June 3, 2007

Trinity Sunday

Proverbs 8:1 – 4, 22 – 31; Psalm 8; Roman 5:1 – 5; John 16:12 - 15

"My Last Words"

A sermon by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma


    The last two Sundays I have shared with you my call to ministry, i.e. just how I got into this whole business of being a pastor.  How well I’ve done or how faithful I have been I will leave up to God to judge.  One thing I can say: I am 100% convinced that this is what God meant me to do.  I’ve also shared with you my deep gratitude to you for your constant support as your pastor.

    Today is the last sermon you will hear from me as your pastor.  Next Sunday I will sit out there with you and my family and spend my time saying goodbye.  Pastor Laurel will lead the worship and Bishop Eaton will be preaching.  It should be a wonderful day.  I hope that everybody will be here to enjoy it!  Please remember: there will be only two worship services: 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. and that a special reception will follow each worship.

    I remember when the pastor in my home congregation left.  I was maybe a junior in high school.  His last sermon seemed more negative than positive.  Since that time I’ve heard about several pastors who spent their last minutes in the pulpit chastising their congregation, spelling out the ways in which the congregation should treat the next pastor better than it treated them.  I do not have those kind of negative feelings, and I have made that clear in my official report to the bishop.  Here is what I said, “This is the best congregation I have ever served.  They have been willing to grow as followers of Jesus.  There has not been a single major challenge I have placed before them that they have not been willing to embrace.  This is an outstanding congregation." 

    I could go on and on about that.  You have treated me well; the leadership of the congregation has been especially supportive and cooperative.  Certainly I have butted heads with a few people, but that is to be expected.  We are called to express our faith and our values with honesty and love.  Sometimes that is going to make for tension and conflict.  Certainly things have not always gone the way I wanted.  But that’s okay.  The ministry here isn’t just my ministry, it is the ministry of the whole people of God.  I think it is important for you to know that I am not leaving here with any grudges or an unforgiving attitude.  If you have any grudges against me, you need to find a way to let those go.  If you can’t forgive me for my sake, then forgive me for your own sake.  It isn’t good to nurture animosity, because it hurts the person who nurtures it a lot more than the one who receives it.  THAT’S LAST WORD NUMBER ONE: THANK YOU FOR BEING A SUPPORTIVE AND COOPERATIVE CONGREGATION!

     LAST WORD NUMBER TWO IS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH.  We have spelled it out precisely in our Partnership Covenant.  It can be summed up quite simply:  First, the church is a community of people brought together by the power of the Word.  Second, the Word of God is that we are saved by grace through faith in what God has done for us in Jesus.  Third, that saving faith should manifest itself in acts of love.  All of this I would sum up in the phrase “evangelical pragmatism”  Evangelical means that our sole purpose is to share the gospel with the world.”  Pragmatism means that everything we do should be shaped by the gospel.  Outside of this, the only thing I want to reiterate is that I love you, appreciate you, and will carry you in my heart and keep you in my prayers.

    LAST WORD NUMBER THREE:THE SEVEN BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE HEALTHY CHURCH.  These principles were formulated about twenty years ago by two gentlemen named Murray Bowen and Edwin Friedman.  These principles define what makes for a healthy congregation.  In my opinion it represents some of the soundest thinking about the function of the church that I’ve ever read.  I hope that these principles will inform the way you operate as you enter into a new phase of your life as the people of God.

    Principle #1: IN HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS MEMBERS FOLLOW AN INNER COMPASS.  They are guided by their own clear and coherent beliefs, principles and life goals.  Does that describe you?  Could you state in a simple fashion what you believe?  Could you express in a few words what your life goals are?  As a congregation one of our tasks is to help each other figure that out.  I think that one of the best things you could do is invite the synod to hold a healthy church training session here for all members

    Principle #2:  IN HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS MEMBERS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELF.  They ask themselves regularly: What can I learn about myself from this situation?  What action can I take that is consistent with my own thinking and belief?  In healthy congregations people don’t make personal attacks.  They don’t cut off relationships when they don’t get their own way.  They don’t blame others.  They take responsibility for their own behavior.

    Principle #3:  HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS RESPOND TO ANXIETY.  They anticipate and recognize heightened anxiety.  They accept that there are going to be periods of tension as they have to deal with issues and complete tasks.  Somehow, the mere acceptance of this makes it easier to make your way through change.

    Principle #4: HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS FOCUS ON MISSION.  They regularly ask themselves: What is our purpose?  Our purpose is that against which we measure all our activities.  In a healthy congregation the leaders are the keepers and guardians of the mission statement and are always returning to it. 

    Principle #5: HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS CHALLENGE MEMBERS.  In such congregations leaders and people have learned to tolerate the pain that change creates in themselves and in others.  As the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said many centuries ago: The one constant in life is change.  Healthy congregations function on the basis of their mission, beliefs, and convictions.  Leaders challenge their people to be disciples of Jesus.  Pain and anxiety is part of the life of people who want to grow in their service and in their relationship to Christ.

    Principle 6: HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS RESPECT BOUNDARIES.  This means that members do not transgress agreed upon roles, structures and procedures.  People do not make end runs around established authority and established procedures in order to get their own way.  They seek to work through the agreed upon structure.

    Principle #7:  IN HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS MEMBERS STAY IN CONTACT.  They resist tendencies to cut themselves off from those who are in disagreement.  They do their best to make time for those with whom they disagree. 

    I really hope the leadership of St. Stephen will invite the synod in to do a healthy church program. 

    That’s it. Those are my last words!   God bless you!

    Thank you so much for allowing me to be your pastor.  It has been a wonderful experience.  You have been a wonderful people.  I know that great things lie in store for you.  My prayer is that you will continue to grow as a healthy congregation.


 

copyright 2007 by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma


Sermons since October 24, 1999 are online and available at the bottom of this page.