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Scripture
Reading:
NRS Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from
the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell
with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4
he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and
crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." 5
And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all
things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are
trustworthy and true." 6 Then he said to me, "It is done!
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will
give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those
who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be
my children.
In the last few weeks I have talked about Grace, Love and
Discipleship, about God’s unwavering love, about following Christ and what God
wants from us. Today I begin a series of sermons that leads us to saying
Goodbye. My farewell is not far away at this point as God takes me on my
continuing journey of faith. Just as Abraham went from where he was to where
God wanted him to be, so too will Bonnie and I begin a new phase of our journey
in a new place. But I would be remiss if I did not try to answer the one
question that has been asked over and over again in the last few weeks. Will
the new preacher be ok? Will the church continue to grow? And the number of
similar questions worded different ways. There is a problem here. The problem
is that those asking the question are hoping that I have a simple answer. The
challenge is always how one answers a closed ended question when the answer is
complicated and open ended. By that I mean, there is an answer, and for the
last five years we have focused on discipleship, learning to be followers of
Christ and Changing lives for Christ has been our mantra. The answer is
simplest terms is that when we truly become Disciples of Christ; God will
direct us to become the instruments of his glory. That seems so simple. I liken
it to a story I heard once of a child who came home from Sunday school to tell
his father about Moses at the Red Sea. The young man described how the
Israelites had put down pontoon bridges for their jeeps to cross on. Then, as
Pharaoh approached and his army came over the bridges, they were dynamited and
the whole Egyptian army sank in one fell swoop. The father calmly asked the
excited son if that was really the way it happened. The child's response was,
"No, but if I told you what they really said at church, you sure wouldn't
believe it."
Most scholars believe
that the Apostle John on the island of Patmos was chosen by God to see the
future. A vision of something so lovely that John could hardly describe it in
terms that we can understand. Maybe that
is why the Revelation of John is so difficult to interpret even today. John was
having a mountaintop experience as he looked into the future and saw Jesus
return to the earth. A new heaven and a new earth he tells us as he looks into
that vision and sees the city of God coming down to earth. Can you imagine it?
Heaven here on earth! A place of joy and celebration and the complete absence
of pain and suffering, hate and anger, war and conflict. A place where the lion
and the sheep lay down beside each other in harmony and peace. Is it truly
possible? Since John wrote down this vision Christians have been waiting and
praying for this vision to become a reality. You see he saw the effects of
churches like ours transforming lives.
We sit here today at the
crossroads of a new reality for Grace. A new reality that in fact only God can
create! A new reality that will make us a part of the beautiful creation that
John saw in his vision! But it takes two things for this beautiful vision to
come our new reality. It takes trust and prayer. Trust that God can do what we
cannot begin to understand or even figure out how to make it happen. We must
learn to trust God with our lives, our time and our money. Billy Graham once
said that the best thing that could happen to Western Christianity was for all
the special funds that churches keep as sacred to dry up and go away. It is
then that Rev Graham said that we could finally learn how to be church again. I
believe that the core of what he is saying is that the issue of trust is the
most important aspect of believing that we can be something other than what we
think we are capable of. If we sit and look back at the last three years we
have come to an amazing place with amazing people. All because of God! We did
what some said was impossible not because we are exceptional people but because
we trusted God to do exceptional things. And it requires prayer. We must become
an intentional prayerful church. Each and every one of you needs to have an
intentional prayer life. It begins today. Make a commitment to pray to God at
least 30 minutes throughout the day. Pray for those who are in need, pray for
those who need healing, pray for those in need of comfort, pray for your own
lives and the things you need and then pray to God for guidance and direction.
Are you interested in continuing that ride? I am! We need to be about the
business of transforming lives.
We can make a difference
in the next year. We can make a difference in the next five years. It begins
with trust. It requires love. Do you love one another without hesitation,
without fear, without regard to where we came from and who our parents are? If
not we must. And then it requires commitment. The early disciples were asked to
drop what they were doing and follow Jesus. My vision does not require you to
leave your jobs or your current lives but it does require you to reach outside
your comfort zones. We begin this process by determining the why question. So
the first thing beyond trusting God is praying to God for guidance and
direction. I believe that this church can be the center of mission and
transformation for the Town of Parksley and Accomack County but it takes the
Body, that’s you, to be in agreement with that. Are you ready to be the Body of
Christ and to transform lives for Jesus Christ? That is what church is about,
what is at the core of who it is supposed to be and about what I am determined
to make Grace known for. Transforming lives is the business we need to be in.
