Our lectionary passages this morning concern radical change, perhaps none more radical that Peter's vision in the 11th chapter of Acts. Most of us don't give much thought to what we eat and, if we do, our concern is more with calories than holiness. We don't consider food groups to be "clean" or "unclean," but Simon Peter did. In fact, what he put into his mouth was an integral sign of his faith, and it had been so since the Holiness Codes were written (see Lev. 20:25) For more than a 1000 years, Jews had been defined (in part) by what they ate, and so the new thing that Peter saw was mind-blowing! While it is still true that we honor God in the choices we make, we know that it is what's on the inside that makes us holy. On the other hand, God's new commandment- that we love one another as he has loved us- is also extremely radical. It is so radical in fact that it is yet to be achieved! Either one of these passages is rich for any preacher, but as I near retirement, I am increasingly aware of the new thing that God is doing or trying to do) in our midst, right here at SPPC. Therefore, the Scripture that undergirds my message today comes from the 43 chapter of Isaiah. It concerns the new thing that God is doing for a people who have lost most of their hope, and I think it is fits us well because we have lived through some hard times, and more importantly, because God is doing a new thing, right now, right here, at SPPC! In fact, He's doing several new things- things that will give us a future if we make them our own.
Someone asked me what I thought would happen to this church when I leave, and I said, "It's up to you." There is a little story about a student of philosophy who wanted to show his master that he was ready to graduate. So he approached him and told him that he had a small bird in his cupped hands. Master, he asked, Is this bird dead or alive? He was amused at his own cleverness because his teacher couldn't win. If his master said that the bird was alive, he'd crush it, and if he said it was dead, he would open his hands and let it go free. "Well," he asked, "Is this bird dead or alive," and his master replied, "The answer lies in your hands. It's up to you." Yes, whether SPPC dies or thrives is in your hands. It's up to you, and depends on whether you see and respond to the new thing God is trying to do in your midst.
If you continue to insist on Biblical preaching, if you continue to expand your emphasis on Bible studies, if you continue to put spiritual growth ahead of numerical growth (without sacrificing the latter), if you really welcome new members, if you find ways of empowering new members, if you personally invite or even take them to church events, if you make sure that new voices are heard, if you help every member find and use his or her spiritual gifts, if you help people see that stewardship is an act of love and not a campaign, an if you find aat least one thing that defines SPPC, I suspect that "the bird will live." However, if you reduce your emphasis on the Bible as the source of preaching and teaching, if you let visitors fend for themselves; if you insist that new members serve their time before they speak, if you put memories ahead of dreams, if you ask very little from one another, if you find that you are not even sure why you're coming to church, and if you distrust pastoral leadership, then I can't promise you a "rose garden."
Friends, Isaiah 43 focuses on the new thing that God is doing in His people's midst, and the prophet asks them if they perceive it. God is doing a new thing, do you not perceive it? That is the essence of Isaiah's message at this place in his prophecy, but his words are quite relevant for us today. They shout to us: "God is (trying to do) a new thing at SPPC, do you not perceive it?" Dear saints, I am convinced that God is trying to kick down our doors and throw open our windows so that the winds of change and opportunity can carry us to new heights. Do you not perceive it? This morning we baptized Emmet Michael Seaver. He will be 1 year old tomorrow and today we welcomed him into the family of God. What is more, we baptized Teisha and Scott's three children a few weeks ago, and in the next few weeks- before I leave- we will baptize the kids who belong to the greater Gordon family. How long has it been since we've experienced so many baptisms, and I didn't even mention Steven Johnson, who is only a "kid at heart." Today, I can announce that we are going to add a Sunday School class next fall and, yes, I said "add." Can you say "amen"?
