestants, stood together with their life belts on. Many of the soldiers had none. Without lifeboats, their chances for survival were nil. Quickly, the chaplains took off their belts and gave them to four men. As the ship sank, the chaplains, with hands firmly clasped, prayed the Lord's prayer. The chaplains gave their lives for the others, because One other had first stood in for them. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12) That's a tall order. Well, not so unreal, considering his love stand staller than life itself.

James Weekley, Tilted Haloes, CSS Publishing Company 
_______________________
 
Why Not You? 

A ministerial colleague tells of a conversation he had one day with a female medical assistant in a doctor's office, as he was waiting to see the doctor. The woman recognized him because she had occasionally attended his church, though she was a member of another church. "I want to tell you about my experience," she said. "I got saved in the Assemblies of God Church ... I gave my life to God ... and guess what? ... Life tumbled in! I developed a heart problem. My husband lost his executive job ... and he recently died of cancer." The minister says he tried to mumble a few theological sounding explanatory words about God's mysterious ways, thinking that was what the woman wanted. But she went right on with her story, indicating that she had repeatedly asked God, "Why me?" "And what do you think God told me?" she continued. "'Why not you?' That's what God said. 'Why should you be spared all the crises of life that everyone else must  gothrough?'" Then she wound up her story saying, "One day I said to God, 'Lord, you've forgiven me. Now I forgive you.'"

There is a woman who, from my point of view, has a healthy faith. Her faith is not a series of propositions, it is a relationship, and as in all relationships, it is one that changes and can tolerate challenges. It is vital because it is honest.

David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company 
_____________________________

Porcupines

Pastor John Ortberg has a delight discussion on porcupines in his book, Everybody?s Normal Until You Get to Know Them. Porcupines are members of the rodent family, says Ortberg. They have around 30,000 quills attached to their bodies. Each quill can be driven into an enemy, and the enemy?s body heat will cause the microscopic barb to expand and become more firmly embedded. The wounds can fester; the more dangerous ones, affecting vital organs, can be fatal.

The porcupine is not generally regarded as a lovable animal, Ortberg continues. Books and movies celebrate almost every other conceivable ani?mal. Dogs, cats, horses, pigs like Babe or Arnold Ziffel in the old TV show Green Acres, spiders as in Charlotte?s Web, dolphins like Flipper, bears like Gentle Ben, and killer whales as in Free Willy. Even skunks have Pepe Le Pew. There are no famous porcupines.

?As a general rule, porcupines have two methods for handling rela?tionships: withdrawal and attack?
 
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.
 



 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/e9e65d19/attachment-0001.htm>

From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 09:28:56 2012
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:28:56 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  June 24 (Proper 7B) Mark 4:35-41
Message-ID: <F44A82B31C044A62BBE2330F1492A78D@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for June 24 (Proper 7B). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Mark 4:35-41, the story of Jesus stilling the storm at
sea.

To access those files, you MUST use the following links. If clicking on the
link fails to work, copy the link and paste it in the address window near
the top of your browser. Then hit the ENTER key or click GO.


MARK 4:35-41

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-24sr/Mark.4.35-41.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rKWLFkSSrgekvPuac3rBw0NBlK4zGj2YYwkDnRqdQUTy
H_a5BZ-9J9WuiKaURhWQhvRYOp1rcI5bn5Y7OBIR005weCusRi1yAnVpRReMdg0C__zPo6Rw24Ic
Y3zXueA2vvX1YoFj0YzubRtmdGflzeU58qvNixtG> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/06-24sr/Mark.4.35-41.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rKWLFkSSrgcL551oMtqQQosSEx0junYhzy-oVzMLnQ6N
Yq-VeqKjykitfO604OGo_EsgIrUbfOT598A0ttGZCTN9nTH2qHc24yz_lf7v2ji978zNkPRvWS_3
YVtodVON5_HB_jFlCqSqUVMlb7oRsiGiUNG622O1>  


A TIP: If you want the Word file, LEFT-CLICK on the link and see what
happens. That should bring up a dialog box that asks if you want to open the
file or save it. Choose OPEN. Then save it wherever you like on your hard
drive. 

 
 If that doesn't work, RIGHT-CLICK on the link. You should get a sub-menu.
Hopefully, "Save Target As" will be one of the options. Click on that. Then
save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.  
 

  

http://www.lectionary.org/
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rKWLFkSSrgf8SY8i7pZrrXPFIeDVthNkg1pVro1A-pyt
nypbPobznmRMSuQlwgqna8IHlVpq3k6EKt3oMCtOJkYzyN2g5AVNG04tTyJuc2SYbphmJ6ESEg==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/f7384894/attachment-0001.htm>

From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Tue Jun 19 10:50:33 2012
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:50:33 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2
Message-ID: <42d18f67.36df30.13805393ccd.Webtop.46@charter.net>


Thanks, Joe,

There are some good lines here.

I'm not preaching this week, our Deacon is. And we're celebrating our 
patronal festival so are using the propers for St Alban's Day. Then we 
have a picnic afterwards.

We're using a liturgy shared with me by the Canon Liturgist of the 
Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban in St Albans, Britain, so we have 
a good time and have to be on our toes as things happen in slightly 
different sequences!! 8 - )

Bob


Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/79748661/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 19 22:28:43 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:28:43 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <42d18f67.36df30.13805393ccd.Webtop.46@charter.net>
References: <42d18f67.36df30.13805393ccd.Webtop.46@charter.net>
Message-ID: <8CF1CA38B6F8C14-17B8-23EC@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

Hi Bob,
We're 306 years old on Sunday, and our patron is St. John Baptist, so we plan to celebrate his birth, and propers, then.
And, alas, I shall, with the help of the Holy Spirit, preach, in English with Spanish interwoven, yea a sound to behold(!)

