From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 16:08:08 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 16:08:08 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 3 (Epiphany 4C) Luke 4:21-30
Message-ID: <9851069223204D19A2F0A2BAF577AF02@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 3 (Epiphany 4C). They
focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 4:21-30, where Jesus visits his hometown
synagogue in Nazareth.

LUKE 4:21-30

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-03dj/Luke.4.21-30.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001CUMdiGWcVUdqPJl_eCFi_Ljm2jvRTpnIrpVNU7Fd002M
Wb9eUgGiKpTzSIsouIDoCmkI8HsSWvW0zvpSuFIc_w4LeB2ywyCaW91u7GGEsEK-yfxjp8rwZdzE
u6799VPU2YIXUNtWJcvUWfwvK-rRa3TsXBSEFEsF> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-03dj/Luke.4.21-30.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001CUMdiGWcVUe2BkR6KpgZheQg1utWb9e4GAczMe1K8cyn
qaRHqtD7zhYBmw-s5BiIXrx-jlhvvR18cUi3dMMcl0a714oha-NgZSxIeEcFVW7sWmsBCif0lOaH
LaBQBR_8utTApIQm1aevZ9FhJytEqabtNQ8VA7wB> 



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.  
 

POSTED AT TWO WEB SITES: We will continue to post current SermonWriter
materials at the following two web sites. To get the materials this way DOES
REQUIRE your username and password.  
 

http://www.lectionary.org/
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001CUMdiGWcVUdNzfJZC2ss1ETl-FMhr7vIZFlVEutQkK_o
p1IxCP6_iNAwJ6DXl17Yqf_o0_ibhc6xDiPrWmjSMiEPdygXMm5nT_GfD-2b2JDHlEwH_3STEQ==
>   
 
Dick Donovan
 

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 16:13:55 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 16:13:55 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 4C
In-Reply-To: <b3dfb377-9efd-48bc-8319-7f20d7e70a91@l9g2000yqp.googlegroups.com>
References: <b3dfb377-9efd-48bc-8319-7f20d7e70a91@l9g2000yqp.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CFCFA157961F86-BF4-71770@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 2, 2013 3:24 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 4C


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?All You Need Is Love? or ?Love Makes
the World Go Round? and deals with the epistle (1st Corinthians
13:1-13) and the gospel (Luke 4: 21- 30).  Here it is:

We just heard the story of how Jesus? family and neighbors in his home
town of Nazareth tried to throw him off of a cliff.  Talk about not
liking to hear the Word of God!  It reminds me of the Sunday school
teacher who was trying to teach his five and six year-olds about the
Ten Commandments.  After explaining the commandment to honor thy
father and thy mother, the teacher asked, ?Is there a commandment that
teaches us how to treat our sisters and brothers??  ?Sure is!?
answered a precocious little girl with a toddler for a brother.  ?Thou
shalt not kill.?  You know how the Bible says, ?A little child shall
lead them??  Well, the people of Nazareth needed to hear what the
little Sunday school girl said.  They didn?t want to hear that God
loved those Gentiles, and they surely didn?t want to hear about
Jubilee!  They only wanted to hear from their hometown boy that God
loved them, and their fury made them try to throw God?s gift of love-
his own Son- off a cliff.

This morning I?d like us to look at what God expects of us in terms of
love.  As you know, English has really only one word for ?love,? but
Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written) has three:
?eros?- sexual love, ?philia?- friendship love, and ?agape?- Christian
love.  We?re talking about Christian love- the foundation of a
Christian?s relationships.  One of the best explanations of Christian
love was written by St. Paul when he was so frustrated by the unloving
behavior of his church in Corinth.  As you recall, Paul was one of the
greatest missionary bishops the world has ever seen.  He would start a
church, get it going dependably, ordain local leaders, and then travel
on to start another church somewhere else.  As soon as he left his
church in Corinth, the bad news started coming.  It seems that the
Corinthian church had divided into four cliques; those who had been
baptized by Peter, those who had been baptized by Apollos, those who
had been baptized by Paul himself, and those who spoke in tongues.
Not only did the groups not get along with each other, but those who
spoke in tongues thought they were superior to everyone else.  The
church was in a bad way, so Paul (since he couldn?t leave his new
church to come in person) sent them a letter, part of which we read
today.  His teachings on love are as true now as they were in the
first century, so let?s look at what God expects of us as his
children.

He starts by pointing out that no gift is any good to God?s Kingdom
without love- not languages or cooking or music or academics or having
a charming personality or understanding the Bible or prayer or being
the star quarterback on one of the Super Bowl teams.  It?s done with
love or it?s useless, according to the Bible (1st Corinthians
13:1-2).  Huge sacrifices for others are useless unless they are done
with the right motivation, and that motivation is love (1st
Corinthians 13:3).  Haven?t you ever known someone who was always
helping others, even making great sacrificial efforts, but you were
suspicious they had a selfish motivation- trying to buy or control
other?  This is an example of exactly this Bible truth.

In fact, it goes further than that.  This is how God, our Creator,
made us so our lives would work out well.  Say I buy a box of cake mix
and decide to make the cake my way.  Instead of following the
directions on the back of the cake mix box, I substitute vinegar for
the milk and use olives and bologna instead of the chocolate chips.
Is that the cake you want for your birthday?  The creator of the cake
mix knows how his cake should be made.  Well, our creator knows how
our lives should be made.  If we live our lives by God?s definition of
love, we will have good lives- if not; all the money in the world
won?t make us happy.  How many people do you know who go around
cheating their acquaintances, stealing their best friend?s boyfriends
or husbands or girlfriends or wives, gossiping about their neighbors,
getting mad easily and not forgiving, screaming and yelling and
cursing at family members, and on, and on, and on?  What kind of lives
do they have?  Sure.  They?re forever working out the consequences of
their behavior- and then they wonder why God doesn?t help them more.

So what exactly does this Christian love look like- this love that God
expects of us?  Let?s look at 1st Corinthians 13: 4-8.
?	Love is:
?	Kind
?	Patient
?	Never jealous
?	Never boastful
?	Never proud (Do you think you?re better than others?  Do you avoid
discussing things for fear you may be wrong?)
?	Never rude.  (Are you someone who ?lets it all hang out,? or do you
try to be tactful when you need to speak the truth in love?)
?	Never selfish (Do you only think about yourself, or do you really
listen when others talk?)
?	Never quick tempered.  (?But that?s just how I am!? or ?That?s how I
was raised!? is no excuse.)
?	It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
?	Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.  (Gossips LOVE evil!
Do you gossip?)
?	Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.
?	Love never fails!

Paul ends by reminding his Christian friends that everything they have
and do will be lost in death.  In other words, only what?s done for
God will last, and the things that are done for God are actions which
are done in love.

So, where are you?  Are you still making excuses- how you just can?t
live this way, it won?t work; people will take advantage of you,
etc.?

I?m going to close with a poem that each of us must answer every day
when we go to bed and when we meet our Lord when we die.  It is
entitled, ?What Is the Gospel According to You??
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Are read by more than a few.
But the one that is read most and commented on
Is the gospel according to you.
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By the things that you do and the words that you say.
People read what you write, whether faithless or true.
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
Do others read His truth and His love in your life?
Or has yours been too full of malice and strife?
Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true?
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
				(Anonymous)

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 17:52:33 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 17:52:33 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Four sermons on the gospel for tomorrow
Message-ID: <8CFCFAF1F697750-BF4-71D50@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>

Four sermons on the gospel for tomorrow here:

http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/13C-Epip4C.html

Peace and blessings,
Joe

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 18:00:38 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 18:00:38 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Correction in sermon [Judy B.]
In-Reply-To: <3e657777-3e59-4070-8dd6-efc5ff1e3eed@rm7g2000pbc.googlegroups.com>
References: <3e657777-3e59-4070-8dd6-efc5ff1e3eed@rm7g2000pbc.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CFCFB040312001-BF4-71DBB@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 2, 2013 4:25 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Mistake in sermon


Hi Friends,

The poem- "The Gospel According to You" was written by Leroy
Brownlow.  I have it listed as written by an anonymous poet.

Sorry!
Judy

 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 21:41:42 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 21:41:42 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_February_3_based_on_Luke_4=3A21?=
 =?utf-8?b?LTMwLCDigJxXaGF0IGEgc2VybW9uIeKAnQ==?=
Message-ID: <8CFCFCF2218E05F-BF4-72969@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/al8tsduis our sermon for February 3 based on Luke 4:21-30, ?What a sermon!?
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ
http://www.sjnj.org


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 23:30:24 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 23:30:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon in Spanish for February 3 basado en Lucas
	4:21-30: "Un gran sermon!"
Message-ID: <8CFCFDE51D3D751-BF4-72D79@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/a6zuy55es nuestro serm?n espa?oles para febrero 3 basado en Lucas 4:21-30: "Ungran sermon!"
Paz ybendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ
http://www.sjnj.org


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From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb  3 14:53:46 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2013 12:53:46 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] Last Epiphany
Message-ID: <A757D9B76C7C4CEC889CB8341F3343C4@BobPC>

Collect for Last Epiphany

Let us pray:

Ever shining, lightning bright, God,
you made known your son to Peter, James and John,
and to us who are willing to vision.
Transfigure us all on your mountain.
Grant that we may see in the face of our neighbor
the brightness 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 Last Epiphany go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From chadwohl at satucket.com  Sun Feb  3 21:24:52 2013
From: chadwohl at satucket.com (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2013 21:24:52 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the LAST SUNDAY after the EPIPHANY
Message-ID: <9249BD8DD7AE4FB4876F2C1ADD48EB5E@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb. 10, 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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA and C of E lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day. The Canadian BAS readings may be used in place of the RCL readings in those Canadian parishes which use the RCL on this Sunday.



OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 34: 29 - 35  (RCL)

Exod 34:29 (NRSV) Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him. 


Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 27: 5 - 8   (Roman Catholic)

Sir 27:5 (NRSV) The kiln tests the potter's vessels; 
so the test of a person is in his conversation. 
6 Its fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree; 
so a person's speech discloses the cultivation of his mind. 
7 Do not praise anyone before he speaks, 
for this is the way people are tested. 
8 If you pursue justice, you will attain it 
and wear it like a glorious robe. 


PSALM 99   (RCL)

Psal 99:1 (NRSV) The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! 
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 
2 The LORD is great in Zion; 
he is exalted over all the peoples. 
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. 
Holy is he! 
4 Mighty King, lover of justice, 
you have established equity; 
you have executed justice 
and righteousness in Jacob. 
5 Extol the LORD our God; 
worship at his footstool. 
Holy is he! 
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, 
Samuel also was among those who called on his name. 
They cried to the LORD, and he answered them. 
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; 
they kept his decrees, 
and the statutes that he gave them. 
8 O LORD our God, you answered them; 
you were a forgiving God to them, 
but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 
9 Extol the LORD our God, 
and worship at his holy mountain; 
for the LORD our God is holy. 


Psalm 92: 1 - 2, 12 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

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, 

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. 

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic Bibles is one higher than the above.


NEW TESTAMENT: 2 Corinthians 3: 12 - 4:2 (RCL) 

2Cor 3:12 (NRSV) Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 4:1 Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. 


1 Corinthians 15: 54 - 58   (Roman Catholic)

1Cor 15:54 (NRSV) When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 
""Death has been swallowed up in victory." 
55 "Where, O death, is your victory? 
Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
58 Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 



GOSPEL: Luke 9: 28 - 36, (37 - 43a) (RCL) 

Luke 9:26 (NRSV) Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." 
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Eli'jah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Eli'jah"--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. 
37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41 Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.


Luke 6: 39 - 45   (Roman Catholic)

Luke 6:39 (NRSV) He also told them a parable: "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your neighbor, "Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. 
43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:17:52 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:17:52 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 10 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD1B1F4059FFD-BAC-8F30D@webmail-m181.sysops.aol.com>





February 10, 2012



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermons for Transfiguration
 
Luke 9:28-36 - "Experience the Mountaintop But Don't Forget the Valley Below" 
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2- "Face to Face" by Leonard Sweet
 
Luke 9, the sermon title "Experience the Mountaintop But Don't Forget the Valley Below"  

 
Many of us have had them, those times when we felt like we were on top of the world, really happy, confident that we knew all the answers, could solve any problem that came up. Or we felt that we were really close to God, really in tune with God's plan for us. In those moments we were excited and alive, and everything seemed new.
 
The moment might have come at some exciting event in your life: graduation, baptism, your first kiss, your first day on your first job, your wedding, the birth of a child, even catching your very first fish. It might have been something really spiritual, like a week at church camp or a church retreat. Or it might have been something of a smaller, quieter nature, like a very intimate conversation with your father or mother when you felt that they honestly understood what you were saying and why you felt the way you did.
 
We call these "mountaintop experiences," and oh how we hate to come down off that mountain! We want to hang on to that moment for as long as we can. "Let's just stay right here and let the rest of the world go by for a while." But to freeze that one moment in time shuts off the possibility of the next moment.
 
In the Gospel reading for today we hear the writer of Matthew give his version of the event which we call "The Transfiguration of Jesus"...
 
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: 2 Corinthians 3 the sermon titled "Face to Face" by Leonard Sweet] 
 
The 2010 drama film "The Social Network" portrayed many interesting features of Mark Zuckerberg's development of his online creation. But they missed a big one: the name he chose for his baby --"Facebook." 
 
Let's face it: humans are obsessed with the unique, defining nature of our faces. The arrangement of our eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheeks, forehead, never ceases to amaze and fascinate us.
 
More than 5000 distinguishable facial expressions have been identified, and that is probably just a start on the human face. The 18th century German satirist Georg Lichtenberg called the human face "the most entertaining surface on earth." 
 
How could we possibly resist pursuing and endlessly perusing an online site called "Facebook?" 
 
We recognize friends - and enemies - by their face. Bank robbers wear masks to hide their faces, knowing full well that, no matter how clear the pictures of their bodies might be, without a full view of their face, they cannot be accurately identified. 
 
When the Protestant Reformers came across images of the saints and the Virgin Mary, they defaced them on paintings and had their faces gouged out of carvings and sculptures. 
 
Babies look at faces - learning how to put the pieces together and how to recognize and trust the familiar, and reject and be fearful of the unfamiliar. It is in our human DNA to look into the face of others for critical, life-preserving, information. "We find ourselves in the faces of others" says Siri Hustvedt in her novel The Summer Without Men (2011). We become human through our relationships with others. 
 
In short, long before "virtual life," human beings were walking, talking "Facebooks."
 
Our language reflects this fixation. We speak of taking things at "face value," or of doing an "about face," or of "facing off" against opponents. We "face the music," make "face time," and when dishonored we "lose face." "Face cards" carry the most value and to stand "face-to-face" with another signifies being in the most valued of positions. One of the most advanced new computer identification techniques is the science of "facial recognition" - computer programs that can scan and identify individual faces without any other physical information.
In the "transfiguration" scene described in this week's gospel text (Luke 9:28ff), Jesus' face shines...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
______________________________
 
Even the Darkness Can Dazzle 
 
To lead our exodus, Jesus had to die like we do: alone, with no particular glory. Otherwise he would have been an anomaly instead of a messiah, and it would have been hard for us to see what he had in common with the rest of us.
 
As it was, he died very much like those who died on either side of him, one of them begging to be saved from what was coming, the other asking to be remembered when Jesus got where he was going. Jesus could not do anything for the one who wanted to be spared, but he did a great favor for the other. He told him that the darkness was a dazzling one, with paradise in it for both of them.
 
I think it was something he learned on the mountain, when light burst through all his seams and showed him what he was made of. It was something he never forgot. If we have been allowed to intrude on that moment, it is because someone thought we might need a dose of glory too, to get us through the night. Some people are lucky enough to witness it for themselves, although like Peter, James and John, very few of them will talk about it later.
 
What the rest of us have are stories like this one, and the chance to decide for ourselves whether we will believe what they tell us. It is a lot to believe: that God's lit-up life includes death, that there is no way around it but only through, that even the darkness can dazzle.
 
Barbara Brown Taylor, "Dazzling Darkness," article in the Christian Century, February 4-11, 1998, page 1-5
___________________________________________
 
You Can't Stay on the Mountain Top
 
A little boy was out in his front yard, throwing a ball up in the air. An elderly passerby asked the boy what he was doing. He replied, "I am playing a game of catch with God. I throw the ball up in the air and he throws it back."
 
I am in no position to comment on God's ability to play ball, but I do know that whatever goes up must come down. There may be exceptions, such as Charlie Brown's kite! But as a rule, whatever goes up must come down. The process is so predictable that you could refer to it as a scientific law. The same process applies to our religious lives. It is a good thing to "go up" to a great experience with God, but we will become greatly disillusioned if we do not remember that eventually we have to "come down" again.
 
John Thomas Randolph, The Best Gift, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. 
___________________
 




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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:20:13 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:20:13 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 10 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD1B24881AD3D-BAC-8F359@webmail-m181.sysops.aol.com>


Humor: It'll Come Back to You
 
This preacher moved to a new Church. This particular church didn't have a lawn mower so he was looking for someone to either mow the lawn or sell him a used lawnmower. One day he saw a young man going by pushing a lawnmower. So the preacher asked him, "Hey, looking for a job?" The young man said, "Sure." It turned out that he was mowing yards and trying to earn enough money to buy a bicycle. This preacher was kind of young and didn't mind mowing the yard so he told the young man, "Look, I've got a 10 speed bicycle that I never ride any more. What do you say we trade the bicycle for the lawnmower."
 
Well, the young man was ecstatic. They swapped and the young man took off on the bicycle. He rode around the block and came back to see the preacher standing in the same place wiping sweat off his brow. The preacher waved the boy over and said, "Hey, I've pulled on the rope a half a dozen times and this lawn mower just won't start."
 
The young man said, "Preacher, I hate to tell you this but it's a special kind of lawnmower. You have to cuss it to get it to start."
 
The preacher looked at him and said, "Well, I've been in the ministry so long I don't think I can remember how to cuss."
 
The young man grinned and said, "Pull on the rope some more and it'll come back to you."
The point is this, we ought not stay on the mountain top so long that we forget what it is like to be in the crowd. Like Peter, we shouldn't forget that our work is in the crowds.
 
Traditional 
____________________________
 
A Haunting Moment
 
John Killinger tells this story about a haunting moment: "Somewhere in my journals there is an entry about how strongly it hit me one day as I was sitting in the chancel of a church, waiting to deliver the guest sermon. A beautiful woman was playing a violin solo. Her lovely hands worked continuously at the frets and the bow, evoking the most soulful music I thought I had ever heard. There was a rose pinned in her exquisitely coiffed hair. I was transported.
 
"Then a dark thought crossed my mind, as if it had been a cloud passing between me and the sun. In a few years the woman would become old. The rose in her hair would die. Her soft hands would be gnarled and wrinkled by age. She would stop playing the instrument. She would be confined to a bed or a wheelchair. Then she, too, would die.
 
"The music brought me back again to a realization of how beautiful it was. But I did not recover from the image of the violinist as an old woman. It haunted me for days."
 
John Killinger, Letting God Bless You, Nashville, Abingdon, 1992, quoted in sermon by William Willimon.
___________________________
 
Slow Down and Listen
 
Writer Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days. He got nervous and tense about it. He was snapping at his wife and children, choking down his food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated every time there was an unexpected interruption in his day. He recalls in his book "Stress Fractures" that before long, things around their home started reflecting the pattern of his hurry-up life style. He said the situation was becoming unbearable. Then it happened.
 
After supper one evening his younger daughter, Colleen wanted to tell him something important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, "Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin' and I'll tell you really fast."
 
Suddenly realizing her frustration, Swindoll answered, "Honey, you can tell me -- and you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly." He has never forgotten her answer: "Then listen slowly."
 
I can hear God's voice saying to Peter, James, and John: "This is my Son, listen to him! Slow down. Don't be so quick to move things your way, to shape the world as you see it Peter. Don't be so quick to climb the corporate ladder, to join the rat pack and be number one John. Don't try to beat your colleagues to the first position James. Slow down. My Son is trying to show you another way, another world, another kingdom. If you will listen slowly.
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com.
______________________
 
Figuring Out The Transfiguration
 
Madeleine L'Engle, the great Christian writer, said we tend to avoid this story for the following reason, in her words:
 
The Christian holiday which is easiest for us is Christmas, because it touches on what is familiar. The story of the young man and woman who were turned away from the inn, and had a baby in a stable, surrounded by gentle animals, is one we have known always. I doubt if many two or three-year-olds are told at their mother's knee about the Transfiguration ... And so, because the story of Christmas is part of our folklore, we pay more attention to its recognizableness than to the fact that the tiny baby in the manger contained the power which created galaxies and set the stars in their courses.
 
She concludes by saying:
 
We are not taught much about the wilder aspects of Christianity. But these are what artists have wrestled with throughout the years.
 
William G. Carter, Praying for a Whole New World, CSS Publishing Company 
_______________________
 
Mountain Top Experiences
 
Fred Craddock tells a wonderful story about a young minister, newly graduated from seminary, serving his very first church. He gets a call telling him that a church member, elderly woman who has just given her life to the church, is in the hospital. She's so weak she can't even get up out of bed, and the doctors don't hold much hope for her recovery. Would he go up and visit? Well, of course he will and he does.
 
All the way to the hospital he's thinking about what he will say to this Christian lady, what words of comfort he can give her to prepare her for her eminent death. He arrives at the hospital, goes up to her room for the visit. He sits and talks with her a few minutes, just small talk really, nothing earth shattering. When he makes ready to leave, he asks if she would like him to have prayer with her. She answers, "Yes, of course. That's why I wanted you to come."
He then asks politely, "And what exactly would you like me to pray for?"
 
"Why, I want you to pray that God will heal me," she answers in a surprised tone of voice.
Haltingly, fumbling over the words, he prays just as she wanted, that God will heal her, even though he's not really sure that can happen. When he says the "Amen" at the end of the prayer, the woman says...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Lent and Easter, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:25:26 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:25:26 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 10 (Transfiguration) Luke
	9:28-43
Message-ID: <BB13F91D12C64226AF088B0319A0AA47@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 10 (Transfiguration
C). They focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 9:28-43, the story of Jesus'
Transfiguration.

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.


LUKE 9:28-43

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Luke.9.28-43.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001VCaYQPuGBUF25lD2gb6vYePQ3fjkYKnPb2Wp9j0MBr9Z
10ZkzFwNW8Digo4z5AVkEyeHeTJjIjMW-vMND7urvtZzmY3BL8bPLe04SiZbYrghv0XD1nVHTPBm
Ah36MaALhzcCYOn8g3Y4qiigJEUH0jzJWzpe1bdm> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Luke.9.28-43.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001VCaYQPuGBUFc0czFTtVZDPR_4gcgdN9AidUxnSpvXLsv
mbKb1qNqqKds6gQ4GomOQPh5UYBK3I5uvqFPu5MYQ8luYbn4I_iyPzjeZOWRIQiS7S2OxU06nfoX
V18XuzoTl0gFRqySLYm1RjjTCWEd9frRJiMAZ34u> 



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=001VCaYQPuGBUFImxF5XEGRXxTxAC8fTHxk169XlMLz7HeD
j36V1flb1PfruIewOQ5Y2LnhkKp9KohW5yj9YAsDr26SH-OwdQyl2yQnnkzJCKzAubeVezs22g==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:27:01 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:27:01 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 10 (Transfiguration) Exod.
	34:29-35
Message-ID: <E3A9B22244CB4A1183F997ADF4ECB837@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for the following reading
for February 10:

Exodus 34:29-35

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Exodus.34.29-35.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Exodus.34.29-35.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.


www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 11:42:11 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 11:42:11 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for Ash Wednesday - Part 1
Message-ID: <8CFD432602630D8-14F4-257F5@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>







Ash Wednesday 


        





 

        
	    
    
        
        

February 13, 2012



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermon Resources for Ash Wednesday and Lent 
 
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 - 'There's Still Time' 
 
Matthew 6, the sermon title "There's Still Time" or the series entitled 'You Are Here!' in the list of Lent Sermon Series.   
The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com. 
  
