The
Sunday
chool
Lesson
John Brayboy, Salem
Missionary Baptist Church
^
Make Ihe Hard Choices
Ezra 9:1-3; 10:9-14
Outline
I. Painful Discovery (Ezra 9:1-3)
II. Necessary Correction (Ezra
10:9-122)
III. Compassionate Obedience
(Ezra 10:12-14)
I. Painful Discovery (Ezra 9:1-3)
Ezra found out from the princes of
Israel that the people had not separated
themselves from the foreigners
around them. Surprisingly, it was the
leaders who were the participants in
this sin The very people who were
suppose to be setting tho example
were the very ones who were breakingthccommandmentsofGod.
Leaders
have a grave responsibility of
leading by example When they fail
to set fort a good example, those who
are supposed to be follow ing are apt
- to follow their example.
The leaders hadintcrmarricd with
those in the heathen nations around
them. The concern of the lay people
when they brought it to Ezra's attention
was that the line of Israel would
no longerbe pure. God wanted Israel
to be a separate people so that they
would be a light to the world. Intcr.
marrying with the heathen would
! take away from that distinction. There
J was concern also because they had
j just come out of exile for being disi
obedient to God. Those lay people
r did not want to see God's anger
kindled against them again.
When the leaders walk contrary to
the will of God, not only do they
sufTcr but the whole group will suffer.
Ezra was astonished at what he
heard thatthcleadersweredoing.He
was so amazed that he pulled his hair
4. out of his head andbeard, and tore his
j garment.
j II. Necessary Correction (Ezra
S 10:9-11)
* ' *
f After Ezra had prayed he called
~ . M . pi |,| ifc jfc.
for all the exiles to meet in three da> s
to deal with the matter of marrying
foreigners. They came together in
the rain, trembling from the rain and
the matter before them Ezra addressed
the crowd and made it clear
to them about their sins of taking
spouscsfromforeign lands This practice
had caused many of them to
follow after the idols of their spouses
Because they had done contrary to
God'scommandmcnt, Ezra told them
that they must confess and correct
the situation His instruction was
that they must separateJhcmsclves
from the people and their strange
w ives God's people cannot compromise
with the w orld and maintaining
their spiritual value with God I heard
a preacher say one time that a praying
knee and a dancing foot did not
grow on the same leg. God's people
cannot play with the world and stay
clean with God
///. Compassionate Obedience
. (Eva 10:12-14)
The congregation agreed to what
Ezra instructed them that they must
do. It was raining and there were so
many people involved that the people
requested that the matter be handled
by appointment Those who had taken
st range wives were told to stand The
elders from each city were to sec
about those in their city In most
eases thceldcr mcmfcfcr had w itnessed
these marriages and knew the particular
of them.
It was not a simple matter in Israel
to divorce someone. There were financial
considerations as well as responsibility
of children. While this
was a difficult situation for those
involved, it was something that had
to be done to avoid the wrath of God.
When people are faced with divorce
there is in most cases difficulty, but
those involved need to be fair. Also,
if it happens to someone we know.
We do not need to alienate ourselves
from them ; but for the grace of God.
it could be us.
Being faithful to God can call for
tough decisions, but it will be worth
it in at the end of life's way.
God bless you all until next week.
Pray for us.
Obituary
Mr. Miles (M. II.) Hammond
l.umberton, NC-Mr . Miles
Hartman (MH) Hammond. age 93.
of 631 Hammonds Road. Lumberton,
NC died Monday evening. November
3, 1997 at Southeastern Regional
Medical Center.
Mr Hammond was born in Robeson
County on December 7., 1903 to
the late Will H Hammond and Annie
Godwin Hammond of the Saddletree
community, and was a lifetime
farmer
Funeral services were held
Wednesday at 3 P.M. in Biggs Chapel
with the Rev Earney Hammonds
and Rev Jerry R. McNeill officiating
Interment followed in the
Hammond Family Cemetery.
Surviving are wife, Eunice
Hammond of the home; two daughters.
Doris Hall and Earnestinc
Locklcar both of Lumbcrton; two
sons. Douglas Hammond of Lumbcrton,
NC and Miles Judson Hammond
ofOccan Isle Beach. NC; threebrothers.