We send our friends at St. Alban very happy anniversary wishes, both in Oregon and beyond!

 

 Thanks!
Peace and blessings,
Joe


 

-----Original Message-----
From: robertpmorrison <robertpmorrison at charter.net>
To: Propertalk <propertalk at stsams.org>
Sent: Tue, Jun 19, 2012 11:03 am
Subject: Re: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for June 24 - Part 2


Thanks, Joe,


There are some good lines here.


I'm not preaching this week, our Deacon is. And we're celebrating our patronal festival so are using the propers for St Alban's Day. Then we have a picnic afterwards.


We're using a liturgy shared with me by the Canon Liturgist of the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban in St Albans, Britain, so we have a good time and have to be on our toes as things happen in slightly different sequences!! 8 - )



Bob




Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell) 
 
_______________________________________________
Propertalk mailing list
Propertalk at stsams.org
http://mail.stsams.org/mailman/listinfo/propertalk_stsams.org

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120619/befe6c07/attachment-0001.htm>

From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Thu Jun 21 10:05:11 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 10:05:11 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the FOURTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <DC03983E52AF4624B8A743EC3EBE4627@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, June 24, (Proper 7, ECUSA; Proper 12, RCL & Roman Catholic) according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of England (Common Worship), and Canadian (BAS) Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, Canada and England are identical to the RCL this Sunday.



OLD TESTAMENT:  1 Samuel 17: (1a, 4 - 11, 19 - 23) 32 - 49   (RCL)

1Sam 17:1 (NRSV) Now the Philis'tines gathered their armies for battle; 

4 And there came out from the camp of the Philis'tines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philis'tine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philis'tine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philis'tine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 

19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of E'lah, fighting with the Philis'tines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philis'tines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philis'tine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philis'tines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 

 32 David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philis'tine." 33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philis'tine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philis'tine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 David said, "The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philis'tine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you!" 
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philis'tine. 
41 The Philis'tine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philis'tine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philis'tine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philis'tine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philis'tine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." 45 But David said to the Philis'tine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philis'tine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hand." 
48 When the Philis'tine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philis'tine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philis'tine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. 


Job 38: 1 - 11   (alt. for RCL but not Can. BAS)
Job 38: 1, 8 - 11   (Roman Catholic)

Job  38:1 (NRSV) Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: 
2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 
3 Gird up your loins like a man, 
I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? 
Tell me, if you have understanding. 
5 Who determined its measurements--surely you know! 
Or who stretched the line upon it? 
6 On what were its bases sunk, 
or who laid its cornerstone 
7 when the morning stars sang together 
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? 
8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors 
when it burst out from the womb?-- 
9 when I made the clouds its garment, 
and thick darkness its swaddling band, 
10 and prescribed bounds for it, 
and set bars and doors, 
11 and said, "Thus far shall you come, and no farther, 
and here shall your proud waves be stopped'? 

16 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea, 
or walked in the recesses of the deep? 
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, 
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? 
Declare, if you know all this. 


1 Samuel 17: 57 - 18: 5, 10 - 16   (alt. for RCL)

1Sam 17:57 (NRSV) On David's return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite." 
18:1 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved. 
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; 11 and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. 14 David had success in all his undertakings; for the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them. 


PSALM 9: 9 - 20   (RCL - goes with the Goliath reading)

Psal 9:9 (NRSV) The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, 
a stronghold in times of trouble. 
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, 
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. 
Declare his deeds among the peoples. 
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; 
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD. 
See what I suffer from those who hate me; 
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death, 
14 so that I may recount all your praises, 
and, in the gates of daughter Zion, 
rejoice in your deliverance. 
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; 
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught. 
16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; 
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. [Higgai'on. Se'lah] 
17 The wicked shall depart to She'ol, 
all the nations that forget God. 
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, 
nor the hope of the poor perish forever. 
19 Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; 
let the nations be judged before you. 
20 Put them in fear, O LORD; 
let the nations know that they are only human. [Se'lah] 


9   Confitebor tibi     (ECUSA BCP)
 
9   The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, *
  a refuge in time of trouble.
 
10   Those who know your Name will put their trust in you, *
  for you never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.
 
11   Sing praise to the Lord who dwells in Zion; *
  proclaim to the peoples the things he has done.
 
12   The Avenger of blood will remember them; *
  he will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
 

13   Have pity on me, O Lord; *
  see the misery I suffer from those who hate me,
  O you who lift me up from the gate of death;
 
14   So that I may tell of all your praises
and rejoice in your salvation *
  in the gates of the city of Zion.
 
15   The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug, *
  and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.
 
16   The Lord is known by his acts of justice; *
  the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.
 
17   The wicked shall be given over to the grave, *
  and also all the people that forget God.
 
18   For the needy shall not always be forgotten, *
  and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.
 
19   Rise up, O Lord, let not the ungodly have the upper hand; *
  let them be judged before you.
 
20   Put fear upon them, O Lord; *
  let the ungodly know they are but mortal.


Psalm 133   (alt. for ECUSA - goes with the Saul / David reading)

Psal 133:1 (NRSV) How very good and pleasant it is 
when kindred live together in unity! 
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, 
running down upon the beard, 
on the beard of Aaron, 
running down over the collar of his robes. 
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, 
which falls on the mountains of Zion. 
For there the LORD ordained his blessing, 
life forevermore. 


133   Ecce, quam bonum!     (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *
  when brethren live together in unity!
 
