Farewell Sermon to the Church First Congregational Church, Granby June 29, 2014

Transcription

1 Farewell Sermon to the Church First Congregational Church, Granby June 29, Corinthians For when one says, I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God s servants, working together; you are God s field, God s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God s temple and that God s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God s temple, God will destroy that person. For God s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness, and again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile. So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

2 In the scripture today, we learn the background story behind Paul s ministry of planting churches. Once Paul successful established a church, he would appoint leaders in that community to continue the work of the church and then move onto the next area of need. On occasion, Paul would go back to check on the churches, and like many of our own contemporary congregations, these churches had often taken one step forward and two steps backward. For change has always been difficult for human beings across the ages. When Paul went back to Corinth, he saw that they had strayed from the Gospel teachings. In fact, some members were worshiping Paul.the one who had taught them everything they knew and then had left them and some were worshiping Apollo, the new person in town with innovative and creative ideas. In the midst of all this, they had forgotten about worshiping God, through the person of Jesus Christ. Paul, as you heard from his words in the scripture, was none too pleased about this. He reminded them that he and Appollo were merely laying a foundation, as would those who came after them.layer upon layer of ministry that would eventually come into the fullness of the Word of God. Even though, its human nature to take sides and to align with someone who is close to oneself or sometimes, the opposite of oneself, Paul reminded them that they are not to take sides, but are to focus on the Good News of Jesus the Christ. As I thought about my final sermon to this congregation, I recognized that whenever there is a transition in ministry, it is always hard to say good-by to one person and welcome in a new one. However, you have worked hard to discern a new path for our youth and you are committed to a new way of doing ministry, and I have no doubt that you will find and call the right person and this transition will go along smoothly. I am also certain that unlike his reaction to the congregation at Corinth, Paul would only have praise for the way in which this church has maintained its focus on the Gospels. So, I will take my cues from Paul and my final Sunday at First Church, I have written a letter to this beloved congregation. I will call it Diann s Letter to the Granbyians? Granbyites? Granbydom? Hmmm let s just go with Diann s Lame Attempt to Out-Do Paul, since I tend to have some serious disagreements with Paul! So here goes.

3 To all the Saints in Christ Jesus who are in First Congregational Church, in Granby, Greetings to you from, Diann, your servant for this past year, may the peace and love of Christ be upon you on this day. I thank God every time I think of you and joyfully pray for you in all of my prayers and I will continue to pray these prayers for you long after this letter has been read. I want you to know, my beloved community, that you have offered me many gifts. You have supported me in times of great joy and happiness, from a move into town to a youngest son s graduation. You have offered me comfort and grace during difficult times of illness, stress, mishaps and bells. You have afforded me the gift of humor and light-heartedness, seeing the beauty and reverence within the imperfections of life. You have been steadfast in your love and care for me, and for that I am most grateful. You have offered me ways to learn and grow in ministry; kindly offering praise and criticisms, all spoken in truth and in love--- Glory be to God, in the name of Jesus Christ, who works through times of ease and times of dis-ease.

4 As I prepare to leave this place, I am filled with deep sadness and yet I must continue to trust that, though I do not know the road ahead, all will be well.all will indeed be well. Before I leave you, my beloved community, I offer these prayers: I pray that you will find in each baptized baby, a renewed understanding of the church s responsibility for welcoming this child into the fold of Christian community...nurturing, teaching, challenging and loving.the newly baptized child AND his/her parents, godparents and grandparents. I pray that, in your search, you will find a servant of God, who has the innate ability to bring the Good News of the Gospel alive for our young people and that it will be infectious within the congregation. I pray that our youth will find their hearts burning from within, desiring to learn more about their faith and how to live and serve as Christians in this world. I pray that the Spirit which has woven itself deeply into the warp and weft of the Women Spirituality Group will create a strong and resilient fabric that will surround the women with comfort and challenge to extend beyond their comfort zones.

5 I pray that our Stevens Ministers will fully understand the breadth and depth of their ministry as a healing balm to our congregation and continue to offer care and comfort to any and all who need a listening ear. I pray that the new way of governance will enable you to be more active in relational ministry and to be able to discard the yolk and burdens of committee structure. I pray that whenever you sit at the Communion table, you will see Christ sitting amongst you, feeling strengthened by his presence and a renewal of the promise he left behind in the empty tomb; one of love, hope and new life! I pray that you will embody the Good News of the Gospel, as Jesus preached at the beginning of his ministry, saying, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners And recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor I pray that new people will begin to see the light emerging from the cracks in this building; a light that offers hope in a community of faithful friends who are sharing in God s grace,

6 forgiving and being forgiven, and providing a place of respite in this dog-eat-dog world. I pray that you might grow in the peace and knowledge of Jesus Christ; gathering in groups small and large, to study God s word, to wrestle with the difficult passages and to ask yourselves, Where do I see myself in these ancient words? And in hearing these words, What is God calling me to do? My beloved First Church there is always the temptation to go it alone, this is uniquely human. Yet it is the Spirit of Christ who produces, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and selfcontrol. And it is the Spirit who gives us life and we must allow the Spirit to work in and through our lives. I pray that you will be continually perplexed and amazed at what is happening before us, and that you will make space for the movement of the Spirit, in and around and through each one of us. For, it is the Pentecost Spirit that descends upon those gathered together in a small room and breaks the doors and windows wide open, rushing in like a gathering storm.

7 And we know that it is in community where we experience resurrection. However, we also know that it is not limited to those here in the pew, but far beyond our walls, windows and doors. My friends, I pray that God will give you the courage to bring resurrection beyond this small community and into the far reaches of Gods creation; offering hope and new life to those in the margins of society. I am confident that the one who began good works among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. As I close this letter, I want each of you to know that what you have taught me here at First Congregational Church, Granby, I will carry with me in all my future ministries, for you have added bricks and mortar to my ministerial foundation. Indeed, I am eternally grateful. And so I ask, with the utmost of humility, that you please warmly welcome and embrace the next person you call into ministry for this wonderfully faith-filled congregation. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you and among you always. May God Bless each one of you! AMEN.