Reflections on "83 96 110 463"

My final sermon as the minister of First Presbyterian Church, Troy, OH, where I have served this wonderful congregation for seventeen years.

the sermon went through several iterations, including multiple Scripture choices.  I ended up with the passage from 1 Timothy because of the important role community plays in the life of this congregation.

the first sermon draft has several good stories, one of which made the final sermon, but in the end, it was too much story and not enough Gospel.

The second draft brought the sacraments into the sermon because sacraments are central to our life together as a community of faith.  The focus on sacrament also fit with the celebration of the Lord's Supper and the renewal of baptismal vows that we did later in the service.  I wanted my last act as a minister here to be administering the sacraments because they speak so much to our connectedness and our hope as people of God.

My third draft expanded the sacraments section to include worship and added the story from Acts that I had preached in my first sermon to the congregation in 1999.  The theme of that sermon was storytelling, which then gave the structure to the sermon.

The sermon went ok in the Chapel service; it seemed to work better at the Sanctuary service.  I might have been a bit too serious in the Chapel, but in the Sanctuary service they posted a photo of me from a 1979 production of "Sound of Music" just prior to the sermon, which lightened my mood.

“83 96 110 463” September 4, 2016; FPC, Troy; 2 Timothy 1: 1-5

(2 Timothy 1:1-5) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God--whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did--when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. (NRSV)

Introduction: Mother's day, 1999. I preached here before the congregation voted to call me as its pastor.

The sermon text was the passage we read today from Acts, and the sermon focused on the story Paul had to tell the Athenians.

He proclaimed to them the God he knew, the God he wanted them to know.

Lots of stories racing through my mind this morning.

If I were writing a story of my time here in Troy, here are some of the chapters.

Move 1: first chapter would be about surprises.

a. June 1, 1999 I started here. it was the hottest week of the summer, sort of like the last few weeks. Surprise – who knew OH could be hotter than KY.

      1. someone told me not to shut the double doors on Walnut St. “We put a couple of big fans at the end of the hallway upstairs and downstairs and draft in the air when it gets really hot.

“why not turn on the air conditioning,” I asked.

“Air conditioning? We don't have air conditioning anywhere but the Sanctuary.” Surprise!

Note to self – next time ask if there is air conditioning.

b. Perhaps the biggest surprise was discovered when we held town hall meetings that first month.

1. Mind you, when I had visited here with the search committee I had noted that the building looked like it might need an upgrade.

I was not very interested in a building project because we had just finished one in the church I served in KY.

2. Top things you wanted the church to do.

3. Mission was number one. New building was number two.

4. at the January Session retreat we formed an exploratory committee for building needs and to have a capital campaign.

5. Surprise. Note to self. Do not trust search committees.

100. But I learned a lot.

1. Since I did not know much about this congregation, I had to rely on the incredible leadership that came forward to lead us in the building project and in the raising of nearly $2 million.

            2. What a gift of leadership, but also the gift of reminding me that the work of God is done by the people of God, not the minister!

Move 2: which leads to the second chapter – downtown church.

a. We worship the God of the incarnation.

    1. The God who meets us where we are.

2. the God who calls us to minister where we are.

b. this church is downtown, which means it brings God's presence to downtown Troy.

1. the Giving Tree;

    2. the Breakfast Club.

    3. the many groups that meet here.

    4. now the Columbarium that announces our hope in the resurrection

    5.  as many of you know, my office has a huge window that basically has an not so pretty view of buildings and  a roof.

Through the years, lots of ideas how to change the view – paint it, rooftop garden;

But I have left it with the view so that every day when I step into my office or when anyone comes to see me, we are reminded that FPC, Troy is a downtown church called to be God's presence here.

Move 3: Prayer

    a.  In the chapter I would tell the story about the time I was doing the prayers and one of the prayer cards flew off the pulpit to the ground down below.  As I was praying, I was thinking that i could not let that prayer on the ground miss being part of the prayers.  

It was before I had a lapel mike, so I also realized that I would need to do something quickly to interrupt the prayer as little as possible.  Suddenly it hit me, I could jump down and get back up really quickly and no one would even notice.

