[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter 5A

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:



-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: propertalk.topic <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, May 17, 2014 5:57 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter 5A



Dear Friends,
 
This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Ashes, Ashes- We All Fall Down!” anddeals with the gospel (John 14: 1-14). Here it is:
 
Did you hear Jesus say that he is the way, the truth, andthe life?  It’s that last promise,fullness of life that I’d like us to think about this morning.  Do you have fullness of life right now?  Are you accessing all that life has to offer,or are you sidetracked?  If we’re oldhands at walking with Christ, or if we’re newcomers, or if perhaps we haven’treally started yet, let’s invest some time this morning examining our lives tosee if there are any possibilities we’re missing.
 
The best example I could think of to illustrate accessingJesus’ Way, Truth, and Life is an old nursery rhyme. Do you remember the strangesong we chanted as children- “Ring Around the Roses?  ”Yes- you did hear me right- Ring Around theRoses.”  I used it as an example a coupleof years ago, but I’m going to refresh your memory about where it comes from.  Either I never knew or I had forgotten.  It comes from the 1600’s when a terribledisease, the black death, was sweeping through Europe.  The reason it was called the Black Death wasthat huge black splotches covered the bodies of the sick.  Apparently this disease started in Englandwith just a few deaths, but within a few years it was killing huge numbers ofpeople.  Doctors were convinced it wascaused by bad air, so when someone got sick, the sick person would join handswith other sick people and circle around and around a bed of roses or otherflowers with beautiful scents.  Ifsomeone was too sick to walk, the doctor would stuff rose petals into his orher pocket, bring the petals into the sickroom, and then place the flowersunder the patient’s nose so the smell from the flowers would purify the bad airthat the sick person had in his or her lungs. If someone was on their deathbed, the doctor would burn some rose petalsand then place the ashes under the nose of the dying person, hoping that thepatient would sneeze, thus forcing all the bad air out of their lungs.  On top of that, every day someone was hiredto push the body cart through the streets collecting all the dead bodies frompeople who had succumbed to the illness the previous night.  As he pushed, he sang, “Ring around theroses.  A pocket full of posies.  Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!”  Unfortunately, hardly anyone got better fromthis treatment.  Do you know why?  Because they had the wrong cause- the blackdeath wasn’t caused by bad air.  It wascaused by germs that were on the fleas that were on the rats that were all overthe place.  You can’t cure a diseasecaused by germs if you have people breathe nice-smelling air.
 
Now the people in that century can be excused for makingthat mistake.  They didn’t know anythingabout germs, didn’t have microscopes, and were doing the best they could.  Regardless of how well-meaning they were,however, people died.  Do you know wemake the same mistake?  How many peoplemake the wrong diagnoses about how to make decisions that are life-empowering?  They rely on everything and everybody fordecision-making except for God- in spite of the fact that Jesus promised; “I amLIFE.”  They live by their ownpreconceived ideas of truth instead of living the TRUTH as Jesus proclaimed itto be.  Just because we sit in a pewevery Sunday doesn’t make us immune from being brainwashed by our culture tofollow its set of so-called truths.  Hereare a few examples I’ll bet you recognize from comments made by friends:
 
“Your value is determined by what you look     like (or how you dress or how much money you have).”  God’s truth:  We’re all created in God’s image and God     doesn’t make junk.
 
“Keep your problems to yourself- don’t go for     counseling.”  In other words, “Don’t     let our family business out on the street.”  God’s truth: Get help for yourself from     your priest or a reliable counselor who can be counted on to maintain     confidence.  God’s healing often comes     through other people.
 
“I don’t go to the doctor.  Jesus is the Great Physician.”  God’s truth:  Absolutely true- Jesus is the Great     Physician, but he uses doctors and others to be his hands, his feet, his     mind in working the healing.
 
Parent to child: “If he (or she) hits you,     hit him back!”  Another along the     same line: “She touched me.  I’ll     get her!”  God’s truth: “‘Vengeance     is mine.  I will repay,’ says the     Lord” (Romans 12:19.
 
“She ‘dissed’ me!  Our friendship is over!  We’re done!!”  God’s truth:  “Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those     who sin against us” (Lord’s Prayer).
 
“I know what I can handle (in terms of drugs     or alcohol).  I can do what I     want!”  God’s truth: True, you can     do what you want, that is if you want to make God and those who love you     cry their eyes out.
 
And here’s one specific to most of our kids:     “I can’t do well in school, because that’s white (or for girls- that will     get in the way of me being popular).”      God’s truth:  Develop your     talents.  Don’t hide them in the     ground.  You’ll have to account for     how you used your gifts some day.
 
“I can shoplift this small item from the     store.  The way they set their     prices- they owe me.”  God’s truth:     “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
 
“I know I made a promise to (whatever), but I     don’t feel like it.  I’m not going     to call- the person may be mad.  I     just won’t go.”  God’s truth:  “Love your neighbor as much as you love     yourself” (Mark 12: 31).  You don’t     appreciate being lied to.
 
“I know I shouldn’t go with him (or her), but     we’re in LOVE!”  God says, “Thou     shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20: 14- the Ten Commandments).
 
The safest way to face life is to put on a     game face and attitude.  The way     that works is to put on a Jesus attitude- appreciation and love.
 
Any others that come to mind?

 
The biggest problem with living life by the above valuesinstead of God’s truths is it doesn’t work any more than breathing nicesmelling air cures disease.  Followingany one of the above devil-lies results in a messed-up life.  Remember Mrs. Ellen Williams’ advice, “Youcan’t pray yourself out of consequences you behaved yourself into.”  It’s easier to avoid a messed-up life than tofix one.  Remember how St. Paul remindsus, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life throughJesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Try God’s way.  Try God’struth.  Choose life.
 
For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updatedAfrican-American wisdom statements are posted on our parish’s NEW WEB SITEunder “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org .
 
Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to propertalk.topic+unsubscribe at ecunet.org.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20140517/5aea7c96/attachment.htm>