Sermons

Twelve years and five months - countless worship services - 537 sermons - weddings and funerals - laughter and tears - Bible studies and group discussions - enough potluck food to feed the whole city - work parties and movie nights and so much more! And always, always, always the precious, sacred connections of friendship rooted in the Spirit! I look out at your faces and I am filled to overflowing with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the support and encouragement and love which I have received from you in overwhelmingly abundant measure. My life has been powerfully shaped by my association with this amazing congregation and community.

And now I prepare to take my leave of you. God's Spirit is calling me on to new experiences which I am only beginning to glimpse. And I remain firmly convinced that the very same Spirit of God is also calling you, both individually and together as a community, to explore fresh new opportunities for ministry. Where our paths will take us has not yet been revealed to any of us. And the only way that we dare to take even the first step down those paths is by remembering that we do not go alone. We are on Spirit-led journeys of faith, and we are here, now, in this moment because God has been faithful and abundantly gracious thus far. And so it is that we can move on from here with confidence that God will continue to be faithful and abundantly gracious in each new moment of our lives.
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The Church was in a time of transition. What was had come to an end. What would be had not yet taken shape. And so it was that the faithful found themselves gathering together, feeling lost and confused, sad and overwhelmed, waiting for what comes next. Doesn't that sound remarkably fresh and current? And yet, the situation I am describing is the first century church from the beginning of the book of Acts. It can be helpful sometimes to remember that the path upon which we currently find ourselves has been trod by others who have gone before us. We are not alone. We are in good company, and we have opportunities to benefit from their experiences.
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