Introduction Acts 20 : 17 38 A Good Exit (Peter Hall s Farewell Sermon, 21 st July 2013) That reading from Acts 20 marks the apostle Paul s emotional farewell to the church in Ephesus. In October I am going to visit Miletus on my pilgrimage to the Seven Churches some of you will be there with me. Miletus was once a busy port, only a few miles from Ephesus itself, but because the estuary has silted up over the centuries it s now inland. However you can still see the remains of the harbour. Why do you think, when it was so close to the city of Ephesus, that Paul chose not to go back and see the whole church? Maybe to avoid what I m having to do now! Maybe he just couldn t face the big farewell. And he d only been there for three years, not twelve. Three years sounded like a very long time when I arrived here in 2001 today, it sounds like chicken feed a holiday! In preparing for today, I was reminded of a story about a vicar who was leaving a parish. He preached a wonderful last sermon and as people were shaking his hand at the door, an old chap said to the vicar. We ll miss you, the next vicar won t be as good as you! The vicar was flattered and humbly said, Oh, no I m sure that won t be true. Oh it will be, said the man, You see, I ve been a member of this church for forty years and have seen five vicars come and go and each one was worse than the last! I ve been thinking about how people say goodbye when they leave the vicarage or a meeting we ve been to Adios Amigo. Toodle-pip. I ll be back. See you later. (An unknown Hampshire saying to me in 2001 at first I used to check my diary, thinking, are we meeting later then? ) In our text, Paul uses none of these but makes a graceful exit by giving a pointed farewell message to the elders at Ephesus. He speaks about the past, the present and the future to makes them realise the importance of their faith in Jesus. I ve taken a leaf out of his book and followed the same pattern, picking up on some of Paul s phrases to make them my own and I hope relevant for us. Why don t you follow the text in the Bibles? The Past (verses 17 21) In saying goodbye, Paul reminds them of the past, saying: You know how I lived and I served you, even the midst of severe testing and I have declared faithfully that you should repent and have faith in Jesus Christ. A woman was looking at a friend and thinking that he looked depressed. What are you thinking about? she asked, My future, came the reply. What makes it look so hopeless? My past. Some people have such a bad past that they don t want to think about their future. As I look back over the last twelve years, you know how I ve lived. My past has been a joy, not every single second or every single day that would be unrealistic! But I have so much to look back on with real thankfulness, and I hope you do too. I went to a licensing of a new priest last month who said, I can t wait for the honeymoon period to end so I can get stuck into the real work. I must have had the longest honeymoon in history I don t feel it s over yet! Page 1 of 5
I don t know if you were around when I started here but I wanted to learn your names and faces quickly so I took some photos to help me to picture you when I prayed for you. I found these quite recently have a look. (PHOTOS) Paul talked about times of severe testing. I don t want to dwell on these but there have been difficult times. During my time here I have taken the funerals of forty-six church members nearly half of those were in my first two and half years. It got to the stage where I was frightened to go on holiday in case anyone else died whist I wasn t looking. I also had quite a distinctive hospital ministry in the early days; whenever I visited someone they seemed to die. I do remember one dear person telling me that they were going into hospital for an operation. She looked at me very seriously and said, You won t visit me, will you? I will leave here with lovely memories of times in the schools, of parish camps and camping weekends, of our lounge filled with CYFA members on a Sunday evening, of open days and carol services and your financial generosity at my sabbatical. I will also leave with memories of people who I have seen come to faith in Jesus and people who have grown in their love for him and trust in him. I have been so encouraged that so many of you have taken on leadership roles and shouldered responsibilities. Do you ever watch Bargain Hunt? (it has replaced Neighbours as my lunchtime TV fest!) Tim Wonnacott usually asks the person doing the professional valuations of the contestants purchases, Are you taking the auction today? Invariably they say yes and Tim responds, We re in safe hands. There has never been a more safe time for me to move on; in Greg, Brian, Rachel, the readers and other leaders St. John s is in safe hands. And of course, you are all undergirded by the very safe hands of God himself. Paul said. I have declared faithfully that you should have faith in Jesus Christ If my ministry has meant anything continue to declare that message in our community, in word and in deed. But enough of the past let s look at the present as we move on. The Present (verses 22-23) Paul says to the elders, And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. The present for Paul was that he found himself in limbo. He was in Miletus en route to Jerusalem and who knew what lay ahead. His present was, from a human point of view, uncertain. And yet he was so convinced that the Holy Spirit had called him that he was committed to that journey; to travel wherever he thought Jesus was leading whatever the future held. Paul s present commitment to Jesus Christ was remarkable. A university student walked into a print shop with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture reproduced. As the shop assistant removed the photo from its frame she saw some writing on the back of the photograph: My dearest Tom, it said, I love you with all my heart. I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever and ever. I am yours for all eternity. It was signed Helen. But underneath was written P.S. If we ever break up, I want this picture back. Jesus says to us, I will love you forever, I am yours for eternity and you are mine. His commitment to us as individuals is total and unconditional and unchanging. He is committed to us when our present is wonderful and we can sense his presence and hear his voice. But he is also committed to us when our present is hard or uncertain and when all we have to hold on to is a promise or a sense of call. Page 2 of 5
