My ninth Lent blog - journeying with a church preparing to cease to meet

Today I’ve been privileged to lead worship at West Tanfield church which is preparing to cease to meet in a couple of months time. This was my sermon which I wanted to be gently pastoral. The senior steward told me after the service was “divinely inspired” We also had some tears. Some folk have been worshipping at Tanfield all their lives…

I was reading a sermon last night by the Dean of Winchester Cathedral about setting off on a journey. She writes “When I’m setting off on a walk, I notice that I have a habit of patting my pockets, or going through them, checking I have what I need: keys, tissue, money, phone, glasses, gloves, suncream – whatever I’ll need for the journey.  Perhaps this rings a bell with you.”

Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent.  We have set out together on the journey from Ash Wednesday, to the cross and beyond, in order to grow in faith, in love for God, in compassion for other people, and deeper knowledge of ourselves.  Both the journey and the destination will bring us great blessings, if we travel in God’s way.

Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine Nun from America says that for this journey we need two pockets, each will carry a message of truth about our identity. In one pocket there is the message, “I am dust and ashes’ (simply mortal, fallible, sometimes helpless, always human). 

And in the other, ‘For me, the universe was made’ (I am the precious child of God, the creator of planets, stars, moons and galaxies).  With these two truths we journey through Lent knowing both our great worth to God, and our utter need of God.

How is it to journey spiritually? Let’s consider three sorts of journey.

First, a journey into the unknown. 

In Genesis chapter 12, we have a man whose life was going nowhere until God called him. His name was Abraham. Before the call of God, he lived a comfortable life with his family in Haran, getting on with the everyday circle of activities but with no clear goal in life. If things had carried on like this, we would have never heard of Abraham and the course of Jewish and Christian history would have been very different. But God spoke to Abraham, and he obeyed. By faith he set out for the promised land, living in tents as he travelled following God’s directions.

After Abraham left Haran he never went back. He left his property, his comforts, most of his household possessions, and even some members of his family. He didn’t think of the old life he had left behind but reached forward eagerly to his new life and the promised land ahead of him. There was no turning back. Abraham began his journey of faith at 75. Whatever our age it is never too late to begin the journey of faith, to allow God to take us in a new direction. I tell most of my churches in this Circuit those aged 75 are my youngsters! 

 What do we learn from Abraham? Well, I like Wesley’s notes on him. Sarah conceived - Sarah by faith, received strength to conceive.  God, therefore, by promise, gave that strength. Abraham was old, and Sarah old, and both as good as dead, and then the word of God took place. 

He circumcised his son - The covenant being established with him; the seal of the covenant was administered to him. 

And Sarah said, God has made me to laugh - He hath given me both cause to rejoice, and a heart to rejoice. And it adds to the comfort of any mercy to have our friends rejoice with us in it, they that hear will laugh with me - Others will rejoice in this instance of God's power and goodness and be encouraged to trust in him.

So, friends, as children of Abraham whatever circumstance we find we journey in, let’s journey in faith and expectation. Abraham believed God and it counted unto him as righteousness. So may it be for us. I’m going to make three comments to you the good people called Methodist at West Tanfield as you prepare to let go of this building after many faithful years of service. The first is this. God is calling you to leave what you have known and make a journey. That journey isn’t clear for some of you today but like Abraham was told he would be a blessing and the father of many nations, and he thought well that’s not going to happen, my wife is barren, the land you’ve promised me is occupied and there’s a famine there. But you know God makes a way out of no way and we are promised a future and we need to trust in the invitation to travel even if the road ahead is scary and we don’t know what’s ahead on it. 

I do not know what lies ahead,
the way I cannot see;
yet one stands near to be my guide;
he’ll show the way to me.

I know who holds the future,
and he’ll guide me with his hand.
With God things don’t just happen;
everything by him is planned.
So as I face tomorrow
with its problems large and small,
I’ll trust the God of miracles, give to him my all.