Nowadays the cost of a dinner and a movie keeps going up, and a vacation can be especially expensive, but if I really want to go somewhere I just take the change out of my pocket and lay it on the desk. It's like a time machine. Each coin has a year stamped on it, and just thinking about the year helps me travel back in my memory. 
 
1979 is the year my first son was born and the year I started in ministry. 1981 and 1983 are the years my daughter and second son were born. 1988 is the last time the Dodgers won the pennant. 1990 was when I moved to Indiana from Los Angeles. 1994 and 2004 were the years I turned forty and fifty. 2002 was when I moved to Pennsylvania. And it's getting harder to find, but any coin with 1954 is my birth year. 
 
I enjoy laying out the change in my pocket and just glancing at the dates. It's nice to carry these little reminders of important events, good and bad. But they're just one kind of reminder. We carry all sorts of reminders around. One of the most obvious is our date book, which we use to remind us of important events that are not in the past but in the future. We especially need a reminder for Ash Wednesday. It comes in the middle of nowhere. It's not like Christ?mas or Independence Day that fall on the same dates every year. Ash Wednesday is all over the map, from early February to some?time in March. What usually happens is that we notice someone with a smudge on their forehead and suddenly realize: was that today? Really, it's not very convenient. The least Ash Wednesday could do is fall on a Sunday. 
 
It is an interruption. And it's an unwelcome reminder of an unpleasant fact. Dust we are and to dust we shall return. The grass withers and the flower fades.... 
 
** For the rest of this sermon, please see the sermon series by Frank Ramirez for Lent and Easter. The Series is entitled 'You Are Here!' You can find all of the Lenten Series by clicking on the link to 'Lent Sermon Series' found on the This Week page. 
 
 
__________________________________
 
The Lord's Prayer: A Walking Prayer
 
Every evening I walk three miles as part of my losing campaign against high blood pressure and my imperialistic waist line. I generally don't wear an iPod, because I prefer to take my exercise without anesthesia. (I enjoy the sounds of nature, and I want to be able to hear the cars honk before they run me over.) Sometimes I devote the time to prayer, and I have found that the Lord's Prayer makes a good outline. Here's how I do it:
 
I address God as my Father by adoption through the grace of Jesus Christ and give thanks for His salvation.
 
I pledge to keep His name holy in all my conduct. I remind Him of ways I have done this in the past, and ask Him forgiveness for all the ways I have failed to do so as well.
 
I ask that His will be done, here on earth through me, as efficiently as it is done by His angels in heaven. I give examples of how I think I could do that; I ask His guidance and pledge my obedience.
 
I ask for my material needs for the day, itemizing and discussing them. I give thanks for specific instances of His providence in the past.
I ask forgiveness, but only to the degree I am willing to forgive others. If I have a problem, I discuss it in detail.
 
If I am facing any particular temptations, I discuss them and ask God to help me resist them. If I have recently survived any tough tests, I discuss them and thank God that He gave me the power to overcome them.
 
I tell God about the evil things that frighten me, and ask Him to deliver me from them. I also give thanks for past rescues.
 
You get the idea. When you pray like this, it's amazing how time flies!
 
Kenneth W. Collins, Praying
________________________________

I'm Sorry, Father
 
A Catholic priest working in an inner city was walking down an alley one evening on his way home when a young man came down the alley behind him and poked a knife against his back. "Give me your money," the young man said.
 
The priest opened his jacket and reached into an inner pocket to remove his wallet, exposing his clerical collar. "Oh, I'm sorry, Father," said the young man, "I didn't see your collar. I don't want YOUR money."
 
Trembling from the scare, the priest removed a cigar from his shirt pocket and offered it to the young man. "Here," he said. "Have a cigar."
 
"Oh, no, I can't do that," the young man replied, "I gave them up for Lent."
 
Staff, www.eSermons.com
______________________
 
Let Us Play
 
My dear friends, let us play. Yes, you heard me correctly. Now is a time for play. In fact, today the church begins that time of the year when we do our most serious playing.

And playing is a serious business, you know. Ask any teacher of children. Better still, watch children at play. No wonder they are tired at the end of the day. They work hard at playing. They take it seriously.

Play is the child's laboratory for learning about life. Children who have never played at being grown-up tend to be handicapped in some way when they have to confront the actual experience. Boys who have never been allowed to play with dolls can hardly be expected to hold their own infants with ease and loving confidence. It has to be a later learning if it is ever learned at all. Play may be a more valuable tool for learning than all the educational resources manufactured by the professionals.

That is why, on this Ash Wednesday, the church summons us to a season of play. Our Lord has told us, if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become as little children. And one of childhood's most important occupations is play.

Am I wrong in my impression, however, that most of us do not come to church to play, that play is the furthest thing from our minds? Play seems foreign to our understanding of religion, and if it is to be found in church at all, it is best restricted to the nursery and the carefully supervised activities of the youth groups. H.L. Mencken defined a puritan as a person with the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, might be happy. I know the puritan still comes to church with me from time to time. What about you?
 
Kendall K. McCabe and Michael L. Sherer, CSS Publishing Company
__________________________
 
Recharging Your Batteries
 
An Italian newspaper recently carried a story about a young couple in Milan who seemed particularly devoted in their worship. The priest at a cathedral there reported that the pair spent an hour or more on a regular basis sitting before a statue of the Virgin Mary. Naturally, he assumed they were praying.

Turns out, this young couple was recharging their cell phone. They had noticed a stray electric cable sticking out of the wall behind the statue of the Virgin Mary. Whenever their phone's power supply dwindled, the young couple came to the church and re-charged it from the cable behind the Virgin Mary. The priest states that the young couple is welcome to use his church for this purpose. 

We talk about coming to church to "re-charge our batteries," but this is ridiculous. What looked to the unobservant eye like an act of piety was actually a self-serving ploy to save money. This young couple was using the church for their own needs. And we're shocked, shocked, I tell you--until we realize that we may be guilty of the same mistake.
 
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
 
__________________________________






 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 11:45:32 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 11:45:32 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for Ash Wednesday - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112405173644.1103889869952.45429.12.431125B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112405173644.1103889869952.45429.12.431125B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD432D7E9C378-14F4-2586E@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>


A Walking Children's Sermon
 
The Rev. Timothy J. Kennedy tells a wonderful true story that is perfect for Ash Wednesday. It was told to him by a colleague, Pastor Chris Mietlowski. It concerned a baptism that Mietlowski once performed on an infant named Eric. Mietlowski took Eric in his arms and traced the cross of Christ on Eric's forehead using a special anointing oil. 
 
Following worship, Eric's family celebrated with a big backyard party. Family and friends ate burgers and chips and played volleyball under a summer sun. Eric, being only six months old, was left to nap in his backyard stroller. When Mom got him up, whoops. Basted on Eric's forehead was the image of the cross. Mom had forgotten to wash Eric's face following his baptism, and the oil that the pastor had traced onto his forehead acted the opposite of a sun screen. The Cross of Christ was imprinted on Eric's forehead. "For several weeks until it completely disappeared," says Rev. Kennedy, "that cross was a wonderful reminder as to the meaning of Baptism and a reminder that the Cross of Jesus was 'written' upon Eric's forehead."
 
And what a powerful witness it was, says Rev. Kennedy. "Eric's Mom and Dad had to explain the cross to the pediatrician, to the neighbors, to the stranger in the grocery store. For a few weeks, Eric was nothing less than a [living] children's sermon. It was only a bit of a sunburn to be sure, but [it was] the best basting a child can have to be marked with the cross of Christ! And why not? That cross is to be the foundation of that child's life." 
 
If I read the little book of Joel right, God's desire is not that we wear a cross on our forehead, but that it be basted on our hearts. "Rend your heart and not your garments," says Joel 2:23. That's much harder to do, isn't it? It's much easier to rend your clothes than to rend your heart. It's much easier to wear a cross around your neck than it is to bear it daily in everything you do. 
 
Timothy J. Kennedy, adapted by King Duncan
______________________
 
"Some Christians jump all over the room; 
Others are as solemn and quiet as a tomb. 
Some lift their hands high in the air,
But others wouldn't, even on a dare.
Christians are different in style and in song; 
But if they are humble, to Christ they belong."
 
Traditional
______________________
 
Pancake Day 
 
Every once in a while a whimsical story makes the news. Some years ago, the Associated Press carried a story about a woman in Olney, England, named Dawn Gallyot who defied snow and a biting wind to beat seven other women to the finish line in the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake race. In her first race, the 38-year-old schoolteacher made the 415-yard dash from a pub in the market square to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul with a pancake and a frying pan in her hand in 73 seconds. That was 9.5 seconds slower than the previous year's pace. Each woman must flip a pancake in the frying pan at the start and at the finish of the race. The record is 58 seconds. Mrs. Gallyot reportedly wore a traditional headscarf and apron, but opted for modern running shoes.
 
Shrove Tuesday, known in England as Pancake Day, is traditionally the last day for merrymaking before the start of Lent. Pancakes are thought to be a good way to get in the eggs and fat that faithful church people were supposed to give up for Lent. Legend has it that the Olney race started in 1445 when a housewife, dashing to get to church on time, arrived at the service clutching in her hand a frying pan with a pancake still in it.
 
The pancake race is but one of many traditions that have grown up around the season of Lent. New Orleans' Mardi Gras is another - one last blowout before a season of denial...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for Ash Wednesday, Lent, and the rest of the year can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 



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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 16:39:58 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 16:39:58 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Some good sermons on the Tranfiguration
Message-ID: <8CFD45BFA238640-14F4-29DF1@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>

http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/19C-TransC.html

Click for some good sermons on the Tranfiguration.

Peace and blessings,
Joe

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 21:46:39 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 21:46:39 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_February_10_based_on_Luke_9=3A2?=
 =?utf-8?q?8-36=2C_=E2=80=9CChanged_in_front_of_our_eyes=E2=80=9D?=
Message-ID: <8CFD486D1C00F95-14F4-2C511@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/atw3mhqis our sermon for February 10 based on Luke 9:28-36, ?Changed in front of oureyes.?
 
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 22:37:14 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 22:37:14 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon in Spanish para febrero 10 basado en Lucas
 9:28-36, "Ha cambiado delante de nuestros ojos"
Message-ID: <8CFD48DE2BC0D9B-14F4-2CB00@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/acezj8q es nuestroserm?n en espa?ol para febrero 10 basado en Lucas 9:28-36, "Ha cambiadodelante de nuestros ojos."
Paz ybendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  9 21:07:35 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2013 21:07:35 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany- Last,
	Year C
In-Reply-To: <99634ed8-54ff-44c0-aa9d-1078791445d6@w7g2000yqo.googlegroups.com>
References: <99634ed8-54ff-44c0-aa9d-1078791445d6@w7g2000yqo.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD54A872BE018-17C8-1FF88@Webmail-m111.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 9, 2013 8:37 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany- Last, Year C


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Don?t Wait ?Till You?re Perfect? or
?Capture the Glow!? and deals with the gospel (Luke 9:28-36).  Here it
is:

Our gospel today (Luke 9:28-36) tells about the episode we call the
?Transfiguration,?- how Jesus? glory was revealed to his disciples.
This is what happened.  Jesus and his three closest friends (Peter,
James, and John) went on the top of a mountain to pray.  The disciples
fell asleep, but were jerked awake when, all of a sudden, Jesus
started to glow and his clothing became dazzling white.  They saw
Jesus, with Moses (the great lawgiver) on one side of him and Elijah
(the great prophet) on the other side.  On top of that, the disciples
overheard the three talking about Jesus? rapidly approaching death in
Jerusalem and what it would mean.  A cloud enveloped them and the
disciples heard God say that this was his beloved Son, so listen to
him.  After the incident, his friends said nothing about it ? you can
guess why.  If you had been there and told people this had happened to
you, what would they say?  Sure- that you were crazy!

The next three episodes in the life of Jesus and his disciples were
extremely telling.  When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down from
the mountain, there was a desperate father who had asked the disciples
to heal his epileptic son, but they couldn?t do it (Luke 9:37-43a).
Next we hear how Jesus tried to teach his disciples about his coming
death, but they didn?t get it (Luke 9:43b-45).  Finally the Bible
tells how Jesus overheard his disciples arguing about who among them
was the greatest (Luke 9:46-48).

Have you heard the saying we?ve used many times as our thought for the
week?  It goes, ?Please be patient.  God isn?t finished with me yet.?
That surely was true of the disciples.  Just in this short section of
the Gospel of Luke, we find them lazy and neglecting their prayers
(went to sleep when they should have been praying); lacking faith
(couldn?t heal the epileptic boy); slow to learn and understand
(didn?t understand Jesus? teaching about his death and resurrection);
and self-centered and greedy (arguing about who was the greatest).  It
wasn?t just the disciples- Paul (one of the greatest missionary
bishops the world has ever seen) persecuted and killed Christians
before his conversion on the Damascus road.  What?s my point?  It?s
not just the disciples whom God wasn?t finished with- God isn?t
finished with you either!  You don?t have to be perfect to serve God;
you just have to be available.  I can?t tell you how many times I?ve
heard people say things like:
?	?I?m too great a sinner to come to church or receive Holy Communion
or sing in a choir or work at the altar or whatever.? or
?	?I?m addicted to alcohol or another drug or sex or gambling or
shoplifting.  I?ll start coming to church (or helping the church with
Jesus? ministry) after I?m in recovery.?
Tell me- if you don?t come to church and hear the Word and get
strengthened by Holy Communion and be encouraged by God?s people, how
are you ever going to get the power to be all that you can be?  The
church is not a hotel for saints; it?s a hospital for sinners.  Don?t
wait to serve God until you?ve overcome; overcome by serving God.

In today?s gospel, Jesus glowed like the sun.  The disciples just had
to reflect Jesus? glory to do his work.  The same is true of us.  We
aren?t intended to be the sun and produce the glow, the power.
Instead, we are like the moon.  We reflect the glory and power and
light of the sun- the Son of God, and that?s enough to keep us
steadily becoming the person we truly want to be.  There?s one more
analogy between the moon and us.  Even though the moon looks beautiful
and evenly shaped when we look at it from a distance, I?m sure you
know that the moon really has craters and uneven places in its
surface.  These imperfections don?t stop the moon from reflecting the
brilliance of the sun.  In the same way, our sins, imperfections, and
handicapping conditions don?t stop us from reflecting the glory of
Christ.

So stop waiting and start serving.  Does this mean that you should
just continue sinning and not care?  No!  But it does mean that you
should come to Jesus now- as the old hymn says ?Just as I Am,? and
trust him to help you fill in those rough spots and encourage you to
get and stay motivated in God?s good time.  Do you consider yourself
or someone you love simply impossible?  Did you notice the thought for
the week?  ?When God is about to do something great, he starts with a
difficulty.  When He is about to do something magnificent, he starts
with an impossibility? (Armin Gesswein).  Paul reminds us in today?s
epistle that we hold this glorious treasure, the presence and power of
God, in clay pots.  We human beings may be like clay pots, but-
fragile and full of imperfections or not, just like clay pots- we?re
very usable.

So (from an anonymous source), the next time you feel like GOD can't
use you, that YOU are the impossibility, just remember:
?	Noah was a drunk;
?	Abraham was too old;
?	Isaac was a daydreamer;
?	Jacob was a liar;
?	Leah was ugly;
?	Rachel was sneaky;
?	Joseph was abused;
?	Moses had a speech problem;
?	Gideon was afraid;
?	Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer;
?	Rahab was a prostitute;
?	Jeremiah and Timothy were too young;
?	David had an affair and was a murderer;
?	Elijah was suicidal;
?	Jonah ran from God;
?	Naomi was a widow;
?	Ruth was a flirt;
?	Job went bankrupt;
?	John the Baptist ate bugs;
?	Peter denied Christ;
?	The disciples fell asleep while praying;
?	Martha was a worry-wart;
?	The Samaritan woman was divorced- more than once;
?	Zaccheus was too small;
?	Paul didn?t always practice what he preached and was forgetful;
?	Timothy had an ulcer...AND
?	Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now.  God can use you to your full potential.  Besides
you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.  Just stay around
Jesus and his people so you can capture the glow.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb 10 14:03:46 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:03:46 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] 1 Lent
Message-ID: <55D5671EEA0640A18655203A04E8F796@BobPC>

Collect for 1 Lent:

Let us pray:

God of the desert,
always there for us,
when we thought we were alone,
dry and tested to be our true selves.
Guide us through our choices.
Give us strength 
to walk out of our wasteland 
with renewed integrity,
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 1 Lent go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Feb 10 21:04:11 2013
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:04:11 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for ASH WEDNESDAY
Message-ID: <089ABC16003647AEAE410953304D348F@cranmer>

The following are the readings for Ash Wednesday, February 13, 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 
noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries are identical 
to the RCL for this day.



OLD TESTAMENT:   Joel 2: 1 - 2, 12 - 17   (all but Roman Catholic)
                                     Joel 2: 12 - 18   (Roman Catholic)

Joel 2:1 (NRSV) Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near-- 
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.

12 Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD, your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep.
Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
"Where is their God?'"
18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.


Isaiah 58: 1 - 12   (alternate for RCL)

Isai 58:1 (NRSV) Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
3 "Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?"
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
10 if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.


PSALM 103: (1 - 7) 8 - 14 (15 - 22)   (ECUSA)
Psalm 103: 8 - 18   (Canadian BAS)

103   Benedic, anima mea   (ECUSA BCP)

1   Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
 and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2   Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
 and forget not all his benefits.

3   He forgives all your sins *
 and heals all your infirmities;

4   He redeems your life from the grave *
 and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5   He satisfies you with good things, *
 and your youth is renewed like an eagle's.

6   The Lord executes righteousness *
 and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7   He made his ways known to Moses *
 and his works to the children of Israel.

8   The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, *
 slow to anger and of great kindness.

9   He will not always accuse us, *
 nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
 nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11  For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
 so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12  As far as the east is from the west, *
 so far has he removed our sins from us.

13  As a father cares for his children, *
 so does the Lord care for those who fear him.

14  For he himself knows whereof we are made; *
 he remembers that we are but dust.

15  Our days are like the grass; *
 we flourish like a flower of the field;

16  When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *
 and its place shall know it no more.

17  But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever
  on those who fear him, *
 and his righteousness on children's children;

18  On those who keep his covenant *
 and remember his commandments and do them.

19  The Lord has set his throne in heaven, *
 and his kingship has dominion over all.

20  Bless the Lord, you angels of his,
you mighty ones who do his bidding, *
 and hearken to the voice of his word.

21  Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, *
 you ministers of his who do his will.

22  Bless the Lord, all you works of his,
in all places of his dominion; *
 bless the Lord, O my soul.


Psalm 51: 1 - 17   (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Psal 51:1 (NRSV) Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Note: this Psalm appears in the ECUSA, Can. BAS & probably others' Ash 
Wednesday liturgy. Becauase of this, ECUSA and Canadian parishes using the 
RCL should use Psalm 103, above, instead. Verse numbering in your Psalter 
may differ from the above.


NEW TESTAMENT:  2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6: 10   (RCL)
                                     2 Corinthians 5: 20b - 6: 2   (Roman 
Catholic)

2Cor 5:20 (NRSV)  [W]e entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to 
God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him 
we might become the righteousness of God. 6:1 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.


GOSPEL:  Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 21   (RCL)
                   Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 18   (Roman Catholic)

Matt 6:1 (NRSV) "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to 
be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the 
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be 
praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But 
when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is 
doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees 
in secret will reward you.
5 "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to 
stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may 
be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But 
whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your 
Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they 
disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I 
tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on 
your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by 
others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in 
secret will reward you.
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust 
consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves 
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves 
do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart 
will be also.


John 8: 1 - 11   (alt. for C of E)

John 8:1 (NRSV) while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the 
morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat 
down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Phar'isees brought a 
woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of 
them, 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of 
committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such 
women. Now what do you say?" 6 They said this to test him, so that they 
might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with 
his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he 
straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin 
be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once again he bent down and 
wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, 
beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing 
before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are 
they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, 
"Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."


Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu




From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Feb 10 21:08:23 2013
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:08:23 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the FIRST SUNDAY in LENT
Message-ID: <99C8DC21D5214458928880D0EF56B3E3@cranmer>

The following are the readings for the First Sunday of Lent, February 17, 
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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries 
are identical to the RCL for this day.

The readings are posted on our web site: <<http://satucket.com/lectionary>>, 
in RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.



OLD TESTAMENT:  Deuteronomy 26: 1 - 11 (RCL)
                                  Deuteronomy 26: 4 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

Deut 26:1 (NRSV) When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is 
giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in 
it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which 
you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you 
shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will 
choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in 
office at that time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the LORD your God 
that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give 
us." 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down 
before the altar of the LORD your God, 5 you shall make this response before 
the LORD your God: "A wandering Arame'an was my ancestor; he went down into 
Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a 
great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly 
and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the LORD, the 
God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our 
toil, and our oppression. 8 The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty 
hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with 
signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this 
land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the 
fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me." You shall set it down 
before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. 11 Then you, 
together with the Le'vites and the aliens who reside among you, shall 
celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to 
your house.


PSALM 91: 1 - 2, 9 - 16   (RCL)
Psalm 91: 1 - 2, 10 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 91:1 (NRSV) You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."

9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.



NEW TESTAMENT:  Romans 10: 8b - 13   (RCL)
                                     Romans 10: 8 - 13   (Roman Catholic)

Roma 10:8 (NRSV)
"The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart"
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with 
your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him 
from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so 
is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The 
scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." 12 For 
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all 
and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, "Everyone who calls on the 
name of the Lord shall be saved."


GOSPEL:  Luke 4: 1 - 13   (all)

Luke 4:1 (NRSV) Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and 
was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was 
tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they 
were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of 
God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." 4 Jesus answered him, 
"It is written, "One does not live by bread alone.'"
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of 
the world. 6 And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and 
all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to 
anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8 
Jesus answered him, "It is written,
"Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.'"
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of 
the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down 
from here, 10 for it is written,
"He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,'
11 and
"On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the 
test.'" 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him 
until an opportune time.


Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb 15 17:04:09 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:04:09 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermons for February 17
In-Reply-To: <ab1dc13835a2f692e413f3bfca698530@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <ab1dc13835a2f692e413f3bfca698530@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD9DF83C32BCB-1748-82B7@webmail-m023.sysops.aol.com>


Sermons for Lent 1 
Luke 4:1-13 ? ?Would You Take The Crown Without The Cross??
Romans 10:8b-13 - "Give It Up" - by Leonard Sweet 
 
 Luke 4, the sermon titled "Would You Take the Crown Without the Cross?" by Brett Blair
 
The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, and one of the applicants - who was not known to be the brightest academically, was called in for an interview. "Okay," began the sheriff, "What is 1 and 1?" "Eleven," came the reply. The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right." 

Then the sheriff asked, "What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?" "Today & tomorrow." Replied the applicant. The sheriff was again surprised over the answer, one that he had never thought of himself. 

"Now, listen carefully, who killed Abraham Lincoln?", asked the sheriff. The job seeker seemed a little surprised, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don't know." The sheriff replied, "Well, why don't you go home and work on that one for a while?" The applicant left and wandered over to his pals who were waiting to hear the results of the interview. He greeted them with a cheery smile, "The job is mine! The interview went great! First day on the job and I'm already working on a murder case!" 

In our Gospel reading this morning in Luke 4 it is Jesus' first day on the job. Immediately he is confronted with three major temptations. And he is confronted with this basic question: Would he take the crown without the cross? 

These are the most basic temptations in life and they form the foundation for all other temptations?
 
The rest of the sermon can be found by joining Sermons.com. 


_______________________
 
Romans 10, the sermon titled "Give It Up" 
 
Sometimes it seems like there are only two types of films being made today in Hollywood. There are ?chick flicks? and there are ?man movies.? Coming off Valentine?s date weekend, the cinema hormone level is heavy with estrogen. But don?t worry, gentlemen. With the approach of ?March Madness? and the full court press of basketball, the testosterone level will climb steadily over the next month. 
 
