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Pastor Bert Nieuwenhuis

A Catholic priest working in an inner city was walking down an alley one evening on his way home when a young man came down the alley behind him and poked a knife against his back. "Give me your money," the young man said. The priest opened his jacket and reached into an inner pocket to remove his wallet, exposing his clerical collar. "Oh, I'm sorry, Father," said the young man, "I didn't see your collar. I don't want YOUR money."

Trembling from the scare, the priest removed a cigar from his shirt pocket and offered it to the young man. "Here," he said. "Have a cigar."

"Oh, no, I can't do that," the young man replied, "I gave them up for Lent."

That is funny isn't it. But that is now exactly were the Lord Jesus is talking about in this part of the Gospel Text Matthew 6: 16-18.

The following is supposedly a true story. Shortly after the 911 emergency number became available, an elderly and quite ill lady appeared in a Rochester hospital emergency room, having driven herself to the hospital and barely managing to stagger in from the parking lot. The horrified nurse said, 'Why didn't you call the 911 number and get an ambulance?'

 

The lady said, 'My phone doesn't have an eleven.'

 

That makes you smile doesn't it but there are many in our world who do not know to call on Jesus. And they stagger, barely managing through life. That is our subject for this morning some one not knowing Jesus.

 

It was the first day of basketball practice at Wingate High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Coach handed a ball to each player.