Sunday, August 13, 2006
August 13, 2006--Until We Meet Again....
Note: Postings here are taken from the extremely rough outline notes of the pastor. Actual delivered sermon may have varied. No video or audio available. Sorry!
Text: Proverbs 20:11; Romans 8:38-39
I come to you today unsure of if I can hold it together, but I will try. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that to everything there is a season, a time and a purpose under heaven. It tells us there is a beginning and an ending. In the book Tale of Two Cities, the author writes that it was the Best of times, it was the worst of times. Well, such is the occaision we have today.
This Sunday is the last for a while for our sister, Mary. She is going off to college in Illinois this week, and will not be back for some time. She will be going to Eureka College (close to Peoria) to study to become a doctor of some kind, either a people doctor or a veterinarian.
As a teacher, there were times as I watched those graduates go across the stage where I wondered where they were going, what was to become of them. Some I was sure would be ok, others I just shook my head. Mary is not one of those. I am sure, and we can be sure she will be fine, especially if what we read in that Proverbs verse is accurate, and I believe it is. Mary has filled her life, her community, and our church with good works. It is because of her that we have many of the things we have, like the June Jamboree. She has been integral to the Bible School continuing and to Sunday School. She has ordered and planned projects for us, and she has been a source of joy for us all. She has been a light of joy to us all, and that light will be missed, and we will be sad. Of course, we are sad because she is going away and we won't be seeing her. i will have to tend to the dog and the stupid guest cat. We will miss her.
However, we need to rejoice for her, for this grand opportunity. Also, we need to rejoice because we know that in accordance with that proverbs verse, she is a fine young lady. Also, she does not go alone. According to Romans 8:38-9, nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ. Not geography, nothing. And we all have that same type of love for each other. Therefore, though we may be separated, we are never alone. She goes and takes pieces of us with her, and we carry the light she helped shine on us with us.
Matthew 6 has some verses regarding building up treasures on earth and heaven. Christ says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Well, pieces of our hearts will be in Illinois because Mary is part of our treasure we have built up at our church. So are the rest of our young ones, like Rick Jr., Ryan, Chelsea, Regina and Evelyn and all the younger kids of the Davises and Nancy's grandchildren. They have all been given the gift of being loved by the church and have become our little treasures. When they grow up, they take some of that love and spread it around.
Therefore, despite our own selfish sadness, we rejoice because she will take the love of her church family and give it to others, and I pray that is what happens. See, God uses us, and I think when he takes us to certain places, he uses us to spread that joy and love we get, and we know Mary has been blessed to grow up not only with a family that loves her, but we all love her and the other kids as well. See, that is what I fear when I see megaschools and megachurches. I fear people and children falling through the cracks. Here, there are no cracks to hide in. And that has been a blessing for myself growing up, even when I wished otherwise. I know Mary has been blessed likewise. Through our love and instruction, I have no fears about her falling into the bad crowd or making poor decisions.
God calls us each to make our own way. And this week will be the beginning of that wonderful, confusing, up and down and sideways, angrysadhappy experience we call life. We have done our part, Mary has done hers, now she must take our love and support, and the blessings and talents God has given her, and share them with the rest of the world. Our loss is Illinois's gain. Our loss is the gain of people we will impact that we will never know, because Mary will take the love and lessons here and go and be a reflection of Christ. I hope all of us do that.
So, to Mary--study hard, pray hard, and trust in God. And Remebmer you are never alone. We can never, ever be separated. Though we be far apart, though land and sea separate us, we are still bonded and united in our love for each other and the love we have for Christ and the love He has for us. Let us bask in that love and let it give us strength. And also, know that it is not goodbye, not a final farewell, but a see you soon...Good luck, God bless, we love you, Mary....
Let's pray....
Text: Proverbs 20:11; Romans 8:38-39
I come to you today unsure of if I can hold it together, but I will try. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that to everything there is a season, a time and a purpose under heaven. It tells us there is a beginning and an ending. In the book Tale of Two Cities, the author writes that it was the Best of times, it was the worst of times. Well, such is the occaision we have today.
This Sunday is the last for a while for our sister, Mary. She is going off to college in Illinois this week, and will not be back for some time. She will be going to Eureka College (close to Peoria) to study to become a doctor of some kind, either a people doctor or a veterinarian.
As a teacher, there were times as I watched those graduates go across the stage where I wondered where they were going, what was to become of them. Some I was sure would be ok, others I just shook my head. Mary is not one of those. I am sure, and we can be sure she will be fine, especially if what we read in that Proverbs verse is accurate, and I believe it is. Mary has filled her life, her community, and our church with good works. It is because of her that we have many of the things we have, like the June Jamboree. She has been integral to the Bible School continuing and to Sunday School. She has ordered and planned projects for us, and she has been a source of joy for us all. She has been a light of joy to us all, and that light will be missed, and we will be sad. Of course, we are sad because she is going away and we won't be seeing her. i will have to tend to the dog and the stupid guest cat. We will miss her.
However, we need to rejoice for her, for this grand opportunity. Also, we need to rejoice because we know that in accordance with that proverbs verse, she is a fine young lady. Also, she does not go alone. According to Romans 8:38-9, nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ. Not geography, nothing. And we all have that same type of love for each other. Therefore, though we may be separated, we are never alone. She goes and takes pieces of us with her, and we carry the light she helped shine on us with us.
Matthew 6 has some verses regarding building up treasures on earth and heaven. Christ says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Well, pieces of our hearts will be in Illinois because Mary is part of our treasure we have built up at our church. So are the rest of our young ones, like Rick Jr., Ryan, Chelsea, Regina and Evelyn and all the younger kids of the Davises and Nancy's grandchildren. They have all been given the gift of being loved by the church and have become our little treasures. When they grow up, they take some of that love and spread it around.
Therefore, despite our own selfish sadness, we rejoice because she will take the love of her church family and give it to others, and I pray that is what happens. See, God uses us, and I think when he takes us to certain places, he uses us to spread that joy and love we get, and we know Mary has been blessed to grow up not only with a family that loves her, but we all love her and the other kids as well. See, that is what I fear when I see megaschools and megachurches. I fear people and children falling through the cracks. Here, there are no cracks to hide in. And that has been a blessing for myself growing up, even when I wished otherwise. I know Mary has been blessed likewise. Through our love and instruction, I have no fears about her falling into the bad crowd or making poor decisions.
God calls us each to make our own way. And this week will be the beginning of that wonderful, confusing, up and down and sideways, angrysadhappy experience we call life. We have done our part, Mary has done hers, now she must take our love and support, and the blessings and talents God has given her, and share them with the rest of the world. Our loss is Illinois's gain. Our loss is the gain of people we will impact that we will never know, because Mary will take the love and lessons here and go and be a reflection of Christ. I hope all of us do that.
So, to Mary--study hard, pray hard, and trust in God. And Remebmer you are never alone. We can never, ever be separated. Though we be far apart, though land and sea separate us, we are still bonded and united in our love for each other and the love we have for Christ and the love He has for us. Let us bask in that love and let it give us strength. And also, know that it is not goodbye, not a final farewell, but a see you soon...Good luck, God bless, we love you, Mary....
Let's pray....
# posted by Mark : 1:12 PM