These movie ?types? are actually less about male vs. female, Mars vs. Venus than they are about the different ways human beings act and react to the world. We think about things. We feel things. We take action on things. Our interior convictions and emotions inform our exterior actions. Our mind, marrow and muscles, our heart, head and hands, can never be disconnected. We are bodies. We are spirits. We are souls.
 
Did everyone have pancakes on Tuesday? ?Shrove Tuesday? traditionally is the day all the grease and fat in the home is used up (frying pancakes) so that there will be no more rich, greasy, goodness consumed during the forty days of Lent. Reflecting the forty days of temptation that Jesus spent in the wilderness, the forty days of Lent are supposed to be marked by some sort of personal sacrifice. Giving up great, greasy fried foods. Giving up meat. Giving up carbs. Giving up sweets. Giving up drinking, smoking, swearing, or some other ?vice.? Lent is about giving up things. 
 
?Giving up? something for Lent may strike us as a rather old-fashioned notion. But it is exactly half of what Paul was preaching about in today?s epistle text?
 
The rest of this sermon following the outline above can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup. 
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb 15 17:47:56 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:47:56 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Feb. 17 (Lent 1C) Luke 4:1-13
Message-ID: <72F0671AE5114FC5B69F503AD671DA3C@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 17 (Lent 1C). They
focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 4:1-13, the story of Jesus' temptation.

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.


LUKE 4:1-13

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Luke.4.1-13.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001m2n3C92Zn4ne_31TrHAHVFGAT5NtF-NG7s3lzyXa5VZc
JIUt4cYlatKpgaGQ72XmOXXs2Js9JunrwyscrZB_j1o8IqrYFv6KAE_mGtsS8XeqZbQolHcBEABY
ki1dN_VbRyHP94ATYjt9vDlHXvMhabD-ruoH0PBP> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Luke.4.1-13.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001m2n3C92Zn4kPzrMWbl9YL48T4LTC5bpgqyZDdJksfNJs
DZ5tTw52CADHFD5FhAvt33DpE0ZWGnI2o4Crewu4jZUpXl65mcTYM8FBtxXOn4duOguStrWmmU_B
qsp6L7XwkpzoaNKfD59wgQPQ2lzwN6uiA2I-OTEe> 



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=001m2n3C92Zn4miyLoulrXdD0wgvbPedEcjZS2xbLO3ffHv
WLJQYCWuFKq6eE99X0sw2s0CEcxUQFg4ctNgpBwbhcWRwGfztfvwSA6lRbYdZKQa6l7s2J9JmQ==
>   
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb 15 17:49:19 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:49:19 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 17 (Lent 1C) Deut 26 & Rom 10
Message-ID: <BEEF0EA5860C48DE8C418DA591D37795@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for two readings for
February 17:

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13

DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to one sermon:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Deut.26.01-11.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Deut.26.01-11.htm


ROMANS 10:8b-13

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Rom.10.8b-13.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Rom.10.8b-13.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.


www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Fri Feb 15 19:00:14 2013
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:00:14 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] 1 Lent c
Message-ID: <4910cef2.4e214e.13ce04d1938.Webtop.43@charter.net>

Here a draft of what I'm working on for Sunday ....


EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY                                       	 
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT (c)
DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11                         					 
17th FEBRUARY, 2013
ROMANS 10:8b-13		                            	 
PSALM 91:1-2, 9-16
LUKE 4:1-13

That sketch of Jesus on the psalm page this morning prompted me to 
wonder if He was thinking to Himself, ?Did I do the right thing?? 1

That?s not intended to be a joke, just an attempt to try to get close to 
what might have been going on in Jesus? mind at the time of the story 
Deacon Marj just read.

His cousin had welcomed him with open arms. God had wholeheartedly 
affirmed Him and the direction His ministry was about to take. What more 
might He want?

I was listening to a brief interview with a symphony orchestra conductor 
last week. Daniel Harding said that he happened to be in the right place 
at the right time. He?d done what felt satisfying to him and he came to 
the attention of an already established conductor, who took him under 
his wing and gave him some breaks. The rest, as they say, is history. 
Now at the ripe old age of thirty-seven he?s firmly established in his 
vocation. He?s invited to conduct the world?s most prestigious 
orchestras and preside at the best opera houses. Yet, for all that, he?s 
maintained both a great sense of humility and understanding that he must 
continue to study, he mustn?t rest on his laurels, and he must use his 
skills, his contacts, what prestige he feels he may have, in order to 
help young teenagers as he?d been helped. 2

Jesus had put in a little less than thirty years working, studying, 
learning all about working with wood. No doubt He came to know all about 
grain, about how some wood under certain conditions would split, and how 
other woods, treated in a different way, would be incredibly strong. No 
doubt He?d met with people who came to His shop for merchandise, or who 
spoke to Him when He was out on a job. He attended synagogue and seemed 
to engage the religious as well as civil leaders.

Then He felt called into public ministry. That?s when He met up with His 
cousin, John the Baptist.

Any time a person changes vocations, moves from one city to another, 
accepts a certain position, changes relationships: any time someone 
makes major changes in her or his life, there?s a lot of stress 
involved. I?ve been there. I?m sure you have also. All sorts of things 
are new ? geography, climate, people, working conditions ? you name it, 
change seems to be the only constant, and it can be stressful and 
worrisome. We ask ourselves, ?Have I made the right decision? Did I 
imagine that I was suited for this? Will I be all alone?? And there?s 
the classic, ?Wouldn?t it better to tolerate the old situation, even if 
I?m not feeling fulfilled, or happy, or useful, and so on, rather than 
risk all the unknowns??

Surely Jesus felt all of these. In fact, one of the encouraging things 
for us, living with all of our decisions two thousand years later, is 
precisely that. Jesus DID go through heart- and soul-searching. He 
didn?t sail through life without tearing the skin off His knees, or 
having family arguments, or being ticked off with the utility bills ? 
well, maybe not that, but He DOES know what it?s like to live on a 
budget.

But there He was, hearing talking birds and being all alone in the 
desert. It?s not the sort of change I?D relish, especially when we 
remember that this wasn?t Jesus? choice. He didn?t feel in need of a 
break.

Deserts, you?ve heard often I assume, were like the mountain top of last 
Sunday?s Gospel, deserts were one of the places where a person went to 
sort out her or his thoughts and to listen for God speaking. It wasn?t a 
place of banishment. But if GOD could be heard there, so could the 
Adversary who opposed everything for which God lobbied.

In very primitive living, Jesus must have sat for hours, then walked for 
several more hours, looking for vegetation to eat and a little spring 
from which to drink. He must have asked Himself again and again, ?What 
on earth am I doing here? Why, oh why did I leave Mum and the sibs, and 
the steady carpenter?s job??

Again, this is something to which we?re all accustomed ourselves. We 
know what plays out. If we move, if circumstances change, if we lose 
friends, or a job, or our family situation is modified, we become so 
vulnerable. We may settle for less elaborate cooking adventures. If 
we?re lucky, we make friends easily, but perhaps everyone else has 
something different happening on the weekends.

Picture Jesus, then, alone, desperately seeking a word from God to say 
that not only had He done the right thing in going to John the Baptist 
and in being baptized. But He was also coming to terms with the fact 
that everything He did would be challenged. He?d be ridiculed for NOT 
feeding Himself before everyone else. All the changes suggested for 
Jesus? life were appropriate.

THAT?S when He was at His most vulnerable and, like us, THAT?S when He 
was so susceptible to His imagination or to real contacts, when He faced 
suggestions to look after His own needs and satisfy Himself, no matter 
what the cost.

The good news is that Jesus was able to hang on. No matter how hungry, 
how lonely, how tired, how confused or self-doubting He may have been, 
He was able to analyse the temptations He faced.

That must have been incredibly difficult. Just because He was God?s Son 
didn?t make things any easier. In fact, it only upped the ante. Not too 
many of us go around singing, ?If I ruled the world?, at least I haven?t 
heard that in the hallways in this building. Probably just as well ? I 
knew the title of that song but, until I Googled it, I wasn?t aware that 
the first line is, ?Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops 
harassing?! 3

But that song title about sums up what Jesus faced, and what we face. 
Some people think that if they could only take over, then they?d be 
incredibly happy. Thinking about anyone else who might have different 
standards and goals doesn?t enter the equation. It?s a ?Me first? 
attitude, and even if we could count on Jesus having a totally 
altruistic approach to life, that?s not how He operated. He needed to 
look at how His human nature and God?s will jibed with one another. He 
needed to consider how His every movement, His every word, affected 
others. Not only was Jesus? ministry one of reconciliation, it was one 
of example. Satisfying His own needs at the expense of others, then, 
isn?t the sort of thing He?d want us to emulate. Heaven knows, there are 
enough people engaged in that philosophy that the world doesn?t need any 
religious nuts like Episcopalians selling some sort of brand of 
self-important puffery!

That?s why the Scripture readings are placed on this first Sunday in 
Lent. They?re designed to stop us up short. We need to be halted, to 
have our vision and focus checked so that we can appreciate all the 
better the enormity of what Jesus set out to accomplish for us.
	
	One pastor wrote somewhat engagingly, ?Lent rolls around every year, 
but for most Christians, it is less like a birthday and more like a flu 
vaccination.

	?We know Lent is necessary, that it's good for us in much the same way 
cauliflower might be. We've heard all the preachers? clich?s as to how 
it makes the joy of Easter possible, but the truth of the matter is that 
Lent never comes naturally.

	?It is hard to explain to our non-Christian friends, because, to tell 
the truth, we don?t fully understand it ourselves. We are prone to 
engage in its practice without ever asking why we are doing what we are 
doing. We do it because, well, we've always done it. ?

	?But if we don't have a good explanation for our Lenten behavior, if we 
don't seem to fully understand the focus of the season, it?s not 
completely our fault. It is Jesus? own sojourn in the wilderness that 
inspires this odd season, and Jesus doesn't seem keen on offering any 
explanation for what he's doing.? 4

That?s another of the telling points about temptation. We?re never fully 
aware of it until it?s right on top of us. That?s why we need to read 
and re-read the manual for life; we need to think and rethink who we are 
as human beings and as Jesus? brothers and sisters. We need to seek, 
once again, definitions of what we?re called to do, and we need to 
acknowledge that nothing about this is easy.

The Lent which we?re invited to engage once again this year is all about 
re - placing the ?I? in our lives in the service of God.

	A friend who?s with the General Board of Examining Chaplains who set 
and advise on the evaluation of The Episcopal Church?s ordination exams 
put it very simply. What we need is ?A knowledge of the two facts that 
are the basis for all spiritual wisdom and moral strength:
?	One, there is a God.
?	Two, you are not.? 5

This is the good news Jesus discovered in the desert. And this is the 
good news He passed along to us, not to belittle us in the least, but to 
take from us the responsibility of having to run things, giving us 
instead the exciting charge of following Him. Not, in itself, and by 
ourselves, an easy task, but one which IS eminently do-able in the 
strength and the company of the Man of God who faced desert-temptation 
for us, who now asks if He can walk with us.

That invitation starts at this altar. Only God knows where it will lead. 
But we ALL know where it will end ? thank God!

NOTES:

1 	Sketch for ?Jesus in the Wilderness? by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramsko?, 
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-fulldisplay.pl?SID=20130214849517822&code=ACT&RC=54213&Row=2

2	http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfhhs

3	NAS LYRICS ? "If I Ruled The World" (feat. Lauryn Hill) 
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nas/ifiruledtheworld.html

4	?Dress Rehearsal in the Desert? Luke 4:1-13 1st Sunday in Lent - Year 
C February 17, 2013 .The Rev. Brian Erickson is senior pastor of First 
United Methodist Church of Alabaster, AL 
http://day1.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a22435f9d4a26d16f2776cd60&id=aa44225728&e=07fe8bf832

5	?The Meaning of Lent: An Ash Wednesday Rant? February 13, 2013 by 
Frederick Schmidt www.patheos.com


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 Feb 16 13:51:59 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:51:59 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Five SERMONS for Luke 4:1-13:
Message-ID: <8CFDA8DD5E4B212-1370-160A8@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>

Five SERMONS for Luke 4:1-13:
 
http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/21C-Lent1C-Luke.4.1-13-.html

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb 16 20:58:19 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 20:58:19 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 1C
In-Reply-To: <acc0727e-96ad-460c-891d-1af1fef233a6@h17g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>
References: <acc0727e-96ad-460c-891d-1af1fef233a6@h17g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CFDAC9644C0C75-1370-1E5A1@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 16, 2013 8:42 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 1C


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Yield Not to Temptation? or ?The
Devil Made Me Do It!? and deals with the gospel (Luke 4:1-13).  Here
it is:

We just heard the story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert (Luke
4:1-13) and we know the feeling of being tempted all too well, because
temptation is a part of our lives.  In Lent it gets even worse as we
try to stick with our Lenten commitment of giving up something that
keeps us from being the best we can be and taking on something to
deepen our spiritual lives.  You know as well as I do, even good
change is hard.  How many diets have you gone on?  Since we purposely
take on change in Lent, we also purposely expose ourselves to
temptation.  Do you remember the story about the father who told his
three-year-old son not to go near the street while he was outside.  He
could ride his tricycle.  He could dig in his sandbox.  He could sit
on the steps and watch his father work in the yard.  He could help his
father dig in the yard.  The only thing he could NOT do was go near
the street, because it was very dangerous.  The father held his son?s
small face in his hands and carefully explained this to him, then
asked if he understood.  ?Yes, daddy,? said the child.  As soon as the
father turned away, you know exactly what the little boy did, don?t
you...put his right toe in the street and looked at his father as if
to say, ?I dare you!?  Sounds like Adam and Eve all over again.  We
humans surely do have a disobedient streak in us!  So, let?s get
personal.  What did you give up for Lent?  If it?s doughnuts, I know
your car just happens to drive by the doughnut shop.  If it?s smoking,
I know you look at those cigarettes when you pay for your gas.  It?s
no accident that Jesus taught us to pray: ?Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil,? better translated: ?Save us
from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.?  Jesus came to give
us life, allow us to live our lives to the fullest.  What is the
opposite of ?live??  Sure, ?E-V-I-L?- what the devil wants to trick us
into choosing.

Here are some useful facts about temptation and how to handle it:
?	When we?re under huge assault, it?s so easy to forget that Jesus has
overcome, so the power to overcome is in our hands.  The devil cannot
force us.  All he can do is simply try to convince us.  The trouble
is- we get convinced all too easily.
?	One of the devil?s tricks is to make us think overcoming temptation
is simply a matter of education.  As is the case with most of the
devil?s tricks- this is partly true.  Education helps, but the real
problem is one of the will, of making choices.  We are tempted to
choose short term happiness over our long term well-being.
?	Temptation starts in our minds and moves from mind to action.  Did
you notice the thought for the week? Gandhi taught: ?Keep your
thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.  Keep your
words positive because your words become your behaviors.  Keep your
behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits.  Keep
your habits positive because your habits become your values.  Keep
your values positive because your values become your destiny.?
?	The Rev. Dr. Anthony Evans reminds us: ?Used improperly, credit
cards operate a lot like sin: enjoy now, pay later.?

Question- how can you know if that still, small voice in your head is
God?s- encouraging happiness and life, or the devil?s encouraging
unhappiness and death?  Use Jesus? experience to help you figure it
out.
5)	From the ?stones into bread? temptation, ask yourself: ?What?s in
it for me??  The essence of the demonic is self-centeredness.
Remember, the devil tempted Jesus to misuse his powers and turn stones
into bread FOR HIMSELF.  Don?t let the devil succeed in tempting you
to use your powers and skills selfishly.
6)	From the ?throw yourself from the top of the temple? temptation,
ask yourself: Am I taking the easy way, a short cut, a ?quick-fix??
Remember, the devil tempted Jesus to throw himself off the top of the
temple as a short-cut means to gain popularity and attention.
7)	From the ?fall down and worship me? temptation, ask yourself: Am I
being tempted to use an evil means and hoping to get a good end, like
when the devil suggested that Jesus worship him to gain the power he
needed to do good?
8)	Finally, did you notice how the first and third temptations
started: ?If you are God?s son?..??  Is that voice inspiring self-
doubt, discouragement, depression?

If the answer to any of these is unsatisfactory, just say ?NO!  Get
thee behind me Satan!

Speaking of ?Get thee behind me, Satan,? I?d like to close with an old
story that perfectly fits the beginning of Lent.  Watch for the
mistakes the woman makes.  Did you hear about the woman who just loved
to shop?  The problem was- both of their credit cards were maxed out,
and she had promised her husband that she would not buy anything that
was not absolutely necessary.  Well, Lent came soon after she made the
promise, and her Lenten commitment was that she would exercise every
day.  Since it was pouring rain, she couldn?t walk outside; so she
decided to go to the mall to walk and get her exercise.  ?Don?t worry,
dear,? she told her husband before leaving.  ?I won?t buy anything- I
promise you.?  Her walk in the mall started out just fine, but then,
as she strode past one of her favorite stores, she saw this beautiful
dress in the window.  You know what she did- stopped walking to look
at it.  She noticed that it was in her favorite color and would match
the shoes she purchased the week before.  ?It won?t hurt if I just go
in the story to look.  They probably won?t have my size anyway.?  When
she checked out the rack, there was that gorgeous dress; and it was in
her perfect color and correct size.  ?Wow!? she thought.  ?It won?t
hurt to just try it on.  Trying it on is not the same thing as buying
it.?  You know what she did- took it into the dressing room to try it
on.  After it was on, she looked at her image in the mirror, and she
really did look good.  All of a sudden, she came to her senses and
remembered her promise to her husband.  ?Get the behind me, Satan!?
she ordered.  ?I?m not buying this dress!?  From behind her came a
soft voice that said- ?Gee, that?s a shame.  It looks really good back
here too!?

May God bless us as we keep a holy Lent full of life-giving spiritual
growth.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb 16 23:17:19 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 23:17:19 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_February_17=2C_1_Lent_=28C=29?=
 =?utf-8?q?=2C_based_on_Luke_4=3A1-13=2C_=E2=80=9CSundays_in_Lent_are_not_?=
 =?utf-8?q?days_of_fasting=2E=E2=80=9D?=
Message-ID: <8CFDADCCFB4C0D2-1370-1EE1D@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/clc6r76is our sermon for February 17, 1 Lent (C), based on Luke 4:1-13, ?Sundays inLent are not days of fasting.?
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sun Feb 17 00:09:06 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:09:06 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_February_17=2C__una_?=
 =?utf-8?q?Cuaresma_=28C=29=2C_basado_en_Lucas_4=3A1-13=2C_=22Los_domingos?=
 =?utf-8?q?_de_Cuaresma_no_son_d=C3=ADas_de_ayuno=2E=22?=
Message-ID: <8CFDAE40B30E741-1370-1F03E@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/bn9o2bbes nuestro serm?n para el 17 de febrero, una Cuaresma (C), basado en Lucas4:1-13, "Los domingos de Cuaresma no son d?as de ayuno."
Paz ybendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ


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From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb 17 13:20:37 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 11:20:37 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] 2 Lent
Message-ID: <D9E8B9C99F3F46799636397C0BEE98AA@BobPC>

Collect for 2 Lent:

Let us pray:

God, you sent the prophets
to bring us back to you.
Yet we kill the prophets
in their Jerusalem,
wherever that Jerusalem may be.
Grant us ears to hear who speaks for you today.
May we never kill your messengers again.
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 2 Lent go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From chadwohl at satucket.com  Sun Feb 17 21:39:32 2013
From: chadwohl at satucket.com (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:39:32 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the SECOND SUNDAY in LENT
Message-ID: <B17B91C04CD64A629C48D53C4A500CD7@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent, February 24, 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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day.



OLD TESTAMENT:   Genesis 15: 1 - 12, 17 - 18   (all)

Gene 15:1 (NRSV) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." 4 But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." 5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness. 
7 Then he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chalde'ans, to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 


PSALM 27   (RCL)
Psalm 27: 1, 7 - 9, 13 - 14   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 27:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; 
whom shall I fear? 
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; 
of whom shall I be afraid? 
2 When evildoers assail me 
to devour my flesh-- 
my adversaries and foes-- 
they shall stumble and fall. 
3 Though an army encamp against me, 
my heart shall not fear; 
though war rise up against me, 
yet I will be confident. 
4 One thing I asked of the LORD, 
that will I seek after: 
to live in the house of the LORD 
all the days of my life, 
to behold the beauty of the LORD, 
and to inquire in his temple. 
5 For he will hide me in his shelter 
in the day of trouble; 
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; 
he will set me high on a rock. 
6 Now my head is lifted up 
above my enemies all around me, 
and I will offer in his tent 
sacrifices with shouts of joy; 
I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, 
be gracious to me and answer me! 
8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" 
Your face, LORD, do I seek. 
9 Do not hide your face from me. 
Do not turn your servant away in anger, 
you who have been my help. 
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, 
O God of my salvation! 
10 If my father and mother forsake me, 
the LORD will take me up. 
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, 
and lead me on a level path 
because of my enemies. 
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, 
for false witnesses have risen against me, 
and they are breathing out violence. 
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD 
in the land of the living. 
14 Wait for the LORD; 
be strong, and let your heart take courage; 
wait for the LORD! 

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.


NEW TESTAMENT:   Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1   (all)

Phil 3:17 (NRSV) Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. 

Note: Vs. 17-19 are optional in the Roman Catholic lectionary.


GOSPEL:   Luke 13: 31 - 35   (RCL)

Luke 13:31 (NRSV)  At that very hour some Phar'isees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Her'od wants to kill you." 32 He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, "Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'" 


Luke 9: 28 - 36   (alt. for RCL & Can. BAS, but not C of E or ECUSA)
Luke 9: 28b - 36   (Roman Catholic)

Luke 9:28 (NRSV) Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Eli'jah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Eli'jah"--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 09:56:16 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:56:16 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 24 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFDCC866316B70-DC0-18350@webmail-m023.sysops.aol.com>





February 24, 2013



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermons for Lent 2
 
Luke 13:31-35 - "Who Lives In You?" 
Philippians 3:17-4:1 - "The Cross - Burden or Blessing?" by Leonard Sweet
 
Luke 13, the sermon title "Who Lives In You?"  

 
Who lives in you? That's the question that comes to mind as we read those words of Jesus this morning when he tells the Pharisees, "Go tell that fox (Herod) that I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow and on the third day reach my goal." I will do what I must. For God lives in me. I am a citizen of heaven. Let him do what he must!

Let your imagination run free for a moment and picture yourself, your personality, who you are really, as a house. Any kind of house will do -- just so it's yours. For some it may be a huge castle, with lofty turrets and banners waving in the breeze, a place that is safe and secure. For others it may be a rustic cabin, tucked away in the woods, a peaceful and quiet refuge. For others still, it might be a nice little retirement home, with a rocking chair on the front porch, a shade tree in front and a nice warm breeze stirring flowers blooming in front.

Now, move in closer and imagine the front door of that house. Picture someone pushing the doorbell, clanking the knocker, or rapping on the door. If someone came to the door of your house, who would they find inside? Who lives in you?

I'm not sure about you, but I've met people who gave me the distinct impression that if I went inside the "houses" of their lives, I wouldn't find anyone home. Or if I went inside their houses, they would be so cluttered with junk that there wouldn't be any room for anyone. Or some whose houses are great and impressive on the outside, but once I entered everything would be artificial.

Who lives in you? That's the question for us to address this Second Sunday in Lent...
 
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.
 
_______________________
 
Philippians 3, the sermon titled "The Cross - Burden or Blessing?" by Leonard Sweet  
 
Does a fast-food nation get the church it deserves, or demands . . . . a fast-food church? Not if Lent has anything to do with it. 
 
Have you noticed that all the big fast food chains are touting their great new fish menus in the past couple of weeks?
 
