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How the Mighty Have Fallen Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 John Sumwalt Keith Hewitt Mark 5:21-43 — 1 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 — Psalm 130 |
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Contents
"How the Mighty Have Fallen" by John Sumwalt
"Death and Joy" by Keith Hewitt
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How the Mighty Have Fallen
by John Sumwalt
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said: "Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen!"
-- 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-19
It was to be a brief sorrowful sermon that first Sunday in July before Independence Day. The altar guild had decorated the chancel with two large bouquets of red, white, and blue carnations. Attendance was light, typical of holiday weekend Sundays when many families were traveling or attending to backyard barbecues. The few faithful souls who always came sang "America the Beautiful" and "My Country Tis of Thee" with a gusto that belied their numbers.
The pastor was on vacation. ...