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one fine day, One fine day, sometime in The mid 1960s in one of the farming towns of the central valley of California, the co founder of the United Farm workers of America, A woman by

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the name of the lorries were to shouted to some onlookers on the sidewalks, Don't be a marshmallow, get off the sidewalk. Mhm and walk with us into Justice history and some did. And the Justice

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March continued all the way to the state capital of Sacramento, where they confronted the authorities, the elected authority authorities of the state to expand the law to include farm workers in the protections of law in the

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state of California. Some of you have heard me make reference to that day and to the lorises statement . The lens was too later. Go on to say. Some joined us and then left us some

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went with us all the way algunos. Soon you're gonna sutras. It was a pero Algunos March, our own conoce otra total el camino. You know the United Methodist in the rio texas conference or about

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to gather in corpus Christi in a few months and we always have a theme for annual conference and the theme this year for that conference session is do we know it? Brothers and sister Methodists? We are

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called some of your mother does and indeed we are all called United Methodists and others, all of God's people were called from that mysterious source of all life and all blessing that is beyond our understanding and mysterious

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caller comes from beyond us. It comes from the heart of God through the voice and the actions of jesus christ who understands you and I better than we understand ourselves. Somebody say amen out there, it's

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okay and who knows all about us, what calls us anyway, anyhow. Al final combo, Yes , assume two videos okay. In this call that we celebrate and we're going to be lifting up before

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the people of real texas. But hopefully many others of you will do the same in one way or another is a call from christ that is renewed again and again to us individually and as communities for again

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and again. Like some of the people on the sidewalks on the sidelines in that central California town, we jumped back onto the sidewalk when things get a little tough and people get a little mean and the

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burdens get a little heavy and the nights get a little long and the sleep won't come and the answers are not clear. And we jumped back onto the sideline or the sidewalk because their security and safety and

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comfort there that we're familiar with and the pathway, the road, the street has dangers and sometimes great suffering and quite often little earthly reward quite often. And so I would remind us during this Lenten time

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, just very briefly that God calls us ill conceived you at the beginning when we first become aware that he has been calling us and seeking us and looking for us that first day that we respond with a

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kind of a spiritual consciousness and awareness. But quite often we we run for the sidelines of the first time, the first sign of trouble or difficulty. And so christ does not do anything but keep calling

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, keep forgiving us, keep encouraging us, keep offering us a new way into God's future. You know, the disciples, they got off the sidewalk , they ran for the sidelines a number of times

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, didn't they? I'm not going to recite them all, you know them better than I do. But I'm always saddened and amazed that that they pushed away the Children from jesus. We're supposed to be

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the first citizens of the coming reign of God and and they were so blind and so fearful and so whatever that they pushed the Children away, they just the beggars and the lepers and the blind from getting

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too close to jesus of sort of breaking into that circle of the elect. I quite often go to tables when I'm in large gatherings, especially at the council of Bishops and we have our plate to go

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and have lunch or dinner and and I asked quite often if you know me, you know, I would do this all the time. Is this the table of the elect and may I sit down here

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? Yeah, disciples felt that way kind of strutting about that way a little too much remember how a gas they were when, when jesus commissioned of all people, a samaritan woman as a first apostle,

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if you will, the first person sent to do evangelistic work among their own people. Their jaws dropped , he's talking to her in public and then they found out he had sent her into into mission just

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like they had been sent. Then they sent the hungry crowds away instead of finding a way to feed them and they, I wanted to call fire from heaven for the town that was not very welcoming when

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Jesus was on the way to samaria and one of our linton readings and you know all about how they ran off into the longest and darkest of nights while jesus suffered solito Sin Amparo alone and without any human

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companion to take up for him. You see God's call in jesus christ is a gracious continuing call. While we have yet live christ keeps calling call that man on the cross next to him to inherit the

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kingdom before pride before he breathed his last from where we're too arrogant sisters and brothers and will become too comfortable and too stubborn and too sort of impressed with our own sense of privilege or something. It's like