Except for the noise I made when my big body landed on the floor below the pulpit.  I bent over to pick up the card, and when I looked up, three people were already out of the pews coming down that aisle and one member of the choir already had one leg over the choir rail. 

I guess they thought I had dropped dead of a heart attack.

That does not have much to do with the point of the chapter, but it's a fun story!

b. Prayer chain - what a gift to have prayer warriors to send out prayers requests, knowing that they will faithfully remember that need every day when they pray.

c. Prayers of the people in worship.

    1. powerful moments of lifting up our joys and concerns.

2. Former member who died, She would get up early in the morning and watch the news. She would always remember those beyond our church walls.

3.  The power of our prayers is not just for us, but for all of God's people.

Move 4: chapter on change – Change

a. We have had some changes.

1. Can you add screens to a historic sanctuary? Yes you can.

2.  Can you use technology to do a weekly newsletter and a web-site. Yes.

3. can you have communion each month and it still be meaningful?  Yes. 

2. new building.

b. Change will continue.

1. As I was going through my drawer where I have put cards and notes people have written me, I found an ugly pink postcard.

2. it had been sent to me by the secretary at the church I served in KY.

3. she had written on it something to the effect, “we finally have used the last of that awful color of postcard stock paper you made us buy.”

     4. It was postmarked 2005.  For six years, the congregation had been stuck with ugly, pink stock paper I had chosen to use.

c. as you move through the changes that will come, please do not feel the need to defend any idea because you connect it with me.

1. so if you want, keep this worship folder somewhere and if you get too nostalgic, those are hymn numbers of hymns I have chosen for us to sing.

Hymns I have chosen for us to sing -- one was unsingable, one is to the wrong tune, one just did not work; one should have worked but y"all messed it up so that's not on me!

3. then you can be reminded that the things that worked, worked because of you and by the grace of God.

4. and move forward boldly to find new ways of serving God.

Move 4: Caring for my family.

a. My wife Leslie and I brought three young girls into your midst.

1. In many ways, unshaped and unformed.

2. This community has given them shape and form.

       3. On the night I met the congregation in 1999, it was my youngest daughter's first birthday. At the potluck, they had a cake for her. Pretty cool.

But they also had a cake for everyone else who had a birthday that day or near that day.

It hit me then – this congregation will not only love my children, but they also will love each other.

And you have.

b. I can never repay or thank you enough for what you have meant to my family.

Move: Worship

a. This place is a special place.

1. I have baptized, buried, married, confirmed here.

2. I have appeared in costume, run down the aisles, even turned the pews around once or twice so we could talk to each other face to face. Not to self – moving huge pews is not a great idea.

3. I have had the incredible opportunity of standing here each Christmas Eve to tell the story of Christ's birth as I looked out over the sea of faces who filled the pews.

b. Today, I finish my work here among you in this place celebrating the sacrament of our Lord’s Supper and renewing our baptismal vows (By the time we are done this morning, that may go down as one of those not so good ideas!).

1. Although I love preaching, my greatest joy has been to administer the sacraments.

2. To invite you to meet the Risen Christ at his Table.

3. To proclaim God's covenant with us in the waters of baptism.

c. My first Sunday here I baptized a baby.

1. I met with the parents that week.

2. They graciously invited me to baptize their son instead of lamenting that I was a minister they did not know.

3. They let me take off down the aisle with their baby (although

500. I did not know it that morning, but I have learned it since. When this congregation takes its vows to nurture and help raise the child in the faith, you really mean it.

1. When Paul writes to timothy about seeing the faith of his mother and grandmother in him, I know what he is describing because I have seen it here.

           2. It has been amazing to watch that commitment played out through the years.

c. AS we gather around our Lord's Table today, we say we are united with those who have come before and those who will follow us.

1. As I often do, I will remember those saints who have come before us. I still can see some of the saints from this church that I have known and are no longer with us.

2. In the future, as you gather around the Table here and I do so in TX, I will remember your faces.

3. Until we meet again at the heavenly banquet in heaven.

Conclusion: Paul had a story to tell.

A story about the God he knew and the God he wanted them to know.

It is the same story we tell. The story about the God we know and the God we want others to know.

I thank you for the privilege of letting me tell that story with you for the past seventeen years.

Amen.