In fact I challenge you to a new reality, Each One, Reach One. If each one of
you will make a decision to reach one person for Christ in the next 365 days
this church can double its numbers of family members. But it requires that you
make that determination and then follow through. Not all will be successful but
if you don’t try then you surely will fail.
Five years ago I
envisioned a church that has a continued mission focus on benevolence – giving
of what we have to those in need. Today we have already given more than 24% of
our income, about $ 22,580, to mission including local, regional and
international benevolence. We provide food for those that are hungry but we can
do better. If God is calling you this morning think about how a food pantry
would make a difference in our community. We provide assistance to local and
international mission. If God is calling you this morning think about how we
can channel resources to build and rebuild homes for those in deep need.
Transforming lives through love is central to who we are.
Five years ago I
envisioned a church that has a focus on our young people. Thanks to some
dedicated people like Donna Nelson and Dan and Mary Derby we have more children
attending than when Bonnie and I arrived here. If God is calling you this
morning think about how we can develop children’s programs like monthly movie
nights with pizza or training on alcoholism and drug abuse or providing safe
sanctuary for kids in crisis that walk our streets. I envision a church that
wants to transform the lives of our young people by offering them mission
opportunities, lifting up some to movements like Emmaus and District and
Conference programs like Reach which puts them in the midst of making a
difference in the world. If you are called by God this morning to lead young
people then think about how to invite them in. Transforming the lives of young
people assures that God’s message of love and redemption continues on.
Five years ago I
envisioned a church that nurtures its own and follows Christ’s example to teach
us how to be disciples. God called us all to discipleship, daily reading, and
constant prayer, God first and service to others before self. The marks of
discipleship were evident in those who built, rebuilt and witnessed in this
church before we were born, in our childhood and even now. Forty of you worked
with me through learning about your skills that God had given you and what it
means to be a disciple. It is about being part of the Body of Christ by
participating, becoming more like Christ by modeling our lives after His and
joining Christ where He is already working in the world around us. If God is
calling you this morning to nurturing relationships then think about being part
of a visitation team for our shut-ins, writing cards, mailing good will
packages, and working diligently to be the type of disciple Peter, James, John,
Paul and even Thomas were. Ordinary people God used to transform the world
around them. Don’t think you can? Trust God. We transform at home first just as
Christ did.
Think our vision is too
ambitious? Christ began Christianity with 12 people and look at what has been
accomplished. When we create expectations that are comfortable and achievable we
never succeed. But when we create goals we know we cannot do without God’s
help, God always provides. Would you rather be a church that is mediocre and
dying or a church alive with the spirit of Pentecost? Transforming lives is
what we are supposed to be.
I heard this story once and thought it would be a great
story of life for a Christian. A disciple of Christ was in Chicago recounts
this story. One night in Chicago, many years ago, when I was on my way home, I
saw a man leaning against a lamp-post. Stepping up to him, and placing my hand
on his shoulder, I said—"Are you a Christian?" The man flew into a
rage, doubled up his fist, and I thought he was going to pitch me into the
gutter. I said, "I'm very sorry if I've offended you, but I thought I was asking
a proper question." "Mind your own business," he roared. "That
is my business," I answered. About three months later, on a bitter cold
morning, about daybreak, someone knocked at my door. "Who's there?" I
asked. A stranger answered, and I said, "What do you want?" "I
want to become a Christian," was the reply. I opened the door, and, to my
astonishment, there was the man who had cursed me for talking to him as he
leaned against the lamp-post. He said, "I'm very sorry. I haven't had any
peace since that night. Your words have haunted and troubled me. I couldn't
sleep last night, and I thought I'd come and get you to pray for me." That
man accepted Christ, and the moment he had done so asked—"What can I do
for Him?" He taught in the Sabbath school until the Civil War broke out,
when he enlisted, and was one of the first to be shot down, but not before he
had given a ringing testimony for God.
You see, the teller of this story was about transforming
lives. When you are in that business God will bring you lives to transform. Are
you ready to make a difference in the world around us?
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