2   It is like fine oil upon the head *
  that runs down upon the beard,
 
3   Upon the beard of Aaron, *
  and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
 
4   It is like the dew of Hermon *
  that falls upon the hills of Zion.
 
5   For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: *
  life for evermore.


Psalm 107: 23 - 26, 28 - 31   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 107: 1 - 3, 23 - 32   (alt. for RCL - goes with Job reading)

Psal 107:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 
for his steadfast love endures forever. 
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, 
those he redeemed from trouble 
3 and gathered in from the lands, 
from the east and from the west, 
from the north and from the south. 

23 Some went down to the sea in ships, 
doing business on the mighty waters; 
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, 
his wondrous works in the deep. 
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, 
which lifted up the waves of the sea. 
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; 
their courage melted away in their calamity; 
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, 
and were at their wits' end. 
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, 
and he brought them out from their distress; 
29 he made the storm be still, 
and the waves of the sea were hushed. 
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, 
and he brought them to their desired haven. 
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, 
for his wonderful works to humankind. 
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, 
and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 


107    (ECUSA BCP)
 
1   Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *
  and his mercy endures for ever.
 
2   Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim *
  that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
 
3   He gathered them out of the lands; *
  from the east and from the west,
  from the north and from the south.

23   Some went down to the sea in ships *
  and plied their trade in deep waters;
 
24   They beheld the works of the Lord *
  and his wonders in the deep.
 
25   Then he spoke, and a stormy wind arose, *
  which tossed high the waves of the sea.
 
26   They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths; *
  their hearts melted because of their peril.
 
27   They reeled and staggered like drunkards *
  and were at their wits? end.
 
28   Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *
  and he delivered them from their distress.
 
29   He stilled the storm to a whisper *
  and quieted the waves of the sea.
 
30   Then were they glad because of the calm, *
  and he brought them to the harbor they were bound for.
 
31   Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *
  and the wonders he does for his children.
 
32   Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people *
  and praise him in the council of the elders.


NEW TESTAMENT:   2 Corinthians 6: 1 - 13   (RCL)

2 Cor 6:1 (NRSV) As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, 
"At an acceptable time I have listened to you, 
and on a day of salvation I have helped you." 
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see--we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 
11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return--I speak as to children--open wide your hearts also. 


2 Corinthians 5: 14 - 17   (Roman Catholic)

2Cor 5:14 (NRSV) For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 


GOSPEL:   Mark 4: 35 - 41   (all)

Mark 4:35 (NRSV) On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120621/75ffff21/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun 22 20:51:49 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 20:51:49 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_the_Nativity_of_St=2E_John_the_?=
 =?utf-8?q?Baptist=2C_our_church=E2=80=99s_patron=2C_for_Sunday=2C_June_24?=
 =?utf-8?q?=2C_=E2=80=9CWill_someone_turn_on_the_lights=3F=E2=80=9D?=
Message-ID: <8CF1EF18192665F-80C-2205@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/8558rbu is our sermon for the Nativity of St.John the Baptist, our church?s patron, for Sunday, June 24, ?Will someone turnon the lights?? based on Luke 1:57-80.
Our parish is celebratingits 306th anniversary.  Please pray forus.
Thanks!
Peace andblessings,
Joe
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ

    
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120622/0ba24b70/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Jun 22 21:23:55 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 21:23:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Spanish_sermon_for_the_Nativity_of_St=2E_J?=
 =?utf-8?q?ohn_the_Baptist_patrono_de_nuestra_iglesia=2C_para_24_de_junio?=
 =?utf-8?b?LCAiwr9BbGd1aWVuIGVuY2llbmRlIGxhcyBsdWNlcz8i?=
Message-ID: <8CF1EF5FD8017D2-FE4-1DDC@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/7wl9r6o es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol para la Natividad de San Juan Bautista, patrono de nuestra iglesia,para el domingo, 24 de junio, "?Alguien enciende las luces?"basado en Lucas 1:57-80.
Nuestraparroquia est? celebrando su aniversario 306.  Por favor, oren por nosotros.
Gracias!
Pazy bendiciones,
Joe
SanJuan dela Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth,NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120622/f87c82f1/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 23 20:14:10 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2012 20:14:10 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 7B
In-Reply-To: <9a7cb209-8ebe-4fbb-ab59-cbbe05dd11da@g5g2000yqg.googlegroups.com>
References: <9a7cb209-8ebe-4fbb-ab59-cbbe05dd11da@g5g2000yqg.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF1FB569D52E8C-FE4-25B6@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 23, 2012 7:15 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 7B


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?David and Goliath? or ?What Storm??
or ?Be All that You Can Be!? and deals the the Old Testament Lesson
(1st Samuel 17:32-39) and the Gospel (Mark 4: 35- 41).  Here it is:

Today we heard two of my very favorite Bible stories: ?David and
Goliath? and ?Jesus Calms the Storm?.  Both of these episodes- one in
the life of Mighty King David and one in the life of Mighty King
Jesus.  Let me ask you a question- Do you have any storms, any
Goliaths, any evil giants in your life?  Paul did.  His very precious
Christian sisters and brothers in Corinth were telling disrespectful
lies about him.  Have you ever had people you love and trust lie about
you or stop respecting you?  That?s a storm. That?s a giant.  Then
there?s the psalmist talking about how wonderful it is when kinfolk
live in peace.  We know that doesn?t always happen.  Have you ever had
discord, hatred in your own family- relationships, even marriages
falling apart?  That?s a storm.  That?s a giant.  Other possible
storms: financial troubles, kid troubles, job troubles, education
troubles, housing troubles, chronic illness troubles, addictions, car
troubles, self-doubt, fear, panic-attacks.  We just finished listing a
few of the possible personal troubles.  What about trouble on a larger
scale- terrorists, gang violence, racism, sexism, ageism, global
warming.  If you will open your mind to God?s word this morning, these
two stories contain gems of wisdom for dealing with storms, giants,
evil.

