The chorus of Billy Joel's song "Famous Last Words" begins with the phrase, "These
are the last words I have to say, that's why they took so long to write." Having spent the past few weeks
thinking of what I would say to you this morning on this last opportunity to speak as your Associate Pastor, I
have to say that I understand what he's talking about. How do you sum up three years of life and ministry together?
Figuring out these final words has been a difficult task as I've struggled with what I want to leave you with.
What has occurred to me as I've thought about this and as I've studied the passages for this morning, is that all
of us today are likely asking the question, "So what happens next?"
On one hand, this is an easy question to answer, both for you and for me. We all have our plans in place for the
next stage in life. You will move ahead in ministry with Molly as your new Diaconal Minister and Elaine as your
new Children's Ministries Assistant. They will serve the church well, I have no doubt, and will do great things
with your education and youth programs. This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in your life as a church,
and I am eager to see where God leads you in this time. As for my family and me, well, those plans are in place
as well. I'll be serving as a chaplain and pastoral counselor for Heartland Hospice. Lori has already begun her
tenure as pastor for Christ Church and First Church in Swedesboro and Gibbstown. She and Anna have settled into
our new home, and I'll be joining them permanently down there this afternoon. Everything is settled, everything
is in place.
There is, of course, the other hand. That nagging part of our souls that gets nervous in times of transition, that
part of us that questions even what we believe to be God's leadership. What if these changes don't turn out the
way we expect? What unimagined changes will accompany the changes we already know are coming? What happens when
the inevitable challenges that will accompany these changes begin to feel more than we can handle? How do we deal
with the pain of saying goodbye even when it accompanies the joy of new ventures in life? These are questions that
not only confront us on this day, but countless times in our lives as we face changes and challenges. Even when
we think we have things figured out and planned for, we have to acknowledge that we cannot fully know the future
and inevitably things will never happen exactly as we plan. Life is uncertain, and uncertainty can cause us anxiety
and fear.
Our Scripture lessons for this morning each offer us some insight into how to approach these questions. In each
of them, persons stand on the brink of realities that they cannot fully envision. In our lesson from Isaiah, the
Israelites face a crisis. They have diligently observed their religious ritual but have failed to live up to the
ideals behind them. God proclaims that this will not bring them divine favor, that they must put their faith into
practice or risk total annihilation. Isaiah suggests that there is hope if they turn from their ways, repent of
their sins, support the oppressed, and oppose injustice. The reading from Hebrews recounts the story of Abraham
as an example of true faith. Abraham, who at an old age was commanded by God to pack up everything, take his family,
and leave his home, wandering in the desert until God told him that he had reached the place he was to go. With
nothing but a promise from God, Abraham did as he was commanded, and risked everything to follow God into an unknown
place. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to his followers about that most obscure of topics, the time when he will return
to redeem all of creation. Jesus tells them basically to wait diligently, to keep alert, not to get too caught
up in the things of this world. The implication is that those who are too concerned about this present world are
the most likely to miss God's kingdom all together.
In each of these circumstances, the command of God is clear-act boldly, even if your future is uncertain. Obey
completely, even if obedience means taking a complete leap of faith. Wait diligently, even if you're not entirely
sure what it is that you're waiting for. Sound like a paradox? It is. Sound hard? You bet. But, no one ever said
that stepping into the unknown is easy or even easily understood. Time and again, we face circumstances in life
where we have to make a decision between staying in a reality that is known and moving into a new reality to which
God is calling us about which we can only imagine.
This is the circumstance that Lori and I found ourselves in several months ago when it became clear that her call
to ministry would take her to the Philadelphia side of New Jersey. We talked and prayed at length about how to
resolve the issue, and we considered numerous options including the possibility of us living separately so that
I could continue my ministry at Red Bank while Lori began her new ministry. We finally came to the realization
that this was a move that God was calling us to make together, not only for the sake of our family but also because
of my growing awareness that my own ministry was about to take off in a new direction. Believe me, though, leaving
my position here to go to something that I could not envision was a scary step. But if we were to be faithful to
where God was leading us, it was an essential step.
Life from time to time throws us situations like this one, situations where we must step out into unknown realities
in order to be true to God's leading in our lives. In reality, though, all of our lives are lived on the brink
of the unknown. At any moment, life could change in ways that are difficult to imagine. The loss of a job, a diagnosis
of cancer, the death of a loved one, perhaps even our own deaths, the truth is that any of these or any number
of other things could come along at any minute and fundamentally change everything about our lives. If we're honest,
we must acknowledge that there is very little in life that is certain.
So how do we live in the face of such uncertainty? This past week, I was attending a training event at the hospice
office where I will be serving as chaplain. One of the nurses was speaking, and she said something that has stuck
with me-"We can't add any days to our patient's lives, but we can add some life to their days." It seems
to me that this is what our lives of faith are all about. None of us are guaranteed anything beyond this moment,
so the question is, what will you do with this moment in life?
This is ultimately what our Scripture lessons for this morning are all about. Isaiah tells the people, forget the
sins of your past and don't fear the possible punishment of the future. Right here, in this moment, make a change.
The Hebrews letter commends Abraham for trusting God moment by moment. Abraham was content simply to follow God
without getting caught up in wondering where God was leading him. Jesus tells his disciples that life is transient
and that choosing to build our lives on anything except for God's promises will cause us to miss the kingdom altogether.
So what does this mean for us this morning, in the face of this change in our lives? What do we do with the uncertainty
and fear that accompanies this watershed event in the life of this congregation? The answer is clear. We acknowledge
the feelings, and then we move not as people who know where we're going, but as people who know with whom we're
going. We can move forward in faith even in the face of uncertainty not because we know where God is leading us,
but because we know that God always walks with us. We can make plans for the future not because we have any knowledge
of what the future holds, but because we trust that God who guides us will be there when our plans succeed and
when they fail. And, we can build relationships with one another not because we will never part, but because of
the promise that even in our parting, we will always be bound to one another in some inexplicable way in the love
of God that resides within each one of us.
And so, I come to the point where I must take my leave of you. I do so with a sad heart, already grieving the parting,
already feeling the pain of saying goodbye. But I also do so with a joyous and thankful spirit. I am thankful for
the three years that God has given us together, and I am thankful for the love and graciousness with which have
accepted my family and me as we have lived and worked here among you. And, I am joyous because I know that even
in the parting, God is leading us all in exciting new places even if we aren't entirely sure where those places
will be. God be with you, dear friends, as we all follow our God through the joyful uncertainty of faith. In the
name of God our loving parent, Christ our risen redeemer, and the Spirit that binds our hearts and lives always
together, even when we must part. Amen. |