Change Is the Law of Life: A Holy Response to Uncertainty

Me: Orientation

President Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

Change is the law of life…

I know a little something of… change.

Shortly after graduating from Texas Tech University, I got a job offer to work in St. Louis.

All my family lived in Texas…

No support system, no furniture… everything in my dorm could fit in my tiny little PT Cruiser…

It was just an opportunity for change and adventure, and I embraced it.

Several years go by, and after a trip to the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia, Dennis and I returned to St. Louis, and there was a voicemail…

Dennis returned the call and approached me:

A head hunter had approached him… Dennis asked me what I think about moving to California or New York for a new job opportunity.

I am thinking… Earthquakes… wildfires… or snow… lots and lots of snow? The decision was easy.

Then COVID… Oh yes, eight months into a new job, I am finally settling in, have met all the key players, and am getting my footing. In the blink of an eye, the world—literally, the world shifts.

Recently… at thirty-nine, the change didn’t stop—I enrolled in seminary and began a vocational shift that would set me apart to respond to God's call on my heart.

Then there was just a few months ago; I thought I’d be right back here or at least serving a part-time appointment in Niagara-Frontier while I finish my seminary…

I get a call from our district superintendent… “I’d like for you to meet a colleague of mine who is Dean of the Cabinet and wants to talk to you about your call.”

I assume the cabinet must be considering me for a part-time appointment and want to check me out.

Little did I know… change, big change was happening. God was calling me to serve in Syracuse, two hours away, not just part-time but full-time.

Well… change is the law of life...

We: Identification

I imagine you have found yourself in situations where you were confronted with change.

Sometimes, I just want to throw my computer or phone out the window after a software update...

Is there anyone here who can relate to this feeling?

Sometimes, I wonder if I am living on another planet because other generations seem to have different outlooks on life or simply different communication styles.

I can’t be the only one who feels out of touch from time to time, right?

Then there are times when, frankly, I wonder what kind of world will be left to the next generation with all the war, corruption, and chaos that surrounds us...

I can only imagine you’ve wondered the same thing if you’ve been risking your sanity by watching the news lately.

Recently, I have been wondering about all the global and local changes in our church, what that new vision looks like, and how we navigate that change.

One might ask themselves if it’s time to try something else—something that feels more stable, more at home...

Change is the law of life...

God: Illumination & You: Application (John)

God must have known we’d struggle with change, and the good news is that the Spirit of truth comes, who will guide us into all the truth.

Today's text describes a relationship between the Trinity, where God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit relate to one another regarding the changing world.

We experience the trinity through creation in God, preservation through Jesus, and perfection of the world from the Holy Spirit.

The incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, who modeled what it means to be a Christian.

Christ taught us what it means to be in a relationship with God and worship with all our hearts.

Christ embodied love and demonstrated what living in community with one another means...

John tells us, though… that Christ knew… Christ knew… that there would be change in the world.

Christ knew that context would change through the ages…

Christ anticipated new questions that would challenge our intellectual curiosities, ethics, and way of living in the community…

Artificial  intelligence

Privacy in the digital age

Genetic engineering... stem cell research

Our Holy God, who created the world out of love and encountered creation in the historical life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is present with us today in a new way.

An incredible way, in the outpouring of the Spirit that forms our community today.

Theologian Elizabeth Johnson says, “The Spirit is the vivifier, the one who quickens, animates, stirs, enlivens, gives life even now while engendering the life of the world to come.”

God is not done with us today.

God has not left us today.

God is not static but ever-changing.

We are called to embrace change and are equipped to discern the truth...

Jesus tells his community of followers: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things to come. He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Through our baptismal covenant, we are beneficiaries of the Holy Spirit.

Friends, you are equipped to deal with the ethical dilemmas of the day…

Friends, you are equipped to deal with whatever changes life brings you…

How will you be guided by the Holy Spirit and glorify God to adapt to the changes before you?

Are you going to throw your phone out the window or are you going to use it to benefit the kingdom?

Are you going to isolate yourself from people younger or older than you because you don’t understand their communication styles...

Or are you going to embrace change,

leverage this new form of communication,

and form disciples of Jesus Christ who,

empowered by the Holy Spirit,

love boldly,

serve joyfully,

and lead courageously in Lockport and our worldwide connections?

God: Illumination & You: Application (Romans)

Embracing change is not always easy, is it?

Romans attests that we will face change that creates hardships or afflictions...

Paul encourages the Romans to acknowledge these trials. St. Paul says to “boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

The heart is the central organ crucial to sustaining our physical body.

It keeps our blood pumping to circulate nutrients and filter waste.

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us...

Knowing that the Holy Spirit indwells in our hearts, that reassurance keeps us going through the complex changes that pop into our lives from time to time.

Paul tells the Romans, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The peace in knowing that God is always walking with us on our journey.

The changes we encounter in life… the trials we undergo… the mountains we climb...

They all produce character.

American author and journalist Gail Sheehy said, “If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living."

Change requires patience, which develops our character and strengthens us.

Change helps us trust God more each day, and brings us peace.

But we aren’t just discussing peace as a noun that brings us tranquility or the absence of change.

Just as the Holy Spirit is moving… we are looking at peace as a verb… a state of being that requires taking action.

To encounter peace is a process that requires cultivating a relationship with God...

...requires cultivating our personal holiness....

We have to be intentional in our interactions with God...

...intentional in cultivating an active prayer life...

...intentional in noticing God’s presence in our lives...

...intentional in reaching out to those who are homebound...

...intentional in living in proximity to our neighbors through our food, clothing, and literacy program....

When we intentionally align our hearts with living a holy life, preparing our hearts to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we are ready to embrace change.

What place does the church have in your heart?

Flip on the news and see the state of the world that we live in.

What small steps might you take as a congregation to make the world a better place?

We all have something to effect change:

Culling through our closets to donate to the clothing closet.

Praying for those in need.

Visiting those who are lonely and isolated.

Teaching children the Word of God.

Cooking for those who are hungry.

Welcoming and inviting strangers into this house.

How is the Holy Spirit calling us as a community into a season change?

Globally, our Council of Bishops has cast a new vision for what it means for United Methodists to live together in this new season.

The vision: “The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.”

Invites us to

Love Boldly: where we passionately love God and, like Jesus, embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender, and walk of life.

Serve Joyfully: With the heart of Christ, we journey alongside the most vulnerable, offering care and compassion with joy.

And Lead Courageously: Following Jesus’ example, we resist and dismantle all systems of evil, justice, and oppression, striving for peace, justice, and reconciliation.

Not only are we in a season of change globally, but we are in a season of change in this very congregation.

In a short few weeks, we will welcome Pastor Tanya Spencer as our new pastor, who will faithfully lead us through change.

We: Inspiration

As you partner with Pastor Tanya, I invite you to imagine...

Imagine the transformation of the congregation and community as we allow the Holy Spirit to vivify and change how we do things...

A season of change, a season of new leadership, a season of fresh beginnings...

What are the possibilities and dreams you have for the life of the church?

For our neighborhood?

How will you

love boldly,

serve joyfully,

and lead courageously?

In the name of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer… Amen.