FIRST GEM: DON?T PANIC.  GOD IS IN CHARGE.  What was Jesus doing while
the disciples were panicking as they tried to ride out the storm?
Sure, he was asleep.  When they woke him up, you could almost hear him
say, ?What storm??  What kind of attitude did little David have as he
faced the huge Goliath?  Look at 1st Samuel 17: 47: ?The LORD doesn't
need swords or spears to save his people. The LORD always wins his
battles.?  The prophet Zechariah reminds us (4:6b): ??Not by might,
nor by power, but by my Spirit,? says the Lord.?  God is in charge,
but there?s one problem with this truth.  Remember how we pray ?Your
Kingdom come? in the Lord?s prayer.  Just be sure you?re on God?s
side, and you haven?t tried to make God be on your side.  God will
win- so if your life isn?t working out as you wish, check it out.  Are
you living God?s way or are you making excuses why your way is best.
Be sure the giants in your life aren?t being used by God to get you to
change your ways.  Be sure they aren?t the natural consequences of
your actions.  Once you?re sure that you?re on God?s side, take Jesus?
example and relax, sleep even through the storm.  Give your worries
(even the gigantic ones) to God.  There?s no point in both of you
being up all night, and God?s going to be up anyway.

SECOND GEM: BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE.  DON?T TRY TO BE SOMEBODY ELSE.
When King Saul tried to get David to wear his armor and use his
weapons, David was wise enough to use the tools HE was comfortable
with- his slingshot and five smooth stones.  Don?t try to be someone
else.  Be yourself.  Claim your own history, your own spiritual
gifts.  Wishing forever won?t make you richer or poorer, fatter or
thinner, darker or lighter, older or younger.  Wishing won?t change
who your parents are or how they treated you.  Wishing won?t change
how some people treat you or undo the mistakes you?ve made in the
past.  Use the tools you have so you and God can overcome those giants
you face.  Those parts of your life that simply ?grind? you- they can
destroy you or they can become part of your own unique spiritual and
personal power.  When a small grain of sand gets inside an oyster
shell, the oyster has two choices.  He can simply decide life is no
longer worth living, or else he can do the best he can with what he
has.  As time passes, the oyster?s body encases the irritant with
layer after layer of a smooth coating, so the oyster can continue
functioning.  What?s the result?  What started as a problem has become
a pearl.  Sometimes God heals the negatives in our lives, as Jesus
calmed the storm.  Other times, he uses the negatives to produce
pearls to enrich our lives and those of others.  If good Christians
had never faced awful problems and made huge mistakes in their lives,
who could God use to help other people in similar difficulties?  The
apostle Paul asked God three times to heal him from an infirmity.
God?s answer: ?My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.?  Accept who you are, improve what you can and
give God the rest to use to help others.

THIRD GEM: DON?T JUST SIT THERE!  THINK AND ACT OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Isn?t that what David did when he agreed to fight the giant?
Goliath?s statement was correct- whoever heard of a boy with a
slingshot being sent to fight a man who has the latest weapons?
Wishing won?t make it so- only prayer and action will change our lives
and the lives of those we love.  What?s your most powerful weapon?
Holy Communion.  The Christians in the Book of Acts received Holy
Communion at least once a week- every Sunday.  Are we better, more
spiritually mature than they are?  Use the power of your Holy
Communion to start the changes you want to make in your life.  Use the
power of your Holy Communion to face those giants down and ride out
whatever storm the devil puts in your path.  So what is it that God
wants you to do?  What changes in your life need to be made?  What do
you need to give up, start up, strengthen up?  I?m going to close with
a story by Bruce Thielemann (?Tide Riding?) that shows how Satan
thinks outside the box, so we must also.  ?Once Satan called to him
all the emissaries of hell and said he wanted to send one of them to
earth to aid women and men in the ruination of their souls. He asked
which one would want to go. One creature came forward and said, ?I
will go.?  Satan said, ?If I send you, what will you tell the children
of Earth??  The creature said, ?I will tell them that there is no
heaven.? Satan said, ?They will not believe you, for there is a bit of
heaven in every human heart.  In the end everyone knows that right and
good must have the victory. You may not go.?

Then another came forward, meaner and more foul than the first.  Satan
said, ?If I send you, what will you tell the children of Earth?? She
said, ?I will tell them there is no hell.?  Satan looked at her and
said, ?Oh, no; they will not believe you, for in every human heart
there's a thing called conscience, an inner voice which testifies to
the truth that not only will good be triumphant, but that evil will be
defeated. You may not go.?

Then one last creature came forward, this one from the pit of hell
itself.  Satan said to him, ?And if I send you, what will you say to
women and men to aid them in the destruction of their souls?? ?That?s
easy!? he said. ?I will tell them there is no hurry.?  Satan said,
?Go!??

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120623/f09476d4/attachment-0001.htm>

From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Jun 24 14:35:56 2012
From: eldan at bresnan.net (bob eldan)
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 12:35:56 -0600
Subject: [Propertalk] Proper 8
Message-ID: <web-39595754@be-2.cluster1.bresnan.net>

Collect for Proper 8, July 1

Let us pray:

Mirthful God,
you laugh together with us
when joy brings tears to our eyes.
The dreadful mourners
laughed at Jesus in their pessimism.
May we learn to always laugh with each other,
never at each other.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.  Amen

for reflection on Proper 8 go to > 
 http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
USA








From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Jun 24 20:48:15 2012
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 20:48:15 -0400
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the FIFTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST
Message-ID: <4C06C605F00541DD95A862F7485F6291@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost,July 1, (Proper 8, ECUSA; Proper 13, RCL & Roman Catholic) according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of England, and Canadian (BAS) Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, Canada and England are identical to the RCL this Sunday. Note that the RCL alternative readings are not used in the Canadian BAS.



