tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20557057894609567292024-02-20T11:15:29.330-08:00Ramblings of a Jesus FreakRambings and ruminations from along The Way.ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-92010177468230174312020-03-22T13:02:00.002-07:002020-03-22T13:02:49.283-07:00Worship March 22, 2020<br />
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This morning's worship:<br />
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<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-38686951031709620242020-03-14T13:12:00.002-07:002020-03-15T10:09:08.487-07:00March 15, 2020 Worship LIVE!<br />
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Update: Live stream finished - the video can be accessed by clicking on <a href="https://youtu.be/gDQB8SukWhE">Love in the Age of Coronavirus</a><br />
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Because we love our neighbor, and we take seriously the warnings of the health officials, Langford Lutheran Parish has cancelled "in person" worship for the next two weeks.<br />
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Instead, we will be live streaming scripture/sermon/prayers worship. The first is tomorrow, March 15 at 11am CST.<br />
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It can be accessed by clicking on this link: <a href="https://youtu.be/gDQB8SukWhE">March 15 worship livestream</a><br />
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If you have a prayer request for tomorrow, you can leave it in the comments.<br />
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Peace be with you all!<br />
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Pastor Ramonaramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-67859703345274819652019-07-28T09:23:00.001-07:002019-07-28T09:23:51.025-07:00John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16: Langford Community Worship 7/28/2013<br />
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Summerfest is in full swing, and today we had the community worship.<br />
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I've been doing a series called Country Gospel, and today's sermon was "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.<br />
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If, as the songwriter says, "I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, JOhn 3:16", what is it that we as small town people have learned?<br />
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Listen in.<br />
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<a href="https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjzmtQBAjbeRgu8urS49uKJA5WfGXg">What we learn from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16</a><br />
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<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-53906627518352651442019-05-08T09:54:00.000-07:002019-05-08T09:54:51.082-07:00Humble and Kind: Thoughts for Mother's Day<br />
When I first heard Tim McGraw sing "Humble and Kind," it sounded like Mom talking to me.<br />
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Not that Mom's voice was that deep, but that I had heard the wisdom in the song coming from her.<br />
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"Don't get to big for your britches" Always stay humble and kind.<br />
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I knew the door was always open and the lights were on. Mom's house was home in the truest sense of the word. A haven, a refuge, a place where I was always welcome and safe. A place where Love reigned.<br />
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Although my mother has been gone for 26 years, I still hear her voice in my head, guiding me. <br />
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We learn so much at our mother's knee, don't we?<br />
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Lori McKenna says this about writing the song:<br />
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<i>It was a school day at my house. I took my kids to school, and then I went back home ... and I was sitting in my dining room, and I look out my window. I have guitars all over my house, so I can fiddle around. We call them "spaghetti days" at my house, because if I end up sitting there all day and writing, then I can’t cook anything for dinner except spaghetti, because I can do it real fast, in, like, 10 minutes.</i></div>
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<i>I was thinking about what we want the kids to know, and honestly how they don’t always listen to the things we say. I just thought, "I’m going to write it down." Honestly, it’s a very simple song, and it’s really just this list of things that I wanted to make sure we told them, in this rhyme form. I was lucky that the chorus made as much sense as it did. I did write it in that one sitting; it took me a few hours, but it was a lucky day. </i><a href="https://theboot.com/tim-mcgraw-humble-and-kind-lyrics/" style="background-color: transparent;">https://theboot.com/tim-mcgraw-humble-and-kind-lyrics/</a></div>
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Apparently, hearing your mother's voice in this song is the whole point!</div>
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that much of what we learn at our mother's knee is what she learned from not only her mother, but from her faith. Those women who mothered through teaching Sunday School and VBS, and serving in various ways in the church and community (and if she was lucky, women pastors, although my mother and I didn't have those role models).</div>
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I was talking about this week's sermon, and someone said, "Aren't mothers humble and kind?" </div>
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We learn to be humble and kind from Jesus. And from the examples of women who follow him.</div>
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I selected the Christ Hymn from Philippians 2 as one of the texts for this Sunday:</div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Though he was in the form of God,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i> he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>But he emptied himself</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i> by taking the form of a slave</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i> and by becoming like human beings.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>When he found himself in the form of a human,</i></span></span></div>
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<i style="color: #45444a; font-family: "Roboto Condensed", "Droid Serif", serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"> even death on a cross.</i></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Therefore, God highly honored him</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i> and gave him a name above all names,</i></span></span></div>
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<i style="color: #45444a; font-family: "Roboto Condensed", "Droid Serif", serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"> so that at the name of Jesus everyone</i></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i> in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow</i></span></span></div>
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<i style="color: #45444a; font-family: "Roboto Condensed", "Droid Serif", serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"> that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.</i></div>
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Talk about humility! And the great love and kindness God shows be becoming one of us! Jesus reminds us that he is humble and kind and encourages us to lay our burdens on him in Matthew 11:28-30:</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> “Come to me, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>and I will give you rest. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Put on my yoke, and learn from me. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I’m gentle and humble. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And you will find rest for yourselves. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”</i></span></div>
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Our final text for Sunday is Paul's encouragement to the Philippians at the end of his letter( 4:4-9):</div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>The Lord is near. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Don’t be anxious about anything; </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>along with giving thanks. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>From now on, brothers and sisters, </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>focus your thoughts on these things: </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>all that is true, all that is holy, </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>all that is just, all that is pure, </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Practice these things: </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45444a; font-family: Roboto Condensed, Droid Serif, serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>The God of peace will be with you.</i></span></span></div>
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Always stay humble and kind!</div>
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<span class="indent-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Phil-2-11" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></div>
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Tim McGraw's official video imagines the global impact if we were all humble and kind. Well worth watching.</div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/awzNHuGqoMc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/awzNHuGqoMc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-17041865640293911682018-10-27T12:32:00.005-07:002018-10-27T12:32:57.116-07:00Standing on the Promises: Wisdom's Child has a Listening Heart<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week's readings: 1 Kings 3:4-28. Psalm 119:126-136, Matthew 6: 9-10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What would you ask for if God asked you, as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+kings+3%3A4-16&version=CEB">God asked Solomon</a>, “What do you want? Ask me anything and I
will give it to you”.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What would you say?</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Solomon asks for wisdom - our translation says a
“discerning mind.” The Hebrew is literally a “listening heart.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Solomon asked for wisdom, not so he will have the prestige of
being known as a wise man, but so he can govern his people with justice. He
asks for the wisdom to have the heart of God, to love those that God loves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Solomon asked for a listening heart. A heart that listens to God's own heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's my prayer too. God, please give me a listening heart.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A listening heart....</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">A listening heart so I can listen to all sides of an argument</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To hear those places where we are in agreement,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That sometimes our goals are the same, but the way we go about
reaching those goals are different,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and coming to compromise.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">A listening heart enables us to come to comprise</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A listening heart to hear beyond those who are
unwilling to compromise, unable to let go of their hate,</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to hear the fear hidden underneath,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or to hear the alignment with the gods of greed and power and
one’s own good laying underneath the hate.</span></li>
</ul>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A listening heart to stand up for justice when it's being denied.</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A listening heart to hear beyond my own experience <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to hear the experiences of others who do not experience events the
same way I do,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to recognize that they often experience my blessing as oppression,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and to come to the knowledge that all too often, instead seeing myself blessed to be a blessing, I fight to keep those blessings to myself.</span></li>
</ul>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A listening heart to align with the marginalized and </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vulnerable, the ones that God loves so dearly.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A listening heart that can hear <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">those times that the things I want are in line with what God wants,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and those times when I want things that are not in line with God’s
will,</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">A listening heart that re-aligns my heart with the heart of God, instead of spinning the truth to make my wants seem like what God wants.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God, please give me a listening heart. Amen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Solomon, out of all the gifts he could have asked of God, asked
for wisdom. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What would you ask of God?</span></span></div>
<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-33938975965426770572018-10-19T13:07:00.001-07:002018-10-20T18:59:18.040-07:00A Modern Leader: David’s Story (2 Samuel, chapters 11 and 12, part two)<br />
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The readings for this Sunday are <span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3813"><b><span style="color: black;">2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>This Sunday’s reading is one of the more difficult ones of
the Bible (and there are lots of difficult texts in the Bible for lots of
different readings!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet it’s an
important text because it relates to us today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, this could have been ripped from the headlines, a story of misuse
of power, sex, and coverups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Yet it’s a story full of God’s mercy and forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I’ve decided to tackle this story in three parts:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Part One: Bathsheba’s story – often overlooked
when it’s not being romantically embellished or whitewashed (covered in the
previous post). </i></li>
<li><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Part Two: </i><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">David’s story, a story of
entitlement and abuse of power. </i></li>
<li><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Part Three: the story of Nathan confronting David, which reveals why David is called a “person
after God’s own heart” – which is this Sunday’s sermon (and the next post in
this series).</i></li>
</ul>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Our story begins:<br />
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background: white; color: black;">In the
spring,</span> when kings go off to war, <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>David
sent <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background: white; color: black;">Joab,
along with his servants and all the Israelites</span> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> (2 Samuel 11:1a)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This is the story of a man who sends others to do what he
should be doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time, kings led
their armies into battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounds strange
to us – how can a king govern if he’s out fighting a battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was literally a “time for war” (Ecclesiastes
3:8), the time between harvest of one year’s crops and planting of the next year’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wars were waged, not year-round, but in those
few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This season of war, David stayed at the palace, preferring to
let others do his dirty work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And with time on his hands, he found other things to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Restless with inactivity, he took a stroll on palace roof,
enjoying the fine view of the city below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>An especially fine view that night, as he saw a woman bathing on her
roof top.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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David was not where he was supposed to be and doing something
he shouldn’t have been doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rooftops
were part of one’s private living space – staring at the woman bathing was the equivalent
of standing at someone’s window watching them. You were supposed to politely
look away and pretend you didn’t see anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just like well mannered people do when they accidently catch a glimpse through
the window of their neighbor’s house.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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One simply does not stand there and stare.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Yup, King David was essentially a creepy peeping Tom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And he REALLY liked what he saw.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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He asked around. Turns out she was the wife of Uriah the
Hittite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a member of David’s
army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t know his rank, but we do
know that he had been with David from the earliest days (2 Samuel 23:39, listed
as one of David’s thirty Mighty Warriors).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Which begs the question – how did David not know this was one of his top
warriors’ wife?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did he not know where
Uriah lived? Had he not met Uriah’s wife?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe they were newly married?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Maybe David hoped she wasn’t who he thought she was. Maybe
he hoped she was another woman, who looked quite a bit like Uriah’s wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It didn’t matter. She was married…he moved on her anyway.
After <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">all,<span style="background: white; color: #222222;"> when you're a king, they let you
do it. You can do anything.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Somethings never change. smh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">David had her brought
to the palace and forced her to have sex with him<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">. Then
he sent her home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">That would have been the end
of it, but Bathsheba got pregnant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David
is in a fix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uriah is at war and
everyone will know Uriah can’t be the father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What if Bathsheba talks?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I’ll fix this.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">David proves to be the king
of cover-ups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brings Uriah home from
war, hoping he will do the natural thing a man does who’s been away from his
wife for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for
David, Uriah is a man of integrity, loyal to the king and to his comrades in
arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He stays at the palace
barracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even getting Uriah drunk doesn’t
change his commitment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plan one fails.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">David doesn’t look very good
in this story so far. If you’re counting, David has broken the commandment against
coveting, and adultery, and bearing false witness (what is a cover up if not a
huge lie), theft, i</span>t gets worse.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cover-up foiled, David gets angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Murderously angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sends Uriah back to the front carrying a
note to the commander at the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
note instructing the commander to put Uriah at the hottest part of the battle,
the weakest point in the line, and. Then. Fall. Back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Leaving Uriah to be slaughtered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once again, David sends someone else to do his dirty work.