James Hammond of Red Springs.
NC. Ball French Hammond of Lumbcrton.
NC: and Carl Hammond of
Florida1 six sisters. Fannie Blanks of
Elizabcthtow n. NC; Jessie Bell Smith.
Vcrnic Chavis. Girlie Locklcar and
Grace Hammond Stewart , all of
Lumbcrton. NC. Julie Blankenship
of Georgia: 11 grandchildren: 10
greatgrandchildren and6 great-great
grandchildren. .? .
He was preceded in death by a son.
Harry Donald Hammond.
***
Loving-kindness is the better
part of goodness.
?W. Somerset Maugham
if " " ' ? -SN
Along the Robeson Trail
by Dr. Stanley Knick
^ ^ Director, UNCPNative American Resource Center J,
(Author's ^we: The extended
series on the context of the Lumbee
will continue after this timely
announcement.)
Those great Recollections
photographs are back! The Native
American Resource Center is pleased
to announce the return of the popular
photographic exhibit entitled
Recollections: Lumbee Heritage. This
exhibit is the result of a communitybased
cooperative project involving
the Native American Resource
Center, the Mint Museum in
Charlotte, the North Carolina Indian
Cultural Center and members of the
Lumbee community. It was originally
shown at the Mint Museum, and then
began its tour of other sites around the
state with a grand opening here in The
Center in 1995. Now the circle is
completed with this reprise showing
here in the land of the Lumbee.
The exhibit features two sets of
photographs. First is a collection of
images from earlier days in the lives of
the Lumbee. These particular
photographs were copied from the
family collections of numerous people
in the Lumbee community. They
reflect a wide range of topics and
activities selected under the following
four themes: Lumbee Relationship to
Balance; Lumbee Relationship to
Each Other, to Community and to
Family; Lumbee Relationship to the
Land; and Lumbee Relationship to
Nation.
While ihis first set of photographs
was being collected, oral histories
about the people and places in the
pictures were documented by Lumbee
writer Barbara Braveboy-Locklear. In
most cases this enabled us to provide a
more full cultural and historical
context to the photographs. These oral
histories, when they are available, he lp
the viewer to understand not only what
is going on in the picture but also what
the picture symbolizes. Beyond the
descriptive labels based on oral
histories which accompany each
photograph, visitors may pick up a
copy of the printed oral history of the
entire collection written by Ms.
Braveboy-Locklear. This collective
oral history statement is organized into
four sections corresponding to the four
themes of the exhibit (see above).
The second, and smaller, set of
photographs in Recollections consists
of modem pictures taken by Lumbee
photographer David Oxen dine and
Mint Museum photographer Robert
West These images serve several
purposes. They show contemporary
Lumbee people, including several
elders, and feature the continuity
between Lumbee past and Lumbee
present This continuity allows the
viewer to see that past and present
seem literally to flow into each other
? a vision which reveals that while
some things have changed among the
Lumbee, many other things have
remained much the same. These
modem photographs also capture parts
of the process of collecting old
pictures and oral histories.
B ut the intention of Recollections
is not to encapsulate all there is to
know about the Lumbee, nor to show
a picture of every deserving Lumbee.
No exhibit could do that. Hundreds of
photographs had to be left out in the
selection process, in order to make the
exhibit manageable and transportable.
What the exhibit does intend to do, and
what it ably accomplishes, is to
provide a glimpse into Lumbee
heritage through images and words.
Recollections: Lumbee Heritage
will be on display in The Center through
mid-January 1998. For more
information, visit the Native
American Resource Center in historic
Old Main Building, on the campus of
The University of North Carolina at
Pembroke. '
United Methodist
| Women
i of
PEMBROKE FIRST
| CHURCH
V will sponaar^,,. .. .
j CHRISTMAS
| BAZAAR
NOVEMBER 14 & 15
4 Friday from 5-8 p.m.
Saturday from 8 a.m. - 1
p.m.
3 ( Crafts, wreaths, baked goods,
preserves, jellies, relishes, etc.)
COME AND JOIN THE
| FUN
^ Hoi Dogs and Chili for Sale !!!
A; :/.**.11 j
::
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