McDonald's Fish McBites. 
Wendy's Alaskan Pollack sandwiches. 
Red Lobster's LobsterFest. 
Popeye's Shrimp baskets. 
 
Economically it is a "down time." No big holidays this month and downright cold and wintery most places. The big chain restaurants are going to try and capitalize on anything they can. That includes Lent.
 
"Giving up" something for Lent has long meant, giving up rich goodies. Besides chocolate, red meat has always been near the top of that list. If you are old enough to remember those who only ate "fish on Friday," you can understand the sudden oceanic bent of McDonald's and Wendy's and other fast-food chains. If people of faith are "giving up" something for Lent, God-forbid that such a commitment should include "giving up" dining out at a fast food restaurant! Give them fast-food fish instead!
 
But Lent is not just a season of winnowing down, of doing without, of "giving up." In today's epistle text Paul reminds his readers that following Christ is about living as life as an advocate, as a positive force, not as an enemy, of the cross...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
______________________________
 
The World of the Prophet 
  
What would you do if someone gave you one million dollars and then told you to come back as often as you liked and you could have whatever money you needed whenever you wanted? Just ask and it is yours. What if he told you to tell all your friends and they could also come and have a million dollars? Do you think you would tell your friends? Do you think you would show up regularly to receive more from this very wealthy and very generous person? 
 
What would you think if you told your friends and they had you arrested? What would you think if people said you were an idiot for getting money from this generous person? What if people killed you for telling them about this person who was giving away free money? Would you expect people to accuse you of being narrow minded when you told people that they couldn't get free money from any other person? Would you expect people to say things like, "You know if we get our money every week, we won't really appreciate it?" Would you expect people to hunt down this very wealthy, very generous person and kill him? 
 
Welcome to the world of the prophet. If you were to take my recent examples and replace the money with forgiveness, you would exactly describe the insanity that faces the prophet, the apostle, and all the messengers of God. God wants to cover us in His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation and for some reason, that makes people angry. 

James T. Batchelor 
_______________________________________

In the Form of a Man
 
The Hindu temple is built in the form of a man. The outer court raised on pillars and open on all sides is the human body, the inner court with its wide spaces is the human mind, the shrine room is the human soul. Man moves within himself into himself and there finds the presence of God. 
 
The Muslim mosque, too, is built in the form of a man. The central dome is man's head and the minarets are his hands upraised in prayer. Man comes to God through an act of adoration and submission. The Buddhist dogoba, too, is built in the form of a man. Its figure is that of a man in the posture of meditation: legs crossed the body erect, and the head held straight and unmoving. The approach to reality is by way of inner withdrawal from the world.
 
The Christian church, too, is built in the form of a man, a man stretched out 
upon a cross. And this has made all the difference. The church does not ask its followers to find their way, or to discover truth within. The church says one man, Jesus of Nazareth is that way, is the truth. He is life. We put our faith in him knowing 
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from a sermon by Daniel T. Niles. 
_____________________






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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 09:57:49 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:57:49 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 24 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFDCC89DE8E0A8-DC0-183E4@webmail-m023.sysops.aol.com>


Three Questions 
 
Jaques Maritain, the great French philosopher of the last century, said there were really only three questions that had to be answered: "Who am I?" "Where am I?" and "Where ought I to be going?" Jesus knew who he was, and where he was, and where he had to go. Lincoln knew. So have all great leaders and great men and women of faith known. Do we know? Or are we out of focus, our goals fuzzy and ill-defined? Our world is so insane, but not any more so than the world of Jesus. Most people in his day, went to work every day, and came home, and were pulled this way and that. And they didn't ask the big questions very often. We remember Jesus because he did. 
 
William R. Boyer, As a Hen Gathers Her Brood
_______________________
 
Rejection and Refusal to Listen 
 
Robert Fulton, an artist and engineer was responsible in the early 1800's for putting sailing ships out of business. He made the steamboat a standard on the open seas. It is said that he presented his idea to Napoleon. After a few minutes of this presentation Napoleon is reported to have said, "What, sir, you would make a ship sail against the wind and currents by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I pray you excuse me. I have no time to listen to such nonsense."
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. 
_________________ 
 
The Old Mother Hen 
 
Have you ever seen a chicken hawk go after its prey? The old mother hen is often aware of the presence of the hawk in time to gather her chicks under her wing. With a furious fuss she squawks till her brood is safe by her side. She fluffs out her wings and protects them with her own body. The chicken hawk dives and the old hen turns her body toward him and cocks a wary eye without moving from her children. The predator comes in again for the kill and the mother spreads her wings even wider. A third time he dives only to be thwarted by the determined self-sacrifice of the mother hen. She is too big to be a target and the chicks are too safe to be seized so he flies away.
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. 
__________________ 
 
Shelter 
 
In Mission, British Columbia, a fellow by the name of Ike tells the story about his Grandpa's hen house which burned to the ground one day. Ike arrived just in time to help put out the last of the fire. As he and his grandfather sorted through the wreckage, they came upon one hen lying dead near what had been the door of the hen house. Her top feathers were singed brown by the fire's heat, her neck limp. Ike bent down to pick up the dead hen. As he did the hen's four chicks came scurrying out from beneath her burnt body. The chicks survived because they were insulated by the shelter of the hen's wings.
 
Richard J. Fairchild 
_________________ 

A Pompous Pretender
 
Jesus called Herod a fox after some Pharisees reported that Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Jesus' response challenged any such plans: "Tell Herod I've got work to do first." Jesus was not implying that Herod was sly, rather he was commenting on Herod's ineptitude, or inability, to carry out his threat. Jesus questioned the tetrarch's pedigree, moral stature and leadership, and put the tetrarch "in his place." This exactly fits the second rabbinic usage of "fox."
 
When Jesus labeled Herod a fox, Jesus implied that Herod was not a lion. Herod considered himself a lion, but Jesus pointed out that Herod was the opposite of a lion. Jesus cut Herod down to size, and Jesus' audience may have had an inward smile of appreciation at a telling riposte.
 
We need to start translating "fox" with its proper Hebraic cultural meaning: A pompous pretender. Jesus was direct. Antipas was a shu?AL ben shu?AL (a fox, the son of a fox), a small-fry.
 
Randall Buth, That Small Fry Herod Antipas, Or When A Fox Is Not A Fox.
_______________
 
Compassion for the Suffering 
 
In England in the 1940s a young woman entered Oxford University with little focus. She had no idea what to do with her life. But she soon came under the influence of a colorful professor of English, a writer with a gift, named C. S. Lewis. She became a Christian through much of his influence.
 
She left Oxford, against the advice of friends and family, and began to study nursing. After five more years of rigorous training, she was certified as a nurse.
 
But her story doesn't end there, for her questing Christian spirit would not let her rest with the way things were. You see, she ended up working on a cancer ward in a London hospital. Gradually, she came to realize that most of the doctors ignored the patients who were deemed terminally ill. As a result she watched many of them die virtually alone.
 
Greatly troubled she felt that Christian compassion needed to be expressed to these patients in a visible way...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Lent and Easter, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 10:05:15 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:05:15 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Feb.  24 (Lent 2C) Luke 13:31-35
Message-ID: <0530565169B74AE1B865E68989431280@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 24 (Lent 2C). They
focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 13:31-35, where Jesus says, 
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets."


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.


LUKE 13:31-35

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Luke.13.31-35.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001afkn74FPfUDflHPJ-Yb2HQBczsRxI2DOKG7c9v3UGYVQ
CNu4-coMb2Mthp58WFmiyaqKPUgVDOweUQR5QL-_1ElsC4W54dyxpJw982BDWUPh6gX8zFyBX4GF
mgKWjXk9fUqyf9UzQA_wvbh396N2z8egOn2SujGK> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Luke.13.31-35.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001afkn74FPfUD-f_YFwIAWkXKRJmNN_tRE4H4U7Qn2ZIGs
-c7zyV0kw6_ULXEWZ2gtDnzffjZq4akGTRlFZ439IfeYsKmVanjKieUwbNAlUlXQssx1hjjLqGLr
F-XPSs5npE6Cr9gBnNLSWU_Gej3kUqSV9QqLhFVT> 




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=001afkn74FPfUAO7h_Y9P9umvmY9E2BZzY1C9wlgZN1ZCJI
wtofmW1U4yQr7CdIH6ZUI6bzKaWEdLRTqh-IneISTl0ZRb6QaOgp30BAhM0NLXy4NiVTIvPsJQ==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 10:07:39 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:07:39 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Feb. 24 (Lent 2C) Genesis 15
Message-ID: <13F99D00A23A4F6090EDBFCE35091592@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for the OT reading for
February 24 -- Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18.

GENESIS 15:1-12, 17-18

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to one sermon:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Gen.15.1-12--17-18-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Gen.15.1-12--17-18-WEB.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.

www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb 24 15:09:24 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:09:24 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] 3 Lent
Message-ID: <0B3D02163C394EAEA058A6CE0AFC8A42@BobPC>

Collect for 3 Lent:

Let us pray:

God of all creation,
especially of fig trees.
When we are impatient,
you urge us to wait for the nurturing time.
Then you will bless us,
as we sit under our own fig tree
in peace, security and forgiveness,
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 3 Lent go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Feb 24 20:58:58 2013
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:58:58 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the THIRD SUNDAY of LENT
Message-ID: <8F992384D50F468F99FC5F94039E9EE6@cranmer>

The following are the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent, March 3, 
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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries 
are identical to the RCL for this day.

The readings are posted on our web site: <http://satucket.com/lectionary>, 
in RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.



OLD TESTAMENT:  Isaiah 55: 1 - 9   (RCL)

Isai 55:1 (NRSV) Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.


Exodus 3: 1 - 15   (ECUSA)
Exodus 3: 1 - 8a, 13 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Exod 3:1 (NRSV) Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jeth'ro, 
the priest of Mid'ian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to 
Ho'reb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him 
in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet 
it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this 
great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the LORD saw 
that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, 
Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove 
the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy 
ground." 6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of 
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, 
for he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in 
Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I 
know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the 
Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a 
land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Ca'naanites, the 
Hit'tites, the Am'orites, the Per'izzites, the Hi'vites, and the Jeb'usites. 
9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the 
Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my 
people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I 
that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 12 He 
said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I 
who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall 
worship God on this mountain."
13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The 
God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his 
name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."
 He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me 
to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 
"The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you':
This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.


PSALM 63: 1 - 8   (RCL)

Psal 63:1 (NRSV) O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.


Psalm 103: 1 - 4, 6 - 8, 11   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 103:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits-- 
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

6 The LORD works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;



NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13   (all but Roman Catholic)
                                     1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 6, 10 - 12 
(Roman Catholic)

1Cor 10:1 (NRSV) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that 
our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate 
the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they 
drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck 
down in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire 
evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is 
written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 8 
We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and 
twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the 
test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not 
complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These 
things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down 
to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think 
you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has 
overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will 
not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will 
also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.


GOSPEL:   Luke 13: 1 - 9   (all)

Luke 13:1 (NRSV) At that very time there were some present who told him 
about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 
He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this 
way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but 
unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who 
were killed when the tower of Silo'am fell on them--do you think that they 
were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell 
you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; 
and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the 
gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this 
fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the 
soil?' 8 He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig 
around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and 
good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"


Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 10:40:23 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:40:23 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for March 3 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFE24EB99D29D6-13C8-71432@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>






Lent 3


        


 

        
	    
    
        
        

March 3, 2013



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermons for Lent 3
 
Luke 13:1-9 - "God Doesn't Ask a Fig Tree to Produce Bananas" 
Luke 13:1-9 - "The 5 Worst Things Christians Say After a Tragedy" by Leonard Sweet
 
Luke 13, the sermon title "God Doesn't Ask a Fig Tree to Produce Bananas"  

 
A man borrowed a book from an acquaintance. As he read through it, he was intrigued to find parts of the book underlined with the letters YBH written in the margin. When he returned the book to the owner, he asked what the YBH meant. The owner replied that the underlined paragraphs were sections of the book that he basically agreed with. They gave him hints on how to improve himself and pointed out truths that he wished to incorporate into his life. However, the letters YBH stood for "Yes, but how?"
 
Those three letters could be writ on the margins of ours souls: "I ought to know how to take better care of myself, but how?" "I know I ought to spend more time in scripture reading and prayer, but how?" "I know I ought to be more sensitive to others, more loving of my spouse, more understanding of the weaknesses of others, but how?" These are all good qualities and we know that, but how can we acquire them? As Christian people we know the kind of life we ought to live, and most of us have the best of intentions to do so, but how? We are afraid because we know where the road paved with only good intentions leads!
 
This morning we hear Jesus' parable of the fig tree, telling us to repent and bear good fruit. We know what the Christian life requires of us and yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we also know how far short we fall. So the question that confronts us this morning is: "Yes, but how?"
It's a dilemma that has confronted God's people throughout the ages. Even Saint Paul found himself trapped. In Romans 7 Paul writes: It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love to do God's will so far as my new (redeemed Christian) nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind, I want to be God's willing servant, but instead I find myself enslaved to sin. So you see how it is; my new life (the redeemed life in Christ) tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me (my sinful human self) loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I'm in! Who will free me from this slavery to sin? Thank God! It has already been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free!
 
"Repent," Jesus says. "Acknowledge your sinfulness." That's the first step in beginning to live the Christian life. None of us is without fault. And yet how difficult it is for us to admit that. We know better than to openly admit our wrongs. If we want to get ahead in this world and be accepted by others, it's generally better to conceal our shortcomings and put on a good front for others...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  
_______________________
 
Luke 13, the sermon titled "The 5 Worst Things Christians Say After a Tragedy" by Leonard Sweet   
 
In the immediate aftermath of the Super Bowl, a reporter asked Ray Lewis, star player of the Baltimore Ravens, "How does it feel to be a Super Bowl Champion?" He responded "When God is for you, who can be against you?"
 
Excuse me? God had a favorite team? You mean God liked one Harbaugh brother over the other? 
 
Candidate Richard Mourdock in his losing attempt to win a Senate seat in Indiana, said this: "Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen."
 
Excuse me? If something happens, then God intends it to happen? Sandy Hook Elementary? Hurricane Sandy? God willed these things to happen? 
 
Where do these professed Christians get this stuff? Where do they learn their theology? Learn their bad theology? If there is any greater evidence of the failure of Sunday school, it is the theology that gets expressed in the wake of a tragedy. What Christians say right after a disaster is disastrous and downright embarrassing. 
 
The most horrible things are said about God when people try to say the nicest things about Him...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
______________
 
Our Chaotic Life
 
This notice appeared in the window of a coat store in Nottingham, England: "We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coat rationing, government control and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next."
 
Unknown
__________________
 
Becoming What We Are
 
Somerset Maugham said it best in his autobiography, Summing Up, "I knew that I had no lyrical quality, a small vocabulary, little gift of metaphor. The original and striking simile never occurred to me. Poetic flights...were beyond my powers. On the other hand, I had an acute power of observation, and it seemed to me that I could see a great many things that other people missed. I could put down in clear terms what I saw...I knew that I should never write as well as I could wish, but I thought, with pains, that I could arrive at writing as well as my natural defects allowed." Somerset Maugham discovered the secret of genius. 

The point is that life does not ask us to become what we are not. The fig tree was only required to produce figs. No more. You and I are asked only to accomplish what our natural gifts allow, but we are asked to accomplish just that. 
 
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com 
 
________________________ 







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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 10:57:41 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:57:41 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for March 3 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFE251241FB3EC-13C8-71755@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>


Using Up the Ground
 
Soil was at a premium in Israel. It was not unusual for a vineyard owner to give a little bit of his soil up for a fruit tree but the tree took up the best soil, the deepest soil, and required the most water. A fig tree doesn't grow fruit until three years after planting. The owner in this story, had given the tree "due season" to bear fruit and yet the tree bore no fruit. It took up valuable space and resources. The owner questioned why the tree was allowed to "even use up ground."
 
God had given the Israelites the choicest ground. Their land possessed everything necessary to make themselves a great nation, indeed, a light to all nations. They were strategically positioned to send the fruit of God north and south, east and west; but instead, in-fighting continued to make them a worthless fruit tree.
 
Everyone one of us and all of our churches will have to answer (from God's perspective) this same question; "Why does it even use up the ground?"
 
Jerry Goebel, Why Does HE Even Use up the Ground?
_______________________
 
Becoming Christian
 
Garrison Keillor warns us, "You can become a Christian by going to church just as about easily as you can become an automobile by sleeping in a garage." What we're speaking of is the danger of presumed spiritual security. Our parable says that we're not called just to be here. It is a clear warning against a fruitless existence in the light of God's grace given to us. 
 
Wiley Stephens, Missing Is Not Final
________________________
 
Suffering and Repentance
 
Trevor Beeson stood at the high altar of Westminster Abbey to celebrate the marriage of his daughter, Catharine, to Anthony, aged twenty-three. Nine months later he stood before the same altar for Anthony's funeral, who was killed when his car ran into a wall in East London. Four months later, Trevor returned to the altar beside the coffin of his friend and hero Earl Mountbatten, who died when his fishing boat was blown to pieces by Irish terrorist. Reflecting on the experience, he said he could not blame God for these senseless tragedies. He wrote:
I should find it impossible to believe in, and worship, a God who arranged for the great servants of the community to be blown up on their holidays and who deliberately turned a young man's car into a brick wall...This is not the God of love whose ways are revealed in the Bible and supremely in the life of Jesus Christ.
 
Beeson found two insights that helped him to cope with his tragedy and to look beyond it: "The first is that, although God is not responsible for causing tragedy, he is not a detached observer of our suffering. On the contrary, he is immersed in it with us, sharing to the full our particular grief and pain. This is the fundamental significance of the cross."
 
Second, although we naturally ask, "Why did it happen?" Beeson discovered that the more important question is "What are we going to make of it?"; "Every tragedy contains within it the seeds of resurrection." This is, after all, the whole point of our pilgrimage through Lent, to Good Friday, and Easter morning.
 
Are those who experience innocent suffering worse than anyone else? Of course not. It can happen to any of us.
 
But is there a connection between innocent suffering and human action? Of course there is, and unless we change our way of living, we may all experience the same suffering.
 
What does Jesus offer us when we experience this kind of suffering? The power of God to hold us firm, to give us strength, and to see us through.
 
John K. Bergland editor, Abingdon Preachers Annual 1992, Nashville: Abingdon, 1991, p. 108.
__________________
 
Not Nearly as Big a Man
 
It seems that the University of Tennessee coach bought a bolt of cloth thinking he would have a suit made out of it. He took the material to his tailor in Knoxville where the tailor measured him, examined the bolt of cloth, did some computations on a piece of paper, and said, "I'm sorry, coach, there just isn't enough material in this bolt to make a suit for you." The coach was disappointed, but he threw the bolt of cloth in the trunk of his car, wondering what he was going to do with it.
 
A couple of weeks later he was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- the home of the Crimson Tide -- arch enemies of the Vols. He was on his way to the coast for a vacation. Driving down the main street in Tuscaloosa, he noticed a tailor shop, which reminded him that he had that bolt of cloth in the trunk. He stopped, thinking he would give it a try. He told the tailor he had bought this bolt of cloth and wondered if he could do anything with it. The tailor measured him, measured the bolt of cloth, did some computations. Finally he said, "Coach, I can make you a suit out of this bolt. What's more, I can make you an extra pair of pants. And if you really want it, I can give you a vest out of this, too." The coach was dumbfounded. "I don't understand," he said. "My tailor in Knoxville told me he couldn't even make one suit out of this bolt of cloth." The tailor said, "Coach, here in Tuscaloosa, you are not nearly as big a man as you are in Knoxville."

I tell the story to make the point that things are not always what they seem. Our Scripture lesson -- the parable of the fig tree -- is clearly a parable of judgment. But at the very heart of it is a marvelous word of grace.

Maxie Dunnam, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com 

_________________________________________
 
He Has One More Move
 
A story is told of former world chess champion Bobby Fischer when he was a young boy. His mother took him to a museum, and he happened upon a painting that caught his eye. It depicted a bedraggled, exhausted older man slumped over a chessboard. Few of his pieces were left on the board, and he was conceding the game. On the other side of the board was his fresh and snappy opponent, Satan. The painting was entitled Checkmate. Already a chess prodigy, young Bobby Fischer stood looking at the painting for a long time. His mother soon tired of it and moved around the remainder of the gallery, finally returning to find Bobby still entranced by that painting. "Come now, Bobby, we have to go." Bobby Fischer did not stop staring, thinking...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Lent and Easter, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 



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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 13:47:31 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:47:31 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Mar. 3 (Lent 3C) Luke 13:1-9
Message-ID: <80512FC2079848ED953376E5EFF9B9B3@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for March 3 (Lent 3C). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Luke 13:1-9--a warning to repent--and the Parable of
the Fig Tree.

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.


LUKE 13:1-9

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Luke.13.1-9.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SLnDxTIc2UP_NXKSmBjkqjodxA634AYU6ixQJlx2nz0F
5Suf-fNXI5CI7mXbmev8xm42BHuTz-noCVyetssQOEBG2IlO_iaHRLX4R207Y0mkCHHmm8VavgT_
0SiGOJJaM5yvfqiu4WsZQ-9e4MhtEywh7OHGWNky> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Luke.13.1-9.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/ 
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 13:49:13 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:49:13 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Mar. 3 (Lent 3C) Isa + Exo + 1 Cor.
Message-ID: <DA0B11E6C8274AD29FD7BEC75FE1D50F@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for the following readings
for March 3:

--Isaiah 55:1-9 (Common Lectionary)
--Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 (Catholic Lectionary)
--1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (Both lectionaries)

ISAIAH 55:1-9 (Common Lectionary)

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to sermons:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Isaiah.55.01-09-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Isaiah.55.01-09-WEB.htm


EXODUS 3:1-8A, 13-15 (Catholic Lectionary)

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to sermons:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Exodus.03.01-8a_13-15_Cath-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Exodus.03.01-8a_13-15_Cath-WEB.htm


1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13 (Both lectionaries)

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to one sermon:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/1Cor.10.01-13-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/1Cor.10.01-13-WEB.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.


www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 16:24:24 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:24:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] 5 sermons for Luke 13:1-9
Message-ID: <8CFE27EC869B335-13C8-76CBF@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>

http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/23C-Lent3C-Luke.13.1-9.html

5 sermons for Luke 13:1-9
Peace and blessings,
Joe



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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 20:02:43 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:02:43 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Day 1 sermon for March 3
Message-ID: <8CFE29D485F12A1-13C8-7972C@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>

http://day1.org/4534-spared_the_ax

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Wed Feb 27 00:32:45 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:32:45 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_English_for_March_3_based_on_Luk?=
 =?utf-8?b?ZSAxMzoxLTksIOKAnFByb2ZpdGFibGUgQ2hyaXN0aWFuc+KAnQ==?=
Message-ID: <8CFE2C301554DFF-13C8-7A70D@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/ae9zk5fis our sermon in English for March 3 based on Luke 13:1-9, ?ProfitableChristians.?
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Wed Feb 27 11:23:27 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:23:27 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon in Spanish el 3 de marzo basado en Lucas
 13:1-9: "Los cristianos rentable"
Message-ID: <8CFE31DE7D9544A-1934-9CED1@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/ckwdvmpes nuestro serm?n en espa?ol el 3 de marzo basado en Lucas 13:1-9: "Loscristianos rentable."
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ


(Por favor, oren por nosotros para ir a nuestra Convenci?n Diocesana Viernes y S?bado).



(Please pray for us as we go to our Diocesan ConventionFriday and Saturday.)

 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 16:08:08 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 16:08:08 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 3 (Epiphany 4C) Luke 4:21-30
Message-ID: <9851069223204D19A2F0A2BAF577AF02@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 3 (Epiphany 4C). They
focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 4:21-30, where Jesus visits his hometown
synagogue in Nazareth.

