Today marked our 135th anniversary celebration at Trinity Lutheran in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. The liturgy and hymns for worship were included along with a history of the church in a keepsake anniversary booklet.
The texts for worship were Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2:1-10, and John 14:25-27.
What a joy it is to gather with all of you in worship as we celebrate one hundred and thirty-five years of life and ministry as Trinity Lutheran Church in Connellsville! Each of us have been part of this community in different capacities - some baptized and confirmed here, with a picture on the wall to prove it. Some brought into the community by marriage, or invited by a friend. Some propelled here by grief, others by questions, others by a longing for fellowship and joy. Some of you - just a few! - remember Pastor Langsdale, and more of you remember Pastor Pfeifer, and Pastor Dubler. Some remember - or even played in! - the Sunday School orchestra. Some of you, regardless of age, may be in the exact seat you have occupied since the womb.
Many things have changed over those years - the number of people gathered for worship has gone up and down; pastors have come and gone, staying for a little while or for many years; the hymns we sing, the shape of worship, the placement of the altar, the frequency of communion, and even the characteristics of those welcome to lead worship have changed in large and small ways.
You have changed over these many years, too - shaped by life circumstances, relationships, your job, friends, travel, conflicts, grief. Perhaps this is a comforting place to be today - familiar, steeped with warm memories and pleasant associations. Or perhaps you carry pain with you - memories of disagreements or unkind words, feelings of loss or sadness, grief or frustration that someone (or many people) here have failed you or disappointed you, perhaps even uncertainty about what the future holds.
It is in the midst of the complexity of our life together that we hear God’s word this morning. It was my delight to select today’s readings for this special occasion, and depart from the prescribed lectionary just for one week. In these readings, we are reminded of how God so delights in God’s people - how God so delights in us! - calling us chosen, precious in God’s sight, honored, and dearly loved. We hear again how we were created and formed by God, as God’s own people, for God’s glory. We are reminded that we are not promised an escape from pain and difficulty, but that when we pass through the rivers, the fire, the valley of the shadow of death we are not alone.
We hear, again and again, these simple words - do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. We hear these simple words - my peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.
This is the starting point! This is the foundation that underlies our life and ministry together. These are the things we know to be true about ourselves - first, that we are sinful and broken and make bad decisions and display unkind thoughts and actions, and also, at the same time, we are forgiven and loved by God apart from anything we do or fail to do. These are the promises into which we were baptized, these are the assurances that come with being called by name. When we are confident in who and whose we are, when we trust that God’s unfailing mercy and grace really are for us, then we can move forward together in trust and hope.
What does it look like to move forward in trust and hope? It looks like loving and caring for our neighbors with the food we collect that’s distributed by Community Ministries. It looks like a commitment to sharing this space with AA and NA and the Boy Scouts and other groups, even when it means sometimes means sacrificing cleanliness, quietness, and order. It looks like inviting the community to work with us to provide new clothes, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies for kids who need them - even if at times we are suspicious that a few are taking advantage of our generosity.
It looks like speaking up for the marginalized and vulnerable, and being a place of welcome, even if everyone doesn’t agree. It looks like making difficult or scary decisions because we’ve decided that some things are worth continuing or pursuing even when the implications are uncomfortable for us. Moving forward in trust and hope looks like leaning on God’s grace and abundant provision even when feelings of scarcity loom large.
We do not know what the future holds for this or any congregation, but we do know this - God is faithful. We do not know what the future holds, but we do know this - we are not any more or any less faithful, not any more or any less loved as a result of: the number of people here; how successful we are; how much money we have; how well we agree with one another; what our building looks like; or what our worship is like.
Our life and ministry as Trinity Lutheran Church has changed over time, but a few things have not. At our beginnings and still today we are centered around Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, our foundation and cornerstone. At our beginnings and still today we are gathered together by God around word and sacrament - Scripture, water, bread, and wine. These tangible, ordinary things are means of grace - places and ways God promises to be present for you.
At our beginnings and still today, our mission is to follow God’s mission - to seek out the lost; to love God, love one another, and love our enemies; to proclaim God’s mighty acts and share the good news that God is for us, each of us - no matter what we’ve done or left undone, no matter how we’ve failed or messed up.
As we celebrate this milestone today, we remember with thanksgiving those faithful people who have gone before us - the ones who took a risk to form a new congregation; the ones who gave sacrificially of time, energy, and money; the Sunday School teachers, musicians, ushers, readers, nursery attendants, acolytes, greeters, offering counters, Council members and so many others who were the living stones that built this church - not as a building, but as a gathering of people.