Uriah carries his own death sentence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Joab, the commander sets up the scene for murder. And the opposing army
are the unwitting hitmen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember, Uriah is one of David’s trusted Mighty Warriors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I shudder to think of what he would have done to an enemy (actually he
did worse stuff to his enemies, but somehow that was ok, cause they were
enemies)!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fortunes of war, huh?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Up the count of broken commdments to include murder and theft. You know the
saying “Murder is theft of a life, Adultery is theft of a wife….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a suitable time of mourning, David puts the final spin
on the sordid story:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he marries the poor
pregnant war widow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Way to come out looking like the hero, David!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">God wasn’t fooled by David’s machinations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While David was busy breaking the second half
of the 10 commandments, he was also breaking the first half. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s interesting that one of the possible meanings of
Bathsheba’s name is “daughter of the oath” and Uriah’s name means “YHWH is my
light.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David violates the oath – God’s
covenant at Mt Sinai, breaking pretty much all of 10 Commandments (words of
life).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The darkness of David’s actions is
in direct opposition to the light of YHWH.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s more going on here than meets the eye – David’s sins are sins
against Bathsheba and Uriah. His sins are also a violation of the trust he has as
God’s chosen king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And most of all, they
are sins against God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is the story of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It has been said that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts
absolutely (John Dalburg-Acton, 1<sup>st</sup> Barron of Acton).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a story of a powerful man who feels
entitled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Entitled to send others to do
the work he prefers not to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Entitled
to anything and anyone he wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Entitled to do what ever he thinks is necessary to maintain his reputation
and power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">David is acting like a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Way back when the people of Israel first cried out for a king, Samuel warned
them about<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+8%3A10-17&version=CEB"> the entitlement that goes with power</a>. David fit that bill to a T.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">David's story sounds so much like the stories of modern leaders. There are so many stories of power being abused.</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of scandal and cover-up.</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s easy to point the finger and say, “yes,
(so-and-so) is doing exactly that!”</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">These charges can be leveled on both sides of the political aisle, in
the higher echelons of religions, against CEO’s…against anyone with massive
power.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let's look closer to home. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What about you and me?</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How do we use our power?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Oh,” you say, “I don’t have any power.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live
in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Money gives options. Education gives options.
Choices are power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> You have power. How will you use it?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus lays down his power (Philippians 2:5-11) and sides
with the marginalized and vulnerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
promised Son of David, Jesus becomes the type of King God wants – one that uses
power to lift up the oppressed, and care for the poor and vulnerable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As followers of Jesus, we are called to do the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-11291798677775667582018-10-19T11:58:00.002-07:002018-10-19T13:08:01.496-07:00#MeToo: Bathsheba’s Story (2 Samuel, chapters 11 and 12, part one)<br />
The readings for this Sunday are <a href="http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3813">2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9</a>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This Sunday’s reading is one of the more difficult ones of
the Bible (and there are lots of difficult texts in the Bible for lots of
different readings!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet it’s an
important text because it relates to us today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, this could have been ripped from the headlines, a story of misuse
of power, sex, and coverups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet it’s a story full of God’s mercy and forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve decided to tackle this story in three parts:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Part One: Bathsheba’s story – often overlooked
when it’s not being romantically embellished or whitewashed.<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></li>
<li>Part Two: David’s story, a story of entitlement and abuse
of power (told in the next post).<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Part Three: </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">the story of Nathan confronting David, which reveals why David is called a “person
after God’s own heart” – which is this Sunday’s sermon (and post three in this
series).</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathsheba’s reputation has been sullied by Hollywood and,
sad to say, centuries of preaching that routinely casts women in the role of
seductress, sexual provocateur, and adulteress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img alt="Image result for bathsheba" src="https://www.bibleodyssey.org/-/media/Images/People/B/bathsheba-ricci.ashx" /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sebastiano Ricci, Bathsheba at the Bath, 1720. Szepmuvesti
Muzeum, Budapest, Hungary</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her relationship with David has been cast as a torrid love
affair. It's been scripted as a romance and she has been cast as a willing partner in this
relationship with David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Or she is painted as a political operator, using her physical charms to wiggle her way to power.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seductress? Political schemer? A woman in love? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or more likely, a victim of sexual abuse by a man in power.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is the truth of her-story?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathsheba (daughter of the oath, or daughter of seven) was
married to Uriah the Hittite, (whose name means” YHWH is my light”). Please note that both Bathsheba and Uriah are
Hebrew names, even thought Uriah is clearly identified as a Hittite. It’s usually assumed that Bathsheba was a Jewish
woman married to a Hittite. Her nationality
is not identified, which supports the assumption that she is Jewish – foreigner
typically have their nationality as part of their identification (Ruth the
Moabite, Uriah the Hittite). However, there
is speculation that her father may have been Hittite (or perhaps he married a foreign
woman). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, even though a Hittite, was a
member of David’s army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t know
his rank, but we do know that he had been with David from the earliest days (2
Samuel 23:39, listed as one of David’s thirty Mighty Warriors).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hadn’t realized how close he was to David, yet
David did him dirty (more about that next time!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much has been made of Bathsheba’s bathing on the roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely a modest woman wouldn’t bath so publicly,
right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means she was flaunting
herself, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Victim blaming at it’s
finest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bathsheba was simply doing what
she was supposed to do: purify herself after her period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bathing often took place on the roof, which
was used as additional living space (there is speculation that she may have
been bathing in the interior courtyard of her house, open to the air).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a parapet to prevent people from
falling off the roof, which would also have given privacy to the people on the
roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bathsheba was simply doing what
she was supposed to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David, however, wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Social customs were to avert your eyes if you could see into your
neighbor’s roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David should have
looked away, preserving Bathsheba’s privacy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Can you imagine Bathsheba’s reaction when she was summoned
to David?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> What on earth could he want? There's no question but to </span>obey the summons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> You didn't say no to the king.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once in David’s chambers, she is
raped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes. Raped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not the start of a beautiful love affair, or the first blush of a romance that budded into marriage. To paint
what happened to her any other way is to whitewash David’s actions. She HAD to consent. And forced consent is not consent – it’s
rape. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once done with her, David discards her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathsheba discovers she’s pregnant. By the way, the timing
of the rites of purification after menstruation coincide with the most fertile
time in a woman’s cycle. So, yeah, she got pregnant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she’s in trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her husband is at war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no way to explain the pregnancy,
except…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She sends a message to David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has no where else to turn but to the man
who raped her and discarded her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is
forced to seek help from the very person who has put her in the situation of
being labeled an adulteress (and subject to death).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is literally afraid for her life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David, after a series of unsuccessful maneuvers to cover up
the affair, has Uriah murdered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
staged as a battlefield accident, but it’s murder, pure and simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After her time of mourning, David calls Bathsheba
once more – from the text, it appears this is only the second time he requests
her presence – and marries her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She. Marries, Her. Rapist.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She marries her husband’s murderer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her child dies. 2 Samuel 12:14 says it was part of David’s
punishment for his sin. Which certainly doesn't paint God in a very good light in this story! The best spin we can put on this is to say that the child's death was interpreted as punishment for David's sin. Which is also problematic - this interpretation gives David's sin prominence over Bathsheba's suffering. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathsheba is victimized by David and his actions again and
again. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathsheba continues to be victimized over the centuries. People are ever ready to blame a woman for a man’s bad deeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially for the misdeeds of a powerful man:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>It can't have been David's fault - Bathsheba flaunted herself, enticing him. </li>
<li>She was a seductress, a willing partner in adultery. </li>
<li>She must have been a master in palace intrigue, maneuvering herself to a position of power.</li>
<li>She was an operative of factions that wanted to bring David down.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Victim blaming at its best. </div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, Bathsheba makes the best of a bad situation. But that doesn't erase the violation of her body and her dignity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later in the story, Bathsheba gives birth to Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24 says "David comforted his wife," and that "God loved Solomon"), her "rainbow baby" who
ultimately becomes king after David. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathsheba is a fighter. A woman of valor who fights for her
dignity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman of strength who picks
up the broken pieces of her life and weaves them into something beautifully indestructible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where is God in Bathsheba’s story?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It somehow seems insufficient to say that God
blessed her for her suffering by choosing her son Solomon to be king, making
her mother of the king, and a powerful woman in her own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rather, I think God was the one who brought Bathsheba
comfort in those days after the rape, who gave her strength to endure, who gave
her healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God walked with her through
the desert of marriage to her rapist/husband-murderer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God cried with her at the death of her child. And the God who brings life from death, brought new life, and hope, to Bathsheba.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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To Bathsheba, God is the God who cares for the victims of violence,
hearing their cries of anguish, believing their stories, walking with them as
they heal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As children of this God, can we do any less for the victims
of sexual assault and violence today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-69734981141694298212018-10-09T14:18:00.002-07:002018-10-09T14:29:55.016-07:00Gotta Serve Somebody: The God who is faithful (even when we're not!)<br />
There's that one line from this Sunday's <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=joshua+24%3A1-26&version=CEB">Hebrew Scripture Reading</a> (we're only going to read Joshua 24:14-21 in worship). The one that says"Choose this day whom you will serve...but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)<br />
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Oh, if it were only that easy.<br />
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Let's look at the biblical record. Moses gives a similar exhortation to the people (it take Moses the entire book of Deuteronomy to say what Joshua says in one chapter): This is what God has done for you, and how God has told you to life. Choose God instead of idols. Joshua says basically the same thing: This is what God has done for you. Choose God instead of idols.<br />
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Should be so easy right?<br />
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God has been so faithful. All through the wilderness, God takes care of the people - even when they whine and complain. Even when they make a golden calf. Alright, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+32&version=CEB">Moses had to talk God</a> down a bit after that one, but in the end, God remains faithful.<br />