LUKE 4:21-30

Microsoft Word file: 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 16:13:55 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 16:13:55 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 4C
In-Reply-To: <b3dfb377-9efd-48bc-8319-7f20d7e70a91@l9g2000yqp.googlegroups.com>
References: <b3dfb377-9efd-48bc-8319-7f20d7e70a91@l9g2000yqp.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CFCFA157961F86-BF4-71770@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 2, 2013 3:24 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 4C


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?All You Need Is Love? or ?Love Makes
the World Go Round? and deals with the epistle (1st Corinthians
13:1-13) and the gospel (Luke 4: 21- 30).  Here it is:

We just heard the story of how Jesus? family and neighbors in his home
town of Nazareth tried to throw him off of a cliff.  Talk about not
liking to hear the Word of God!  It reminds me of the Sunday school
teacher who was trying to teach his five and six year-olds about the
Ten Commandments.  After explaining the commandment to honor thy
father and thy mother, the teacher asked, ?Is there a commandment that
teaches us how to treat our sisters and brothers??  ?Sure is!?
answered a precocious little girl with a toddler for a brother.  ?Thou
shalt not kill.?  You know how the Bible says, ?A little child shall
lead them??  Well, the people of Nazareth needed to hear what the
little Sunday school girl said.  They didn?t want to hear that God
loved those Gentiles, and they surely didn?t want to hear about
Jubilee!  They only wanted to hear from their hometown boy that God
loved them, and their fury made them try to throw God?s gift of love-
his own Son- off a cliff.

This morning I?d like us to look at what God expects of us in terms of
love.  As you know, English has really only one word for ?love,? but
Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written) has three:
?eros?- sexual love, ?philia?- friendship love, and ?agape?- Christian
love.  We?re talking about Christian love- the foundation of a
Christian?s relationships.  One of the best explanations of Christian
love was written by St. Paul when he was so frustrated by the unloving
behavior of his church in Corinth.  As you recall, Paul was one of the
greatest missionary bishops the world has ever seen.  He would start a
church, get it going dependably, ordain local leaders, and then travel
on to start another church somewhere else.  As soon as he left his
church in Corinth, the bad news started coming.  It seems that the
Corinthian church had divided into four cliques; those who had been
baptized by Peter, those who had been baptized by Apollos, those who
had been baptized by Paul himself, and those who spoke in tongues.
Not only did the groups not get along with each other, but those who
spoke in tongues thought they were superior to everyone else.  The
church was in a bad way, so Paul (since he couldn?t leave his new
church to come in person) sent them a letter, part of which we read
today.  His teachings on love are as true now as they were in the
first century, so let?s look at what God expects of us as his
children.

He starts by pointing out that no gift is any good to God?s Kingdom
without love- not languages or cooking or music or academics or having
a charming personality or understanding the Bible or prayer or being
the star quarterback on one of the Super Bowl teams.  It?s done with
love or it?s useless, according to the Bible (1st Corinthians
13:1-2).  Huge sacrifices for others are useless unless they are done
with the right motivation, and that motivation is love (1st
Corinthians 13:3).  Haven?t you ever known someone who was always
helping others, even making great sacrificial efforts, but you were
suspicious they had a selfish motivation- trying to buy or control
other?  This is an example of exactly this Bible truth.

In fact, it goes further than that.  This is how God, our Creator,
made us so our lives would work out well.  Say I buy a box of cake mix
and decide to make the cake my way.  Instead of following the
directions on the back of the cake mix box, I substitute vinegar for
the milk and use olives and bologna instead of the chocolate chips.
Is that the cake you want for your birthday?  The creator of the cake
mix knows how his cake should be made.  Well, our creator knows how
our lives should be made.  If we live our lives by God?s definition of
love, we will have good lives- if not; all the money in the world
won?t make us happy.  How many people do you know who go around
cheating their acquaintances, stealing their best friend?s boyfriends
or husbands or girlfriends or wives, gossiping about their neighbors,
getting mad easily and not forgiving, screaming and yelling and
cursing at family members, and on, and on, and on?  What kind of lives
do they have?  Sure.  They?re forever working out the consequences of
their behavior- and then they wonder why God doesn?t help them more.

So what exactly does this Christian love look like- this love that God
expects of us?  Let?s look at 1st Corinthians 13: 4-8.
?	Love is:
?	Kind
?	Patient
?	Never jealous
?	Never boastful
?	Never proud (Do you think you?re better than others?  Do you avoid
discussing things for fear you may be wrong?)
?	Never rude.  (Are you someone who ?lets it all hang out,? or do you
try to be tactful when you need to speak the truth in love?)
?	Never selfish (Do you only think about yourself, or do you really
listen when others talk?)
?	Never quick tempered.  (?But that?s just how I am!? or ?That?s how I
was raised!? is no excuse.)
?	It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
?	Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.  (Gossips LOVE evil!
Do you gossip?)
?	Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.
?	Love never fails!

Paul ends by reminding his Christian friends that everything they have
and do will be lost in death.  In other words, only what?s done for
God will last, and the things that are done for God are actions which
are done in love.

So, where are you?  Are you still making excuses- how you just can?t
live this way, it won?t work; people will take advantage of you,
etc.?

I?m going to close with a poem that each of us must answer every day
when we go to bed and when we meet our Lord when we die.  It is
entitled, ?What Is the Gospel According to You??
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Are read by more than a few.
But the one that is read most and commented on
Is the gospel according to you.
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By the things that you do and the words that you say.
People read what you write, whether faithless or true.
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
Do others read His truth and His love in your life?
Or has yours been too full of malice and strife?
Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true?
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
				(Anonymous)

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 17:52:33 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 17:52:33 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Four sermons on the gospel for tomorrow
Message-ID: <8CFCFAF1F697750-BF4-71D50@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>

Four sermons on the gospel for tomorrow here:

http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/13C-Epip4C.html

Peace and blessings,
Joe

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 18:00:38 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 18:00:38 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Correction in sermon [Judy B.]
In-Reply-To: <3e657777-3e59-4070-8dd6-efc5ff1e3eed@rm7g2000pbc.googlegroups.com>
References: <3e657777-3e59-4070-8dd6-efc5ff1e3eed@rm7g2000pbc.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CFCFB040312001-BF4-71DBB@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 2, 2013 4:25 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Mistake in sermon


Hi Friends,

The poem- "The Gospel According to You" was written by Leroy
Brownlow.  I have it listed as written by an anonymous poet.

Sorry!
Judy

 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 21:41:42 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 21:41:42 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_February_3_based_on_Luke_4=3A21?=
 =?utf-8?b?LTMwLCDigJxXaGF0IGEgc2VybW9uIeKAnQ==?=
Message-ID: <8CFCFCF2218E05F-BF4-72969@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/al8tsduis our sermon for February 3 based on Luke 4:21-30, ?What a sermon!?
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ
http://www.sjnj.org


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  2 23:30:24 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 23:30:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon in Spanish for February 3 basado en Lucas
	4:21-30: "Un gran sermon!"
Message-ID: <8CFCFDE51D3D751-BF4-72D79@webmail-m066.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/a6zuy55es nuestro serm?n espa?oles para febrero 3 basado en Lucas 4:21-30: "Ungran sermon!"
Paz ybendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ
http://www.sjnj.org


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From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb  3 14:53:46 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2013 12:53:46 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] Last Epiphany
Message-ID: <A757D9B76C7C4CEC889CB8341F3343C4@BobPC>

Collect for Last Epiphany

Let us pray:

Ever shining, lightning bright, God,
you made known your son to Peter, James and John,
and to us who are willing to vision.
Transfigure us all on your mountain.
Grant that we may see in the face of our neighbor
the brightness 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 Last Epiphany go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From chadwohl at satucket.com  Sun Feb  3 21:24:52 2013
From: chadwohl at satucket.com (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2013 21:24:52 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the LAST SUNDAY after the EPIPHANY
Message-ID: <9249BD8DD7AE4FB4876F2C1ADD48EB5E@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb. 10, 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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA and C of E lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day. The Canadian BAS readings may be used in place of the RCL readings in those Canadian parishes which use the RCL on this Sunday.



OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 34: 29 - 35  (RCL)

Exod 34:29 (NRSV) Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him. 


Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 27: 5 - 8   (Roman Catholic)

Sir 27:5 (NRSV) The kiln tests the potter's vessels; 
so the test of a person is in his conversation. 
6 Its fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree; 
so a person's speech discloses the cultivation of his mind. 
7 Do not praise anyone before he speaks, 
for this is the way people are tested. 
8 If you pursue justice, you will attain it 
and wear it like a glorious robe. 


PSALM 99   (RCL)

Psal 99:1 (NRSV) The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! 
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 
2 The LORD is great in Zion; 
he is exalted over all the peoples. 
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. 
Holy is he! 
4 Mighty King, lover of justice, 
you have established equity; 
you have executed justice 
and righteousness in Jacob. 
5 Extol the LORD our God; 
worship at his footstool. 
Holy is he! 
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, 
Samuel also was among those who called on his name. 
They cried to the LORD, and he answered them. 
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; 
they kept his decrees, 
and the statutes that he gave them. 
8 O LORD our God, you answered them; 
you were a forgiving God to them, 
but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 
9 Extol the LORD our God, 
and worship at his holy mountain; 
for the LORD our God is holy. 


Psalm 92: 1 - 2, 12 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

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, 

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. 

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic Bibles is one higher than the above.


NEW TESTAMENT: 2 Corinthians 3: 12 - 4:2 (RCL) 

2Cor 3:12 (NRSV) Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 4:1 Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. 


1 Corinthians 15: 54 - 58   (Roman Catholic)

1Cor 15:54 (NRSV) When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 
""Death has been swallowed up in victory." 
55 "Where, O death, is your victory? 
Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
58 Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 



GOSPEL: Luke 9: 28 - 36, (37 - 43a) (RCL) 

Luke 9:26 (NRSV) Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." 
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Eli'jah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Eli'jah"--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. 
37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41 Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.


Luke 6: 39 - 45   (Roman Catholic)

Luke 6:39 (NRSV) He also told them a parable: "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your neighbor, "Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. 
43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:17:52 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:17:52 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 10 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD1B1F4059FFD-BAC-8F30D@webmail-m181.sysops.aol.com>





February 10, 2012



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermons for Transfiguration
 
Luke 9:28-36 - "Experience the Mountaintop But Don't Forget the Valley Below" 
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2- "Face to Face" by Leonard Sweet
 
Luke 9, the sermon title "Experience the Mountaintop But Don't Forget the Valley Below"  

 
Many of us have had them, those times when we felt like we were on top of the world, really happy, confident that we knew all the answers, could solve any problem that came up. Or we felt that we were really close to God, really in tune with God's plan for us. In those moments we were excited and alive, and everything seemed new.
 
The moment might have come at some exciting event in your life: graduation, baptism, your first kiss, your first day on your first job, your wedding, the birth of a child, even catching your very first fish. It might have been something really spiritual, like a week at church camp or a church retreat. Or it might have been something of a smaller, quieter nature, like a very intimate conversation with your father or mother when you felt that they honestly understood what you were saying and why you felt the way you did.
 
We call these "mountaintop experiences," and oh how we hate to come down off that mountain! We want to hang on to that moment for as long as we can. "Let's just stay right here and let the rest of the world go by for a while." But to freeze that one moment in time shuts off the possibility of the next moment.
 
In the Gospel reading for today we hear the writer of Matthew give his version of the event which we call "The Transfiguration of Jesus"...
 
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: 2 Corinthians 3 the sermon titled "Face to Face" by Leonard Sweet] 
 
The 2010 drama film "The Social Network" portrayed many interesting features of Mark Zuckerberg's development of his online creation. But they missed a big one: the name he chose for his baby --"Facebook." 
 
Let's face it: humans are obsessed with the unique, defining nature of our faces. The arrangement of our eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheeks, forehead, never ceases to amaze and fascinate us.
 
More than 5000 distinguishable facial expressions have been identified, and that is probably just a start on the human face. The 18th century German satirist Georg Lichtenberg called the human face "the most entertaining surface on earth." 
 
How could we possibly resist pursuing and endlessly perusing an online site called "Facebook?" 
 
We recognize friends - and enemies - by their face. Bank robbers wear masks to hide their faces, knowing full well that, no matter how clear the pictures of their bodies might be, without a full view of their face, they cannot be accurately identified. 
 
When the Protestant Reformers came across images of the saints and the Virgin Mary, they defaced them on paintings and had their faces gouged out of carvings and sculptures. 
 
Babies look at faces - learning how to put the pieces together and how to recognize and trust the familiar, and reject and be fearful of the unfamiliar. It is in our human DNA to look into the face of others for critical, life-preserving, information. "We find ourselves in the faces of others" says Siri Hustvedt in her novel The Summer Without Men (2011). We become human through our relationships with others. 
 
In short, long before "virtual life," human beings were walking, talking "Facebooks."
 
Our language reflects this fixation. We speak of taking things at "face value," or of doing an "about face," or of "facing off" against opponents. We "face the music," make "face time," and when dishonored we "lose face." "Face cards" carry the most value and to stand "face-to-face" with another signifies being in the most valued of positions. One of the most advanced new computer identification techniques is the science of "facial recognition" - computer programs that can scan and identify individual faces without any other physical information.
In the "transfiguration" scene described in this week's gospel text (Luke 9:28ff), Jesus' face shines...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
______________________________
 
Even the Darkness Can Dazzle 
 
To lead our exodus, Jesus had to die like we do: alone, with no particular glory. Otherwise he would have been an anomaly instead of a messiah, and it would have been hard for us to see what he had in common with the rest of us.
 
As it was, he died very much like those who died on either side of him, one of them begging to be saved from what was coming, the other asking to be remembered when Jesus got where he was going. Jesus could not do anything for the one who wanted to be spared, but he did a great favor for the other. He told him that the darkness was a dazzling one, with paradise in it for both of them.
 
I think it was something he learned on the mountain, when light burst through all his seams and showed him what he was made of. It was something he never forgot. If we have been allowed to intrude on that moment, it is because someone thought we might need a dose of glory too, to get us through the night. Some people are lucky enough to witness it for themselves, although like Peter, James and John, very few of them will talk about it later.
 
What the rest of us have are stories like this one, and the chance to decide for ourselves whether we will believe what they tell us. It is a lot to believe: that God's lit-up life includes death, that there is no way around it but only through, that even the darkness can dazzle.
 
Barbara Brown Taylor, "Dazzling Darkness," article in the Christian Century, February 4-11, 1998, page 1-5
___________________________________________
 
You Can't Stay on the Mountain Top
 
A little boy was out in his front yard, throwing a ball up in the air. An elderly passerby asked the boy what he was doing. He replied, "I am playing a game of catch with God. I throw the ball up in the air and he throws it back."
 
I am in no position to comment on God's ability to play ball, but I do know that whatever goes up must come down. There may be exceptions, such as Charlie Brown's kite! But as a rule, whatever goes up must come down. The process is so predictable that you could refer to it as a scientific law. The same process applies to our religious lives. It is a good thing to "go up" to a great experience with God, but we will become greatly disillusioned if we do not remember that eventually we have to "come down" again.
 
John Thomas Randolph, The Best Gift, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. 
___________________
 




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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:20:13 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:20:13 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 10 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112362499558.1103889869952.45429.12.520600B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD1B24881AD3D-BAC-8F359@webmail-m181.sysops.aol.com>


Humor: It'll Come Back to You
 
This preacher moved to a new Church. This particular church didn't have a lawn mower so he was looking for someone to either mow the lawn or sell him a used lawnmower. One day he saw a young man going by pushing a lawnmower. So the preacher asked him, "Hey, looking for a job?" The young man said, "Sure." It turned out that he was mowing yards and trying to earn enough money to buy a bicycle. This preacher was kind of young and didn't mind mowing the yard so he told the young man, "Look, I've got a 10 speed bicycle that I never ride any more. What do you say we trade the bicycle for the lawnmower."
 
Well, the young man was ecstatic. They swapped and the young man took off on the bicycle. He rode around the block and came back to see the preacher standing in the same place wiping sweat off his brow. The preacher waved the boy over and said, "Hey, I've pulled on the rope a half a dozen times and this lawn mower just won't start."
 
The young man said, "Preacher, I hate to tell you this but it's a special kind of lawnmower. You have to cuss it to get it to start."
 
The preacher looked at him and said, "Well, I've been in the ministry so long I don't think I can remember how to cuss."
 
The young man grinned and said, "Pull on the rope some more and it'll come back to you."
The point is this, we ought not stay on the mountain top so long that we forget what it is like to be in the crowd. Like Peter, we shouldn't forget that our work is in the crowds.
 
Traditional 
____________________________
 
A Haunting Moment
 
John Killinger tells this story about a haunting moment: "Somewhere in my journals there is an entry about how strongly it hit me one day as I was sitting in the chancel of a church, waiting to deliver the guest sermon. A beautiful woman was playing a violin solo. Her lovely hands worked continuously at the frets and the bow, evoking the most soulful music I thought I had ever heard. There was a rose pinned in her exquisitely coiffed hair. I was transported.
 
"Then a dark thought crossed my mind, as if it had been a cloud passing between me and the sun. In a few years the woman would become old. The rose in her hair would die. Her soft hands would be gnarled and wrinkled by age. She would stop playing the instrument. She would be confined to a bed or a wheelchair. Then she, too, would die.
 
"The music brought me back again to a realization of how beautiful it was. But I did not recover from the image of the violinist as an old woman. It haunted me for days."
 
John Killinger, Letting God Bless You, Nashville, Abingdon, 1992, quoted in sermon by William Willimon.
___________________________
 
Slow Down and Listen
 
Writer Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days. He got nervous and tense about it. He was snapping at his wife and children, choking down his food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated every time there was an unexpected interruption in his day. He recalls in his book "Stress Fractures" that before long, things around their home started reflecting the pattern of his hurry-up life style. He said the situation was becoming unbearable. Then it happened.
 
After supper one evening his younger daughter, Colleen wanted to tell him something important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, "Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin' and I'll tell you really fast."
 
Suddenly realizing her frustration, Swindoll answered, "Honey, you can tell me -- and you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly." He has never forgotten her answer: "Then listen slowly."
 
I can hear God's voice saying to Peter, James, and John: "This is my Son, listen to him! Slow down. Don't be so quick to move things your way, to shape the world as you see it Peter. Don't be so quick to climb the corporate ladder, to join the rat pack and be number one John. Don't try to beat your colleagues to the first position James. Slow down. My Son is trying to show you another way, another world, another kingdom. If you will listen slowly.
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com.
______________________
 
Figuring Out The Transfiguration
 
Madeleine L'Engle, the great Christian writer, said we tend to avoid this story for the following reason, in her words:
 
The Christian holiday which is easiest for us is Christmas, because it touches on what is familiar. The story of the young man and woman who were turned away from the inn, and had a baby in a stable, surrounded by gentle animals, is one we have known always. I doubt if many two or three-year-olds are told at their mother's knee about the Transfiguration ... And so, because the story of Christmas is part of our folklore, we pay more attention to its recognizableness than to the fact that the tiny baby in the manger contained the power which created galaxies and set the stars in their courses.
 
She concludes by saying:
 
We are not taught much about the wilder aspects of Christianity. But these are what artists have wrestled with throughout the years.
 
William G. Carter, Praying for a Whole New World, CSS Publishing Company 
_______________________
 
Mountain Top Experiences
 
Fred Craddock tells a wonderful story about a young minister, newly graduated from seminary, serving his very first church. He gets a call telling him that a church member, elderly woman who has just given her life to the church, is in the hospital. She's so weak she can't even get up out of bed, and the doctors don't hold much hope for her recovery. Would he go up and visit? Well, of course he will and he does.
 
All the way to the hospital he's thinking about what he will say to this Christian lady, what words of comfort he can give her to prepare her for her eminent death. He arrives at the hospital, goes up to her room for the visit. He sits and talks with her a few minutes, just small talk really, nothing earth shattering. When he makes ready to leave, he asks if she would like him to have prayer with her. She answers, "Yes, of course. That's why I wanted you to come."
He then asks politely, "And what exactly would you like me to pray for?"
 
"Why, I want you to pray that God will heal me," she answers in a surprised tone of voice.
Haltingly, fumbling over the words, he prays just as she wanted, that God will heal her, even though he's not really sure that can happen. When he says the "Amen" at the end of the prayer, the woman says...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Lent and Easter, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:25:26 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:25:26 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 10 (Transfiguration) Luke
	9:28-43
Message-ID: <BB13F91D12C64226AF088B0319A0AA47@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 10 (Transfiguration
C). They focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 9:28-43, the story of Jesus'
Transfiguration.

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.


LUKE 9:28-43

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Luke.9.28-43.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001VCaYQPuGBUF25lD2gb6vYePQ3fjkYKnPb2Wp9j0MBr9Z
10ZkzFwNW8Digo4z5AVkEyeHeTJjIjMW-vMND7urvtZzmY3BL8bPLe04SiZbYrghv0XD1nVHTPBm
Ah36MaALhzcCYOn8g3Y4qiigJEUH0jzJWzpe1bdm> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Luke.9.28-43.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001VCaYQPuGBUFc0czFTtVZDPR_4gcgdN9AidUxnSpvXLsv
mbKb1qNqqKds6gQ4GomOQPh5UYBK3I5uvqFPu5MYQ8luYbn4I_iyPzjeZOWRIQiS7S2OxU06nfoX
V18XuzoTl0gFRqySLYm1RjjTCWEd9frRJiMAZ34u> 



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=001VCaYQPuGBUFImxF5XEGRXxTxAC8fTHxk169XlMLz7HeD
j36V1flb1PfruIewOQ5Y2LnhkKp9KohW5yj9YAsDr26SH-OwdQyl2yQnnkzJCKzAubeVezs22g==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb  5 07:27:01 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 07:27:01 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 10 (Transfiguration) Exod.
	34:29-35
Message-ID: <E3A9B22244CB4A1183F997ADF4ECB837@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for the following reading
for February 10:

Exodus 34:29-35

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Exodus.34.29-35.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-10cv/Exodus.34.29-35.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.


www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 11:42:11 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 11:42:11 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for Ash Wednesday - Part 1
Message-ID: <8CFD432602630D8-14F4-257F5@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>







Ash Wednesday 


        





 

        
	    
    
        
        

February 13, 2012



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermon Resources for Ash Wednesday and Lent 
 
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 - 'There's Still Time' 
 
Matthew 6, the sermon title "There's Still Time" or the series entitled 'You Are Here!' in the list of Lent Sermon Series.   
The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com. 
  
Nowadays the cost of a dinner and a movie keeps going up, and a vacation can be especially expensive, but if I really want to go somewhere I just take the change out of my pocket and lay it on the desk. It's like a time machine. Each coin has a year stamped on it, and just thinking about the year helps me travel back in my memory. 
 
1979 is the year my first son was born and the year I started in ministry. 1981 and 1983 are the years my daughter and second son were born. 1988 is the last time the Dodgers won the pennant. 1990 was when I moved to Indiana from Los Angeles. 1994 and 2004 were the years I turned forty and fifty. 2002 was when I moved to Pennsylvania. And it's getting harder to find, but any coin with 1954 is my birth year. 
 
I enjoy laying out the change in my pocket and just glancing at the dates. It's nice to carry these little reminders of important events, good and bad. But they're just one kind of reminder. We carry all sorts of reminders around. One of the most obvious is our date book, which we use to remind us of important events that are not in the past but in the future. We especially need a reminder for Ash Wednesday. It comes in the middle of nowhere. It's not like Christ?mas or Independence Day that fall on the same dates every year. Ash Wednesday is all over the map, from early February to some?time in March. What usually happens is that we notice someone with a smudge on their forehead and suddenly realize: was that today? Really, it's not very convenient. The least Ash Wednesday could do is fall on a Sunday. 
 
It is an interruption. And it's an unwelcome reminder of an unpleasant fact. Dust we are and to dust we shall return. The grass withers and the flower fades.... 
 