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forgetting why We were called in the 1st place. Mr Felton may wonderful african american bishop of the church retired said one time that his mother told him about the Episcopal robe and trappings. Son wear them lightly

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, wear them like me. Mhm. And so I I don't want to go on too long. President didn't give me a time limit or Jackie on the preaching and sure, put a little number on

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it. You know, I don't want to go on too long. Mm hmm. But I read somewhere about how it is that sometimes we clergy especially become too comfortable in the security of the church and

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avoid the dangers of the Gospel. Right? No , sir Custom Ramos, Alice Rodriguez. Like less likely to see on, uh, every time I was lost, Bellerose, the leaven Helio happened to

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me. What's happened to you? Some of you may know David Diaz an elder in the texas conference , possibly retired by now. I haven't been in touch with David in a while from the Rio grande

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valley, 1989, David and nine. About 14 other people were privileged to go to Cuba to the first United Methodist work camp in that country. And we worked in a church. And in order for

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the government to agree to provide resources For the church to build a new facility or lay the foundations for one. The bishop cut a deal with a religious affairs minister. If you will provide resources for us

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to do this church project, will work on a government project. And so the government project came second . We worked on the church one week then the government project, which is the building of a bakery

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in Central Havana. With the Workers Brigade of 150 people. Doctors and soldiers returned from the wars in Angola and scientists and teachers working side by side Volunteering for 30 days and there we are preachers and laypeople

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mixing cement, pouring cement, getting to know the people working with that brigade. David got very close to a young man in those days whose wife was about to give birth and he said to David.

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David, if if my wife gives birth before you leave, I want you to baptize our baby before you leave. Well. In cuba. The hospitals are all owned by the state and in CUBA at

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that time you could not do any liturgy of the church in any government building or any public space. Only in the homes Or in churches inside the buildings , 1989. David comes to me because I was

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a leader of that team and said, uh, well, I need to do something in defiance of the law. I said, what are you talking about? He said, this young man wants me

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to baptize his child in the hospital tomorrow. His wife gave birth last night. Wants me to baptize a child before we leave the day after. Tomorrow . I said, David, you know, it's

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against the law to do that. And if you're found out, were found out, we're not only be dealt with, possibly harshly, but certainly sent on our way quickly. But the church in CUBA

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will be at risk also. And David stood his ground and said to me, brother, who will , I am not going to violate my ordination vows . I've been called to the Ministry of Word sacrament

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in order, and I want to baptize that child . And I said, this is between you and me and God. Go do it. The rest of the team didn't know until later. Sisters and

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brothers. Sometimes the church can easily become the fellowship , the institution, the community where we retreat when the life and death of people is at play in the world. In a variety of ways to complicated

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to go into now. But you've been there and I've been there and let me say that God wants you in those places and with people whose lives and futures are at stake and don't allow yourselves to retreat

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into the church institution when transforming and changing the future for all. It's what jesus sent us to do , and not to take care of a few people in the church, but to battle the powers of

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darkness everywhere. By the way, just in closing , I've got to go 1995, I was in the Cuban embassy in New York City and met President Castro, but for some reason I forgot to mention

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that David had baptized a little boy under the nose of the state and that christ had brought hope and blessing to that family and to all of us who know the story. Sisters and brothers are closed by

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saying, lent is a time. This is a time for self examination and confession and grieving over our sin, but also for accepting the forgiveness of God . In jesus christ is the only way into the

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future that will keep us free and whole for the ministry to which we have been called a daily surrender to the invitation to follow. We know not where that's what God in jesus christ is calling us to

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during this Lenten journey. And I hope that you will get off the sidewalks and the sidelines when you attempted to run over to the safety and comfort of it, somebody smiling back at me and walk into

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righteousness history. Whenever the call comes, may come today may come tomorrow may come the third day. I love ourselves in your elbow cells, in your blessed be the God of all the peoples come in