Eleanor Chambliss

Sermon:
January 28, 2001
Laity Sunday

Scripture:
Hebrews 11:1-3
Hebrews 12:1-3

Dr. Ritter got it right in Steeple Notes, about my thoughts of why they ask lay people to speak. But he need have no fear of losing his job of preaching ... it's the hardest thing I have ever undertaken. And I have new respect for the great sermons we hear week after week. I'm especially grateful, since I know how many other things the clergy have to do. This week, several of my friends told me how much it meant to have Dr. Ritter at the hospitals praying with them before surgeries ... and some of those surgeries were very early in the morning! I salute our hard-working clergy.

Thank you to our liturgists who have so ably handled their duties:

8:15 - Donna Ethington and Eric Law. Donna and Paul have been members since 1954 and have been active in many areas. Eric and Candy have been here for two years. Eric brings his talents to the Finance Committee and will be serving on the Building Committee.

9:30 - Stan Jones and Corinne Parker. Stan is a great layman who has served in many leadership positions here, at the Conference level, and at Albion College. Stan and Fran have been members since 1965. Corinne has worked in many areas of the church. She has worked in education and is presently a member of Compass. She and Dale have been members since 1973.

11:00 - Barbara Glick and Rex Smith. Barbara and I go back a long way, to when we worked at the church in the `70s before she had her wonderful girls. She is very active in many areas of church life. She has been UMW president, she works with children and has leadership in the Prayer Chain. Rex and Sue have been members for eight years and are neighbors of the church, living on Pleasant Street. You will remember Sue was a leader in our Finance Campaign.

Thanks to Chris and Doris, the choir, Celebration Ringers, and IXOYC Choir. Thanks also to those who serve as ushers and greeters week after week.

* * * * *

As I considered what scripture to use today, I thought first of Exodus 4:13 in which Moses said: "O Lord, please send someone else to do it!" But it was too late for that. After some prayerful consideration, I settled on Hebrews 11:1-3 and 12:1-3.

The theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus Christ over Judaism. Faith is a dominant thread which runs throughout the book. The famous "Faith Chapter," Hebrews 11, recounts the lives of the faithful in the Bible as an inspiration for us to have a similar enduring faith, looking to the same eternal God to supply our needs. It records those who willingly took God at His word even when there was nothing to cling to but His promise. I hope it speaks to you today. Hear the words of the scriptures:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility from sinners, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."

Let us pray: Dear Lord, we seek you with all our hearts. Help us to receive your message of faith so we may be your faithful people in an uncertain world that needs to know you. Amen.

* * * * *

John Wesley, Anglican priest and founder of Methodism, wrote some words which spoke to me when he said: "I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf, `til a few moments hence I am no more seen - I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing, the way to heaven - how to land on that happy shore."

He describes the shortness of our time here on earth. What must we be about if we are to make it to the eternal home, heaven? If we are honest, wouldn't we all say that is a priority? How can we know we are on the right track?

John Wesley went on to prescribe the holy scriptures as our guide for this journey ... for our individual faith journey. No one can have faith for you. It must be a very personal journey.

Faith is a prerequisite ... a passport if you will ... to eternal life. The first step is to believe on the Lord Jesus. If you and I would be Christians, we must come to an hour when we are aware that our resources are not sufficient. We are aware that we need a savior ... we need God.

John 3:16 makes it very clear. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

My faith journey began very early in my life ... in a small Southern Baptist Church. The preaching was dynamic - the call extended and I was sure I heard Jesus call me to believe on him and be saved. I didn't exactly know what I was being saved from, but nevertheless it was a significant emotional experience in my life. At ten years of age there was a lot to learn, but I was aware that I had agreed to be a believer and that my life should change. Baptism by immersion gets your attention!

Your faith journey was no doubt very different from mine. Or maybe you haven't "signed on" yet. But I do recommend it as a life choice.

How does Christian faith make life different? In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain move from here to there, and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you." Sounds pretty powerful and reassuring, doesn't it? A faith that small can move mountains? Can it move mountains in our lives? How do we connect with this mountain-moving faith? Matthew 21:22 says, "Whatsoever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Do we believe it?

When we lose someone dear to us, how do we cope? The first real loss I remember was a dearly-loved grandfather. I can still remember how I felt, and the sense of loss and the reality that I would not see him again. I was told he had gone to heaven and would be waiting for us there. That comforted me. I could see him ... perhaps waiting on the porch of heaven. I had faith, and I still do, that I will see him again.

The older we get, the more of our family and friends are on "the other side" beyond where we can see. Our faith gives us hope of a crossing over to be again with those we have loved and lost for a while.

In difficult times in life, when our loved ones are ill, our friends are suffering, or we are separated from those we love most, how do we handle it? I don't know about you, but when times seem darkest, because of my faith I feel I have access to God through prayer. And I believe God hears our prayers. Time and again I have experienced real answers. Perhaps not the answers I wanted, but courage to go on. Friends have shared healing experiences ... miracles if you will ... and I believe.