** For the rest of this sermon, please see the sermon series by Frank Ramirez for Lent and Easter. The Series is entitled 'You Are Here!' You can find all of the Lenten Series by clicking on the link to 'Lent Sermon Series' found on the This Week page. 
 
 
__________________________________
 
The Lord's Prayer: A Walking Prayer
 
Every evening I walk three miles as part of my losing campaign against high blood pressure and my imperialistic waist line. I generally don't wear an iPod, because I prefer to take my exercise without anesthesia. (I enjoy the sounds of nature, and I want to be able to hear the cars honk before they run me over.) Sometimes I devote the time to prayer, and I have found that the Lord's Prayer makes a good outline. Here's how I do it:
 
I address God as my Father by adoption through the grace of Jesus Christ and give thanks for His salvation.
 
I pledge to keep His name holy in all my conduct. I remind Him of ways I have done this in the past, and ask Him forgiveness for all the ways I have failed to do so as well.
 
I ask that His will be done, here on earth through me, as efficiently as it is done by His angels in heaven. I give examples of how I think I could do that; I ask His guidance and pledge my obedience.
 
I ask for my material needs for the day, itemizing and discussing them. I give thanks for specific instances of His providence in the past.
I ask forgiveness, but only to the degree I am willing to forgive others. If I have a problem, I discuss it in detail.
 
If I am facing any particular temptations, I discuss them and ask God to help me resist them. If I have recently survived any tough tests, I discuss them and thank God that He gave me the power to overcome them.
 
I tell God about the evil things that frighten me, and ask Him to deliver me from them. I also give thanks for past rescues.
 
You get the idea. When you pray like this, it's amazing how time flies!
 
Kenneth W. Collins, Praying
________________________________

I'm Sorry, Father
 
A Catholic priest working in an inner city was walking down an alley one evening on his way home when a young man came down the alley behind him and poked a knife against his back. "Give me your money," the young man said.
 
The priest opened his jacket and reached into an inner pocket to remove his wallet, exposing his clerical collar. "Oh, I'm sorry, Father," said the young man, "I didn't see your collar. I don't want YOUR money."
 
Trembling from the scare, the priest removed a cigar from his shirt pocket and offered it to the young man. "Here," he said. "Have a cigar."
 
"Oh, no, I can't do that," the young man replied, "I gave them up for Lent."
 
Staff, www.eSermons.com
______________________
 
Let Us Play
 
My dear friends, let us play. Yes, you heard me correctly. Now is a time for play. In fact, today the church begins that time of the year when we do our most serious playing.

And playing is a serious business, you know. Ask any teacher of children. Better still, watch children at play. No wonder they are tired at the end of the day. They work hard at playing. They take it seriously.

Play is the child's laboratory for learning about life. Children who have never played at being grown-up tend to be handicapped in some way when they have to confront the actual experience. Boys who have never been allowed to play with dolls can hardly be expected to hold their own infants with ease and loving confidence. It has to be a later learning if it is ever learned at all. Play may be a more valuable tool for learning than all the educational resources manufactured by the professionals.

That is why, on this Ash Wednesday, the church summons us to a season of play. Our Lord has told us, if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become as little children. And one of childhood's most important occupations is play.

Am I wrong in my impression, however, that most of us do not come to church to play, that play is the furthest thing from our minds? Play seems foreign to our understanding of religion, and if it is to be found in church at all, it is best restricted to the nursery and the carefully supervised activities of the youth groups. H.L. Mencken defined a puritan as a person with the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, might be happy. I know the puritan still comes to church with me from time to time. What about you?
 
Kendall K. McCabe and Michael L. Sherer, CSS Publishing Company
__________________________
 
Recharging Your Batteries
 
An Italian newspaper recently carried a story about a young couple in Milan who seemed particularly devoted in their worship. The priest at a cathedral there reported that the pair spent an hour or more on a regular basis sitting before a statue of the Virgin Mary. Naturally, he assumed they were praying.

Turns out, this young couple was recharging their cell phone. They had noticed a stray electric cable sticking out of the wall behind the statue of the Virgin Mary. Whenever their phone's power supply dwindled, the young couple came to the church and re-charged it from the cable behind the Virgin Mary. The priest states that the young couple is welcome to use his church for this purpose. 

We talk about coming to church to "re-charge our batteries," but this is ridiculous. What looked to the unobservant eye like an act of piety was actually a self-serving ploy to save money. This young couple was using the church for their own needs. And we're shocked, shocked, I tell you--until we realize that we may be guilty of the same mistake.
 
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
 
__________________________________






 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 11:45:32 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 11:45:32 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for Ash Wednesday - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112405173644.1103889869952.45429.12.431125B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112405173644.1103889869952.45429.12.431125B1@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD432D7E9C378-14F4-2586E@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>


A Walking Children's Sermon
 
The Rev. Timothy J. Kennedy tells a wonderful true story that is perfect for Ash Wednesday. It was told to him by a colleague, Pastor Chris Mietlowski. It concerned a baptism that Mietlowski once performed on an infant named Eric. Mietlowski took Eric in his arms and traced the cross of Christ on Eric's forehead using a special anointing oil. 
 
Following worship, Eric's family celebrated with a big backyard party. Family and friends ate burgers and chips and played volleyball under a summer sun. Eric, being only six months old, was left to nap in his backyard stroller. When Mom got him up, whoops. Basted on Eric's forehead was the image of the cross. Mom had forgotten to wash Eric's face following his baptism, and the oil that the pastor had traced onto his forehead acted the opposite of a sun screen. The Cross of Christ was imprinted on Eric's forehead. "For several weeks until it completely disappeared," says Rev. Kennedy, "that cross was a wonderful reminder as to the meaning of Baptism and a reminder that the Cross of Jesus was 'written' upon Eric's forehead."
 
And what a powerful witness it was, says Rev. Kennedy. "Eric's Mom and Dad had to explain the cross to the pediatrician, to the neighbors, to the stranger in the grocery store. For a few weeks, Eric was nothing less than a [living] children's sermon. It was only a bit of a sunburn to be sure, but [it was] the best basting a child can have to be marked with the cross of Christ! And why not? That cross is to be the foundation of that child's life." 
 
If I read the little book of Joel right, God's desire is not that we wear a cross on our forehead, but that it be basted on our hearts. "Rend your heart and not your garments," says Joel 2:23. That's much harder to do, isn't it? It's much easier to rend your clothes than to rend your heart. It's much easier to wear a cross around your neck than it is to bear it daily in everything you do. 
 
Timothy J. Kennedy, adapted by King Duncan
______________________
 
"Some Christians jump all over the room; 
Others are as solemn and quiet as a tomb. 
Some lift their hands high in the air,
But others wouldn't, even on a dare.
Christians are different in style and in song; 
But if they are humble, to Christ they belong."
 
Traditional
______________________
 
Pancake Day 
 
Every once in a while a whimsical story makes the news. Some years ago, the Associated Press carried a story about a woman in Olney, England, named Dawn Gallyot who defied snow and a biting wind to beat seven other women to the finish line in the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake race. In her first race, the 38-year-old schoolteacher made the 415-yard dash from a pub in the market square to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul with a pancake and a frying pan in her hand in 73 seconds. That was 9.5 seconds slower than the previous year's pace. Each woman must flip a pancake in the frying pan at the start and at the finish of the race. The record is 58 seconds. Mrs. Gallyot reportedly wore a traditional headscarf and apron, but opted for modern running shoes.
 
Shrove Tuesday, known in England as Pancake Day, is traditionally the last day for merrymaking before the start of Lent. Pancakes are thought to be a good way to get in the eggs and fat that faithful church people were supposed to give up for Lent. Legend has it that the Olney race started in 1445 when a housewife, dashing to get to church on time, arrived at the service clutching in her hand a frying pan with a pancake still in it.
 
The pancake race is but one of many traditions that have grown up around the season of Lent. New Orleans' Mardi Gras is another - one last blowout before a season of denial...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for Ash Wednesday, Lent, and the rest of the year can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 



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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 16:39:58 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 16:39:58 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Some good sermons on the Tranfiguration
Message-ID: <8CFD45BFA238640-14F4-29DF1@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>

http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/19C-TransC.html

Click for some good sermons on the Tranfiguration.

Peace and blessings,
Joe

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 21:46:39 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 21:46:39 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_February_10_based_on_Luke_9=3A2?=
 =?utf-8?q?8-36=2C_=E2=80=9CChanged_in_front_of_our_eyes=E2=80=9D?=
Message-ID: <8CFD486D1C00F95-14F4-2C511@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/atw3mhqis our sermon for February 10 based on Luke 9:28-36, ?Changed in front of oureyes.?
 
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb  8 22:37:14 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 22:37:14 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon in Spanish para febrero 10 basado en Lucas
 9:28-36, "Ha cambiado delante de nuestros ojos"
Message-ID: <8CFD48DE2BC0D9B-14F4-2CB00@webmail-d061.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/acezj8q es nuestroserm?n en espa?ol para febrero 10 basado en Lucas 9:28-36, "Ha cambiadodelante de nuestros ojos."
Paz ybendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb  9 21:07:35 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2013 21:07:35 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany- Last,
	Year C
In-Reply-To: <99634ed8-54ff-44c0-aa9d-1078791445d6@w7g2000yqo.googlegroups.com>
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 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 9, 2013 8:37 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany- Last, Year C


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Don?t Wait ?Till You?re Perfect? or
?Capture the Glow!? and deals with the gospel (Luke 9:28-36).  Here it
is:

Our gospel today (Luke 9:28-36) tells about the episode we call the
?Transfiguration,?- how Jesus? glory was revealed to his disciples.
This is what happened.  Jesus and his three closest friends (Peter,
James, and John) went on the top of a mountain to pray.  The disciples
fell asleep, but were jerked awake when, all of a sudden, Jesus
started to glow and his clothing became dazzling white.  They saw
Jesus, with Moses (the great lawgiver) on one side of him and Elijah
(the great prophet) on the other side.  On top of that, the disciples
overheard the three talking about Jesus? rapidly approaching death in
Jerusalem and what it would mean.  A cloud enveloped them and the
disciples heard God say that this was his beloved Son, so listen to
him.  After the incident, his friends said nothing about it ? you can
guess why.  If you had been there and told people this had happened to
you, what would they say?  Sure- that you were crazy!

The next three episodes in the life of Jesus and his disciples were
extremely telling.  When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down from
the mountain, there was a desperate father who had asked the disciples
to heal his epileptic son, but they couldn?t do it (Luke 9:37-43a).
Next we hear how Jesus tried to teach his disciples about his coming
death, but they didn?t get it (Luke 9:43b-45).  Finally the Bible
tells how Jesus overheard his disciples arguing about who among them
was the greatest (Luke 9:46-48).

Have you heard the saying we?ve used many times as our thought for the
week?  It goes, ?Please be patient.  God isn?t finished with me yet.?
That surely was true of the disciples.  Just in this short section of
the Gospel of Luke, we find them lazy and neglecting their prayers
(went to sleep when they should have been praying); lacking faith
(couldn?t heal the epileptic boy); slow to learn and understand
(didn?t understand Jesus? teaching about his death and resurrection);
and self-centered and greedy (arguing about who was the greatest).  It
wasn?t just the disciples- Paul (one of the greatest missionary
bishops the world has ever seen) persecuted and killed Christians
before his conversion on the Damascus road.  What?s my point?  It?s
not just the disciples whom God wasn?t finished with- God isn?t
finished with you either!  You don?t have to be perfect to serve God;
you just have to be available.  I can?t tell you how many times I?ve
heard people say things like:
?	?I?m too great a sinner to come to church or receive Holy Communion
or sing in a choir or work at the altar or whatever.? or
?	?I?m addicted to alcohol or another drug or sex or gambling or
shoplifting.  I?ll start coming to church (or helping the church with
Jesus? ministry) after I?m in recovery.?
Tell me- if you don?t come to church and hear the Word and get
strengthened by Holy Communion and be encouraged by God?s people, how
are you ever going to get the power to be all that you can be?  The
church is not a hotel for saints; it?s a hospital for sinners.  Don?t
wait to serve God until you?ve overcome; overcome by serving God.

In today?s gospel, Jesus glowed like the sun.  The disciples just had
to reflect Jesus? glory to do his work.  The same is true of us.  We
aren?t intended to be the sun and produce the glow, the power.
Instead, we are like the moon.  We reflect the glory and power and
light of the sun- the Son of God, and that?s enough to keep us
steadily becoming the person we truly want to be.  There?s one more
analogy between the moon and us.  Even though the moon looks beautiful
and evenly shaped when we look at it from a distance, I?m sure you
know that the moon really has craters and uneven places in its
surface.  These imperfections don?t stop the moon from reflecting the
brilliance of the sun.  In the same way, our sins, imperfections, and
handicapping conditions don?t stop us from reflecting the glory of
Christ.

So stop waiting and start serving.  Does this mean that you should
just continue sinning and not care?  No!  But it does mean that you
should come to Jesus now- as the old hymn says ?Just as I Am,? and
trust him to help you fill in those rough spots and encourage you to
get and stay motivated in God?s good time.  Do you consider yourself
or someone you love simply impossible?  Did you notice the thought for
the week?  ?When God is about to do something great, he starts with a
difficulty.  When He is about to do something magnificent, he starts
with an impossibility? (Armin Gesswein).  Paul reminds us in today?s
epistle that we hold this glorious treasure, the presence and power of
God, in clay pots.  We human beings may be like clay pots, but-
fragile and full of imperfections or not, just like clay pots- we?re
very usable.

So (from an anonymous source), the next time you feel like GOD can't
use you, that YOU are the impossibility, just remember:
?	Noah was a drunk;
?	Abraham was too old;
?	Isaac was a daydreamer;
?	Jacob was a liar;
?	Leah was ugly;
?	Rachel was sneaky;
?	Joseph was abused;
?	Moses had a speech problem;
?	Gideon was afraid;
?	Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer;
?	Rahab was a prostitute;
?	Jeremiah and Timothy were too young;
?	David had an affair and was a murderer;
?	Elijah was suicidal;
?	Jonah ran from God;
?	Naomi was a widow;
?	Ruth was a flirt;
?	Job went bankrupt;
?	John the Baptist ate bugs;
?	Peter denied Christ;
?	The disciples fell asleep while praying;
?	Martha was a worry-wart;
?	The Samaritan woman was divorced- more than once;
?	Zaccheus was too small;
?	Paul didn?t always practice what he preached and was forgetful;
?	Timothy had an ulcer...AND
?	Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now.  God can use you to your full potential.  Besides
you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.  Just stay around
Jesus and his people so you can capture the glow.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb 10 14:03:46 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:03:46 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] 1 Lent
Message-ID: <55D5671EEA0640A18655203A04E8F796@BobPC>

Collect for 1 Lent:

Let us pray:

God of the desert,
always there for us,
when we thought we were alone,
dry and tested to be our true selves.
Guide us through our choices.
Give us strength 
to walk out of our wasteland 
with renewed integrity,
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 1 Lent go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Feb 10 21:04:11 2013
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:04:11 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for ASH WEDNESDAY
Message-ID: <089ABC16003647AEAE410953304D348F@cranmer>

The following are the readings for Ash Wednesday, February 13, 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 
noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries are identical 
to the RCL for this day.



OLD TESTAMENT:   Joel 2: 1 - 2, 12 - 17   (all but Roman Catholic)
                                     Joel 2: 12 - 18   (Roman Catholic)

Joel 2:1 (NRSV) Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near-- 
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.

12 Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD, your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep.
Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
"Where is their God?'"
18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.


Isaiah 58: 1 - 12   (alternate for RCL)

Isai 58:1 (NRSV) Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
3 "Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?"
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
10 if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.


PSALM 103: (1 - 7) 8 - 14 (15 - 22)   (ECUSA)
Psalm 103: 8 - 18   (Canadian BAS)

103   Benedic, anima mea   (ECUSA BCP)

1   Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
 and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2   Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
 and forget not all his benefits.

3   He forgives all your sins *
 and heals all your infirmities;

4   He redeems your life from the grave *
 and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5   He satisfies you with good things, *
 and your youth is renewed like an eagle's.

6   The Lord executes righteousness *
 and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7   He made his ways known to Moses *
 and his works to the children of Israel.

8   The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, *
 slow to anger and of great kindness.

9   He will not always accuse us, *
 nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
 nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11  For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
 so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12  As far as the east is from the west, *
 so far has he removed our sins from us.

13  As a father cares for his children, *
 so does the Lord care for those who fear him.

14  For he himself knows whereof we are made; *
 he remembers that we are but dust.

15  Our days are like the grass; *
 we flourish like a flower of the field;

16  When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *
 and its place shall know it no more.

17  But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever
  on those who fear him, *
 and his righteousness on children's children;

18  On those who keep his covenant *
 and remember his commandments and do them.

19  The Lord has set his throne in heaven, *
 and his kingship has dominion over all.

20  Bless the Lord, you angels of his,
you mighty ones who do his bidding, *
 and hearken to the voice of his word.

21  Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, *
 you ministers of his who do his will.

22  Bless the Lord, all you works of his,
in all places of his dominion; *
 bless the Lord, O my soul.


Psalm 51: 1 - 17   (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Psal 51:1 (NRSV) Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Note: this Psalm appears in the ECUSA, Can. BAS & probably others' Ash 
Wednesday liturgy. Becauase of this, ECUSA and Canadian parishes using the 
RCL should use Psalm 103, above, instead. Verse numbering in your Psalter 
may differ from the above.


NEW TESTAMENT:  2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6: 10   (RCL)
                                     2 Corinthians 5: 20b - 6: 2   (Roman 
Catholic)

2Cor 5:20 (NRSV)  [W]e entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to 
God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him 
we might become the righteousness of God. 6:1 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.


GOSPEL:  Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 21   (RCL)
                   Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 18   (Roman Catholic)

Matt 6:1 (NRSV) "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to 
be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the 
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be 
praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But 
when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is 
doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees 
in secret will reward you.
5 "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to 
stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may 
be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But 
whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your 
Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they 
disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I 
tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on 
your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by 
others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in 
secret will reward you.
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust 
consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves 
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves 
do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart 
will be also.


John 8: 1 - 11   (alt. for C of E)

John 8:1 (NRSV) while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the 
morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat 
down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Phar'isees brought a 
woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of 
them, 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of 
committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such 
women. Now what do you say?" 6 They said this to test him, so that they 
might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with 
his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he 
straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin 
be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once again he bent down and 
wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, 
beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing 
before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are 
they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, 
"Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."


Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu




From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Feb 10 21:08:23 2013
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:08:23 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the FIRST SUNDAY in LENT
Message-ID: <99C8DC21D5214458928880D0EF56B3E3@cranmer>

The following are the readings for the First Sunday of Lent, February 17, 
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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries 
are identical to the RCL for this day.

The readings are posted on our web site: <<http://satucket.com/lectionary>>, 
in RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.



OLD TESTAMENT:  Deuteronomy 26: 1 - 11 (RCL)
                                  Deuteronomy 26: 4 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

Deut 26:1 (NRSV) When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is 
giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in 
it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which 
you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you 
shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will 
choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in 
office at that time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the LORD your God 
that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give 
us." 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down 
before the altar of the LORD your God, 5 you shall make this response before 
the LORD your God: "A wandering Arame'an was my ancestor; he went down into 
Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a 
great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly 
and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the LORD, the 
God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our 
toil, and our oppression. 8 The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty 
hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with 
signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this 
land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the 
fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me." You shall set it down 
before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. 11 Then you, 
together with the Le'vites and the aliens who reside among you, shall 
celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to 
your house.


PSALM 91: 1 - 2, 9 - 16   (RCL)
Psalm 91: 1 - 2, 10 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 91:1 (NRSV) You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."

9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.



NEW TESTAMENT:  Romans 10: 8b - 13   (RCL)
                                     Romans 10: 8 - 13   (Roman Catholic)

Roma 10:8 (NRSV)
"The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart"
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with 
your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him 
from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so 
is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The 
scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." 12 For 
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all 
and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, "Everyone who calls on the 
name of the Lord shall be saved."


GOSPEL:  Luke 4: 1 - 13   (all)

Luke 4:1 (NRSV) Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and 
was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was 
tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they 
were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of 
God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." 4 Jesus answered him, 
"It is written, "One does not live by bread alone.'"
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of 
the world. 6 And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and 
all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to 
anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8 
Jesus answered him, "It is written,
"Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.'"
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of 
the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down 
from here, 10 for it is written,
"He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,'
11 and
"On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the 
test.'" 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him 
until an opportune time.


Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb 15 17:04:09 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:04:09 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermons for February 17
In-Reply-To: <ab1dc13835a2f692e413f3bfca698530@mail.churchmail.com>
References: <ab1dc13835a2f692e413f3bfca698530@mail.churchmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CFD9DF83C32BCB-1748-82B7@webmail-m023.sysops.aol.com>


Sermons for Lent 1 
Luke 4:1-13 ? ?Would You Take The Crown Without The Cross??
Romans 10:8b-13 - "Give It Up" - by Leonard Sweet 
 
 Luke 4, the sermon titled "Would You Take the Crown Without the Cross?" by Brett Blair
 
The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, and one of the applicants - who was not known to be the brightest academically, was called in for an interview. "Okay," began the sheriff, "What is 1 and 1?" "Eleven," came the reply. The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right." 

Then the sheriff asked, "What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?" "Today & tomorrow." Replied the applicant. The sheriff was again surprised over the answer, one that he had never thought of himself. 

"Now, listen carefully, who killed Abraham Lincoln?", asked the sheriff. The job seeker seemed a little surprised, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don't know." The sheriff replied, "Well, why don't you go home and work on that one for a while?" The applicant left and wandered over to his pals who were waiting to hear the results of the interview. He greeted them with a cheery smile, "The job is mine! The interview went great! First day on the job and I'm already working on a murder case!" 

In our Gospel reading this morning in Luke 4 it is Jesus' first day on the job. Immediately he is confronted with three major temptations. And he is confronted with this basic question: Would he take the crown without the cross? 

These are the most basic temptations in life and they form the foundation for all other temptations?
 
The rest of the sermon can be found by joining Sermons.com. 


_______________________
 
Romans 10, the sermon titled "Give It Up" 
 
Sometimes it seems like there are only two types of films being made today in Hollywood. There are ?chick flicks? and there are ?man movies.? Coming off Valentine?s date weekend, the cinema hormone level is heavy with estrogen. But don?t worry, gentlemen. With the approach of ?March Madness? and the full court press of basketball, the testosterone level will climb steadily over the next month. 
 
These movie ?types? are actually less about male vs. female, Mars vs. Venus than they are about the different ways human beings act and react to the world. We think about things. We feel things. We take action on things. Our interior convictions and emotions inform our exterior actions. Our mind, marrow and muscles, our heart, head and hands, can never be disconnected. We are bodies. We are spirits. We are souls.
 
Did everyone have pancakes on Tuesday? ?Shrove Tuesday? traditionally is the day all the grease and fat in the home is used up (frying pancakes) so that there will be no more rich, greasy, goodness consumed during the forty days of Lent. Reflecting the forty days of temptation that Jesus spent in the wilderness, the forty days of Lent are supposed to be marked by some sort of personal sacrifice. Giving up great, greasy fried foods. Giving up meat. Giving up carbs. Giving up sweets. Giving up drinking, smoking, swearing, or some other ?vice.? Lent is about giving up things. 
 
?Giving up? something for Lent may strike us as a rather old-fashioned notion. But it is exactly half of what Paul was preaching about in today?s epistle text?
 
The rest of this sermon following the outline above can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup. 
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb 15 17:47:56 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:47:56 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Feb. 17 (Lent 1C) Luke 4:1-13
Message-ID: <72F0671AE5114FC5B69F503AD671DA3C@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 17 (Lent 1C). They
focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 4:1-13, the story of Jesus' temptation.

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.