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God has been faithful as the Israelites, under Joshua, settle in the land God promised their ancestors. Spoiler alert: That doesn't last long. In the next book - Judges - we'll see that the people who promised so enthusiastically to serve God and only God quickly are distracted by other gods. And they just don't learn - the whole book of Judges tells <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+2%3A11-23&version=CEB">the repetitive story of the people</a> worshiping other gods resulting in a foreign army coming against them. They cry out to God. God raises up an judge to lead them into battle. They win, and there is peace. For awhile. Until they start worshiping other gods again.<br />
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Rinse. Repeat.<br />
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Why is it so hard to choose each day to serve the Lord?<br />
<br />
Maybe you have artwork of Joshua 24:15 displayed somewhere in your house. I have it in my office. A daily reminder of whom I have chosen to serve.<br />
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And, boy, do I need that reminder daily! It's pretty easy to walk out of my office (where the verse is displayed) and forget that I have chosen the Lord. There are so many gods clamoring for my attention. And they are often so attractive - promising fun, or leisure, or the easy way to my heart's desire.<br />
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You know what I mean. Luther teaches that whatever you set your heart and put your trust in is your god <a href="https://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/catechism/web/cat-03.html">(Large Catechism, first paragraph, especially the last sentence.)</a> At Bible Coffee this morning, one of the participants said for two months each year, as the director of the school play, she worships the play.<br />
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Or as Bob Dylan put it way back in 1979, "you gotta serve somebody."<br />
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(Yeah - sounds like it came from 1979, right!)<br />
Down about the fourth or fifth verse, he writes:<br />
<div class="UH8R2" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-top: 13px;">
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You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride</div>
<span jsname="YS01Ge"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span jsname="YS01Ge">You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side</span></div>
<span jsname="YS01Ge">
</span><span jsname="YS01Ge"><div style="text-align: center;">
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair</div>
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You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir</div>
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But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes</div>
<span jsname="YS01Ge"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span jsname="YS01Ge">You're gonna have to serve somebody</span></div>
<span jsname="YS01Ge">
</span><span jsname="YS01Ge"><div style="text-align: center;">
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord</div>
</span><span jsname="YS01Ge"><div style="text-align: center;">
But you're gonna have to serve somebody</div>
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So, who do you serve?<br />
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Cause - make no mistake - you gotta serve somebody!<br />
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The good news is that God is faithful, even when we're not. God is faithful even when we choose to serve another god. Even when, despite our good intentions and the decorative reminder that "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," we follow the gods of security, wealth, leisure, sports, gaming, education, family, relationship, work, house, possessions, etc. - you know, all those things that consume our time, our attention, that promise to provide security and the good life. <br />
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Thank God that God's love and mercy is not dependent on me holding up my part of the covenant! Thank God that there's forgiveness and grace. That each day (as Luther says) I can die to the sin of following false gods, and each morning rise again to new life in Christ - daily reliving my baptism, dying to sin and rising again in Christ. <br />
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Each day is a new day.<br />
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So, today, who do you serve?<br />
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As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.<br />
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At least we will try to...<br />
<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-53522823658818397642018-10-01T11:30:00.000-07:002018-10-01T11:30:05.828-07:00God Births a Beloved Community: The Covenant at Mt SinaiYes, I misses last week's posting. Since it was Mission Sunday, I didn't preach.<br />
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Rebel Hurd of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ChurchontheStreetSiouxFalls.">Church on the Street</a> talked about how God's strong hand and mighty arm reaches out to deliver the the unhoused people in Sioux Falls. The scripture was <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+14&version=CEB">how God saved the Israelites by parting the Red Sea</a>. (we only read Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, and 21-29 in worship). <br />
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BTW - Our synod page has a great article on <a href="https://sdsynod.org/church-on-the-street-answering-the-why/">answering the why of Church on the Street</a> - be sure to check it out.<br />
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This Sunday we join God's chosen people at the foot of Mt. Sinai. God's class on living as free people of God is in session. The former slaves need to learn a totally new way of life, and God have them covered with <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+19%3A3-8&version=CEB">a covenant</a>, the promise of relationship between God and the people, and with <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+20%3A1-17&version=CEB">commandments</a>.<br />
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We call them "commandments", and consider the ten of them (however you number them) rules for life. Our Jewish siblings call them the "Words." Much life in the beginning when God spoke, there was life, these ten Words from God bring life. I rather like that - not rules that we aren't supposed to break, but words that bring life. <br />
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Another interesting difference between us and our Jewish siblings is the numbering of these ten words of life. My then-7th-grade daughter was surprised to find that her Christian friend numbered the 10 Commandments differently than she had learned in confirmation class. "Which is the right way?" She was astounded to learn the Bible doesn't number them at all. Seriously - I had to get out a Bible and show her!<br />
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I used to wonder if perhaps there were actually 9 Commandments and in our human effort to make things neat and tidy we split one of the 9 into two so there would be 10 (you know how we love things in tens!). The Lutherans combine "no other gods" and "graven images" into one commandment but split the "coveting" into two commandments - which my confirmation students says makes no sense since both essentially mean "be happy with what you have." The other numbering system combines the coveting, but splits "no other gods" and "no graven images," which would seem to be a subset of "no other gods." And rather problematic in a world of ubiquitous selfies! Then again, maybe they have a point....<br />
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Anyway, my system of 9 Commandments was elegant. No messy divisions to arbitrarily come to a total of 10. Besides, it made sense. Three is the number of God, right?<br />
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3 x 3=9. All good. <br />
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Until...<br />
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I learned that the rabbis teach there are 10 "Words". They don't split anything ("no coveting" counts as one Word, "no other gods" and "no graven images" combine to one Word). So how do they come up with 10?<br />
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They include verse two:<br />
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<span class="text Exod-20-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Exodus 20:1 </span><i style="font-size: 16px;">Then God spoke <b><u>all</u></b> these words:</i> </span></div>
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<span class="text Exod-20-2" id="en-CEB-2054" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">2 </span>I am the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.</i></span></div>
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These 10 Words of Life start with relationship. "I am the Lord your God." I am yours and you are mine. We belong to one another.<br />
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These 10 Words of Life start with grace: "who brought you out of Egypt, our of the house of slavery,"<br />
I came to you and rescued you because I love you." <br />
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"I know that you don't know how to life as free people. You've been slaves for 400 years. I know you don't know how to live as my people. The forces that enslaved you have blinded you to what is true, and pure, and right. So here you go, this is what the life I created you to have looks like....."<br />
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Relationship. Grace.<br />
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Love. Life.<br />
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That's what these 10 Words are all about.<br />
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I like how Jesus sums it all up later (Luke 10:27):<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">“</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">.”</span><br />
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That's it. The first 3 (or 4, depending on how you count them) commandments are what it looks like to love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. The rest of the commandments are what it looks like to love your neighbor as yourself.<br />
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These 10 Words are a picture of what life in the Beloved Community of God looks like.<br />
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The community that God birthed through the waters of the Red Sea,<br />
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and the community that God birthed through the waters of baptism.<br />
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It's pure grace and loving relationship - parent to child, and between members of the family.<br />
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Words of Life.<br />
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Words of Love.<br />
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Relationship and Grace.<br />
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<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-85366846483676613852018-09-23T13:39:00.001-07:002018-09-23T13:50:37.343-07:00When Life's Not Fair, God's Still There: Sermon on Genesis 39:1-23<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the sermon for Sunday, September 23, 2018 at Langford Lutheran Parish.</div>
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Scripture readings are <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+39%3A1-23&version=CEB">Genesis 39:1-23</a>. Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22 and Matthew 5:11-12</div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m1TLsiW6MBiDnJ8hBf_N-TtR--nj1G8B/view?usp=sharing">When Life's Not Fair, God's Still There</a></div>
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Note: This is my first attempt at recording and posting a sermon, so any comments to let me know how the audio worked would be greatly appreciated!</div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-48673035340581374562018-09-22T10:43:00.005-07:002018-09-22T10:43:53.959-07:00#metoo #whyididntreport: Joseph and Potiphar's WifeTrigger Waring: sexual assault, abuse<br />
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<i>If you are a victim of sexual assault, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline </i><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>1-800-656-4673. </b></span><i>There is someone there waiting to hear your story, to believe you.</i><br />
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I'm wrestling with the readings for this Sunday's sermon. How do I preach Potiphar's wife's sexual harassment of her servant, Joseph and her false accusation that lands him in jail? (You can read this part of Joseph's story <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+39%3A1-23&version=CEB">here.</a>)<br />
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It's a story that seems ripped from the headlines.<br />
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It's a story that is too close to home for too many of us.<br />
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One of the major concerns in the many online preacher discussions of this test is the specter of a woman giving false accusations against a man. Will this story give fuel to the fire of those who insist Ms. Ford is giving false accusations against Supreme Court nominee Kavanagh? Will this story only reinforce the ages old myth that women often falsely accuse men of sexual assault and rape? Doesn't this scrpture passage prove that all the #metoo stories are just that - stories made up to harm the accused in some way?<br />
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Using these false accusations against Joseph to promote this myth of the untrustworthiness of the female victim is to do violence not only to the victim but also to the scriptural text. For Joseph is not the falsely accused alleged aggressor, but the falsely blamed victim. It's easy at first glance to allow the gender roles to blind us to what is happening her: a person with power harasses and then vilifies an underling. <br />
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Make no mistake, this is NOT a story of a woman accusing a man (falsely or not) of attempted rape. This is about a employer/slave owner repeatedly harassing a servant/slave and then blaming them when the abuse is discovered. <br />
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Well, then, there's victim blaming for that too. Why didn't Joseph tell #whyididntreport?<br />
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Seriously? He was never even given the chance. Potiphar believes his wife, who cleverly enlisted other slaves in the household to support her story. Slaves who probably were well aware of her pursuit of Joseph. Could they have been jealous of the attention she gave him? The favors of the mistress of the house were a way for a slave to better himself or herself. Slaves who probably didn't understand why Joseph didn't take the opportunity presented him. Even if jealously didn't drive their ready agreement with her story, what other choice did they have? She owned them - literally. They also could be falsely accused. <br />
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When you think about the extreme imbalance of power, it is amazing that Joseph didn't give in to her demands. She owned him (through her husband of course). Joseph had control over the whole household, except her. But he was hers to command. <br />
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And he refused.<br />
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This is one story - <a href="http://www.ashleyeaster.com/blog/male-sexual-abuse-survivor-in-the-bible">one of the few</a> - in the Bible where there is a male victim of sexual assault. The Bible is full of stories where women are sexually assaulted or raped, but do we believe them? <br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">No, our biblical foremothers are blamed or deemed complicit in
their assaults. In matters of sex, it seems, the sin is always the
woman's.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">It is a story ripped from the
headlines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Too many women are blamed for the sexual harassment and assault
they have suffered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Too many women are labeled as liars when they report the assault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Labeled as complicit, “asking for it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blamed for waiting “too long” to report.
Assumed to have ulterior motives for coming forward later when they are (finally!)
