World Hunger Sunday

1
World Hunger Sunday

• Story
• of
• my first funeral
• as a pastor

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World Hunger Sunday

• Two things stood out
• The unfairness
• The secrecy/denial

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World Hunger Sunday

• Arent we a little like Joseph?
• We dont like to think about HIV/AIDS
• We may think that HIV/AIDS is Gods punishment on
  immoral people
• We dont want to get close to people with AIDS

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World Hunger Sunday

• We have a sense of what people in Jesus day felt
  about lepers.
• Send them away, out of their daily lives
• See lepers as unclean.
• Would never dream of touching a leper

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World Hunger Sunday

• This is the background to our
• Scripture Reading
• Matthew 81-4

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World Hunger Sunday

• The leper ambushes the preacher at the door
• Had the leper been on the sidelines while Jesus
  preached the Sermon on the Mount?
• He comes to Jesus with a real life application.

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World Hunger Sunday

• Picture the scene
• The leper comes yelling Unclean! Unclean!
• The crowd around Jesus is backing away. . .
• The leper gets so close to Jesus that he falls
  and kneels at his feet.

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World Hunger Sunday

• The Lepers Statement of Faith
• Lord, if you are willing,
• you can make me clean.

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World Hunger Sunday

• The gospel in one moment
• Jesus reached out his hand
• and touched the man
• I am willing
• Be healed

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World Hunger Sunday

• Many of us here
• have taken Jesus at his promises and come to him
  for cleansing
• And have experienced
• Jesus cleansing

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World Hunger Sunday

• And because of that cleansing . . .
• We are now part of Gods forever family.
• We are members of the
• Christs forgiven community.
• We are members of the Body of Christ.

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World Hunger Sunday

• As the body of Christ
• we have choice to make, dont we?
• Do we act like the crowds of Jesus day?
• or
• Do we act like Jesus?

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World Hunger Sunday

• Do we act like the problem doesnt exist?
• Do we keep the problem as far away as possible?
• Or
• Do we reach out and touch?
• Do we say I am willing.?

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World Hunger Sunday

• The problem is real.
• Tsunami death toll one time.
• HIV/AIDS death toll is on-going.

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World Hunger Sunday

• Like with all sin,
• the effects are not all fair.
• 100,000s HIV/AIDS orphans
• Raised on their own, or by grandparents
• The income-generating generation dying off,
  compounding the problem

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World Hunger Sunday

• Do we act like the problem doesnt exist?
• Do we keep the problem as far away as possible?
• Or
• Do we reach out and touch?
• Do we say I am willing.?

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World Hunger Sunday

• What can we do?
• from Roy Berkenbosch
• Think differently about people with AIDS
• Support CRWRC through prayers, offerings of time,
  treasures and talents.
• Educate others and ourselves

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World Hunger Sunday

• What will we choose?
• Will we open our eyes and see the problem?
• Will we reach out and touch?
• Are we willing?