Perhaps some of us need to really hear that this morning because there may be change and uncertainty in all kinds of areas in your lives, not just in church. How is your present? How is it really? My honest present now, this minute is filled with tremendous sadness and a growing sense of loss. It s your own fault I hear some of you say, unsympathetically! But, like Paul, I feel compelled by the Holy Sprit to go to Crookhorn and Rosalynd and I have committed our lives to following the Lord wherever he leads. So my greater present (outside of this moment) is actually really exciting, albeit uncertain in all sorts of ways. And so is yours. Paul concludes his farewell address with some words about the future. The Future (verses 24 38) A fortune-teller, gazing into a crystal ball, said to a frog: You are going to meet a beautiful young woman. From the moment she sets her eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you, you ll fascinate her. Very excited, the frog asked, Where will this take place? A princess party? A singles bar? No, said the fortune-teller, A biology class. Paul s Goal for the future Paul had been warned by the Holy Spirit that his biology class came in the form of prison and hardships. Now, I ve checked and I don t think that Crookhorn has a prison but I m sure there will be times of hardship along the way. But come rain or shine, Paul says that material difficulties mean nothing to him; his only aim is to finish the race and complete the task. I believe that should be the aim of every Christian; to finish the race (in other words, to keep going on the Christian journey, to keep loving the Lord Jesus, to keep close to him by reading his word and receiving more of his Spirit). How else could Paul have felt compelled by the Spirit, if he didn t have an ongoing relationship with him? As to completing the task of ministry? It s clear elsewhere in the New Testament that Paul viewed ministry as a shared and living thing; but he wanted to fulfil and complete his part in it. I ve tried to complete my part in the broad task of ministry here at St John s; but ministry, of course, is bigger than me. In a sense we are all here just for a season; we must be faithful in our season to what the Lord is calling and equipping us to do and be and then pass on the baton for someone else to take the task forward and develop it. Some things I ve been passionate about may end once I ve gone. That s fine; something new and exciting will come after. Please don t say to the wardens, or Greg, or the new incumbent Peter wouldn t have liked that, or Peter wouldn t have done that. It s not helpful and may not even be true! Paul s Concerns for the future Paul s future concern was for the church. He was concerned that the church members keep an eye on one another and care for one another; Keep watch over yourselves he says. That s my concern too. Folks, please don t let a few people shoulder all the burdens and all the responsibilities; care for one another and don t moan about one another or criticise when things inevitably get overlooked or done differently. I know only too well that when we re under additional stress and strain we say harsh things that we don t really mean but they still wound. Appreciate each other, build each other up, prepare expectantly for this new chapter in your life. Paul was also concerned about false teachers invading the church. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you. in verse 29. I m not really concerned about that here but savage wolves may come in other guises to break the fellowship. Watch out for them. I am not concerned about false teachers but I am concerned about church growth. Our greatest future concern should be for people to come to know Jesus and grow in him. Remain welcoming, generous, outward focussed and mission minded and seek to live and share the Gospel whenever you can. Page 3 of 5
Paul s Commendations into the future Finally, at the conclusion of his emotional address, Paul commends everyone to God and his Word. The passage ends, When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. Well, thankfully you are not going to accompany me to a ship you all know that I am not good on water I m probably better in the garden than I am on the sea and that s saying something! But I know that you will be praying for us as the moving vans arrive on August 14 th and you will remain in our prayers; particularly as the year progresses. You probably know that one of my favourite pastimes (behind gardening and walking in the countryside, of course) is music and theatre. One of mine and Rosalynd s favourite shows is called Wicked. It s the story of the teenage relationship between the two witches in The Wizard of Oz ; Glinda, the Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. At the end of the show, the two look back on their friendship and their life together as they prepare to say goodbye. They sing a wonderful song called, For Good. Listen to some of the lyrics. Like a comet pulled from orbit As it passes a sun Like a stream that meets a boulder Halfway through the wood Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you I have been changed for good It well may be That we will never meet again in this lifetime So let me say before we part So much of me Is made from what I learned from you You'll be with me Like a handprint on my heart And now whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine By being my friend Like a ship blown from its mooring By a wind off the sea Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you (because I knew you) I have been changed for good I wish I d written those words myself for this occasion but even though they re borrowed, every one is true. Because I knew you I have been changed for good. And I hope that because you have known Rosalynd, Jonathan, Becky, Xander and me, you ve been changed too; not by me or us but by God. Then everyone wept as they embraced Paul and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. (verse 38) Page 4 of 5
I am only over the hill and it s very likely that you will see my face again especially as I understand many people in Crookhorn come shopping in Fareham as it is a better than Waterlooville. But I won t be coming back to take services that wouldn t be helpful, to you or me. And although I do hope that as many of you as possible will come to my licensing on Monday, September 2 nd at 7.30pm, I hope you ll give me space to get to know my new congregation by not popping over to see me on a Sunday morning! But we d love the odd email, phone call or card to let us know your news. Conclusion In parting from the elders in Ephesus, Paul shared his heart and bared his soul. When you care for someone very much saying goodbye causes a certain amount of grieving; it s natural but it s tough. Despite their tears and embraces, I think Paul made a graceful and good exit. I d like to do the same but forgive me if I don t emulate Paul and end up in tears. I d like to end by reading Abraham Lincoln s short Farewell Address as he left his home town of Springfield to start his inaugural journey to Washington, D.C. on February 11 th, 1861. My friends, no one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell. Amen Page 5 of 5