LUKE 4:1-13

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Luke.4.1-13.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001m2n3C92Zn4ne_31TrHAHVFGAT5NtF-NG7s3lzyXa5VZc
JIUt4cYlatKpgaGQ72XmOXXs2Js9JunrwyscrZB_j1o8IqrYFv6KAE_mGtsS8XeqZbQolHcBEABY
ki1dN_VbRyHP94ATYjt9vDlHXvMhabD-ruoH0PBP> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Luke.4.1-13.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001m2n3C92Zn4kPzrMWbl9YL48T4LTC5bpgqyZDdJksfNJs
DZ5tTw52CADHFD5FhAvt33DpE0ZWGnI2o4Crewu4jZUpXl65mcTYM8FBtxXOn4duOguStrWmmU_B
qsp6L7XwkpzoaNKfD59wgQPQ2lzwN6uiA2I-OTEe> 



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=001m2n3C92Zn4miyLoulrXdD0wgvbPedEcjZS2xbLO3ffHv
WLJQYCWuFKq6eE99X0sw2s0CEcxUQFg4ctNgpBwbhcWRwGfztfvwSA6lRbYdZKQa6l7s2J9JmQ==
>   
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Fri Feb 15 17:49:19 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:49:19 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Feb. 17 (Lent 1C) Deut 26 & Rom 10
Message-ID: <BEEF0EA5860C48DE8C418DA591D37795@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for two readings for
February 17:

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13

DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to one sermon:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Deut.26.01-11.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Deut.26.01-11.htm


ROMANS 10:8b-13

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Rom.10.8b-13.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-17op/Rom.10.8b-13.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.


www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From robertpmorrison at charter.net  Fri Feb 15 19:00:14 2013
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net (robertpmorrison at charter.net)
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:00:14 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] 1 Lent c
Message-ID: <4910cef2.4e214e.13ce04d1938.Webtop.43@charter.net>

Here a draft of what I'm working on for Sunday ....


EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY                                       	 
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT (c)
DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11                         					 
17th FEBRUARY, 2013
ROMANS 10:8b-13		                            	 
PSALM 91:1-2, 9-16
LUKE 4:1-13

That sketch of Jesus on the psalm page this morning prompted me to 
wonder if He was thinking to Himself, ?Did I do the right thing?? 1

That?s not intended to be a joke, just an attempt to try to get close to 
what might have been going on in Jesus? mind at the time of the story 
Deacon Marj just read.

His cousin had welcomed him with open arms. God had wholeheartedly 
affirmed Him and the direction His ministry was about to take. What more 
might He want?

I was listening to a brief interview with a symphony orchestra conductor 
last week. Daniel Harding said that he happened to be in the right place 
at the right time. He?d done what felt satisfying to him and he came to 
the attention of an already established conductor, who took him under 
his wing and gave him some breaks. The rest, as they say, is history. 
Now at the ripe old age of thirty-seven he?s firmly established in his 
vocation. He?s invited to conduct the world?s most prestigious 
orchestras and preside at the best opera houses. Yet, for all that, he?s 
maintained both a great sense of humility and understanding that he must 
continue to study, he mustn?t rest on his laurels, and he must use his 
skills, his contacts, what prestige he feels he may have, in order to 
help young teenagers as he?d been helped. 2

Jesus had put in a little less than thirty years working, studying, 
learning all about working with wood. No doubt He came to know all about 
grain, about how some wood under certain conditions would split, and how 
other woods, treated in a different way, would be incredibly strong. No 
doubt He?d met with people who came to His shop for merchandise, or who 
spoke to Him when He was out on a job. He attended synagogue and seemed 
to engage the religious as well as civil leaders.

Then He felt called into public ministry. That?s when He met up with His 
cousin, John the Baptist.

Any time a person changes vocations, moves from one city to another, 
accepts a certain position, changes relationships: any time someone 
makes major changes in her or his life, there?s a lot of stress 
involved. I?ve been there. I?m sure you have also. All sorts of things 
are new ? geography, climate, people, working conditions ? you name it, 
change seems to be the only constant, and it can be stressful and 
worrisome. We ask ourselves, ?Have I made the right decision? Did I 
imagine that I was suited for this? Will I be all alone?? And there?s 
the classic, ?Wouldn?t it better to tolerate the old situation, even if 
I?m not feeling fulfilled, or happy, or useful, and so on, rather than 
risk all the unknowns??

Surely Jesus felt all of these. In fact, one of the encouraging things 
for us, living with all of our decisions two thousand years later, is 
precisely that. Jesus DID go through heart- and soul-searching. He 
didn?t sail through life without tearing the skin off His knees, or 
having family arguments, or being ticked off with the utility bills ? 
well, maybe not that, but He DOES know what it?s like to live on a 
budget.

But there He was, hearing talking birds and being all alone in the 
desert. It?s not the sort of change I?D relish, especially when we 
remember that this wasn?t Jesus? choice. He didn?t feel in need of a 
break.

Deserts, you?ve heard often I assume, were like the mountain top of last 
Sunday?s Gospel, deserts were one of the places where a person went to 
sort out her or his thoughts and to listen for God speaking. It wasn?t a 
place of banishment. But if GOD could be heard there, so could the 
Adversary who opposed everything for which God lobbied.

In very primitive living, Jesus must have sat for hours, then walked for 
several more hours, looking for vegetation to eat and a little spring 
from which to drink. He must have asked Himself again and again, ?What 
on earth am I doing here? Why, oh why did I leave Mum and the sibs, and 
the steady carpenter?s job??

Again, this is something to which we?re all accustomed ourselves. We 
know what plays out. If we move, if circumstances change, if we lose 
friends, or a job, or our family situation is modified, we become so 
vulnerable. We may settle for less elaborate cooking adventures. If 
we?re lucky, we make friends easily, but perhaps everyone else has 
something different happening on the weekends.

Picture Jesus, then, alone, desperately seeking a word from God to say 
that not only had He done the right thing in going to John the Baptist 
and in being baptized. But He was also coming to terms with the fact 
that everything He did would be challenged. He?d be ridiculed for NOT 
feeding Himself before everyone else. All the changes suggested for 
Jesus? life were appropriate.

THAT?S when He was at His most vulnerable and, like us, THAT?S when He 
was so susceptible to His imagination or to real contacts, when He faced 
suggestions to look after His own needs and satisfy Himself, no matter 
what the cost.

The good news is that Jesus was able to hang on. No matter how hungry, 
how lonely, how tired, how confused or self-doubting He may have been, 
He was able to analyse the temptations He faced.

That must have been incredibly difficult. Just because He was God?s Son 
didn?t make things any easier. In fact, it only upped the ante. Not too 
many of us go around singing, ?If I ruled the world?, at least I haven?t 
heard that in the hallways in this building. Probably just as well ? I 
knew the title of that song but, until I Googled it, I wasn?t aware that 
the first line is, ?Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops 
harassing?! 3

But that song title about sums up what Jesus faced, and what we face. 
Some people think that if they could only take over, then they?d be 
incredibly happy. Thinking about anyone else who might have different 
standards and goals doesn?t enter the equation. It?s a ?Me first? 
attitude, and even if we could count on Jesus having a totally 
altruistic approach to life, that?s not how He operated. He needed to 
look at how His human nature and God?s will jibed with one another. He 
needed to consider how His every movement, His every word, affected 
others. Not only was Jesus? ministry one of reconciliation, it was one 
of example. Satisfying His own needs at the expense of others, then, 
isn?t the sort of thing He?d want us to emulate. Heaven knows, there are 
enough people engaged in that philosophy that the world doesn?t need any 
religious nuts like Episcopalians selling some sort of brand of 
self-important puffery!

That?s why the Scripture readings are placed on this first Sunday in 
Lent. They?re designed to stop us up short. We need to be halted, to 
have our vision and focus checked so that we can appreciate all the 
better the enormity of what Jesus set out to accomplish for us.
	
	One pastor wrote somewhat engagingly, ?Lent rolls around every year, 
but for most Christians, it is less like a birthday and more like a flu 
vaccination.

	?We know Lent is necessary, that it's good for us in much the same way 
cauliflower might be. We've heard all the preachers? clich?s as to how 
it makes the joy of Easter possible, but the truth of the matter is that 
Lent never comes naturally.

	?It is hard to explain to our non-Christian friends, because, to tell 
the truth, we don?t fully understand it ourselves. We are prone to 
engage in its practice without ever asking why we are doing what we are 
doing. We do it because, well, we've always done it. ?

	?But if we don't have a good explanation for our Lenten behavior, if we 
don't seem to fully understand the focus of the season, it?s not 
completely our fault. It is Jesus? own sojourn in the wilderness that 
inspires this odd season, and Jesus doesn't seem keen on offering any 
explanation for what he's doing.? 4

That?s another of the telling points about temptation. We?re never fully 
aware of it until it?s right on top of us. That?s why we need to read 
and re-read the manual for life; we need to think and rethink who we are 
as human beings and as Jesus? brothers and sisters. We need to seek, 
once again, definitions of what we?re called to do, and we need to 
acknowledge that nothing about this is easy.

The Lent which we?re invited to engage once again this year is all about 
re - placing the ?I? in our lives in the service of God.

	A friend who?s with the General Board of Examining Chaplains who set 
and advise on the evaluation of The Episcopal Church?s ordination exams 
put it very simply. What we need is ?A knowledge of the two facts that 
are the basis for all spiritual wisdom and moral strength:
?	One, there is a God.
?	Two, you are not.? 5

This is the good news Jesus discovered in the desert. And this is the 
good news He passed along to us, not to belittle us in the least, but to 
take from us the responsibility of having to run things, giving us 
instead the exciting charge of following Him. Not, in itself, and by 
ourselves, an easy task, but one which IS eminently do-able in the 
strength and the company of the Man of God who faced desert-temptation 
for us, who now asks if He can walk with us.

That invitation starts at this altar. Only God knows where it will lead. 
But we ALL know where it will end ? thank God!

NOTES:

1 	Sketch for ?Jesus in the Wilderness? by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramsko?, 
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-fulldisplay.pl?SID=20130214849517822&code=ACT&RC=54213&Row=2

2	http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfhhs

3	NAS LYRICS ? "If I Ruled The World" (feat. Lauryn Hill) 
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nas/ifiruledtheworld.html

4	?Dress Rehearsal in the Desert? Luke 4:1-13 1st Sunday in Lent - Year 
C February 17, 2013 .The Rev. Brian Erickson is senior pastor of First 
United Methodist Church of Alabaster, AL 
http://day1.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a22435f9d4a26d16f2776cd60&id=aa44225728&e=07fe8bf832

5	?The Meaning of Lent: An Ash Wednesday Rant? February 13, 2013 by 
Frederick Schmidt www.patheos.com


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 Feb 16 13:51:59 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:51:59 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Five SERMONS for Luke 4:1-13:
Message-ID: <8CFDA8DD5E4B212-1370-160A8@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>

Five SERMONS for Luke 4:1-13:
 
http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/21C-Lent1C-Luke.4.1-13-.html

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb 16 20:58:19 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 20:58:19 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 1C
In-Reply-To: <acc0727e-96ad-460c-891d-1af1fef233a6@h17g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>
References: <acc0727e-96ad-460c-891d-1af1fef233a6@h17g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <8CFDAC9644C0C75-1370-1E5A1@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>


 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 16, 2013 8:42 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 1C


Dear Friends,

This Sunday?s sermon is entitled ?Yield Not to Temptation? or ?The
Devil Made Me Do It!? and deals with the gospel (Luke 4:1-13).  Here
it is:

We just heard the story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert (Luke
4:1-13) and we know the feeling of being tempted all too well, because
temptation is a part of our lives.  In Lent it gets even worse as we
try to stick with our Lenten commitment of giving up something that
keeps us from being the best we can be and taking on something to
deepen our spiritual lives.  You know as well as I do, even good
change is hard.  How many diets have you gone on?  Since we purposely
take on change in Lent, we also purposely expose ourselves to
temptation.  Do you remember the story about the father who told his
three-year-old son not to go near the street while he was outside.  He
could ride his tricycle.  He could dig in his sandbox.  He could sit
on the steps and watch his father work in the yard.  He could help his
father dig in the yard.  The only thing he could NOT do was go near
the street, because it was very dangerous.  The father held his son?s
small face in his hands and carefully explained this to him, then
asked if he understood.  ?Yes, daddy,? said the child.  As soon as the
father turned away, you know exactly what the little boy did, don?t
you...put his right toe in the street and looked at his father as if
to say, ?I dare you!?  Sounds like Adam and Eve all over again.  We
humans surely do have a disobedient streak in us!  So, let?s get
personal.  What did you give up for Lent?  If it?s doughnuts, I know
your car just happens to drive by the doughnut shop.  If it?s smoking,
I know you look at those cigarettes when you pay for your gas.  It?s
no accident that Jesus taught us to pray: ?Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil,? better translated: ?Save us
from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.?  Jesus came to give
us life, allow us to live our lives to the fullest.  What is the
opposite of ?live??  Sure, ?E-V-I-L?- what the devil wants to trick us
into choosing.

Here are some useful facts about temptation and how to handle it:
?	When we?re under huge assault, it?s so easy to forget that Jesus has
overcome, so the power to overcome is in our hands.  The devil cannot
force us.  All he can do is simply try to convince us.  The trouble
is- we get convinced all too easily.
?	One of the devil?s tricks is to make us think overcoming temptation
is simply a matter of education.  As is the case with most of the
devil?s tricks- this is partly true.  Education helps, but the real
problem is one of the will, of making choices.  We are tempted to
choose short term happiness over our long term well-being.
?	Temptation starts in our minds and moves from mind to action.  Did
you notice the thought for the week? Gandhi taught: ?Keep your
thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.  Keep your
words positive because your words become your behaviors.  Keep your
behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits.  Keep
your habits positive because your habits become your values.  Keep
your values positive because your values become your destiny.?
?	The Rev. Dr. Anthony Evans reminds us: ?Used improperly, credit
cards operate a lot like sin: enjoy now, pay later.?

Question- how can you know if that still, small voice in your head is
God?s- encouraging happiness and life, or the devil?s encouraging
unhappiness and death?  Use Jesus? experience to help you figure it
out.
5)	From the ?stones into bread? temptation, ask yourself: ?What?s in
it for me??  The essence of the demonic is self-centeredness.
Remember, the devil tempted Jesus to misuse his powers and turn stones
into bread FOR HIMSELF.  Don?t let the devil succeed in tempting you
to use your powers and skills selfishly.
6)	From the ?throw yourself from the top of the temple? temptation,
ask yourself: Am I taking the easy way, a short cut, a ?quick-fix??
Remember, the devil tempted Jesus to throw himself off the top of the
temple as a short-cut means to gain popularity and attention.
7)	From the ?fall down and worship me? temptation, ask yourself: Am I
being tempted to use an evil means and hoping to get a good end, like
when the devil suggested that Jesus worship him to gain the power he
needed to do good?
8)	Finally, did you notice how the first and third temptations
started: ?If you are God?s son?..??  Is that voice inspiring self-
doubt, discouragement, depression?

If the answer to any of these is unsatisfactory, just say ?NO!  Get
thee behind me Satan!

Speaking of ?Get thee behind me, Satan,? I?d like to close with an old
story that perfectly fits the beginning of Lent.  Watch for the
mistakes the woman makes.  Did you hear about the woman who just loved
to shop?  The problem was- both of their credit cards were maxed out,
and she had promised her husband that she would not buy anything that
was not absolutely necessary.  Well, Lent came soon after she made the
promise, and her Lenten commitment was that she would exercise every
day.  Since it was pouring rain, she couldn?t walk outside; so she
decided to go to the mall to walk and get her exercise.  ?Don?t worry,
dear,? she told her husband before leaving.  ?I won?t buy anything- I
promise you.?  Her walk in the mall started out just fine, but then,
as she strode past one of her favorite stores, she saw this beautiful
dress in the window.  You know what she did- stopped walking to look
at it.  She noticed that it was in her favorite color and would match
the shoes she purchased the week before.  ?It won?t hurt if I just go
in the story to look.  They probably won?t have my size anyway.?  When
she checked out the rack, there was that gorgeous dress; and it was in
her perfect color and correct size.  ?Wow!? she thought.  ?It won?t
hurt to just try it on.  Trying it on is not the same thing as buying
it.?  You know what she did- took it into the dressing room to try it
on.  After it was on, she looked at her image in the mirror, and she
really did look good.  All of a sudden, she came to her senses and
remembered her promise to her husband.  ?Get the behind me, Satan!?
she ordered.  ?I?m not buying this dress!?  From behind her came a
soft voice that said- ?Gee, that?s a shame.  It looks really good back
here too!?

May God bless us as we keep a holy Lent full of life-giving spiritual
growth.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sat Feb 16 23:17:19 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 23:17:19 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_for_February_17=2C_1_Lent_=28C=29?=
 =?utf-8?q?=2C_based_on_Luke_4=3A1-13=2C_=E2=80=9CSundays_in_Lent_are_not_?=
 =?utf-8?q?days_of_fasting=2E=E2=80=9D?=
Message-ID: <8CFDADCCFB4C0D2-1370-1EE1D@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/clc6r76is our sermon for February 17, 1 Lent (C), based on Luke 4:1-13, ?Sundays inLent are not days of fasting.?
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ


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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Sun Feb 17 00:09:06 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:09:06 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_Spanish_for_February_17=2C__una_?=
 =?utf-8?q?Cuaresma_=28C=29=2C_basado_en_Lucas_4=3A1-13=2C_=22Los_domingos?=
 =?utf-8?q?_de_Cuaresma_no_son_d=C3=ADas_de_ayuno=2E=22?=
Message-ID: <8CFDAE40B30E741-1370-1F03E@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/bn9o2bbes nuestro serm?n para el 17 de febrero, una Cuaresma (C), basado en Lucas4:1-13, "Los domingos de Cuaresma no son d?as de ayuno."
Paz ybendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ


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From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb 17 13:20:37 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 11:20:37 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] 2 Lent
Message-ID: <D9E8B9C99F3F46799636397C0BEE98AA@BobPC>

Collect for 2 Lent:

Let us pray:

God, you sent the prophets
to bring us back to you.
Yet we kill the prophets
in their Jerusalem,
wherever that Jerusalem may be.
Grant us ears to hear who speaks for you today.
May we never kill your messengers again.
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 2 Lent go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From chadwohl at satucket.com  Sun Feb 17 21:39:32 2013
From: chadwohl at satucket.com (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:39:32 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the SECOND SUNDAY in LENT
Message-ID: <B17B91C04CD64A629C48D53C4A500CD7@ThinkpadT60CCW>

The following are the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent, February 24, 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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day.



OLD TESTAMENT:   Genesis 15: 1 - 12, 17 - 18   (all)

Gene 15:1 (NRSV) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." 4 But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." 5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness. 
7 Then he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chalde'ans, to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 


PSALM 27   (RCL)
Psalm 27: 1, 7 - 9, 13 - 14   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 27:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; 
whom shall I fear? 
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; 
of whom shall I be afraid? 
2 When evildoers assail me 
to devour my flesh-- 
my adversaries and foes-- 
they shall stumble and fall. 
3 Though an army encamp against me, 
my heart shall not fear; 
though war rise up against me, 
yet I will be confident. 
4 One thing I asked of the LORD, 
that will I seek after: 
to live in the house of the LORD 
all the days of my life, 
to behold the beauty of the LORD, 
and to inquire in his temple. 
5 For he will hide me in his shelter 
in the day of trouble; 
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; 
he will set me high on a rock. 
6 Now my head is lifted up 
above my enemies all around me, 
and I will offer in his tent 
sacrifices with shouts of joy; 
I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, 
be gracious to me and answer me! 
8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" 
Your face, LORD, do I seek. 
9 Do not hide your face from me. 
Do not turn your servant away in anger, 
you who have been my help. 
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, 
O God of my salvation! 
10 If my father and mother forsake me, 
the LORD will take me up. 
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, 
and lead me on a level path 
because of my enemies. 
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, 
for false witnesses have risen against me, 
and they are breathing out violence. 
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD 
in the land of the living. 
14 Wait for the LORD; 
be strong, and let your heart take courage; 
wait for the LORD! 

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.


NEW TESTAMENT:   Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1   (all)

Phil 3:17 (NRSV) Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. 

Note: Vs. 17-19 are optional in the Roman Catholic lectionary.


GOSPEL:   Luke 13: 31 - 35   (RCL)

Luke 13:31 (NRSV)  At that very hour some Phar'isees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Her'od wants to kill you." 32 He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, "Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'" 


Luke 9: 28 - 36   (alt. for RCL & Can. BAS, but not C of E or ECUSA)
Luke 9: 28b - 36   (Roman Catholic)

Luke 9:28 (NRSV) Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Eli'jah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Eli'jah"--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. 


Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 09:56:16 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:56:16 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 24 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFDCC866316B70-DC0-18350@webmail-m023.sysops.aol.com>





February 24, 2013



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermons for Lent 2
 
Luke 13:31-35 - "Who Lives In You?" 
Philippians 3:17-4:1 - "The Cross - Burden or Blessing?" by Leonard Sweet
 
Luke 13, the sermon title "Who Lives In You?"  

 
Who lives in you? That's the question that comes to mind as we read those words of Jesus this morning when he tells the Pharisees, "Go tell that fox (Herod) that I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow and on the third day reach my goal." I will do what I must. For God lives in me. I am a citizen of heaven. Let him do what he must!

Let your imagination run free for a moment and picture yourself, your personality, who you are really, as a house. Any kind of house will do -- just so it's yours. For some it may be a huge castle, with lofty turrets and banners waving in the breeze, a place that is safe and secure. For others it may be a rustic cabin, tucked away in the woods, a peaceful and quiet refuge. For others still, it might be a nice little retirement home, with a rocking chair on the front porch, a shade tree in front and a nice warm breeze stirring flowers blooming in front.

Now, move in closer and imagine the front door of that house. Picture someone pushing the doorbell, clanking the knocker, or rapping on the door. If someone came to the door of your house, who would they find inside? Who lives in you?

I'm not sure about you, but I've met people who gave me the distinct impression that if I went inside the "houses" of their lives, I wouldn't find anyone home. Or if I went inside their houses, they would be so cluttered with junk that there wouldn't be any room for anyone. Or some whose houses are great and impressive on the outside, but once I entered everything would be artificial.

Who lives in you? That's the question for us to address this Second Sunday in Lent...
 
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.
 
_______________________
 
Philippians 3, the sermon titled "The Cross - Burden or Blessing?" by Leonard Sweet  
 
Does a fast-food nation get the church it deserves, or demands . . . . a fast-food church? Not if Lent has anything to do with it. 
 
Have you noticed that all the big fast food chains are touting their great new fish menus in the past couple of weeks?
 
McDonald's Fish McBites. 
Wendy's Alaskan Pollack sandwiches. 
Red Lobster's LobsterFest. 
Popeye's Shrimp baskets. 
 
Economically it is a "down time." No big holidays this month and downright cold and wintery most places. The big chain restaurants are going to try and capitalize on anything they can. That includes Lent.
 
"Giving up" something for Lent has long meant, giving up rich goodies. Besides chocolate, red meat has always been near the top of that list. If you are old enough to remember those who only ate "fish on Friday," you can understand the sudden oceanic bent of McDonald's and Wendy's and other fast-food chains. If people of faith are "giving up" something for Lent, God-forbid that such a commitment should include "giving up" dining out at a fast food restaurant! Give them fast-food fish instead!
 
But Lent is not just a season of winnowing down, of doing without, of "giving up." In today's epistle text Paul reminds his readers that following Christ is about living as life as an advocate, as a positive force, not as an enemy, of the cross...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
______________________________
 
The World of the Prophet 
  
What would you do if someone gave you one million dollars and then told you to come back as often as you liked and you could have whatever money you needed whenever you wanted? Just ask and it is yours. What if he told you to tell all your friends and they could also come and have a million dollars? Do you think you would tell your friends? Do you think you would show up regularly to receive more from this very wealthy and very generous person? 
 