strong enough to talk about the assault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Held responsible – “she should have known better.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Held as guilty until they are proven innocent of making false
charges, of trying to “ruin” a man’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">If we are uncomfortable with this story in our Bible, it’s because
it is far too close to home for far too many of us:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">For the victims who relive their nightmares in the words of this story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">For the abusers who fear that the scriptural truth of this passage
might just succeed in shining a light in the dark places of their own lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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For the Potiphars who find it more comfortable and convenient to believe the powerful.<br />
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<i> If you are a victim of sexual assault, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline </i><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>1-800-656-4673. </b></span><i>There is someone there waiting to hear your story, to believe you.</i>ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-35094928939800587442018-09-18T13:59:00.001-07:002018-09-19T12:56:26.005-07:00Promises You Can Count On: God will protect you<br />
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Whenever I read any part of the Joseph story from Genesis (starts in chapter 37 and goes to the end of Genesis, with a few asides regarding other members of the family), songs start playing in my head.<br />
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I read the list of Jacob's sons in Genesis 35 and my mind starts right in<br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Reuben was the eldest of the children of Israel</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">With Simeon and Levi the next in line</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Naphtali and Isaachar with Asher and Dan</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Zebulun and Gad took the total to nine</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Jacob, Jacob and sons,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Benjamin and Judah, which leaves only one </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Jacob, Jacob and sons,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Joseph - Jacob's favorite son</span></i></div>
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I read about the beautiful coat Jacob gives his favorite son, and suddenly, </div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">It was red and yellow and green and brown</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">And scarlet and black and ochre and peach</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">And ruby and olive and violet and fawn</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">And lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">And cream and crimson and silver and rose...</span></i></div>
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I blame it on my daughter appearing not once, but twice (and I was also in it the second time) in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Part of the reason that these songs come back so easily is that she still knows ALL. THE. WORDS and tends to randomly burst into song.</div>
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Back to Joseph...</div>
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When I read the story of Joseph in Potiphar's house, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+39%3A1-23&version=CEB">Genesis 39:1-23</a>, the song that comes to mind is not the fun, riotous, and a bit naughty <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SyC04sdbBs">Potiphar</a>, but the song from when Joseph is in prison. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVWpgmiIbas">Close Every Door</a> had a wistful, haunting melody combined with words of pure faith:</div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Close every door to me,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Hide all the world from me</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Bar all the windows</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">And shut out the light</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Do what you want with me,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Hate me and laugh at me</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Darken my daytime</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">And torture my night</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">If my life were important I</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Would ask will I live or die</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">But I know the answers lie</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Far from this world </span></i></div>
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<i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Close every door to me,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Keep those I love from me</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Children of Israel</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Are never alone</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">For I know I shall find</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">My own peace of mind</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">For I have been promised</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.495px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">A land of my own </span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">Joseph relies fully on God's promises - God's promise to Abraham to go with him everywhere he goes (last week's promise), God's promise to remember God's people. He believes so completely in the covenant promise of land, descendants, and blessings that overflow to bless all the families of the world that he sings of his own unimportance in God's great plan. It's enough that God is with him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.495px;">And it's true - God has not forgotten Joseph. God is with Joseph and God is protecting Joseph.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">Wait - you say - some kind of protection that is! Joseph is in prison - unfairly accused of a crime he didn't commit! And he's far from his family in Egypt, sold as a slave, by HIS OWN brothers! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.495px;">True. Joseph has had some pretty tough times lately. But look at verse 2:</span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-39-2" id="en-CEB-1152" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>The <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> was with Joseph, </i></span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-39-2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>and he became a successful man </i></span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-39-2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>and served in his Egyptian master’s househol</i>d.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">In fact, Joseph was so successful, that Potiphar turned everything over to Joseph to handle. Every. Single, Thing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.495px;">Just like with his brothers and their jealously of his father's favor, jealously rears it's ugly head. Some scholars believe that the motivation behind Potiphar's wife's seduction of Joseph was that she resented Joseph because he was in charge of everything - even the things she would have been in charge over. Successfully seducing him was a sure fire way to get rid of him - and get her power back.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">She wasn't successful. Joseph was to loyal to Potiphar, and to God. But it didn't matter. She had staged the scene so skillfully that she was able to make everyone believe that Joseph tried to seduce her. (I would be remiss if I didn't point out that this text is problematic in today's #metoo culture. True, Potiphar's wife made a false accusation against Joseph, but then, as now, false accusations are the exception. There are many, many more accounts in the Bible of sexual abuse and violence against women, than there are false accusations made about men by a woman. <span style="color: red;">Update: I have since read a blogger who discusses in depth <a href="http://www.ashleyeaster.com/blog/male-sexual-abuse-survivor-in-the-bible">Josesph as a male survivor of sexual assualt</a> against other biblical stories of sexual assualt and accusations.</span>)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.495px;">Joseph goes to prison, where he again prospers.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.495px;"> Look at verse 21</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">the </span><span class="small-caps" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> was with Joseph and remained loyal to him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">He caused the jail’s commander to think highly of Joseph.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">Once again Joseph is put in charge of everything. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">Later on in chapter 41, Joseph is brought from prison to interpret Pharaoh's dream. God is with Joseph, and he successfully interprets the dream, advising Pharaoh what to do to prepare for the upcoming crisis. Gratefully, Pharaoh puts Joseph (you guessed it) in charge of everything.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.495px;">God protected Joseph, turning the bad (evil) that Joseph encountered to good. In chapter 50 (verse 20), Joseph reassures his brothers that he won't seek revenge on them for selling him into slavery:</span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-50-20" id="en-CEB-1527" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">You planned something bad for me, </span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-50-20" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">but God produced something good from it, </span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-50-20" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">in order to save the lives of many people, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.495px;">Joseph's story reminds me that no matter what happens to me, God's got my back. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">Bad things happen - to good people, and to flawed people. Yet, God's plans always prevail. As St. Athanasius once said, "God writes straight with crooked lines." God is in the business of bringing life out of death, of creating beauty out of brokenness, of turning chaos into order. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">Believing in God doesn't we're exempt from pain and sorrow - in fact Jesus promises that we will face trials and troubles - but God is with us in those times, blessing us again to bless those around us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.495px;">I call that real protection!</span></span></div>
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You can count on it!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Close every door to me,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Keep those I love from me</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Children of Israel</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Are never alone</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">For we know we shall find</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">Our own peace of mind </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">For we have been promised</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.495px;">A land of our own</span></div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-60493558053978182002018-09-10T16:04:00.003-07:002018-09-10T16:08:02.536-07:00Promises you can count on: God goes with you<br />
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Let's catch up on the promises: </div>
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In last week's reading, God promised Noah that whenever God saw the rain-bow in the
sky, God would remember how much God loves humans and all of creation and not
destroy it with a flood again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think of
a parent looking a the mess the teenager just made and remembering how cute he
or she was as a toddler so while the parent might punish the teen, the parent
doesn’t give up on the teen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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God doesn’t give up on us either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God remembers us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQqWcvr4DbIkLoO1lfDdmJIvZuAV-z699VHnLDf6yW4CB50bIpeINDP8VrIoR8Bt2PC0qLq2WHd0-LnzePQdoE9dyIl2cOFhd6Tx1B8gMIwZPn4sM4jIT-RqT4OSrXKSW2btlKsgk3g/s1600/promises+you+can+count+on.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQqWcvr4DbIkLoO1lfDdmJIvZuAV-z699VHnLDf6yW4CB50bIpeINDP8VrIoR8Bt2PC0qLq2WHd0-LnzePQdoE9dyIl2cOFhd6Tx1B8gMIwZPn4sM4jIT-RqT4OSrXKSW2btlKsgk3g/s320/promises+you+can+count+on.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This Sunday we hear what is usually described as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+12%3A1-9&version=CEB">God’s call to Abraham</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except Abraham is not
Abraham yet, he is Abram – God changes his name later in the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is the first of three times God
makes a promise to Abraham ( See Genesis 15:1-15 and 17). Ok, the second and third promises are really restatements of the first:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="text Gen-12-2" id="en-CEB-301" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><i>I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.</i></span></div>
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<i><span class="text Gen-12-3" id="en-CEB-302" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>I will bless those who bless you,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Gen-12-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">those who curse you I will curse;</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-2-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> </span><span class="text Gen-12-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">all the families of the earth</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-3-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> </span><span class="text Gen-12-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">will be blessed because of you.” (Genesis 12:2-3, CEB)</span></span></i></div>
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You see, while God always fulfills God's promises, it's not always on our time table. And this promise takes a looooong time to fill.</div>
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A very long time:</div>
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- Abraham is 100 and Sarah is 90 when Isaac is born</div>
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- It takes basically 25 years for Abraham to get to the land God promises.</div>
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Abraham never sees the promise completely fulfilled.</div>
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Yet Abraham stakes his life and that of his family on God's promise and moves out, going to a land God will show them. He doesn't even know where they are going, or how long it will take!</div>
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This promise God makes is one of the Big Five - the covenants with Noah, with Moses and Hebrew-slaves-turned-free, with David, and the new covenant Jeremiah proclaims. So it's a really big deal. </div>
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But I'm thinking about the promise under the promises. The unspoken promise that Abram relies on when he tells Sarai (Sarah's name gets changed later too) to pack up everything to move to a place God will show them. </div>
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The promise of God's presence.</div>
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I think that Abraham trusted that God would be with him, every step of the way. And even though the fulfillment of the grand promise was slow in coming, Abram/Abraham knew that he was never alone.</div>
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God was with him. </div>
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That promise is for you and me too. God never leaves us. </div>
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God goes with us.</div>
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Even when we have no idea where we are going.</div>
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<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-64593417241431182622018-09-10T15:38:00.001-07:002018-09-10T15:38:20.548-07:00Promises you can count on: God remembers!<br />
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In the good times and in the bad, what do you count on?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSX46-lbHfM_i0tBhJKJF-xZMQTbnqMYXGgo1pBPw7P9yzltg2Dwv6LIbCy-w4wmOXZiNtVhnVURmY6jnpKPxheF_Bd4vzU5VYicXmxnYtWqdkJZMl0m09J21QWE27OQVUTyhfXpUcg/s1600/promises+you+can+count+on.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSX46-lbHfM_i0tBhJKJF-xZMQTbnqMYXGgo1pBPw7P9yzltg2Dwv6LIbCy-w4wmOXZiNtVhnVURmY6jnpKPxheF_Bd4vzU5VYicXmxnYtWqdkJZMl0m09J21QWE27OQVUTyhfXpUcg/s320/promises+you+can+count+on.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This fall we’re exploring the promises God makes in the
Bible to Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and the Israelites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God makes a lot of promises, and God always keeps
them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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God’s promises are promises you can count on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last Sunday, we missed talking about the promise God made to Noah and all
creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Let me catch you up.</span></div>
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You remember the story? <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6%3A5-9%3A17&version=CEB">Genesis 6:5-9:17</a> tells the whole story, or you can skip to chapter ( to read about God's promise to Noah. Let me summarize for you:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The earth was full of wickedness and God
decided to start over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, God washed