OLD TEASTAMENT:  2 Samuel 1: 1, 17 - 27  (RCL)

2Sam 1:1 (NRSV) After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amal'ekites, David remained two days in Zik'lag. 

17 David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jash'ar.) He said: 
19 Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! 
How the mighty have fallen! 
20 Tell it not in Gath, 
proclaim it not in the streets of Ash'kelon; 
or the daughters of the Philis'tines will rejoice, 
the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult. 
21 You mountains of Gilbo'a, 
let there be no dew or rain upon you, 
nor bounteous fields! 
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, 
the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more. 
22 From the blood of the slain, 
from the fat of the mighty, 
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, 
nor the sword of Saul return empty. 
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! 
In life and in death they were not divided; 
they were swifter than eagles, 
they were stronger than lions. 
24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, 
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury, 
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 
25 How the mighty have fallen 
in the midst of the battle! 
Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. 
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; 
greatly beloved were you to me; 
your love to me was wonderful, 
passing the love of women. 
27 How the mighty have fallen, 
and the weapons of war perished! 


Wisdom 1: 13 - 15, 2: 23 - 24   (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)

Wisdom 1:13 (NRSV) because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.
14 For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
15 For righteousness is immortal. 

2:23 for God created us for incorruption,
and made us in the image of his own eternity,
24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to his company experience it. 


PSALM 130   (RCL)

Psal 130:1 (NRSV) Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. 
2 Lord, hear my voice! 
Let your ears be attentive 
to the voice of my supplications! 
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, 
Lord, who could stand? 
4 But there is forgiveness with you, 
so that you may be revered. 
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, 
and in his word I hope; 
6 my soul waits for the Lord 
more than those who watch for the morning, 
more than those who watch for the morning. 
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! 
For with the LORD there is steadfast love, 
and with him is great power to redeem. 
8 It is he who will redeem Israel 
from all its iniquities. 


Psalm 30: 1, 3 - 5, 10 - 11a, 12b   (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 30  (alt. for RCL)

Psal 30:1 (NRSV) I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, 
and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 
2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, 
and you have healed me. 
3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, 
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, 
and give thanks to his holy name. 
5 For his anger is but for a moment; 
his favor is for a lifetime. 
Weeping may linger for the night, 
but joy comes with the morning. 
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, 
""I shall never be moved." 
7 By your favor, O LORD, 
you had established me as a strong mountain; 
you hid your face; 
I was dismayed. 
8 To you, O LORD, I cried, 
and to the LORD I made supplication: 
9 "What profit is there in my death, 
if I go down to the Pit? 
Will the dust praise you? 
Will it tell of your faithfulness? 
10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! 
O LORD, be my helper!" 
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; 
you have taken off my sackcloth 
and clothed me with joy, 
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. 
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever. 

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is one greater than the above.


Lamentations 3: 23 - 33   (alt. for RCL)

Lame 3:23 (NRSV) they are new every morning; 
great is your faithfulness. 
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, 
""therefore I will hope in him." 
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, 
to the soul that seeks him. 
26 It is good that one should wait quietly 
for the salvation of the LORD. 
27 It is good for one to bear 
the yoke in youth, 
28 to sit alone in silence 
when the Lord has imposed it, 
29 to put one's mouth to the dust 
(there may yet be hope), 
30 to give one's cheek to the smiter, 
and be filled with insults. 
31 For the Lord will not 
reject forever. 
32 Although he causes grief, he will have compassion 
according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 
33 for he does not willingly afflict 
or grieve anyone. 

Note: This is an alternative for Psalm 30 in the RCL


NEW TESTAMENT:  2 Corinthians 8: 7 - 15   (RCL)
                                     2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

2Cor 8:7 (NRSV)  Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you --so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. 
8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something-- 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has--not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written, 
"The one who had much did not have too much, 
and the one who had little did not have too little." 


GOSPEL:   Mark 5: 21 - 43   (RCL)
                     Mark 5: 21 - 24 (25 - 34) 35 - 43   (Roman Catholic)

Mark 5:21 (NRSV) When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jai'rus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24 So he went with him. 
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, "Who touched me?'" 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 
35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Tal'itha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. 



Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120624/772c05de/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 26 11:43:14 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:43:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for July 1 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF21C9880A55F3-80C-1CBB@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>

Sermon Resources for July 1



                    
Sermons for Proper 8
Mark 5:21-43 - "The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging Woman"
Mark 5:21-43 - "Be Healed, Be Held" by Leonard Sweet
 
Mark 5, the sermon title "The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging Woman"  
 
A business executive became depressed. Things were not going well at work, and he was bringing his problems home with him every night. Every evening he would eat his dinner in silence, shutting out his wife and five-year-old daughter. Then he would go into the den and read the paper using the newspaper to wall his family out of his life. 

After several nights of this, one evening his daughter took her little hand and pushed the newspaper down. She then jumped into her father?s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him strongly. The father said abruptly, ?Honey, you are hugging me to death!? ?No, Daddy,? the little girl said, ?I?m hugging you to life!? 

This was the greatness of Jesus. He took people where they were and hugged them to life. That is precisely what we see Jesus doing here in this dramatic passage in Mark 5?
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  
_______________________
 
Mark 5, the sermon titled ?Be Healed, Be Held" by Leonard Sweet   
 
Every morning all humans do the same thing. We get up, take a shower, brush our teeth, and then decide what we are going to wear. 
 