What can I say about the blessings of family and friends to walk with us and to be there for us. I made the statement that faith is a personal journey, but it is made ever so much better when we have people who care about us, who share our faith and keep in touch. I see the faces of special friends here today and I thank you for being here ... for being God's presence in my life.

Elton Trueblood wrote in his book, A Place To Stand, that there are three areas which must be cultivated if we are to have a living faith:

1) the inner life of devotion;

2) the intellectual life of rational thought; and

3) the outer life of human service.

We have many opportunities in our church to grow as Christians. We are encouraged and instructed to pray without ceasing ... to pray for our families and friends and for those in the church. Prayer requests are taken very seriously.

There is a current focus, coming out of a task force, to evaluate our spiritual growth. A booklet was sent to each of us, outlining some things which could be helpful. Are we growing spiritually? Did we read the booklet?

Daily devotions can help us focus on God. Reading the Bible can do wonders for your day.

Mildred Thomas was such an inspiration to me. Those of you who knew her will remember how she could recite reams of poetry. In the later years of her life, she wrote many books of inspiration. She said to me once that we should fill our minds with beauty ... with poetry and scriptures committed to memory so that if we could no longer read, we would have a treasure to draw from. When Dr. Thomas, her husband, became blind in the last months of his life, she said he would sing the beloved hymns and recite scriptures from memory. He had those inner treasures.

The intellectual life of rational thought can be fed through reading, our many study groups, Disciple, Christian Believer, Sunday School classes, and the University of Life which is now being held. We are blessed with so many opportunities. But we do have to make the effort to take advantage of them.

The outer life of human service is an outgrowth of your faith. Many of us regularly volunteer to help in the church and community. Those of you who know me know my dedication to this church and to Beaumont Hospital, where I have been a volunteer for 33 years. I hope my service helps others as much as it helps me. Did you know that people who serve and focus on helping others live longer and are happier? It's a medical fact. And if you're looking for a place to serve, come join us at Beaumont! And of course you know there are always opportunities to serve here at the church.

Today we focus on you, the laity. This church has had a history of dedicated lay people. I think of the vision and risk of moving from a small downtown church to this location over 50 years ago. That took a real leap of faith. We who are here now are the beneficiaries of those dedicated people who dreamed and planned and sacrificed for the future. We must continue to dream and grow and plan ahead.

As I look at the present, it is awesome to see such a committed staff and congregation. The dedication, the talent, the creativity and willingness to serve indicates the depth of your faith. I feel such a spirit moving among us. I hope you feel it, too. We have been members here since 1968 and I have never felt a greater sense of vision and desire to serve God than now exists in this church.

How blessed we are to have such a great program for our young people. Matt Hook and his staff motivate and inspire them to come out all during the week for their activities. We take seriously the thought that these are the church leaders of tomorrow.

Our family and children's programs are many and varied. Susan Ives and her staff continually come up with new ideas to enrich their programs. We are so fortunate to have so many families and children interested in all the things going on here at the church. In fact, I hear there is even a Teddy Bear Tea this afternoon!

The Music Department has a very exciting agenda for choirs and musicians of all ages. They come weekly to rehearse and have an annual Choir Camp. This year there are plans for a trip to England. Thanks to Chris and Doris Hall, our worship is blessed with quality music.

It takes hundreds of inspired workers to keep these programs going. Thanks to all of you who lead and facilitate and participate.

Financially, we are blessed beyond measure. You can be proud of this past year. We have underwritten with pledges the budget for 2001. And as of the year-end reports for 2000, we rejoice to see that every program exceeded goals. And in addition to taking care of our own needs, we have sent an amazing amount of support to projects all over the world ... and our vision keeps growing. Thanks be to God.

So great a cloud of witnesses surround us from the past. We who are in the present have the challenge to continue the story, to plan for this new century, to fix our eyes on Jesus and with faith run the race he has marked out for us in this great church.We have work to do and challenges to meet if we are to be a light to the world around us. Just as we witness to the community on Pentecost Sunday by releasing red balloons into the air, may we witness daily by lives of faith, service and caring, that Jesus is the Lord of our lives.

We've talked about the past and the present. We do not know what the future holds. People say to me that things may not continue to be as good as they are now. I know the world is a scary place. There are earthquakes, floods ... bad things happen to good people ... it's not easy to grow older, particularly when you are "numerically challenged" as I am. We lose more and more of our friends. Our parts wear out. We face a very uncertain future. Change is the order of the day. New technologies frighten us. How can we cope?

I have no clairvoyance, but I suggest something better ... something which has served me all my life. I have faith in God, and I invite you to share that faith.

John Greenleaf Whittier said it so well in his poem, "The Eternal Goodness":

In the maddening maze of things,
and tossed by storm and flood,
to one fixed trust my spirit clings;
I know that God is good!

I know not what the future hath
of marvel or surprise,
assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.

And if my heart and flesh are weak
to bear an untried pain,
the bruised reed He will not break
but strengthen and sustain.

I know not where His islands lift
their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
beyond His love and care.

Oh God, give us such a confident faith for an unknown future. Amen.