the world clean with a flood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Except – Noah
finds favor in God’s sight. </div>
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So, God tells
Noah to build an ark and put two of every animal in it (or two of every wild
animal and seven pairs of the domestic animals, check out Genesis 6:20 and
7:1-3) along with Noah’s family. After Noah and his family and animals are safe on the ark,
God sends a flood and kills everyone else (yeah- pretty gruesome for a story
that is used as a nursery backdrop!).</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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God sees the damage done to the creation God loves and
decides that this is not the way to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how bad humans
get, not matter how much we mess things up, God’s not going to cover the earth
with a flood again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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And God sets the rainbow in the sky to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">remind God</i> to remember this promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a reminder to God, not to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While rainbows are cool, and pretty, and I
usually think of this promise God made when I see one, the rainbow is not for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s for God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To remember.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The word for “bow” is the weapon, not the pretty ribbon we
put on packages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I think that’s
pretty significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The warrior hangs up
his bow, and God hung God’s bow up in the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in doing so, God promises to remember <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To remember the promise God made to Noah and all
creation to not destroy it with flood<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">But also<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To
remember the humans that God created, to remember who we are in all our failings
and brokenness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This is the story that the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament)
tell:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how God’s promise to remember
humans and our need to be reconciled with God moves God to select a particular man
and woman to bless so that through them God’s blessing flows to the whole
world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But that’s another story and another promise!<o:p></o:p></div>
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ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-77262530038579882292018-09-03T12:52:00.000-07:002018-09-03T12:52:22.868-07:00Girls just wanna have fun (without worrying about getting assaulted)<br />
Last night my daughter and I went out to engage in our favorite mother-daughter bonding ritual: singing karaoke.<br />
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I was singing something new (we had agreed that tonight would be a "try songs we haven't sung at karaoke before" night) when I looked over and saw two men had wasted no time zeroing in on my daughter. <br />
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Her body language clearly stated, "I'm not interested, I'm just being polite." Of course, this happens every time we go out. Often, when I come back to the table the predator-oops-man will then leave to wait for an opportune time to resume his pursuit - usually when I sing next, or if she leaves the table to go to the bathroom. Anyway, these two guys persisted in the face of both of our exceedingly clear signals that we weren't interested in continuing the conversation.<br />
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It made me angry - totally pissed off. <br />
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I was angry at the male assumption that two women, who were clearly enjoying each other's company, would really be much happier talking to men than to each other. After all, women who go to bars are automatically signalling they are looking for men, right? (Sarcasm sign!) <br />
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I was angry that the night before, when we were out with my husband and her boyfriend and my son, not one man hit on either of us. NOT ONE! Apparently, having so many men with us was a signal to other men that we were not available. Although, this too is no guarantee. Both of us have been hit on when we were on dates.<br />
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I was angry that it didn't matter that I was wearing a wedding ring and it wouldn't have mattered if she had had one on too. It didn't matter that she had a boyfriend. After all - our men let us go out alone, so they must not care too much about us (again sarcasm!). And obviously my husband and her boyfriend couldn't even begin to measure up to their obnoxious, drunken charm - right? (Do I need to keep adding the sarcasm alerts?)<br />
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I was angry that there were at least five men who hit on her that evening. That two men hit on wedding-ring-wearing me. That as we talked about it, my daughter said "Welcome to my life." To which I responded, "My life too. And the life of every woman, everywhere."<br />
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I was angry that my 20-something daughter can't go out to karaoke by herself. She has to make sure she has a friend with her. Otherwise the male attention goes from hitting on her to groping, following her to her car, or pressuring her to leave with them. <br />
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I was angry that when she got up to sing, I needed to move her drink in front of me. And she had to do the same for me. We had to keep our drinks in our line of sight at all times, which got in the way of watching the singers and supporting each other when we sang, and generally enjoying the evening. <br />
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I was angry that I needed to teach her to never accept a drink directly from a stranger, only from the bartender or waitress's hand. And if she ever has any doubt, throw the drink out and get a new one. Women just can't be too careful - drinks can be spiked so easily: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqludiTMrF8">she could have been raped</a>. That I needed to teach her that her drink is just as likely to be spiked (and it has been!) in the small rural community where we live as it is in a big city.<br />
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Let me stop and address those who are thinking, "Well, you must have encouraged them!" Not that it should matter, but neither one of us were dressed provocatively. To say otherwise is to blame the victim. Besides, it really doesn't matter how a woman is dressed - just check the display of sexual assault survivors' clothing, titled <a href="https://qz.com/quartzy/1180426/what-rape-survivors-wore-when-they-were-attacked-is-on-display-at-a-museum-in-brussels/">"What were you wearing?"</a> We weren't drunk, neither of us were even consuming alcohol - not that it matters. Again, that is victim blaming. (Listen to Chris Janson's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CodZnwdoRK8">Take a Drunk Girl Home</a> to discover the proper way to treat drunk women).<br />
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So, why didn't we ask them to leave us alone? To be honest, I was thinking that I should be a role model for my daughter and politely ask them to leave us alone, saying that we just wanted to spend some mother-daughter bonding time. But I hesitated to be so direct. I was brought up to be polite. Still, I avoided eye contact, made minimal responses to their attempts at conversation and literally gave them the cold shoulder. All passive responses, and I wondered why I was so reluctant to just say, "We're not interested in talking with you." (OK, I really wanted to say, "We don't want to talk to your drunk-ass." but that REALLY would be been going to far!)<br />
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Then I thought of the frisson of fear that went through me when my daughter mentioned that we were going to the grocery. Would they follow us when we left, knowing we would be at Walmart (the only place open that late)? And I realized that my hesitation to be direct was fear - fear of how these men would react if we rejected them.<br />
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Women worry about this. When I was a young adult, we would joke, "He's probably an ax murderer?" But underneath the joke was the frightening reality: we have no way of knowing if the guy hitting on us will turn violent if we reject him ( a quick google of "boy who killed girl over rejection" yielded these: <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a20772138/santa-fe-shooter-rejected-by-female-classmate/">Sante Fe Shooter Rejected By Girl He Killed</a>, <a href="https://people.com/crime/indiana-man-fatally-shot-girlfriend-rejected-marriage-proposal/">indiana-man-fatally-shot-girlfriend-rejected-marriage-proposal</a> and <a href="https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/santa-fe-shooting-girls-murdered/">Talk to Girls about the Boys Who Might Kill Them</a> or <a href="https://medium.com/@LeciaMichelle/toxic-masculinity-is-killing-women-why-arent-men-more-concerned-fac339fb422a">toxic-masculinity-is-killing-women-why-arent-men-more-concerned</a>). <br />
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A word to those of you reading this and thinking, "That's not me. I would never harass or hurt a woman. The women I talk to in bars enjoy my company. I don't pressure them, and if she asks me to leave her alone, I do. But no one has ever asked me to leave." OK, maybe - just maybe - she enjoys your company. Or maybe she's worried about how you will react if she's asks you to leave. You might not be dangerous, but she has no way of knowing if you're one of the good guys, a predator pretending to be a good guy, an outright predator. And make no mistake, she has been taught to be polite and not anger you just in case you are the predator in good guy's clothing.<br />
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Last night, I smiled (but not too much), I politely responded when necessary, I was vigilant about watching for our safety.<br />
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And I longed for the day when a mother and daughter could simply go out for a time of fun, relaxation and bonding. For a time when anger and fear doesn't lurk beneath the surface of a girls' night out.<br />
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I longed for a day when women can have fun without worrying about being assaulted.<br />
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<br />ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-31349943127202843582017-11-02T13:51:00.001-07:002017-11-02T13:51:09.703-07:00LuLuRoe: a review for plus sized (really for all) womenLast spring at a clergy gathering, I was admiring several of the outfits the younger clergy women were wearing. When I asked where they got the outfits, they all said: LuLuRoe!<div>
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Lulu-what?</div>
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For those who have not experienced LuLuRoe yet, it's a line of clothes marketed primarily in home parties. Of course, it has all the pluses and pitfalls of this marketing strategy: </div>
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<li>You have to know someone to buy.</li>
<li>If you're invited to a party, there's pressure to buy something even if you don't want to, </li>
<li>There's pressure to host a party yourself.</li>
<li>You are limited to purchase what the consultant has in stock (for LuLuRoe at least - other home marketing companies allow the consultant to order specific items).</li>
<li>If you purchase on-line (consultants do have on-line stores) there's the issue of not being able to try on the item first. Sometimes the colors look different in the pictures than in real life. And there's the whole matter of shipping to you and shipping returns. </li>
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Then there's the consultant's side (I learned the following from various reviews of LuLuRoe):</div>
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<li>Some people are good at this sort of thing and do very well. </li>
<li>Some are not and end up spending a lot of money on inventory they can't move.</li>
<li>Consultants order styles and sizes, but can't order particular patterns or colors. Which means they can't tailor their inventory to the tastes of their clients, and sometimes get stuck with patterns they can't sell</li>
<li>If you want to get out of the business, LuLuRoe will not buy back your inventory even at a discount.</li>
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Still, I like the idea of supporting women who are running their own businesses. So I have purchased several outfits. This fall I was invited to an on line party. And I admit I am hooked. There are several things I love about these clothes, and several things I don't love. </div>
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Your shopping experience will vary greatly depending on your consultant. One I have worked with has her on-line store open all the time. She readily will exchange or refund items if you don't like your purchase. Another consultant I have purchased from only has the on-line store open if there is an on-line party. And if the size is wrong - you get store credit, not a cash refund.</div>
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I've read reviews that say the price point is good, and review that believe the clothes are too expensive. I find the prices are comparable to Lane Bryant and Torrid (my go-to stores), but there are not the kind of sales you find at LB and Torrid. Tops are around $35, leggings are $25, dresses are $50-65. The jackets are a little pricey.</div>
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I have tried most of the shirt styles, the leggings (LOVE), most of the dress styles, most of the jacket styles and one of the skirt styles. Here is my opinion of the clothes I have tried:</div>
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What I like: </div>
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<li>They are super comfortable. I wore a Carly dress and leggings to a women's meeting and I admit - it really did feel like I was in my comfy lounging around the house clothes!</li>
<li>The leggings are buttery soft. The shirts and dresses are not as soft, but still really, really comfortable.</li>
<li>The necklines are reasonably modest. I have been having issues with much of the clothes marketed to plus size women at stores like LB and Torrid. The necklines are plunging and the whole "cold shoulder" thing? It's pretty hard to find work appropriate clothing!</li>
<li>The fabric is fairly sturdy. Again, many of my purchases from LB and Torrid have been sheer or paper thin. And of course they just don't hold up. I haven't had my LuLuRoe very long, but the material is much thicker and I think it will hold up well - as long as you wash it correctly.</li>
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<li>FYI - The washing instructions for everything is wash in cold on a delicate cycle and hang dry. This works for me, since I wash everything in cold, and hang dry all of my shirts and dresses. But you might consider it a minus, if you just toss everything in the dryer. </li>
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What I don't like:</div>
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<li>The sizing is not consistent across sizes. A 2x in an Irma top is much larger than a 2X in a Classic T. A 3x in a Amelia or Nicole is smaller than a 2x in a Carly. And I wear an Large in a Lindsey. Which means you really need to try everything on.</li>
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<li>My recommendation: Go to a pop up store or a in-person party and try everything on. Write down your sizes in each style you like, so if you later see something on-line you like, you'll know if it will most likely fit.</li>
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<li>Different materials also make the sizing inconsistent. I know that's an issue for all women's clothing. My husband thinks I'm crazy for trying on the exact same shirt in white, black and the cool pattern I like - but I have found that even in the best retail stores, the size can be vary radically between colors and fabrics.</li>
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<li>Some consultants in their on-line stores will note what fabric an item is made from. And some don't. I tend to stay away from the jacquard - they tend to run small and are not very stretchy. Which means, if the consultant doesn't list the fabric, I have to contact her before buying - and rely on her judgment as to if it will fit me.</li>
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<li>The sizing runs small - really small. It might say its a 3x and will fit a 24-26, but don't believe it. I have found that most of the 2x (which is what I typically wear) are too small, and the many of the 3x sizes are too small as well. Especially if you are a - ahem - well endowed woman. </li>
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<li>The consultants will encourage you to wear something that fits tighter than you are comfortable with.</li>
<li>Most of the fabrics are pretty clingy. </li>
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<li>What's up with the black leggings? They are the unicorns of LuLuRoe. I know one consultant that hold them back for special promotions, or will allow you to purchase them if you buy a dress. And they are almost impossible to get in the TC2 (size 20 and up). The other legging patterns are sometimes cute, but there is a limit to how many wildly patterned leggings a grown woman needs!</li>
<li>The same goes for solid colors - they seem to be few and far between, I know some of the fun is pattern mixing, but again there are only so many of these "fun" outfits an adult needs in her wardrobe!</li>
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<li>On the other hand, the kids and teen patterns are so stinking cute, it makes me wish I had grandchildren to buy for!</li>
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<li>The selection of colors and patterns: since consultants can only order styles and sizes, there is no telling what colors and patterns they will get in each order. And the company limits the number of items produced in a particular pattern/color. This means:</li>