As they did, we also rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, to call us through the Gospel, gather us as God’s people, and send us out to love and serve the world God so dearly loves. For this legacy, for our life together, and for the future God holds, we say thanks be to God. Amen.
The texts for worship were Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2:1-10, and John 14:25-27.
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| view of the chancel from the balcony at Trinity Lutheran, Connellsville |
Many things have changed over those years - the number of people gathered for worship has gone up and down; pastors have come and gone, staying for a little while or for many years; the hymns we sing, the shape of worship, the placement of the altar, the frequency of communion, and even the characteristics of those welcome to lead worship have changed in large and small ways.
You have changed over these many years, too - shaped by life circumstances, relationships, your job, friends, travel, conflicts, grief. Perhaps this is a comforting place to be today - familiar, steeped with warm memories and pleasant associations. Or perhaps you carry pain with you - memories of disagreements or unkind words, feelings of loss or sadness, grief or frustration that someone (or many people) here have failed you or disappointed you, perhaps even uncertainty about what the future holds.
It is in the midst of the complexity of our life together that we hear God’s word this morning. It was my delight to select today’s readings for this special occasion, and depart from the prescribed lectionary just for one week. In these readings, we are reminded of how God so delights in God’s people - how God so delights in us! - calling us chosen, precious in God’s sight, honored, and dearly loved. We hear again how we were created and formed by God, as God’s own people, for God’s glory. We are reminded that we are not promised an escape from pain and difficulty, but that when we pass through the rivers, the fire, the valley of the shadow of death we are not alone.
We hear, again and again, these simple words - do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. We hear these simple words - my peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.
This is the starting point! This is the foundation that underlies our life and ministry together. These are the things we know to be true about ourselves - first, that we are sinful and broken and make bad decisions and display unkind thoughts and actions, and also, at the same time, we are forgiven and loved by God apart from anything we do or fail to do. These are the promises into which we were baptized, these are the assurances that come with being called by name. When we are confident in who and whose we are, when we trust that God’s unfailing mercy and grace really are for us, then we can move forward together in trust and hope.
What does it look like to move forward in trust and hope? It looks like loving and caring for our neighbors with the food we collect that’s distributed by Community Ministries. It looks like a commitment to sharing this space with AA and NA and the Boy Scouts and other groups, even when it means sometimes means sacrificing cleanliness, quietness, and order. It looks like inviting the community to work with us to provide new clothes, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies for kids who need them - even if at times we are suspicious that a few are taking advantage of our generosity.
It looks like speaking up for the marginalized and vulnerable, and being a place of welcome, even if everyone doesn’t agree. It looks like making difficult or scary decisions because we’ve decided that some things are worth continuing or pursuing even when the implications are uncomfortable for us. Moving forward in trust and hope looks like leaning on God’s grace and abundant provision even when feelings of scarcity loom large.
We do not know what the future holds for this or any congregation, but we do know this - God is faithful. We do not know what the future holds, but we do know this - we are not any more or any less faithful, not any more or any less loved as a result of: the number of people here; how successful we are; how much money we have; how well we agree with one another; what our building looks like; or what our worship is like.
Our life and ministry as Trinity Lutheran Church has changed over time, but a few things have not. At our beginnings and still today we are centered around Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, our foundation and cornerstone. At our beginnings and still today we are gathered together by God around word and sacrament - Scripture, water, bread, and wine. These tangible, ordinary things are means of grace - places and ways God promises to be present for you.
At our beginnings and still today, our mission is to follow God’s mission - to seek out the lost; to love God, love one another, and love our enemies; to proclaim God’s mighty acts and share the good news that God is for us, each of us - no matter what we’ve done or left undone, no matter how we’ve failed or messed up.
As we celebrate this milestone today, we remember with thanksgiving those faithful people who have gone before us - the ones who took a risk to form a new congregation; the ones who gave sacrificially of time, energy, and money; the Sunday School teachers, musicians, ushers, readers, nursery attendants, acolytes, greeters, offering counters, Council members and so many others who were the living stones that built this church - not as a building, but as a gathering of people.
As they did, we also rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, to call us through the Gospel, gather us as God’s people, and send us out to love and serve the world God so dearly loves. For this legacy, for our life together, and for the future God holds, we say thanks be to God. Amen.
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