Generally in western culture it remains true that ?Clothes make the man,? or in the name of a popular website, ?Clothes make the girl.? Got a teenager? Then you know what I?m talking about. Then you know oh-so-purse-painfully how important it is to have the ?right look.? To wear the ?right duds? so you can be the ?right dudes.? Even if you are not a ?fashionista,? it is almost impossible not to be influenced by what the current culture says is ?cool? (or ?hot?). Who doesn?t want to ?look good? and so ?feel good? about themselves?
 
Every week the tabloids are filled with planted or paparazzi celebrity photos ? either looking their best or revealing their worst. But whatever shape they are in, what those celebrities are sporting influences the fashion choices of thousands. Designers count on it. In fact they literally ?bank? on it. If someone fabulous and famous wears something, it will sell. The ?knock ?em dead? designs on red carpet runways are immediately copied into much cheaper ?knock-offs? so that those with a bit of disposable income can outfit themselves like royalty. Even countries without ?royal families? have their ?royalty.? 
 
But while all of us ? whether teenager or ladder climbing corporate bureaucrat ? think that our clothes lend use power and prestige, the opposite was the case for Jesus in Galilee in the first century?
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
________________________
 
Touch in Church
One of my cyberfriends came across this in a church newsletter called "Touch in Church:"

What is all this touching in church? It used to be a person could come to church and sit in the 
pew and not be bothered by all this friendliness and certainly not by touching.

I used to come to church and leave untouched. Now I have to be nervous about what's expected of me. I have to worry about responding to the person sitting next to me.

Oh, I wish it could be the way it used to be; I could just ask the person next to me: How are you?
And the person could answer: Oh, just fine, And we'd both go home... strangers who have known each other for twenty years.

But now the minister asks us to look at each other. I'm worried about that hurt look I saw in that woman's eyes.

Now I'm concerned, because when the minister asks us to greet one another, the man next to me held my hand so tightly I wondered if he had been touched in years.

Now I'm upset because the lady next to me cried and then apologized and said it was because I was so kind and that she needed a friend right now.

Now I have to get involved. Now I have to suffer when this community suffers. Now I have to be more than a person coming to observe a service.

That man last week told me I'd never know how much I'd touched his life.

All I did was smile and tell him I understood what it was to be lonely.

Lord, I'm not big enough to touch and be touched! The stretching scares me.

What if I disappoint somebody? What if I'm too pushy? What if I cling too much? What if somebody ignores me?

"Pass the peace." "The peace of Christ be with you." "And also with you." And mean it. Lord, I can't resist meaning it! I'm touched by it, I'm enveloped by it! I find I do care about that person next to me! I find I AM involved! And I'm scared.

O Lord, be here beside me. You touch me, Lord, so that I can touch and be touched! So that I can care and be cared for! So that I can share my life with all those others that belong to you!

All this touching in church -- Lord, it's changing me!

What was it our audacious friend said so many centuries ago? "If I but touch...I will be healed." 
 
David E. Leininger, ChristianGlobe Illustrations, www.Sermons.com 
_____________________________________
 


 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120626/cbb2225e/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Jun 26 11:45:14 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:45:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for July 1 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <b3ed8cdff7a1804e73fe2bb96c023337@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CF21C9CFE5F623-80C-1CC6@angweb-usd003.sysops.aol.com>


12 Years
 
Twice in this story Jesus is touched by or himself touches someone ritually and ceremonially unclean but not only is Jesus not contaminated, the ones who had been contaminated to begin with are made holy and whole. Jesus has crossed the boundaries that had once defined the community, has rewritten the rules, and so has revealed a new day. Make no mistake: this story is all about the creation of a New Israel. Mark seeded this story with clues. How long had the woman been bleeding? Twelve years. How old was the little girl Jesus raised? Twelve years. No Jewish person reading this story could fail to see the repetition of the number twelve as a symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Long about the same time that Jairus welcomed his little girl into the world, a women he didn't know began to hemorrhage. For twelve years this woman suffered. For twelve years this little girl grew and became ever-more-dear to her father. Both women were headed toward a rendezvous with Jesus on the very same day. Although their paths to Jesus were as different as could be, both of these daughters of Israel would point forward to the new community Jesus came to build. 

Scott Hoezee, The Touch
_______________________________________


The Wounded Healers
 
With all its imperfections, sins, blemishes, and warts, the Church of Jesus Christ is the intended healer of the world?s wounds. Christians are called to be compassionate, wounded healers.

Perhaps, Henri Nouwen, the Roman Catholic theologian, has said this better than anyone else. The author of many books, Nouwen speaks of Christians as "wounded healers" who have compassion. 

Compassion is not pity. Pity lets us stay at a distance. It is condescending.
Compassion is not sympathy. Sympathy is for superiors over inferiors. 
Compassion is not charity. Charity is for the rich to continue in their status over the poor. 
Compassion is born of God. It means entering into the other person?s problems. It means taking on the burdens of the other. It means standing in the other person?s shoes. It is the opposite of professionalism. It is the humanizing way to deal with people. "Just as bread without love can bring war instead of peace, professionalism without compassion will turn forgiveness into a gimmick." 


Ron Lavin, Alone/Together, CSS Publishing Co., Inc. 
_____________________________
 
Qualification for the Gift of the Gospel
 
Jesus came to raise the dead. The only qualification for the gift of the Gospel is to be dead. You don't have to be smart. You don't have to be good. You don't have to be wise. You don't have to be wonderful. You don't have to be anything...you just have to be dead. That's it.
 
Robert Farrar Capon
______________________
 
Priorities
 
What is at about human nature that makes us put off the most important things until a crisis looms? So often we coast in our relationships until they skid into a crisis. We think nothing of spending thousands on a car and blindly drive it by the homeless shelter everyday. We think nothing of a sixty-hour workweek but can?t find time for dinner as a family.
 