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<li>It's not as likely that you will see someone wearing the exact same outfit as you as if you bought it from a mass retailer - a plus IMHO.</li>
<li>But if you see something you really like, you need to buy it NOW. I don't like this - I think it promotes impulsive spending, It's really hard to see that cute color/pattern in your size and the style you love and know that if you don't get it now, it may be gone when it's in your budget. My usual on-line shopping habit is when I find something I like, I wait to purchase it for a few days (or longer). If I still want it and it's in my budget, then I purchase. This helps me avoid most impulse buys, and LuLuRoe's marketing strategy seems expressly designed to counteract it!</li>
<li>The consultants will tell you to shop the pattern - they are always saying how they can wear multiple sizes in a style and it works if you just do such-and-such (like wear a belt, or tie it, or pin it in a certain way). I have found that this really doesn't work for me, as most of the sizes are too small. </li>
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<li>IMHO, the cutest colors/patterns are in the standard sizes. Especially for the tops and the leggings. I am pretty sensitive to 'fat lady' patterns and patterns that look like my grandmother would wear (and I'm old enough to be a grandmother myself so if I think my grandmother would wear that pattern, you know it's pretty bad!) and these type of patterns seem to be the go-to for the plus sizes. Which means if I do see something cute in my size, I feel like I better jump on it now (see the comment above about impulsive spending).</li>
<li>IMHO leggings are not pants. There may be some women who can pull off leggings and a shirt for casual wear, but I am not one of them. The tops are too short for me to be comfortable appearing in public wearing them with the leggings - even the Irma, which is billed as a tunic. (it's not - it's just a long top).</li>
<li>The cut of most items are flowing - which means not very structured. This can lead to a frumpy outfit, if it is not accessorized with a belt or a structured jacket. You have to be pretty intentional about what you buy and how you wear it to avoid the frump factor.</li>
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Yes, there are more things I don't like than I do, but I'll still buy LuLuRoe, For me, the comfort and quality of fabric, and the modest cuts outweigh the minuses. I have developed a strategy for my purchases:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Know your sizes and what styles you like and don't like.</li>
<li>Ask what fabric an item is make from, and if it is a tighter fabric don't buy it no matter how cute it is.</li>
<li>Ask the consultant what her return policy is before buying. The consultant I mentioned above that only offers store credit? I only purchase what I can try on first (except for the 2 styles that I can wear regardless of the fabric). </li>
<li>Don't be pressured to pattern mix if you are not comfortable with it. Think about the pattern and what you will wear it with. </li>
<li>Don't give in to pressure to "shop the pattern." Stick to the sizes that fit you.</li>
<li>Don't buy leggings to go with everything. You'll end up with a drawer full of leggings that you won't wear. I know it's tempting - they are so comfortable! </li>
<li>Mix and match LuLuRoe pieces with other items in your wardrobe. </li>
<li>Go for the solids and smaller patterns. Save the bold patterns for 'fun' outfits.</li>
<li>Keep in mind how the piece you are buying will fit in your wardrobe. Is it a lounge-around-the-house piece? Something you will wear for work? Do you have a jacket or belt, etc that will go with it? Make sure you are spending your hard-earned money on a piece that will give you lasting value.</li>
<li>Above all - make sure you LOVE the piece you are buying. </li>
</ul>
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I hope this helps guide you through the craze that is LuLuRoe. </div>
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ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-37001803682137981782017-08-20T13:18:00.000-07:002017-08-21T13:18:55.770-07:00Courage in the Face of Evil: a Zookeeper, his Wife and Charlottesville<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>This sermon is part of a Summer at the Movies Series and refers to the movie 'The Zookeeper's Wife" Scripture readings for this Sunday are Esther 4:9-14, Psalm 64, Romans 12:1-8 and Matthew 25:31-45</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan and Antonina Zabinski owned a zoo</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s an unlikely beginning for a story of courage and heroism</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But God uses the most unlikely people to accomplish surprising things</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan and Antonina ran a zoo</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Warsaw, Poland</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the 1930’s and 40’s</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you remember your history, you will remember that when the Nazis occupied Warsaw, they first bombed the city. The zoo was devastated, animals were killed. Some animals escaped and were rounded up and returned to the zoo.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan and Antonina began again, caring for the animals. But the Nazis decided the remaining animals had to be killed. The food and resources that would keep these animals alive in winter were needed for the German war effort. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Nazis determined to close the zoo, dismantling it to provide war resources.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Jan and Antonina had a plan. You see, the Nazis were also busy dismantling the lives of the Jews in Warsaw. First it was little things - an armband, a curfew, shops closing, restrictions on travel. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now Jan and Antonina's Jewish friends were being rounded up into one horrific ghetto - little food, little water, no wood for fire, large families crowded into one room.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan and Antonina had a plan. A dangerous plan. Inviting just a Jewish couple to hid in their house at a time when even offering a Jew a glass of water could get them shot was a huge risk for them and their young son. But they did, asking a couple who they were friends with to move in and hide. The woman accepted, but the man declined as he was too well known in the community. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As things got progressively worse for the Jews, Jan and Antonina realized that they could not just help one or two. They had much more room than that. They had the underground enclosures for the animals. They could save more Jews. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To do this, they needed to save the zoo from destruction. So they offered to raise pigs in the old - above ground - animal enclosures. Pigs that would provide meat for the German soldiers.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan would go to the ghetto to gather scraps to feed the pigs, smuggling out a few Jews at a time, to hid at the zoo until the resistance could move them out of Warsaw. A member of the labor bureau allowed him to use Jews for labor at the zoo - Jews who walked out the gate of the ghetto and disappeared, with new identities. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Antonina would care for their guests. Since a part of the zoo was being used as a Nazi animal breeding program, she had to make sure her guests were not discovered. They had a code - if she played a certain song in the day, they were to hide. Another song at night, and one by one, children, women, and men gathered in the Zabinski living room, spending the night hours in a semblance of normal life sharing wine and food and and each other’s company.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two simple people - one atheist and one catholic - saved 300 Jews. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan and Antonina’s daughter Teresa, who was born during the occupation, said her parents never considered themselves heroes: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“My parents told me that they did only what should have been done — it was their obligation to do that. They were just decent people. They said decent people should do the same, nothing else. I’d like as many people as possible to understand what actually happened here in Warsaw during the war, and how much humanity and love can do</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">." </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> (quote from PEOPLE magazine interview)</i></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">300 hundred Jews were saved by Antonina and Jan. I know that seems a drop in a bucket of the approximately 6 milion Jews that were killed (not to mention the 9 million other people the Nazi’s murdered - mostly civilians).</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two people stood up for what is right. Stood up against the Nazi war machine.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s an inspiring story. We’ve all heard stories of the heroic deeds of those who resisted the Nazis. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But what does it mean for us, today, for us personally in the communities we live?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I first selected this movie and thought about what I would say today, I was going to say “ now you probably will never have to stand up against Nazis. But God has put you here for such a time as this." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was going to talk about the courage it takes to see Jesus in the least of these and work to feed the hungry and thirsty, provide shelter for the homeless and clothes for the naked. To welcome the stranger - refugees. To visit the sick and work for adequate medical care. To visit the prisoner and demand just humane treatment for those incarcerated.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But then...last weekend I watched videos of young men carrying torches and Nazi flags in the streets of an American city - Charlottesville VA.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I heard the stories from colleagues attending a prayer meeting to pray for peace and unity about how the church was surrounded by these men - these neo-Nazis, shouting and threatening the worshipers inside. How they couldn’t leave for over 30 minutes and then had to escape out a side door and back streets to safety.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I saw a post from a WWII vet - "I fought the Nazi’s 73 years ago and if I have to I will fight them again!"</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I’m not sure anymore that we won’t be called to stand up against Nazis.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am sure that we are called to stand up against white supremacy and hatred. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God created all of us - every single person</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every single race, ethnicity</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every single gender and orientation</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every single ability level</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No matter who you are</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No matter who you meet</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God created us all in the image of God.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And if we remember from the Shack - God is especially fond of each one of us. Jesus loves the little children (and every living human being is child to God) of the world red and yellow black and white. They are precious in his sight.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are no second class citizens in the kingdom of heaven. In fact, in the kingdom of heaven we see Jesus in those we would consider the least of these.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So when I hear the story of the sheep and the goats, I get nervous.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t know if we’re going to be called into account - there’s a difference of opinion of what “all the nations” means. Is it all unbelieving nations, so those who have lived according to God’s way of Love are rewarded for their actions even if they didn't believe?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or does it include all nations - believing and not - being judged? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope not - because I know I don’t do a very good job of seeing Jesus in the least of these. Especially if offering a glass of water means I could get shot!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Especially if talking about racism and white supremacy makes my congregation uncomfortable or offended.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And yet that is exactly what I am called to do. To stand against hate and call out racism and white supremacy as a sin. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To recognize my own complicity in racism and confess it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To work for equality and justice for everyone.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If my sermon today offended you - I’m sorry. If so I would love to talk more with you. Call me, we’ll talk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I challenged you today - call me, we’ll talk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you're sitting there thinking, this sermon doesn't have anything to do with me - PLEASE call me. We need to talk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s talk -there are great resources from the synod to explore the facets of racism as we learn to love others as God loves us.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that is exactly what we are called to do.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And I believe we have been placed here for just such a time as this. To stand up for what is right. To stand up for the values of the kingdom of heaven.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And I’m going to say it again - in the kingdom of heaven, all are truly equal in God’s sight. In the kingdom of heaven, all are fed, all are sheltered, all are loved, all are welcomed.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Christians, baptized into the family of God, filled with God’s spirit and love - this is our calling. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is who we are.</span></div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-79303541215949731612017-08-13T13:21:00.000-07:002017-08-21T13:23:07.226-07:00Beauty and the Beast Within: reflections on Charlotteville<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
We're doing a summer at the movies series and this Sunday's movie is Beauty and the Beast. As I reflect on the events in Charlottesville VA, I can't help but believe the Holy Spirit had a hand in scheduling this particular movie for this week.</div>
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What a better way to illustrate the horror of hate? I think particularly of the scene where Gastonia incites the villagers, making up false claims of the acts the Beast will do - such a creature cannot be allowed to live. All the whi<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">le Belle tries vainly to attest to the humanity of the Beast. Finally the villagers grab torches, make weapons out of what is at hand and rush to kill the Beast.</span></div>
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Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it?</div>
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With false claims of the horrors that the Other (PoC, Jews, anything group that is not cis-white-male) will do, ignoring all attestations to the basic, created-in-the-image-of-God, humanity and worthiness of the Other, the alt-right, Neo-Nazis grabbed torches and used whatever weapon was at hand (a car) to subdue the Other. They surrounded a church- a church! - to intimidate those gathered to prepare to counter their message of hate.</div>
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Beauty and the Beast. The irony of this story is that the Beast is beautiful inside. And outward beauty often hides the beast within.</div>
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Our scripture for this Sunday is 1 Samuel 16:1-13, especially verse 7: the Lord doesn't look at outward appearances, but at the heart.</div>
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And Psalm 139:13-18 which proclaims we are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God, who in great wisdom and delight made us each exactly as we are. Male and female. Red, yellow, black, white, brown and all shades in between. Ability, sexual orientation. EVERYONE created by God, in God's image.</div>
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We hear Paul's admonition in Romans 12:9-21, encouraging us to follow Jesus' Way of love, and to not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good.</div>
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We hear Jesus' own words in Luke 6:37-45, telling us not to judge, not to condemn, reminding us that what is in our hearts will be shown by the fruit we produce - or by not producing good fruit at all. He goes on in the next verse to say, So why do you keep calling me Lord, Lord when you don't do what I say? Read all of Luke chapter 6 and you'll find that Jesus tells us to do pretty much the opposite of what the torch-welders in Charlottesville are proclaiming.</div>
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Jesus calls us to be the Beauty. Jesus asks us to let him cast out the beast inside, so the we can be filled with the love that flows from the very heart of God. The Heart that is weeping as torches and weapons are brandished. The Heart that loves and delights in the great diversity of creation.</div>
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Beauty and the Beast - love will always triumph over the beast.</div>
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ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-68084713404993793202017-01-13T09:23:00.001-08:002017-01-13T09:23:05.935-08:00Word for the Year: Courage<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Courage, huh?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, our congregation drew starwords. A starword is a word (written on a star) that reveals God to you: provides a way to think about how you see God active in your life and in others; a word to focus your prayers around; a word to encourage you or challenge you to live into.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My star word is definitely challenging: courage.