Friends, God is doing a new thing, right here at SPPC. Do you perceive it? A year ago we had no women's group, other than our Presbyterian circles, but now we have a strong women's koinonia group, and Debonie tells us that she is working to form yet another women's group, consisting of even younger women. God is doing a new thing, right here at SPPC. Can you perceive it? Two weeks ago our "Girlfriend's Cafe" met for the first time.... and we had more that 20 girlfriends show up. They had a great time, and their laughter disturbed our Finance Committee, which was meeting one floor up and in a different corner of our building. The girls at the Girlfriend's Cafe carried on in a most unPresbyterian way, but I applaud the fresh winds of the Spirit that were blowing through their group. O yes, God is doing a new thing in our midst, and it's not just the women. Deryl Miller has created, nurtured, and is now teaching youth and adults throughout the greater QC area to read and do math, and he is doing it for free! Likewise, our Men's Club is growing closer together in Christ, and it, too, is less than one year old.
Friends, God is working in our midst. He is trying to bless us with a new thing. But the answer is up to us. Since we're free to be obedient or disobedient, visionary or myopic, we can accept or reject God's blessings. We can 1)resist God's new thing; 2) ignore it until it goes away; or 3) embrace it and make it our own! There are a very few who will work to undermine God's new thing, fearing that they will lose power if they don't. Every church has such people, but most new things- even God's new things- die because of apathy. Many church members, not caring much one way or the other, and not wanting to hurt someone else's feelings, will simply ignore the new thing that is trying to happen. They will not support it. They will not attend it, or invite anyone else to experience it, and in time, the new thing will die for lack of oxygen. This could happen to us, but it doesn't have to happen. Pray that the winds of opportunity will prevail, and more than that, do whatever you have to do to see that they will! Friends, God is offering us a new thing, and we don't have to say "no." Instead, we can claim it, nurture it, shout about it, and make it our own.
We can open our doors and throw open our windows and allow the winds of change to transform us, and in part, we can do this by re-envisioning how we are doing things. For instance, God continues to bless us with a steady flow of visitors. We had several last week alone, but the question is this: are we prepared for this blessing? Are we making the most of this opportunity by redoubling our efforts to welcome visitors? In addition to visitors, God is blessing us with new members. Indeed, it is those who have joined SPPC in the past three years who have given us the desire to embrace God's new thing in our midst. Many new members are leading and starting new ministries even now, and it is my prayer that you will increase your efforts to involve them in our church ministries. I've already mentioned the wondrous changes that God is bringing to our Sunday Schools and our nursery, but the question remains: are we doing whatever we have to do to make this blessing our own? Are we identifying and equipping teachers? Are we rethinking VBS and other ministries to children? Have we vowed to provide child care to every church gathering that has even the remotest chance of having children present? Do we perceive this new thing, or will we simply wait until the winds of change die down?
Friends, our neighborhood- the College Hill Neighborhood- is working hard to remake itself, and we are part of this neighborhood! We have two new restaurants within a block of this building and several other new businesses are dotting 30th street. The city of Rock Island has been encouraging, and when we saw the hundreds of children filling our neighborhood streets for the Halloween event last year, we couldn't help but be excited about the new thing that God is doing in our area. Will we resist this change, ignore it, or work hard to bring it about? The answer is in your hands! We are much better off financially than we've been anytime in the last several years, and this too, is a new thing. Should we use our financial resources to get into the investment business, or should we replace that rusty and outdated sign on the corner of our lot- the one that has letters too small to read? Our neighborhood is ripe with evangelical opportunities, and NOW is the time to reach out to our neighbors. We have seen more of them in recent months, and this is one of God's new things. Are we opening our doors to those who walk and drive by them every day?
Well, I suppose I could cite a dozen more new things that God is doing for SPPC, but you get the point. God wants to bless this old Presbyterian Church and He is trying to do a new thing in our community. The Spirit of change and hope is blowing freely all around us. So, I ask one final time: do you perceive it? May we quit letting the past define us. Can we pledge to quit telling "old war" stories? Can we agree to be a people of the now? If your Session will always ask, "What new thing is God doing in our midst?" and if they never allow anyone to say, "We've never done it that way before," your chances of being a church with a future will be greatly enhanced. Please seek leaders who open windows to the winds of changes. Insist that your leaders cast more visions than memories. God is doing a new thing right here in this old church. Do you not perceive it?++++
