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First Sunday at Trinity 4th Sunday after Pentecost Let the Words of My Mouth and the Meditations of my heart find favor in thy sight. Wow….what a couple of weeks…..As a church you have been asked to walk an emotional tight rope of sorts…You have had to say good by to a beloved rector and much loved friend….and while doing that you have managed to welcome a new person who's reputation is yet to be determined and whose leadership style remains up till today to be un-tested. For all of us life lately truly has been a roller coaster of a ride…With that being said Denise and I want to thank you for the hours of work in our house, and for the hours you have spent in this church preparing for this weekend. You have done two things which mean so much to us…you have welcomed our family and friends….and you have helped Denise and I turn a newly purchased house into a home…You can not put a value on that kind of welcome so once again…thank you all very much. Because of the hectic nature of this week and the fact that I have felt like there has been very little time to think I am surprised and excited to tell you that I have noticed a transition in my life. Now I know what your thinking… So before you fire me for being dense let me say that I recognize that yesterday was an important transition. Furthermore I assure you that while I am have yet to fully understand its on going ramifications the day was certainly noticed and it will not be forgotten… but my ordination is not the transition I am talking about. This transition was slightly more subtle than that. I noticed this transition while I was on the phone with my father. At the end of our conversation my dad told me to take care of myself, and I responded with we will. Upon hanging up the phone what I had done struck me…my dad had addressed something to me and yet I was thinking about three people…my wife, my child, and myself…..and so I answered we will… We will…..it is an answer which our faith demands from us time and time again…. At ordinations…its asked Will you up hold this person in his ministry…..and answered We will At weddings….Will all of you witnessing these vows do all in your power to up hold these two persons in their marriage? Again We will And perhaps most importantly at baptisms…Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support this person in their life in Christ? We will! We will, we will, we will …We Will As an answer it knows no deadline, We will… as a promise it is infinite. We will… It exists in a world full of complications and competing interests, and yet it has no escape clause….no pre nuptial agreement entitling you to something else…something lesser if things don't quite work out…you either will or you wont….We will thus does not end…extra credit is not built up for work already done…We will is like our faith…continually renewed with the waters of baptism…with the breaking of the bread… and each time it is renewed we begin the task of we will again. We will is thus unique because it is as final as it is limitless. In the second lesson we heard today Paul gives the people of Corinth some much needed advice…it is advice that is timeless, I know for a fact my grandfather has said this to me …my mother has as well… and so has my wife often when times are rough or un-certian…that advice is to finish what you start….As the People of Corinth struggle to live their faith Paul say's "in This matter I am giving my advice…It is appropriate for you who began last year to do something….to now finish doing it. So that your eagerness may be matched by your completion…the advice is simple. Finish what you start. Today we start something….where it goes and how it gets there is in part up to us but largely it is up to the Holy Spirit, and while in some ways our journey may be ambiguous one thing that is absolutely clear is that the journey begins with we will. As a church we will engage Waterloo, Iowa, and the World as a mission for Christ, As a group we will be come known in the area for our works of charity and in these things Christ will be present. We will be a place of fun and fellowship We will also be a place where hurts and sorrows can safely be shared…and we will be a place where the Holy Spirit will continue to heal. We will be known for an excellent preschool and we will create opportunities for learning and perhaps as equally important opportunities for memories. We will be a place of abundance….of faith overflowing… We will be a place of trust…knowing that God will provide We will be place of dynamic worship….we will truly sing and shout our praises We will in short be an outpost for Christ. Where there is need we will go, where there is passion we will burn, where there is hurt, we will cry…but we will also heal, Where there is love we will rejoice. We will When we live into We Will there is much power….even greater potential….and infinite ways to show the love of Christ…Can you tell that I am excited…You have already done so many things, you all bring talents that can be explored… experiences that are valued… and equipment for our journey together…I have no doubt that we will finish what we start today…So on that note I'm going to end this sermon with a question…the answer to which is a resounding we will…but only say it if you mean it. Will all of you commit with me today to abundantly live as a mission for Christ. We will Amen |
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