I have a couple of ideas about what that might mean for me this year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m starting a new call and I want to correct some bad
habits I developed in my last one. Overwork,
not taking time for Sabbath, family, selfcare.
Timidity in my leadership – not preaching against injustice when I know
it will make my congregation angry, going with the flow instead of challenging
them. I lead like the Cowardly Lion – with a roar the turns into a whimper at
the slightest opposition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does it take courage to make sure I’m taking time for myself? Maybe in my case it does. After all, I was raised to believe that any
thing I wanted or needed was selfish and I had to totally give up self for the
good of the family. In the dynamics of a
family led by an alcoholic father, I had to learn to over-function to survive. This is strange territory, to carve out
boundaries, to ask for what I need, to make sure I am taking care of me. I’ve wandered in this land before, slowly, tenuously
venturing further </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and further past the border until the outskirts of the land
of self-care has a well-known path I trod but never venture deeper.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do I have the courage to forge a new path?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know it take courage to lead. I envy my colleagues who take a stand against
injustice and look at my own reticence with shame. I justify it by saying that my congregation
is not where theirs is, that mine has not done the early stages of work, that
they are just not ready for the steps my colleagues are taking. While there is truth to that do I use this as
an excuse to engage in the hard work of recognition of our complicity in injustice,
of reconciliation? Do I have the courage
to “wake” my congregation instead of letting them comfortably snooze?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a new start, a new call. A chance to redefine the kind of pastor I
am. A chance to live into the person God
has called me to be. That would take
courage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Courage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t’s a good word for me this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like a star word, let me know in the comments and I'll draw one for you.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-29834864884785112552016-11-09T07:19:00.000-08:002016-11-09T07:19:15.561-08:00Post Election Prayer<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the Sunday after the election many years ago. I was worshipping at with my congregation
that morning and the mood was not happy.
Much of the congregation had voted for the other guy – the candidate who
was defeated. They were sure that the
winning candidate would ruin our country, economically, morally, socially. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The prelude ended and the pastor began the announcements by
saying, “I know that many of you are unhappy with the outcome of the
election. I know that you are afraid of
how this president will lead us. I want
to start this morning by telling you the Christian response to this election.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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We waited, most expecting him to denounce the
president-elect. And I have never forgotten what he </div>
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said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Pray for this president.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Pray that God will guide his decisions and give him
wisdom. Pray that all of our leaders
will lead us wisely. I know that many of
you will have trouble with this. But
this is the Christian response, the Biblical response. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 “I <span class="text">urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving be made for all people—</span> <span id="en-NIV-29719"><span class="text">for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and
quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.</span>” And if you still have trouble praying for
this president, remember that Jesus said to “love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="text"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text">Then he led us in a prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="text">As I write this, I don’t know the outcome
of the election. I do know that there
will be people who are excited by the outcome and filled with hope, and there
will be people who fear what the newly elected candidate will do once in office. What I do know is this: as Christians, our response is clear. We are to pray for God to give our leaders
wisdom to lead us in paths of justice and righteousness. And if that’s hard for you with this
president elect, think about this: those
leaders and governments Paul was telling his readers to pray for - that was the Roman emperor and the hated
Roman Empire, whose abuses of power often meant the persecution of Christians,
whose Pax Romana was maintained though conquest and oppression. If the early Christians could pray for their persecutors,
how much more can we pray for our country, which we love, and for our leaders,
whatever we might think of them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="text"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text">This election has been soul-wearying in so
many ways. And the atmosphere of fear and
division has not dissipated just because votes were cast. Jesus begins the sermon in which he tells us
to love our enemies with the Beatitudes.
We are called to be peacemakers, to comfort those who mourn, to be
merciful. We begin our work by praying:</span></div>
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<span class="text"><br /></span></div>
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Creator and Keeper of All:</div>
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<span class="text"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text">We pray for
ourselves </span></div>
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<span class="text"> that Your love would soften our own hearts </span></div>
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<span class="text"> so we may be the
salt and light </span></div>
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<span class="text"> our country and this world so desperately needs. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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We pray for our divisions to be healed. </div>
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<span class="text"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text">We pray for Your holy wisdom </span></div>
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<span class="text"> to inspire and guide our
leaders. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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We pray for Your reign to
come, </div>
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and You will to be done</div>
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in our lives, </div>
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in our congregations, </div>
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in our communities,</div>
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in our country, </div>
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in the world.</div>
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<span class="text">We pray this no matter who is President, </span></div>
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for we put our trust in You.</div>
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We pray this always.</div>
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<span class="text"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text">We pray in hope and in fear</span></div>
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We pray in faith of your love for us and the world.</div>
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We pray</div>
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Amen.</div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-69530938217915108872016-11-07T07:34:00.002-08:002016-11-07T07:34:22.846-08:00Put Not Your Trust in Mortals A Pre-Election Reminder<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I don’t know about you, but I am totally sick of the election season. And I will be lifting up a prayer of thanksgiving on tomorrow morning, because it’s finally over!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">But we know that just because the election may be over, it’s not really over. No matter who wins or loses, the hard work of governing this nation is ahead of them. It’s a tough job, one made even harder by the partisan divide our country is embroiled in, and by the ugly words said during the campaign. Words that have deepened our divisions and pitted groups against each other. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">We who are called to be peacemakers have our work cut out for us! How do we vote faithfully? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">I have a few words of advice for you before you go to the polls:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Praise the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Praise the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span>, my soul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I will praise the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> all my life;<br /> I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.<br /><b><i>Do not put your trust in princes,<br /> in human beings, who cannot save.<br />When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;<br /> on that very day their plans come to nothing.</i></b><br />Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,<br /> whose hope is in the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> their God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He is the Maker of heaven and earth,<br /> the sea, and everything in them—<br /> he remains faithful forever.<br />He upholds the cause of the oppressed<br /> and gives food to the hungry.<br />The <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> sets prisoners free,<br /> the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> gives sight to the blind,<br />the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> lifts up those who are bowed down,<br /> the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> loves the righteous.<br />The <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> watches over the foreigner<br /> and sustains the fatherless and the widow,<br /> but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> reigns forever,<br /> your God, O Zion, for all generations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Praise the <span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">It seems to me that this Psalm has it right – don’t trust in mortals, trust in God. We put a lot of stock in who we elect to govern us, to fix this country’s problems, to lead us in the right path – maybe we put too much stock in what they can do. After all, the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof (also from the Psalms).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">That doesn’t mean it’s not important to choose good leaders. Pray about your vote, pray about the election, pray for the candidates (no matter what their party!). Pray about your hopes and fears for the future. Turn it all over to the One who reigns forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Whatever your fears and hopes, whoever you plan on voting for, remember that in the end, God is in control. Which is the very best news I’ve heard all election season!</span></div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-69188245376076601122016-07-10T06:08:00.000-07:002016-07-10T06:08:07.938-07:00A Cry for Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, Dallas, Orlando and for Our Church<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was 10:30 pm and I was waiting to cross the street from the seminary campus to the family housing. I had worked the closing shift in the seminary library and everyone else had headed home when the library closed at 10. All the businesses on Main Street were closed, except for the Kroger two blocks down and across the creek that separated the safe suburb of Bexley from East Columbus with is high rates of drug deals, crime, and murder.. I was alone, waiting for the ‘walk’ signal. Then I saw two young black men in hoodies walking up from the Kroger on the other side of the street. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-f7b7160e-d4e5-028a-4428-e5d238e58af2" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hated the feeling I got in my gut. I looked around - no one was coming to join me at the light. I was completely alone. I started to make a mental inventory - I had no cash, nothing of value, good. Then I remembered I was carrying my laptop in my backpack. What would I do without my laptop - all my notes and my papers were on it.. I hated myself for thinking such things. I’m a good person. I’m not racist, not prejudiced, I told myself. Yet, I see two black men on the street at night and my mind immediately goes there. I wondered if they were two white men, would I be having the same internal conversation?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a safe community, I reassured myself. I let the kids walk to their friends houses all the time. Besides, maybe they will be past the corner by the time the light changes and I cross the street. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No luck - the light changed, and I was going to have to walk right past them. Our apartment was the closest to the corner and my husband was some, so maybe he would hear me if I screamed loud enough. Stop it! I told myself - you’re better than this. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The men were close enough now that I could hear them talking - in Swahili. I relaxed. Just two international students from the college across the other street from the seminary. Whew! I was safe. We smiled in greeting and went on our ways.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I kept thinking about the encounter, ashamed of my immediate fear. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Aw Pastor, you might want to say. Don’t be so hard on yourself. That was a reasonable response. You have to be concerned for your own safety.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t say it. I don’t want to be reasonable. I don’t want to be safe.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t want to be consoled.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to be outraged.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to rail against a world that says it’s ok to mock and belittle, fear and hate someone because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their religion their gender, their sexual orientation or ability levels.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God over the pain she must surely </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feel as she watches her warring children.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy.. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God as God weeps as a man is killed when being arrested for selling CD’s, a man is shot in a routine traffic stop, police officers are targeted and five lose their lives protecting an otherwise peaceful protest. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy.. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God as God weeps over the death of a man who struggled with his sexual orientation and learned to hate himself so much that he opened fired up a gathering place of people like him. I want to lament with God over the 49 deaths he caused. My heart breaks with God's when a pastor - a pastor - can say that more should have died, because anyone with a different sexual orientation or gender identity outside of God’s love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God as God weeps over the human pain and suffering of refugees fleeing a murderous invasion of their towns, escaping with their lives to live in squalor can be ignored and discounted because those refugees who are fleeing from the same murderous group we fear just. Might. Be. harboring. One. of. Them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God as God weeps over as walls of hatred and fences of fear say that it’s all the fault of those people pouring over our borders. If they just went back where they belong, everything would be ok. After all, everyone knows that Latinos and Latinas are just drug dealers and users, thieves, murderers, and rapists. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God as God weeps when all Muslims are lumped together and branded as terrorists, ignoring their pain as their religion is misused as justification for horrendous acts committed by a small group.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God as God weeps over a culture is so steeped in hate and privilege that a young man baptized and raised in our house could sit through a bible study and be welcomed and prayed for and then calmly open fire on his African American hosts in hopes of starting a race war.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God as God weeps when God’s children see with eyes of fear, as I saw with eyes of fear the threat in two black youth walking down the street instead of seeing the image of God in them.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the malady the church suffers from. This is what has brought us to this place where fear and hate and systemic sin have so corrupted our political process, our economy, our culture, our very ways of communicating with and relating to each other, to the point that we post our “thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy” and in less than 30 seconds our thoughts have turned to the cute kitten video we share next.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ have mercy, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord have mercy. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to lament with God. I don’t want to be consoled. I have not been called to be consoled.