What would you think if you told your friends and they had you arrested? What would you think if people said you were an idiot for getting money from this generous person? What if people killed you for telling them about this person who was giving away free money? Would you expect people to accuse you of being narrow minded when you told people that they couldn't get free money from any other person? Would you expect people to say things like, "You know if we get our money every week, we won't really appreciate it?" Would you expect people to hunt down this very wealthy, very generous person and kill him? 
 
Welcome to the world of the prophet. If you were to take my recent examples and replace the money with forgiveness, you would exactly describe the insanity that faces the prophet, the apostle, and all the messengers of God. God wants to cover us in His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation and for some reason, that makes people angry. 

James T. Batchelor 
_______________________________________

In the Form of a Man
 
The Hindu temple is built in the form of a man. The outer court raised on pillars and open on all sides is the human body, the inner court with its wide spaces is the human mind, the shrine room is the human soul. Man moves within himself into himself and there finds the presence of God. 
 
The Muslim mosque, too, is built in the form of a man. The central dome is man's head and the minarets are his hands upraised in prayer. Man comes to God through an act of adoration and submission. The Buddhist dogoba, too, is built in the form of a man. Its figure is that of a man in the posture of meditation: legs crossed the body erect, and the head held straight and unmoving. The approach to reality is by way of inner withdrawal from the world.
 
The Christian church, too, is built in the form of a man, a man stretched out 
upon a cross. And this has made all the difference. The church does not ask its followers to find their way, or to discover truth within. The church says one man, Jesus of Nazareth is that way, is the truth. He is life. We put our faith in him knowing 
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from a sermon by Daniel T. Niles. 
_____________________






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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 09:57:49 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:57:49 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for February 24 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112506903599.1103889869952.45429.12.4705308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFDCC89DE8E0A8-DC0-183E4@webmail-m023.sysops.aol.com>


Three Questions 
 
Jaques Maritain, the great French philosopher of the last century, said there were really only three questions that had to be answered: "Who am I?" "Where am I?" and "Where ought I to be going?" Jesus knew who he was, and where he was, and where he had to go. Lincoln knew. So have all great leaders and great men and women of faith known. Do we know? Or are we out of focus, our goals fuzzy and ill-defined? Our world is so insane, but not any more so than the world of Jesus. Most people in his day, went to work every day, and came home, and were pulled this way and that. And they didn't ask the big questions very often. We remember Jesus because he did. 
 
William R. Boyer, As a Hen Gathers Her Brood
_______________________
 
Rejection and Refusal to Listen 
 
Robert Fulton, an artist and engineer was responsible in the early 1800's for putting sailing ships out of business. He made the steamboat a standard on the open seas. It is said that he presented his idea to Napoleon. After a few minutes of this presentation Napoleon is reported to have said, "What, sir, you would make a ship sail against the wind and currents by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I pray you excuse me. I have no time to listen to such nonsense."
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. 
_________________ 
 
The Old Mother Hen 
 
Have you ever seen a chicken hawk go after its prey? The old mother hen is often aware of the presence of the hawk in time to gather her chicks under her wing. With a furious fuss she squawks till her brood is safe by her side. She fluffs out her wings and protects them with her own body. The chicken hawk dives and the old hen turns her body toward him and cocks a wary eye without moving from her children. The predator comes in again for the kill and the mother spreads her wings even wider. A third time he dives only to be thwarted by the determined self-sacrifice of the mother hen. She is too big to be a target and the chicks are too safe to be seized so he flies away.
 
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. 
__________________ 
 
Shelter 
 
In Mission, British Columbia, a fellow by the name of Ike tells the story about his Grandpa's hen house which burned to the ground one day. Ike arrived just in time to help put out the last of the fire. As he and his grandfather sorted through the wreckage, they came upon one hen lying dead near what had been the door of the hen house. Her top feathers were singed brown by the fire's heat, her neck limp. Ike bent down to pick up the dead hen. As he did the hen's four chicks came scurrying out from beneath her burnt body. The chicks survived because they were insulated by the shelter of the hen's wings.
 
Richard J. Fairchild 
_________________ 

A Pompous Pretender
 
Jesus called Herod a fox after some Pharisees reported that Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Jesus' response challenged any such plans: "Tell Herod I've got work to do first." Jesus was not implying that Herod was sly, rather he was commenting on Herod's ineptitude, or inability, to carry out his threat. Jesus questioned the tetrarch's pedigree, moral stature and leadership, and put the tetrarch "in his place." This exactly fits the second rabbinic usage of "fox."
 
When Jesus labeled Herod a fox, Jesus implied that Herod was not a lion. Herod considered himself a lion, but Jesus pointed out that Herod was the opposite of a lion. Jesus cut Herod down to size, and Jesus' audience may have had an inward smile of appreciation at a telling riposte.
 
We need to start translating "fox" with its proper Hebraic cultural meaning: A pompous pretender. Jesus was direct. Antipas was a shu?AL ben shu?AL (a fox, the son of a fox), a small-fry.
 
Randall Buth, That Small Fry Herod Antipas, Or When A Fox Is Not A Fox.
_______________
 
Compassion for the Suffering 
 
In England in the 1940s a young woman entered Oxford University with little focus. She had no idea what to do with her life. But she soon came under the influence of a colorful professor of English, a writer with a gift, named C. S. Lewis. She became a Christian through much of his influence.
 
She left Oxford, against the advice of friends and family, and began to study nursing. After five more years of rigorous training, she was certified as a nurse.
 
But her story doesn't end there, for her questing Christian spirit would not let her rest with the way things were. You see, she ended up working on a cancer ward in a London hospital. Gradually, she came to realize that most of the doctors ignored the patients who were deemed terminally ill. As a result she watched many of them die virtually alone.
 
Greatly troubled she felt that Christian compassion needed to be expressed to these patients in a visible way...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Lent and Easter, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 10:05:15 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:05:15 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Feb.  24 (Lent 2C) Luke 13:31-35
Message-ID: <0530565169B74AE1B865E68989431280@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for February 24 (Lent 2C). They
focus on the Gospel lesson, Luke 13:31-35, where Jesus says, 
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets."


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.


LUKE 13:31-35

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Luke.13.31-35.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001afkn74FPfUDflHPJ-Yb2HQBczsRxI2DOKG7c9v3UGYVQ
CNu4-coMb2Mthp58WFmiyaqKPUgVDOweUQR5QL-_1ElsC4W54dyxpJw982BDWUPh6gX8zFyBX4GF
mgKWjXk9fUqyf9UzQA_wvbh396N2z8egOn2SujGK> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Luke.13.31-35.htm
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001afkn74FPfUD-f_YFwIAWkXKRJmNN_tRE4H4U7Qn2ZIGs
-c7zyV0kw6_ULXEWZ2gtDnzffjZq4akGTRlFZ439IfeYsKmVanjKieUwbNAlUlXQssx1hjjLqGLr
F-XPSs5npE6Cr9gBnNLSWU_Gej3kUqSV9QqLhFVT> 




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=001afkn74FPfUAO7h_Y9P9umvmY9E2BZzY1C9wlgZN1ZCJI
wtofmW1U4yQr7CdIH6ZUI6bzKaWEdLRTqh-IneISTl0ZRb6QaOgp30BAhM0NLXy4NiVTIvPsJQ==
>  
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 19 10:07:39 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:07:39 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Feb. 24 (Lent 2C) Genesis 15
Message-ID: <13F99D00A23A4F6090EDBFCE35091592@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for the OT reading for
February 24 -- Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18.

GENESIS 15:1-12, 17-18

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to one sermon:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Gen.15.1-12--17-18-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/02-24wr/Gen.15.1-12--17-18-WEB.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.

www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From eldan at bresnan.net  Sun Feb 24 15:09:24 2013
From: eldan at bresnan.net (Bob Eldan)
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:09:24 -0700
Subject: [Propertalk] 3 Lent
Message-ID: <0B3D02163C394EAEA058A6CE0AFC8A42@BobPC>

Collect for 3 Lent:

Let us pray:

God of all creation,
especially of fig trees.
When we are impatient,
you urge us to wait for the nurturing time.
Then you will bless us,
as we sit under our own fig tree
in peace, security and forgiveness,
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 3 Lent go to > http://preachingtip.com/preaching-tip-of-the-week/ 

Bob Eldan
Lander, Wyoming
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From charles.wohlers at verizon.net  Sun Feb 24 20:58:58 2013
From: charles.wohlers at verizon.net (Charles Wohlers)
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:58:58 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] READINGS for the THIRD SUNDAY of LENT
Message-ID: <8F992384D50F468F99FC5F94039E9EE6@cranmer>

The following are the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent, March 3, 
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 noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries 
are identical to the RCL for this day.

The readings are posted on our web site: <http://satucket.com/lectionary>, 
in RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.



OLD TESTAMENT:  Isaiah 55: 1 - 9   (RCL)

Isai 55:1 (NRSV) Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.


Exodus 3: 1 - 15   (ECUSA)
Exodus 3: 1 - 8a, 13 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Exod 3:1 (NRSV) Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jeth'ro, 
the priest of Mid'ian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to 
Ho'reb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him 
in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet 
it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this 
great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the LORD saw 
that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, 
Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove 
the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy 
ground." 6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of 
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, 
for he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in 
Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I 
know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the 
Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a 
land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Ca'naanites, the 
Hit'tites, the Am'orites, the Per'izzites, the Hi'vites, and the Jeb'usites. 
9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the 
Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my 
people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I 
that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 12 He 
said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I 
who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall 
worship God on this mountain."
13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The 
God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his 
name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."
 He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me 
to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 
"The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you':
This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.


PSALM 63: 1 - 8   (RCL)

Psal 63:1 (NRSV) O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.


Psalm 103: 1 - 4, 6 - 8, 11   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 103:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits-- 
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

6 The LORD works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;



NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13   (all but Roman Catholic)
                                     1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 6, 10 - 12 
(Roman Catholic)

1Cor 10:1 (NRSV) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that 
our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate 
the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they 
drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck 
down in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire 
evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is 
written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 8 
We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and 
twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the 
test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not 
complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These 
things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down 
to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think 
you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has 
overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will 
not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will 
also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.


GOSPEL:   Luke 13: 1 - 9   (all)

Luke 13:1 (NRSV) At that very time there were some present who told him 
about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 
He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this 
way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but 
unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who 
were killed when the tower of Silo'am fell on them--do you think that they 
were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell 
you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; 
and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the 
gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this 
fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the 
soil?' 8 He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig 
around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and 
good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"


Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 10:40:23 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:40:23 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for March 3 - Part 1
In-Reply-To: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFE24EB99D29D6-13C8-71432@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>






Lent 3


        


 

        
	    
    
        
        

March 3, 2013



        
        
    
        
                

    
    
        
        
        
            

        
        
        


Sermons for Lent 3
 
Luke 13:1-9 - "God Doesn't Ask a Fig Tree to Produce Bananas" 
Luke 13:1-9 - "The 5 Worst Things Christians Say After a Tragedy" by Leonard Sweet
 
Luke 13, the sermon title "God Doesn't Ask a Fig Tree to Produce Bananas"  

 
A man borrowed a book from an acquaintance. As he read through it, he was intrigued to find parts of the book underlined with the letters YBH written in the margin. When he returned the book to the owner, he asked what the YBH meant. The owner replied that the underlined paragraphs were sections of the book that he basically agreed with. They gave him hints on how to improve himself and pointed out truths that he wished to incorporate into his life. However, the letters YBH stood for "Yes, but how?"
 
Those three letters could be writ on the margins of ours souls: "I ought to know how to take better care of myself, but how?" "I know I ought to spend more time in scripture reading and prayer, but how?" "I know I ought to be more sensitive to others, more loving of my spouse, more understanding of the weaknesses of others, but how?" These are all good qualities and we know that, but how can we acquire them? As Christian people we know the kind of life we ought to live, and most of us have the best of intentions to do so, but how? We are afraid because we know where the road paved with only good intentions leads!
 
This morning we hear Jesus' parable of the fig tree, telling us to repent and bear good fruit. We know what the Christian life requires of us and yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we also know how far short we fall. So the question that confronts us this morning is: "Yes, but how?"
It's a dilemma that has confronted God's people throughout the ages. Even Saint Paul found himself trapped. In Romans 7 Paul writes: It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love to do God's will so far as my new (redeemed Christian) nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind, I want to be God's willing servant, but instead I find myself enslaved to sin. So you see how it is; my new life (the redeemed life in Christ) tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me (my sinful human self) loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I'm in! Who will free me from this slavery to sin? Thank God! It has already been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free!
 
"Repent," Jesus says. "Acknowledge your sinfulness." That's the first step in beginning to live the Christian life. None of us is without fault. And yet how difficult it is for us to admit that. We know better than to openly admit our wrongs. If we want to get ahead in this world and be accepted by others, it's generally better to conceal our shortcomings and put on a good front for others...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
  
_______________________
 
Luke 13, the sermon titled "The 5 Worst Things Christians Say After a Tragedy" by Leonard Sweet   
 
In the immediate aftermath of the Super Bowl, a reporter asked Ray Lewis, star player of the Baltimore Ravens, "How does it feel to be a Super Bowl Champion?" He responded "When God is for you, who can be against you?"
 
Excuse me? God had a favorite team? You mean God liked one Harbaugh brother over the other? 
 
Candidate Richard Mourdock in his losing attempt to win a Senate seat in Indiana, said this: "Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen."
 
Excuse me? If something happens, then God intends it to happen? Sandy Hook Elementary? Hurricane Sandy? God willed these things to happen? 
 
Where do these professed Christians get this stuff? Where do they learn their theology? Learn their bad theology? If there is any greater evidence of the failure of Sunday school, it is the theology that gets expressed in the wake of a tragedy. What Christians say right after a disaster is disastrous and downright embarrassing. 
 
The most horrible things are said about God when people try to say the nicest things about Him...
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 
______________
 
Our Chaotic Life
 
This notice appeared in the window of a coat store in Nottingham, England: "We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coat rationing, government control and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next."
 
Unknown
__________________
 
Becoming What We Are
 
Somerset Maugham said it best in his autobiography, Summing Up, "I knew that I had no lyrical quality, a small vocabulary, little gift of metaphor. The original and striking simile never occurred to me. Poetic flights...were beyond my powers. On the other hand, I had an acute power of observation, and it seemed to me that I could see a great many things that other people missed. I could put down in clear terms what I saw...I knew that I should never write as well as I could wish, but I thought, with pains, that I could arrive at writing as well as my natural defects allowed." Somerset Maugham discovered the secret of genius. 

The point is that life does not ask us to become what we are not. The fig tree was only required to produce figs. No more. You and I are asked only to accomplish what our natural gifts allow, but we are asked to accomplish just that. 
 
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com 
 
________________________ 







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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 10:57:41 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:57:41 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for March 3 - Part 2
In-Reply-To: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1112577745366.1103889869952.45429.12.4905308F@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <8CFE251241FB3EC-13C8-71755@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>


Using Up the Ground
 
Soil was at a premium in Israel. It was not unusual for a vineyard owner to give a little bit of his soil up for a fruit tree but the tree took up the best soil, the deepest soil, and required the most water. A fig tree doesn't grow fruit until three years after planting. The owner in this story, had given the tree "due season" to bear fruit and yet the tree bore no fruit. It took up valuable space and resources. The owner questioned why the tree was allowed to "even use up ground."
 
God had given the Israelites the choicest ground. Their land possessed everything necessary to make themselves a great nation, indeed, a light to all nations. They were strategically positioned to send the fruit of God north and south, east and west; but instead, in-fighting continued to make them a worthless fruit tree.
 
Everyone one of us and all of our churches will have to answer (from God's perspective) this same question; "Why does it even use up the ground?"
 
Jerry Goebel, Why Does HE Even Use up the Ground?
_______________________
 
Becoming Christian
 
Garrison Keillor warns us, "You can become a Christian by going to church just as about easily as you can become an automobile by sleeping in a garage." What we're speaking of is the danger of presumed spiritual security. Our parable says that we're not called just to be here. It is a clear warning against a fruitless existence in the light of God's grace given to us. 
 
Wiley Stephens, Missing Is Not Final
________________________
 
Suffering and Repentance
 
Trevor Beeson stood at the high altar of Westminster Abbey to celebrate the marriage of his daughter, Catharine, to Anthony, aged twenty-three. Nine months later he stood before the same altar for Anthony's funeral, who was killed when his car ran into a wall in East London. Four months later, Trevor returned to the altar beside the coffin of his friend and hero Earl Mountbatten, who died when his fishing boat was blown to pieces by Irish terrorist. Reflecting on the experience, he said he could not blame God for these senseless tragedies. He wrote:
I should find it impossible to believe in, and worship, a God who arranged for the great servants of the community to be blown up on their holidays and who deliberately turned a young man's car into a brick wall...This is not the God of love whose ways are revealed in the Bible and supremely in the life of Jesus Christ.
 
Beeson found two insights that helped him to cope with his tragedy and to look beyond it: "The first is that, although God is not responsible for causing tragedy, he is not a detached observer of our suffering. On the contrary, he is immersed in it with us, sharing to the full our particular grief and pain. This is the fundamental significance of the cross."
 
Second, although we naturally ask, "Why did it happen?" Beeson discovered that the more important question is "What are we going to make of it?"; "Every tragedy contains within it the seeds of resurrection." This is, after all, the whole point of our pilgrimage through Lent, to Good Friday, and Easter morning.
 
Are those who experience innocent suffering worse than anyone else? Of course not. It can happen to any of us.
 
But is there a connection between innocent suffering and human action? Of course there is, and unless we change our way of living, we may all experience the same suffering.
 
What does Jesus offer us when we experience this kind of suffering? The power of God to hold us firm, to give us strength, and to see us through.
 
John K. Bergland editor, Abingdon Preachers Annual 1992, Nashville: Abingdon, 1991, p. 108.
__________________
 
Not Nearly as Big a Man
 
It seems that the University of Tennessee coach bought a bolt of cloth thinking he would have a suit made out of it. He took the material to his tailor in Knoxville where the tailor measured him, examined the bolt of cloth, did some computations on a piece of paper, and said, "I'm sorry, coach, there just isn't enough material in this bolt to make a suit for you." The coach was disappointed, but he threw the bolt of cloth in the trunk of his car, wondering what he was going to do with it.
 
A couple of weeks later he was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- the home of the Crimson Tide -- arch enemies of the Vols. He was on his way to the coast for a vacation. Driving down the main street in Tuscaloosa, he noticed a tailor shop, which reminded him that he had that bolt of cloth in the trunk. He stopped, thinking he would give it a try. He told the tailor he had bought this bolt of cloth and wondered if he could do anything with it. The tailor measured him, measured the bolt of cloth, did some computations. Finally he said, "Coach, I can make you a suit out of this bolt. What's more, I can make you an extra pair of pants. And if you really want it, I can give you a vest out of this, too." The coach was dumbfounded. "I don't understand," he said. "My tailor in Knoxville told me he couldn't even make one suit out of this bolt of cloth." The tailor said, "Coach, here in Tuscaloosa, you are not nearly as big a man as you are in Knoxville."

I tell the story to make the point that things are not always what they seem. Our Scripture lesson -- the parable of the fig tree -- is clearly a parable of judgment. But at the very heart of it is a marvelous word of grace.

Maxie Dunnam, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com 

_________________________________________
 
He Has One More Move
 
A story is told of former world chess champion Bobby Fischer when he was a young boy. His mother took him to a museum, and he happened upon a painting that caught his eye. It depicted a bedraggled, exhausted older man slumped over a chessboard. Few of his pieces were left on the board, and he was conceding the game. On the other side of the board was his fresh and snappy opponent, Satan. The painting was entitled Checkmate. Already a chess prodigy, young Bobby Fischer stood looking at the painting for a long time. His mother soon tired of it and moved around the remainder of the gallery, finally returning to find Bobby still entranced by that painting. "Come now, Bobby, we have to go." Bobby Fischer did not stop staring, thinking...
 
The rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Lent and Easter, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. 



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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 13:47:31 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:47:31 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter:  Mar. 3 (Lent 3C) Luke 13:1-9
Message-ID: <80512FC2079848ED953376E5EFF9B9B3@OwnerPC>

THE FOLLOWING are SermonWriter materials for March 3 (Lent 3C). They focus
on the Gospel lesson, Luke 13:1-9--a warning to repent--and the Parable of
the Fig Tree.

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.


LUKE 13:1-9

Microsoft Word file: 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Luke.13.1-9.doc
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001SLnDxTIc2UP_NXKSmBjkqjodxA634AYU6ixQJlx2nz0F
5Suf-fNXI5CI7mXbmev8xm42BHuTz-noCVyetssQOEBG2IlO_iaHRLX4R207Y0mkCHHmm8VavgT_
0SiGOJJaM5yvfqiu4WsZQ-9e4MhtEywh7OHGWNky> 

HTML file (web page): 
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Luke.13.1-9.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/ 
 
Dick Donovan
 
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From JoeParrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 13:49:13 2013
From: JoeParrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:49:13 -0500
Subject: [Propertalk] FW: SermonWriter: Mar. 3 (Lent 3C) Isa + Exo + 1 Cor.
Message-ID: <DA0B11E6C8274AD29FD7BEC75FE1D50F@OwnerPC>

This email has links (see below) to the exegesis for the following readings
for March 3:

--Isaiah 55:1-9 (Common Lectionary)
--Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 (Catholic Lectionary)
--1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (Both lectionaries)

ISAIAH 55:1-9 (Common Lectionary)

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to sermons:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Isaiah.55.01-09-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Isaiah.55.01-09-WEB.htm


EXODUS 3:1-8A, 13-15 (Catholic Lectionary)

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to sermons:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Exodus.03.01-8a_13-15_Cath-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/Exodus.03.01-8a_13-15_Cath-WEB.htm


1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13 (Both lectionaries)

These materials include the exegesis + a hymn list + a link to one sermon:

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/1Cor.10.01-13-WEB.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/03-03sj/1Cor.10.01-13-WEB.htm


A TIP: If you want the Microsoft Word files, 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 them.  Click on that.
Then save the file wherever you want on your hard drive.


www.lectionary.org

Dick Donovan




From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 16:24:24 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:24:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] 5 sermons for Luke 13:1-9
Message-ID: <8CFE27EC869B335-13C8-76CBF@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>

http://www.lectionary.org/YearC/23C-Lent3C-Luke.13.1-9.html

5 sermons for Luke 13:1-9
Peace and blessings,
Joe



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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Tue Feb 26 20:02:43 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:02:43 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Day 1 sermon for March 3
Message-ID: <8CFE29D485F12A1-13C8-7972C@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>

http://day1.org/4534-spared_the_ax

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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Wed Feb 27 00:32:45 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:32:45 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] =?utf-8?q?Sermon_in_English_for_March_3_based_on_Luk?=
 =?utf-8?b?ZSAxMzoxLTksIOKAnFByb2ZpdGFibGUgQ2hyaXN0aWFuc+KAnQ==?=
Message-ID: <8CFE2C301554DFF-13C8-7A70D@Webmail-m124.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/ae9zk5fis our sermon in English for March 3 based on Luke 13:1-9, ?ProfitableChristians.?
Peace and blessings,
Joe
St. John?s Episcopal Church
Elizabeth, NJ
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From joeparrish at compuserve.com  Wed Feb 27 11:23:27 2013
From: joeparrish at compuserve.com (Joe Parrish)
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:23:27 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Propertalk] Sermon in Spanish el 3 de marzo basado en Lucas
 13:1-9: "Los cristianos rentable"
Message-ID: <8CFE31DE7D9544A-1934-9CED1@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com>

http://tinyurl.com/ckwdvmpes nuestro serm?n en espa?ol el 3 de marzo basado en Lucas 13:1-9: "Loscristianos rentable."
Paz y bendiciones,
Joe
San Juan de laIglesia Episcopal
Elizabeth, NJ


(Por favor, oren por nosotros para ir a nuestra Convenci?n Diocesana Viernes y S?bado).



(Please pray for us as we go to our Diocesan ConventionFriday and Saturday.)

 
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