Unity

It’s hard to believe that this is my last weekend here at Grace, 4 years seems like both a long time and a short amount of time. I want to start off by thanking each of you for the kind words you have shared with me over the last month as our time together has come to a close.

As I looked back at our time here together I thought about some of the wonderful things we have accomplished. Shortly after I arrived at Grace I began a group called Pub Theology where we dared to eat, drink, and talk about God. My goal was to have a space where we could look at the world today and talk about it from our faith perspective. And to be able to know that no matter what views we had that when we left and when we were always church together. While that ministry was not for everybody, noise levels, stairs, etc. I am so proud of what that group has become and how close that group has become. And because of its popularity it spun off into Coffee Theology which had the same goal and same conversations, but over coffee and baked goods.

I feel we have also accomplished a lot in worship together. We put together All Music Sundays where all our musical talent presented beautiful pieces of music to a single combined worship service. Similarly we have had a day in Advent dedicated to Christmas music. We were presented with some powerful and meaningful services through Ash Wednesday liturgies when we explored the Wilderness, and who knew who intensely accurate the wilderness theme would be for 2020., then exploring this year through Again & Again. We had powerful Maundy Thursday services with footwashing, Last Supper re-enactments and so much more. We experienced the Cry of the Whole Congregation one year for Palm Sunday and another year we had a Midrash for the same day.

One of the things that people may not have known about was the 5:30 Fellowship that started after our worship conversations we had one year. The 5:30 Fellowship grew from Twinkie's and cookies with juice to essentially a full dinner meal together with almost every person staying to partake in the meal and fellowship. It was continuing to grow and evolve as we continued to see potential for this monthly fellowship ministry.

I have enjoyed the many opportunities and ways to preach with all of you. The time to gather in study of the Bible. Visiting with people here at church, in their homes, and in the hospital beds. I have loved my time teaching confirmation and I absolutely loved my time with the Childcare Center kids as we met each month to teach them about stories from the Bible. The daycare is an amazing ministry and provides and incredible service to our community. I have presided over marriages and funerals, I have baptized and confirmed many youth in this congregation. I appreciate the opportunity and trust to be able to do all of these ministries with everyone.

As you transition from me to the interim or transition pastor and then as you call a new pastor to serve this church, I do have a few requests. Maybe just one big one with little parts to it. For all of my strengths and for all of my faults this is who I am and who you called to be your pastor these last 4 years. I have my gifts and talents and leadership with which I served to the best of my ability. But that’s me. Pastor Brian Weinberger. The transition pastor is not me. The next pastor you call is not me. They both will have their own gifts and talents, strengths and weaknesses that they bring as pastors and ministers to this church. Please do not compare them to me or to any other pastor who has served this church in the past. Every single pastor, every single person in this world is unique. Let their uniqueness shine through so that they may use their gifts and talents to work with you to build up the kingdom of God in this community. And please work with them. Joyfully and enthusiastically find ways to be involved and help this congregation. This is a community of faith that needs the work of the whole body to well…work.

In fact, that’s what I love SO much about this passage from Ephesians 4:1-16. I don’t think I could have picked a better passage, in fact I think the Spirit had a hand in this being the words that we hear today. As you move forward in ministry, and during this time of transition especially, it is important that you live out these words. The word “one” is used 8 times in the opening six verses, and the word unity is also in there to drive the point home. This idea of unity and oneness is vital to the Christian community. I know that politics, hot topics of the day, and then the pandemic have really put that idea of unity and oneness to the test. It has caused a lot of rifts and gaps in the body of Christ both in this congregation and throughout the world. My prayer is that you fully live into and embrace Ephesians 4:3 which speaks of that unity and then Ephesians 4:4-6 goes on to show how that unity is connected through the body and Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is a part of everything.

Then the letter goes on to say and explain just how that unity and oneness stays and hopefully grows. That is through the gifts that we have all been given. And when we look at the gifts mentioned in any of the letters that we see we have to remember that these are not exhaustive lists. The ones mentioned here are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. I don’t think anyone would say that the gift of our musicians and those who read, those who run our sound and media, or work in the office, though not specifically mentioned are not gifts of the Spirit that are meant for the building up of the body of Christ so that we may have unity in faith. It is the gifts of ALL people working together that makes this goal possible.

Even though I already mentioned it it is at the ending of this part of the letter that we hear a warning against being blown away by any little thing. The unity that is centered around the mission of the body of Christ should be just that…front and center. I know that communities are strained and tested by many and various things that come up in the world, but both this letter and I encourage you to weather the storms that you are faced with. Come together in those times and do not pull apart. Because once again, it is the whole body working together that will promote growth, growth in your faith and in the ability to spread the good news for people to hear.

Finally, I want to thank all of you for the blessing to serve you as your pastor. For the ability to continue to grow in leadership and faith and to help each of you grow as we serve the Lord. I will miss you and pray for you as you journey forward in faith and in your mission to this part of the world you serve. Never forgot how much God loves you and does for you on a daily basis. You have been saved by grace and that is something we should never forget and never stop telling the world. God bless. Amen.