Then there’s the journey we take because where we are isn’t working. I have a card somewhere at home which has sheep out in the rain. And it says “lost? I’m not lost. I know exactly where I am. I’m right here!” For many around the world today “here” isn’t a good place to be. I think particularly of those who are caught up in the hell of war zones. To try and preserve life they have no choice but to flee on a journey to somewhere safe. Many though don’t get to that safety. 

 

Then there are those moments we have in our life where “here” for us is so tough all we want to do is escape from it and go somewhere else and have our problems disappear. Maybe we are stuck in a rut or have problems too great to bear or we’ve made huge mistakes, and we want to be lifted out of guilt into forgiveness. Psalm 51 is a good example of a journey we want to take when “here” isn’t working. King David who wrote the Psalm had been a very naughty boy. He’d sent a man into battle to hopefully kill him so he could have his way with his wife. He was called to account by the prophet Nathan. And we have maybe the most honest prayer of contrition in the whole of Scripture: “create in me a clean heart O God and put a new and right spirit within me.” 

 

The Psalm speaks of David acknowledging his sin and his guilt, he makes no excuses. He worships God who David knows is the only way to receive full forgiveness, God is the only one who can truly put things right. In an attitude of repentance, David asks God to create in him a pure heart. The Hebrew word for create in this context is bara and is only ever applied to God. It is the same verb as used in Genesis 1 to describe the Creation of the universe and all things. Only God can do this sort of creating. Our God is a gracious and is into new beginnings. Where it isn’t working or the joy has gone or we are exhausted or we’ve made a mess of something it’s okay to say to God we can’t do this anymore, show us a new way. Give us life again. 

For you,  you’ve made the brave decision to cease to meet here. That wasn’t an easy decision but maybe it’s the right one. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed; it means that God might give you the energy to do something new. 

 

I’ve only had two churches ask to cease to meet in my 27 years of ministry. Ashington in West Sussex was riddled with damp and the two stewards talked so much about what we might do they told me they couldn’t do church there anymore. We ceased to meet and formed a house group on a Thursday evening in the village. It had more come to it then ever came to the chapel and is still going strong today some 14 years later. 

 

Then there’s Kirkby chapel, also riddled with damp that was beyond us. We left the building behind, are a happy little congregation once a month in the parish church and on other Sundays we’ve dispersed to Grewelthorpe and Harrogate Road and Dallowgill and we meet for fellowship in the mechanics institute every other month. We are a lighter people because our worries have gone. I know it is sad to let this place which has been so special to you and those before you go, but my prayer is you will find after a period of mourning and transition a new spirit. The Psalm has this verse in it: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” That’s my prayer for you over the next few months.

Journeying into the unknown, journeying when it isn’t working, then a journey that is irresistible. Have you ever said to yourself “I have to make that journey because it is so exciting.” You spend ages preparing for the journey and you count down the time until you can go. Then on the journey you shout, “are we nearly there?” 

I think Nicodemus found Jesus irresistible. He was a Jewish leader. He came to see Jesus at night. 

He had lots of questions. Jesus tries to tell him the only way he will find meaning in life was to be born again. That’s the whole point of Christianity. God has created us to be his children, and we are on a journey towards a new creation. There is a constant new beginning available for us. As I said at the beginning, this is the fifth Sunday of Lent, Holy Week begins next Sunday. 

Everyone thought Jesus’ journey was over at the cross. But the journey ends with new and unexpected new life and joy.  

Every day we can have a fresh start. Without going on an irresistible journey to Jesus we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. The apostle Paul writes, “if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” It’s exciting, and God has so much more to show us! Aren’t you excited by that today? Like Nicodemus we need to be brave enough to check out the possibilities. West Tanfield friends my third thing I want to say to you is this - keep the faith, look to God, remember he isn’t finished with you. You are the church wherever you go.

A journey is defined ‘as the act of travelling from one place to another. ’ It is seen as a literal geographical movement from one location to another. The Dean in her sermon had a list of what she needed to take on a journey. Friends, we need a willingness to go. God is working his purpose out. Let’s go with him and see where he leads. 

Remember this verse which I leave you with: And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”