HOW PURE
IS PURE ENOUGH?

For many years the Proctor & Gamble Company marketed a series of products under the brand name "Ivory." Among the products that carried the name were a bar soap, a liquid hand soap, a dishwashing detergent and a mild laundry detergent called "Ivory Snow." Soon after the product was introduced to the market the developer began to search for a new angle to hawk Ivory Soap. Realizing that people are impressed by scientific testimonials the manufacturer hoped to appeal to the great unwashed by using the marketing slogan "Ivory Soap is 99 and 44/100% pure." As far as I know they never did reveal what's in the other 56/100%. Nevertheless the slogan succeeded and they sold a lot of soap.

In the 1970's Proctor and Gamble conducted a search in an attempt to locate the Ivory Snow Girl - someone with a wholesome pure look that they could picture on the box of their detergent. Marilyn Chambers was the model selected to fill that role. Her picture appeared on every box of the product until it was discovered that after she auditioned, but before she was chosen as the Ivory Snow Girl, Marilyn Chambers had done work as an adult porn star. P&G quickly pulled the boxes from store shelves and simultaneously abandoned the slogan "Ivory Soap is 99 and 44/100% pure."

This weekend, as we continue our study on the Sermon on the Mount, our subject is purity. In Matthew 5:8 Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." But how pure is pure enough? Join us this Saturday at 5:30PM or Sunday morning at 9 or 11AM as we explore the answer.

Embracing the journey,

Pastor Rick