[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter: “Easter- Claim Life!”

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded: 



-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Mar 31, 2018 9:10 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter: “Easter- Claim Life!”



Dear Friends,
 
This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Easter- Claim Life!”and deals with the gospel (John 20: 1-18). Here it is: 
 
Happy Easter! Did anyone get a chocolate bunny yet today?  A chocolate egg?  A chocolate ANYTHING?  Did you hear the story of the little girl whovisited her friend’s house the day before Easter?  She and her friend decided they’d try to findthe Easter candy ahead of time.  Theyfound some and ate it, but it really tasted strange.  Later at home, she confessed to her motherwhat she had done and said, “Mommy”, I do have one question I need to askyou.”  “What, dear?” asked her mother.  “Can chocolates walk?” asked the child.  “No, dear,” her mother says. “Of coursenot.”  “Oh-oh!,” the child exclaimed, “Iguess I’d better go brush my teeth, because I think I just ate acockroach.”  Don’t settle for the fakeEaster- the one with chocolate bunnies and cream eggs and jelly beans andbaskets.  Enjoy that one, but claim thereal thing, the Easter with resurrection power! Let’s look at what happened.
We are all aware of how atrociously painful Jesus’last days were, but- if you think about it, his friends had also lived incrisis.  The entire week had beenunbelievably bad for all of Jesus’ friends- actually going from terrible toworse.  They’d watched everyone turnagainst him; with even his disciples leaving him to face his worst times alone.They saw the trial, the beatings, the mocking, the torture, his execution, andhis burial.  Worse yet, because theSabbath was approaching, they couldn’t even give Jesus a proper burial- hisbody had to be just quickly placed in the grave and locked in with a hugestone.  Early Sunday morning, the womenwent to anoint the body of Jesus.  When theygot there, the stone was rolled away, the body was gone, and the risen Christappeared to the very first disciple- Mary Magdaline!
That’s what happened. What’s it to you?  Let me tell youwhat Easter means to me.  It’s not justthe door to the tomb that’s open- LIFE is open! Check it out. From the word “OPEN: 
“O”- I have an open door to heaven! I’ll see Fr. Bill again!  Thankyou Jesus!
“P”- I have power for living and loving and overcoming now!  Thank you Jesus!
“E”- EVERYONE!  Jesus’ overcomingdeath and offering full, meaningful life is for everyone- just accept Him.Thank you Jesus!
“N”- Negatives can’t overwhelm me- can’t keep me stuck!  By the power of Jesus’ death andresurrection, we CAN OVERCOME! 
So, are you an Easter personyet?  If not, why not become one!  Wishing won’t do it.  Living in the past won’t do it.  Making a decision to live as Jesus’ Easterpeople will.  Did you hear the story of the depressed man and hisfriend who tried to cheer him up?  Theman said to his friend: “Say, you look depressed. What are you thinkingabout?”  “My future,” was the quickanswer.  “What makes it look sohopeless?”  “My past.” 
There- did I get you thinking?  WE’RE NOT HOPELESS!  Let me close with a final story that perhapswill allow this Easter to become a turning point in your life, because if youdo what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.  I’m going to share with you a story I haven’ttold since ChristMass, 2016, but its message fits our Easter focus-  living life to its fullest under God.  It’s the goldfish story.  Remember what happened to Clarence Harvey(Congress of 1988) when he was young? This is how he tells it.  “When Iwas a little kid, I had a pet goldfish. One summer as I was packing to spend three months with relatives at thelake up north, my dad said, ‘Take this goldfish with you.  I don't want to take care of it thissummer.’  One day after we got up to thelake, I decided to become a liberator.  Iwent down to the dock with my fishbowl and gave my fish a little talk.  ‘I am going to throw you in this lake,’ Isaid.  ‘You will be free.  You can eat well here and grow up to be a bigfish.’  But when I put the goldfish inthe water at the end of the dock, it stayed right there.  I backed off, thinking the fish was attractedto my shadow.  But when I moved back tobe sure it was gone, it was still right there. I even threw a stone into the water to scare it away, but that goldfishjust swam around it.  When I came backafter lunch, the goldfish was still there, swimming in the same spot.  I sat down and thought, ‘That fish should befree.  It's got the whole lake to swimin.’ Suddenly, I saw a big ripple in the water - a huge ripple.  Whop! A big bass swallowed my little goldfish. Later in life someone told me that a goldfish, once it has lived in acircumference of a certain size, has been conditioned to think small.  It will stay there until it dies - swimmingaround in that small circle.”  Easteroffers a new perspective.  Unconditionyourself!  Don’t let life swallow youup!  In the name of the living Christ-break free!
One of our old thoughts for the week said, “Life’s notthe way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is.  The way you cope with it is what makes thedifference” (Anonymous).  My friends-don’t let your past determine your future! Your past is the diving board, God’s Easter power is the spring in thespringboard to your future.  Easter powerreminds us that the future belongs to God and you.  Think BIG! If you can conceive it, and God wants you to do it, the sky’s the limit;and the Risen Christ can give you the power to overcome!  Jesus rose, so make Easter choices and followHim.
 
For anyone who isinterested, this sermon and updated African-American wisdom statements areposted on our parish’s web site under “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org .
 
Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

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