We live lives of loneliness and sorrow because those things that could build our friendships, family, and faith get our leftover time. 
 
Then, one day it is too late, we have waited too long. We are like the Rabbi who did not run to Jesus until his daughter was ?at the point of death .?
 
Take a moment to examine your life today. What is at the ?eschatos? ? the point of death ? in your life right now? What part of your spiritual or relational life is barely breathing? Find ways to make those areas (family, friendships and faith) a higher priority than career and income. Do something different this week. Before scheduling anything else, book time with God, schedule an appointment with those in your own family. Then, after prioritizing God and your family, then set up the rest of the week.
 
Jerry Goebel, Arise!
________________________________
 
Our Relationship with God
One of the reasons people tend to see faith as a religion about God instead of a relationship with God is the sense that they are not worthy of the attention of an Almighty God.  "My problems are too small for God to care about."  or "With all the pain and suffering in this world, why would God care about me?" are a couple of ways people give expression to this sense of insignificance. The sense is the one expressed by our theme title today, "How can one so great care for one so small."
 
Have you ever felt that sense of insignificance?  There have been times when I've gazed into the incredible expanse of a starlit sky and felt ever so small and insignificant.  Even our planet is hardly a speck of dust in the vast cosmos.
 
And yet, the heart of the lesson for today says that God is attentive to the heartache and suffering of all persons, no matter how insignificant they may seem to the world around them.
 
Religion can get in the way of a relationship with God. Faith is not about rules, regulations and religion. It is about we human beings reaching out to a God who reaches out to us through Jesus Christ who reaches into the pain and anguish of our living. The good news for the people in our scripture lesson is that the barriers all fall away. For the woman, for Jairus and for the little girl - the greatness of God and the good news of Jesus Christ eliminate all obstacles to health and life.
 
And aren't you glad that Christ cares more about our wholeness and our living than he does about the niggling details of religious convention? When I am in anguish and wish for the presence of Christ, I do not need to worry that I am too great a sinner or that some folks would consider me to be unacceptable -- I know that Jesus cared for a woman who was a social reject and for a little girl that was not among the children of his followers.
 
John Jewell, Can One So Great Care for One So Small?
______________________________
 
The Grow in Clusters
 
Though I have never seen the Sequoia trees of California, known as Redwoods, I am told they are spectacular. Towering as much as 300 feet above the ground. Strangely, these towering trees have unusually shallow root systems that spider out just under the surface of the ground to catch as much of the surface moisture they can. And this is their vulnerability. Storms with heavy winds would almost always bring these giants crashing to the ground but this rarely happens because they grow in clusters and their intertwining roots provide support for one another against the storms.
 
When we are together, either as a family or a church, we provide this same support. Pain and suffering come to all of us. But, just like those giant Sequoia trees, we can be supported in those difficult times by the touch of one another's lives. The knowledge that we have someone; that we are not alone; that there is someone who is willing to touch us, hold us, keeps us from being destroyed.
 
Brett Blair, eSermons.com
_____________________
 
Jesus Brings Life
 
With whom do you most identify in today's gospel? There are plenty of characters here who are being stung by death. There is a woman whose whole life has been caught, dominated by a terrible, life-demanding illness. There is a distraught father. A little girl whose young life is being cut short. There are the baffled disciples, the crowd who doesn't know what to think of all this. Where are you?
 
And yet, intruding into the story is another face, the strong, live-giving face of Jesus. Mark says that Jesus was forever intruding into fixed, settled, hopeless situations and bringing life. Hear his strong voice speaking over the laments and dirges in today's gospel? Hear him as he calls to the little girl, "Get up!"
 
I think he may be calling to you?
 
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120626/2b1e6e96/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 30 19:49:15 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 19:49:15 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon for July 1, "Healing," based on Mark 5:21-43
Message-ID: <8CF253217ACB17D-FE4-5D41@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/72guvau is our sermon for July 1, "Healing," based on Mark 5:21-43.
Peace and blessings,
Joe 
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120630/262d4c59/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 30 20:45:40 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:45:40 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_the_Fifth_Sunday_aft?=
 =?utf-8?q?er_Pentecost_=28B=29=2C_01_de_julio=2C_con_base_en_Marcos_5=3A2?=
 =?utf-8?b?MS00MywgIlNhbmFjacOzbi4i?=
Message-ID: <8CF2539F8FD0C07-FE4-5D7A@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


http://tinyurl.com/73cha85 es nuestro serm?n en espa?ol parael quinto domingo despu?s de Pentecost?s (B), 01 de julio, con base en Marcos5:21-43, "Sanaci?n."
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de la Iglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120630/233001c1/attachment-0001.htm>

From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Jun 30 20:47:06 2012
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:47:06 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 8B
In-Reply-To: <92a1f3b9-5b02-4ffd-8dd4-a43351e2ddb6@x39g2000yqx.googlegroups.com>
References: <92a1f3b9-5b02-4ffd-8dd4-a43351e2ddb6@x39g2000yqx.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CF253A2C4C50C7-FE4-5D7D@angweb-usm003.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 30, 2012 8:41 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 8B


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Share What You Have? or ?Reach Out
and Touch? and deals all the lessons.  Here it is:

Good morning.  Once again we have really thought-provoking Bible
lessons, but this time they meddle, because each of them is talking
about a subject we?d really like to say is our personal business- i.e.
nobody?s business but our own.  Paul sums up what these lessons are
about in the epistle when he says: ?It is only fair for you to share
with others when you have so much and they have so little? (2nd
Corinthians 8:13b-14).  That?s the Christianity-rubber-hits-the-road
topic: sharing.  Our Bible lessons teach about five important aspects
of sharing for us to use as we walk with our Lord through life.  Then
our thought for the week tells one important reason why we share: ?We
make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we
give? (Norman MacFinan).

