Life from the Word
Scripture Reading: Psalm 1
1Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
4Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Message: Life from the Word
Two Trees planted by streams of water
Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night… they are like a tree planted by streams of water… they will bear fruit at the right time… whatever they do prospers
At the beginning of the life of a new congregation, where two become one, let us immerse ourselves in this image - the tree that is planted firmly on the banks of a river
There’s life from the streams of water… there’s life visible in the fruit and radiance of the tree… this tree is strong, not blown away by the winds… The Lord watches over this tree
There’s an image on the screen - two trees on the riverbank - growing together
Two trees, finding life in the water from the stream as they grow together into one
Four words come to mind when I think of this image and how it relates to this special day: celebration, change, hope and faith (breaking the rule of a 3-point sermon!)
Celebration
Today, we celebrate coming together!
We celebrate because what is happening here is something very special
It is God’s work, bringing us together in this way, and we stand in awe!
We confess that God is the God of the church and that his Son, Jesus Christ, is the head of the church
Our celebration today is in Him!
Our celebration is for the world to see… for the wider church to see… not to boast but glorify our God!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Change
Today is also a day of change!
As we acknowledge that what is happening here comes from the initiative of God, let us remind ourselves that the change we encounter here, is a nudge from God
We don’t like change - our instinct is to resist change
We love our ways… those things we have done in a certain way for so many years
The way we respond to change tells of how we depend on God and acknowledge Him as the God of our church
We don’t change for the sake of changing, we change because that is where God leads us
Amalgamation is change! It is a painful departure from the familiar into the unknown of where God is leading us (Holstein has felt much of the pain and responded faithfully, I trust that Durham will respond in the same way)
Let us be open to where God is leading us in the way forward!
Hope
This amalgamation brings hope!
We have seen it at a Presbytery meeting at Camp Kintail where it was approved - it is still being talked about
We have seen it in the community - they took note (wording of the messages)
When God is moving his people, hope is seen
We should know that we are being watched closely (and I don’t say it in a negative way)
Those watching are eager to see if this works, perhaps feeling the need to do something similar
So let us be mindful of the example we are setting
Let us be honoured that God chose to work among us in this way
And let us work hard for the benefit of the church and the kingdom of God
Faith
And the last word I want to mention is faith
From our Reformed roots comes the slogan: “Sola Fidei” - through faith alone
It is a slogan that tells us about trust
Through faith, we put our trust in Christ alone for our salvation
In nothing else!
When we go on this new journey as an amalgamated church, let us put our trust in Christ alone
Not in our own ideas, or intellect, or in our ways of doing things
Not in our finances, or management skills, or abilities
Let us grow together in our faith
Let us remind one another to put our trust in Christ alone
Let us seek first the kingdom of God, so that the rest will be given to us
Life from the Word
Psalm 1 gave us the metaphor of a tree getting life from the water
And this metaphor tells us that we get our life from the Word of God (Reformed tradition)
As a newly amalgamated congregation, our life comes from the Word of God
Let us live by the Word!
Let us remember that Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us
Let us not forget that the Word Who became flesh said: “I am the way, the truth and the life”
Blessed are those who are like a tree planted by streams of water… they will bear fruit at the right time… whatever they do prospers! AMEN
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