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is our call:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:16-18)</i></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have been called to a ministry of reconciliation. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>We regard now one from a human point of view.</i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm not sure that Paul had in mind his admonition to the Galatians - neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female when he wrote these words. But since the Orlando shootings, these words has been going through my mind like a mantra. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or maybe an accusation:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You know I never planned on actually preaching this sermon. I wrote it for you, but I wrote it for class. This was my pain and grief and and confession after the Orlando shootings. I thought at best, I would post this sermon in my blog. I was so sure that by the time July 31 rolled around - when this passage in Paul was scheduled to be read - we would have moved on. But I preached this sermon for the first time in a classroom just 1 ½ miles from the place where Philando Castile was shot.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the mantra keeps ringing in my head. And today, July 10th, just four Sundays after Orlando, blood still flows in our nation’s streets.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day after the Orlando shootings, one of our modern day prophets, Steven Colbert, began his monologue by saying:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9200000000000004; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Naturally, we each ask ourselves what can you possible say in the face of this horror,” he said. “Then sadly you realize you know what to say because it’s been said too many times before.... It’s as if there’s a national script that we have learned. And I think by accepting the script we tacitly accept that the script will end the same way every time. With nothing changing. Except for the loved ones and the families of the victims for whom nothing will ever be the same.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9200000000000004; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nothing changes. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9200000000000004; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Except for the families of the victims.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9200000000000004; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Except.... </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9200000000000004; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t take direction from the national script!. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9200000000000004; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We read from God’s script and it says”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">now on</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span></i></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we regard </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no one</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from a human point of view; </span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>even though we once knew Christ </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>from a human point of view, </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>we know him no longer in that way. </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>So if anyone is in Christ,</i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> there is a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">new creation: </span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>everything old has passed away; </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>see, </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>everything </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>has </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>become </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">new</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>All this is from God, </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>who reconciled us to himself through Christ, </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; </i></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>We regard no one from a human point of view. </i></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We read from God’s script and it says</span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone is fearfully and wonderfully made</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone is made a little lower than the angels</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone is created in the image of God</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone is a beloved child of God </span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we who are heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ Jesus</span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whom God sent not to condemn this world that God so loves, but to bring life and reconciliation.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Must stand up and say, have to stand up and say:</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>From now on, </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>therefore, </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>we regard </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>no one </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>from a human point of view.</i></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For as long as we see through human eyes, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as long as we see “other”, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as long as we are not willing to step out of our comfortable bubble and take a risk, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we cannot serve as ambassadors of Christ.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t want to be consoled. Or reasonable. Or safe. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to be that new creation! I want to be reconciled to God and an ambassador of reconciliation.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I confess my own sin, my own complicity, all the times I turned my eyes away - I invite you to pray with me:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">O God my eyes are still too human - I want to see with your eyes but can't. I long to be the new creation you have made me in Christ.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not truly reconciled until I have those eyes. Oh - I know I am reconciled to you - but my eyes still see from a human point of view. My eyes keep me from seeing you in the other. My eyes keep me from seeing people you deeply love and desperately want to be reconciled with. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heal my broken eyes and hardness of heart. Give me new eye, your eyes. Soften my heart till it bleeds with your love and compassion. Reconcile me to you and to my brothers and sisters of all colors, creeds, ethnicities, orientation. Make me your new creation in Christ. Amen.</span>ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-60702783524190064682016-03-14T07:30:00.000-07:002016-03-14T07:30:10.111-07:00Easter Is Coming! <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">It
won’t be long now. Just a few more days, and it’s the most holy time of the
Christian year – the week of Jesus’s passion. We remember his triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, ponder over his final public teachings, share in a holy meal.
We’ll betray him, deny we even knew him, abandon him when he is arrested, but
we can’t stay away. We’ll witness his trial, follow him to Calvary, watch as
the nails are driven in. We’ll mourn as the stone is rolled over the entrance of
the tomb we laid him in. And we’ll huddle confused, broken, afraid as we wait
for Easter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">For Easter IS coming!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">We
do this every year, this journey into death and the grave. We do this because
we know Easter is coming<i>. Easter Is
Coming! </i>Every day, resurrection happens. Every day, new life bursts forth
from death. Every day God says “No” to sin, “No” to death, “NO” to the power of
evil in this world! Easter is coming!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
reminded of the House Stark motto in the book “Game of Thrones” –Winter is
coming! In their world, winter isn’t just a season of the year, it’s a period
of years when cold winds howl, deep snow covers the ground, life perishes. The
Starks are always prepared for the worst: Winter is coming! It seems like the world around us has adopted
this motto – “Winter is coming” – terrible things are happening and it won’t
get better, so better prepare for the worst. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">In
contrast, the House Christian proclaims “Easter Is Coming!” Yes, the forces of
evil still rage. Completely defeated by the cross and the empty tomb, they
haven’t given up. But it’s a losing battle. It’s a lost battle. Christ is
risen! Christ reigns! God’s kingdom has come! We testify to both the brokenness
in the world and to God’s presence in those broken places. Easter is Coming! Christ
has died! Christ has risen! Christ will come again! And again, and again – to
each of us, to the world, coming in love, in mercy, in grace. Coming to those
places where the shadow of the cross looms large, walking with us through the
valley of the shadow of death - never abandoning, denying or betraying us. Shedding
light on our confusion, calming our fears, making us whole again. Easter is
Coming!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">It
won’t be long now. A few days and we’ll shout “Hosanna”, “Crucify”, “He is
Risen!” A few days and we will once again marvel at God’s amazing love and
grace poured out through Christ for us. Easter is Coming! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I can't say "Easter is coming!" without linking you to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c2inXKD6PI">this great video by WorkingPreacher</a></span></div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-7195693469892457332016-03-07T08:10:00.000-08:002016-03-07T08:10:17.067-08:00The End of the World as We Know It? Early thoughts on Mark chapter 13<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be
alarmed”… (Mark 13:7a).<b> </b>It’s
easy to look around at the world and think we are living in the end times. Wars,
famine, pestilence, natural disaster – how much more can we take? Surely we are
living in the end times!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">When Jesus said this to his disciples, they
were standing outside of the Temple (Mark chapter 13). He had just predicted its
destruction. And as he predicted, in 70AD the Romans destroyed the Temple,
killed most of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and took the remaining Jews (and
Christians living there) into captivity. I’m sure it seemed like the end of the
world to them! It was certianly the end of the world as they knew it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">In the face of this upcoming destruction
what does Jesus counsel? Does he tell the disciples to run and hide? To let
their fear close in on them? To give in to hate and anger? NO!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Jesus says “Do not be alarmed
(13:7). Do not be led astray (13:5). Don’t believe it when people get all
excited and say “Messiah is here” or “He is here” (13:21). Be alert (13:23).
Stay awake and keep alert (13:33, 34-37).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Then he tells the parable of a
man who goes on a journey and leaves his servants to care for his estate. They
are expected to be about the master’s business while he is away, doing their
jobs faithfully. They don’t know when he will return, but they sure don’t want
to be caught goofing off when he gets back!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Wars and rumors of wars. Maybe
we are living in the end times. And then again maybe not. There’s no way to
know for sure. I have a pastor/friend who tells his confirmation students that
Jesus may come tomorrow – or you may be hit by a bus! Either way, for you,
Jesus has come. It’s a bit dramatic - and gruesome! – but it gets to the point:
we don’t know, we can’t know. Even Jesus says he does not know – only the
Father knows (13:32). Sure, there have been many who in their pride has tried
to predict the date. But I believe that Jesus was cautioning the disciples
against doing exactly that. Only the Master knows when the journey ends. Don’t
waste time trying to figure it out. Instead, the best way to be prepared it so
do the job set before you – to be about the Master’s business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">There’s a Jewish saying: if you
have a sapling in your hand, and you hear that the Messiah has come, first
plant the sapling, then go and greet the Messiah. Along those same lines,
Martin Luther has been said to have said “If I knew that the world was going to
end tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree today.” Both sayings
demonstrate confidence in the future that comes from trusting in God’s
steadfast love and faithfulness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">When the kingdom of Judah was
under siege from Babylon and the Exile was almost upon them, God instructed the
prophet Jeremiah to demonstrate that kind of confidence and trust: by
purchasing a field (Jeremiah chapter 32). A strange command – to buy a field just
as you are about to be captured and carried off. Jeremiah bought that field and
announced to the soon-to-be-exiles that doing so was acting out God’s promise
to one day bring them back from exile. God kept that promise. God always keeps
God’s promises. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Wars and rumors of wars. Famine,
pestilence, natural disaster. The election of the “wrong” candidate, passing of
“wrong” laws. Job loss, serious illness, loss of a loved one - anything that
threatens the life we know. Each of these can seem like the end of the world. And
truly, each of these can be the end of the world as we know it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE;">In the face of this end, Jesus
reminds us to not be afraid. To stay awake, not watching for disaster, but
faithfully carrying on with the Father’s business: Loving God, loving the
neighbor as ourselves. Serving those whom Christ came to serve. Caring for the
least, and the vulnerable – knowing that as we do so, we are caring for Jesus. Praying
for “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” And always trusting in God’s
steadfast love and faithfulness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055705789460956729.post-19711255288264163062016-02-29T15:47:00.003-08:002016-02-29T15:47:25.837-08:00Love. That's all. Just love.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus
was once asked which was the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-33). He responded with “Love the Lord your God out
of all your heart, out of all your soul, out of all your understanding, out of
all your strength – and love your neighbor as yourself.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
I teach the Ten Commandments to my confirmation students, I tell them that the
first few commandments are about loving God, and the rest are about loving the
neighbor. One flows out of the
other. I love the way Martin Luther
explains each of the commandments in his Small Catechism: “We are to fear and love God, so that…” and
then explains what we are not to do according to the commandment, but also what
we so instead to show love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Each
of the commandments flows out of the first commandment: Love God. Love for self comes from knowing you are a
beloved child of God – and love for others flows from loving God in response to
God’s love and mercy in your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
would it look like if we loved God with all our heart and mind and soul and
strength? And loved our neighbors as
ourselves, remembering Jesus redefined neighbors to include pretty much
everyone. Including our enemies, who we
are to love and pray for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> What if we loved ourselves for that
matter -not narcissistic, inward-focused love, but truly loved ourselves as
beloved children of God, created in the image of God? This is a self-love that is not selfish, but
flows from God’s love for us and bubbles up, overflowing into the world.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
you pay attention to the news, or follow Facebook, you’ll see there’s a whole
lot stuff out there that is exactly the opposite of loving God and loving the
neighbor. There’s a lot of fear, anger
and hatred being spouted. That’s evil
rearing its ugly head. That’s sin inviting us to turn away from God and back in
on ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Now
you may be afraid – it is truly a frightening world these days! And you may be angry – there’s a lot to be
angry about. But the faithful response
is never hatred. Jesus is pretty clear –
love God, love neighbor. Trust God. Pray for the enemies. Pray for the world. Trust God.
And put that trust and love for God in action by loving in the face of
fear, forgiving in the face of anger. Let love of God and others guide your
choices and actions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And
when this seems just too impossible, ask God for help. For everything is possible with God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don’t
ask my confirmation students to memorize the 10 Commandments any more. Memorization is not a high priority in school
these days, and they don’t see the point in memorizing stuff they can look up
on line. What I do ask is for them to
memorize just this: Love God with all
your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as your self –
and your neighbor is everyone. I do this because Jesus taught that if you
remember just them much, you have all the Law and the Prophets. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do this
because if you can just remember to act out of love, you’ve got it right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01034492637745064803noreply@blogger.com0