Let?s look at the Old Testament lesson from Exodus (15:7-11).  As you
can see, the topic is loans, but its basic teaching is about lending a
helping hand.  Moses, speaking for God, tells his people that they are
to help those in need whenever they can, even if it is at their own
disadvantage.  Their society had a wonderful custom given to them by
God.  In every seventh year (Sabbath year), they were expected to
forgive all debts.  That?s where Jubilee comes from.  Every Sabbath
year of Sabbath years (7X7 years plus 1- due to how they counted), all
property reverted to its original owner, all slaves were freed, every
family had a second chance.  What we heard Moses warning the
Israelites about was to forget about which year it was if someone was
in need.  Just help them.  If it is year one of seven years, you have
six years to get your stuff back; if it is year six of seven years-
you only have one year to get it back.  Don?t think about yourself-
think about the person in need and help them, even if you yourself end
up getting shortchanged.  How many friendships have been wrecked, how
many relationships have been destroyed, how much violence has been
done because someone couldn?t (not wouldn?t- couldn?t) pay back a
debt.  That?s hard teaching, because the message to us is ?Forget
about yourself and concentrate on the needy person and help him or
her.?  If you get your stuff back- fine.  If not (and it?s not their
fault)- forgive.

The Psalm reminds us that what goes around comes around- good an well
as bad.  Do you want blessings?  Well then- be a blessing to others.
Did you hear the story of the little girl who went to the doctor?s
office with her mother?  She was usually absolutely awful in the
waiting room, but this time she was wonderful- even when she had to be
left alone while her mother went in to see the doctor.  The
receptionist was so impressed that she offered the child some candy
from her candy jar, but the little girl dropped her eyes and looked
shy, so the receptionist just took a handful and gave it to her.  As
soon as they were outside, her mother couldn?t stand it any longer-
since she knew her daughter was NOT shy.  ?Why didn?t you get your own
candy?? she asked.  ?Oh, that?s easy,? said her daughter.  ?The
receptionist has bigger hands!?   That receptionist?s hands may be big
and therefore able to hold more goodies, but God?s hands are
infinitely bigger and they can hold an amazing amount of blessings.
We don?t give to be blessed, but when we give- blessings just seem to
find us.

In today?s epistle, we hear Paul trying to get his church in Corinth
to share.  What you need to know is that the Jerusalem church was in
serious difficulty because there was a famine in that part of the
world.  People were starving.  Paul did his best to get the other
churches to send money to the Jerusalem church to relieve their
desperate food needs.  The problem was- most of the Christians in the
Jerusalem church were Jews, and many of the Christians in Paul?s
churches were gentiles.  You already know that Jews discriminated
against gentiles, so you can only imagine what people said when Paul
told them to send some of their hard-earned cash to help those Jews,
but Paul didn?t back down.  The lesson for us: don?t worry about if
you like the person in need; don?t even worry about if they are your
enemy- in Jesus? name, help them.

Today?s gospel shows Jesus in the act of sharing- reaching out to
those in need, not with money- but with himself.  First he starts to
Jairus? house to heal his daughter.  Part way there, he feels a woman
touch him- and you know the rest of the story.  He stops and has a
rather lengthy discussion with her to be sure she is healed and whole,
then goes on to Jairus? house.  The lesson for us- those distractions;
don?t we hate them!  We just start one task when the phone rings or
someone calls our name.  We stop to help them and while we are still
doing it- someone rings the doorbell.  What did Jesus do?  He went
with the flow.  He handled the interruptions as they came, without
anger- but with compassion.  Easy?  NO, but who ever said following
Jesus would be easy?  It seems I remember something about a cross.

Listening to these lessons, it sounds like we should help everyone who
comes to us, but that?s not what the Bible teaches.  Paul faced a
problem in his Thessalonian church that speaks to this.  Members in
this church were sure that Jesus was coming back soon, like maybe
today or tomorrow, so some of them didn?t see any need to work.  They
quit their jobs and just sponged food from their hard-working
Christian sisters and brothers who had maintained their jobs.  When
Paul found out about it, he wrote that under circumstances like these
when someone was just being lazy and not using the gifts God had given
them, he gave them this rule: ?If you don't work, you don't eat? (2nd
Thessalonians 3:10).  The lesson for us- don?t let people misuse your
goodness, or you will just enable and weaken them.  Help those who
need it, but use good judgment.  (Some people would call it ?Tough
Love.?) and don?t let people con you.

In closing, I?m going to tell you a personal story, something that
really happened to me, so you can learn from my mistake.  It?s a
warning about how important it is to reach out, share of yourself,
even if we?re talking about a huge interruption.  Shortly after I was
ordained, I was doing a hospital call at St. Mary?s.  Along with the
person I was seeing from St. Paul?s, there was also an out-of-town
woman who had asked to see an Episcopal priest.  I was still teaching
full time then, and I was really tired when I finished seeing the St.
Paul?s person, so I went to the nursing station to see how the out-of-
town woman was doing.  (These were the old days when I could find
out.)  The nurse said she was doing fine and would probably be going
home in a day or two, so I decided I would just drag my tired self
home to my recliner and TV set- I could go back the next day.  Well,
the next day I went up to the floor, but couldn?t find the lady.  When
I asked at the desk, the nurse said, ?Oh, she died last night.?
Lesson for me?  You bet- it changed my priesthood.  Never again!  I?ve
learned to listen to those Holy Spirit whispers.

May God bless you as you share from your abundance with those in
need.  Amen.

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

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20120630/22a16963/attachment-0001.htm>

