Trying Out Another Sin Project

Trying Out Another Sin-Project

29-30"What do you have against me,

running off to assert your 'independence'?"

God's Decree.

"I've wasted my time trying to train your children.

They've paid no attention to me, ignored my discipline.

And you've gotten rid of your God-messengers,

treating them like dirt and sweeping them away.

31-32"What a generation you turned out to be!

Didn't I tell you? Didn't I warn you?

Have I let you down, Israel?

Am I nothing but a dead-end street?

Why do my people say, 'Good riddance!

From now on we're on our own'?

Young women don't forget their jewelry, do they?

Brides don't show up without their veils, do they?

But my people forget me.

Day after day after day they never give me a thought.

33-35"What an impressive start you made

to get the most out of life.

You founded schools of sin,

taught graduate courses in evil!

And now you're sending out graduates, resplendent in cap and gown—

except the gowns are stained with the blood of your victims!

All that blood convicts you.

You cut and hurt a lot of people to get where you are.

And yet you have the gall to say, 'I've done nothing wrong.

God doesn't mind. He hasn't punished me, has he?'

Don't look now, but judgment's on the way,

aimed at you who say, 'I've done nothing wrong.'

36-37"You think it's just a small thing, don't you,

to try out another sin-project when the first one fails?

But Egypt will leave you in the lurch

the same way that Assyria did.

You're going to walk away from there

wringing your hands.

I, God, have blacklisted those you trusted.

You'll get not a lick of help from them."

“A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."

The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying." (http://www.broadcaster.org.uk/section2/jokes/christianjokes.html )

Father Bob plays the fool with drive-through confession plan

A April 1st, 2011 story reports “As part of the plan sinful could repent on the run with the opening today of Australia's first drive-through confessional.

And we reported, The pray-as-you-go service was set to become slicker, with a sin-selection board to be installed by Easter and a smartphone app on the way.

South Melbourne Catholic priest Fr Bob Maguire said yesterday that the move brought the church up to speed with modern life.

"Everybody drives past this place but no one comes in," Fr Maguire said.

"Now they can stop at the window, open their window and confess their sins. Then I'll reassure them that they'll be right."

The 60-second car wash for the soul was supposedly to include a symbolically refreshing spray of rose water.

A flashing green light will signal when a driver's sins have been forgiven. "When you're driving out you'll be clean as a whistle," Fr Maguire said before his prank was revealed.

The seven cardinal sins - lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy and pride - will be numbered on a sign, Chinese menu-style.

From 6.30am, sinners will repent at a mobile unit dubbed the Hopemobile in the St Peter and Paul's church driveway, confessing, for instance, to three No.7s and a No.4.

Fr Maguire proposed the coded response was meant to maintain confidentiality.

A more permanent set-up should be in place by Easter and Fr Maguire is hoping for a sponsor to cover set-up costs.

He said some overseas churches had confessional sponsors. At least one had a bookmaker as the backer. "They called it O'Flaherty's sin bin or something," he said.”

It turns out Father Bob was playing an April Fools joke, but the Catholic Church wasn’t laughing. (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/your-sins-forgiven-on-the-run/story-fn7x8me2-1226031638372 )

“A Pastor got pulled over for a speeding ticket, and he told the approaching police officer “Blessed are the merciful”. The Policeman, after handing the Pastor the ticket said “Now go and sin no more!” (unknown, adapted)

I found it interesting this translation of Jeremiah was subtitled “Trying out another sin project”. The key discussion here is about sin. Listen again to the points God made:

• You asserted your independence

• You paid no attention to me

• You ignored my discipline

• You said “Were on our own”

• And not just approving of sin “founded schools of sin”. Taught other people, spread the destruction of sin.

Sin as we know is “separation from God”. I heard mark Krause say SIN is “Selfish Indulgence (in what we think we) Need”.