Ground
Breaking Message
On a day
like today it’s very hard not to want to take a moment and remember.
That’s what
I’ve been doing all week. Walking down
memory lane, remembering just how much the house has meant to our church.
I know how
much that house meant to our founding members.
It was important to have a home, to no longer have to move around from
place to place to worship. Having a home
base helped to really solidify the feeling of belonging and the idea that God had
a plan for Life in Christ, plans to give us a hope and a future.
I don’t have
time to share with you all the memories I have of the house. It just worked – the house worked for
us. We worshipped the Lord with all our
hearts. We made Sunday school work with
the limited space we had. Fellowship
events were no problem. We set up tables
and chairs out on the grass and under some of those beautiful trees we had on
the property and had a blast.
I remember
serving communion in a very tight space and that if I weighed then what I
weighed now I probably would have bowled people over. I remember our first Easter sunrise service
and how the horse from across the street came and paid us a visit. I remember the first Palm Sunday when we had
palms on each side of the center aisle leading up to the altar. It felt like walking through a jungle. I remember Pete McKean passing me notes
during the service. I remember our kids
running all over the property hunting Easter eggs. The house was our home. It was where we worshipped and studied and fellowshipped
and just had fun. We were a happy church
and we had days and days of happy times, rejoicing together in the common faith
we’d received through the Gospel and the common Savior, Jesus, who died and
rose again to rescue us and give us eternal life.
So on a day
like today it is good to remember.
Interestingly, the word “remember” is used over 200 times in the
Bible. What I find helpful is why God
often urges His people to remember their past.
A favorite
Psalm of mine is Psalm 77. It begins with
these words: I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me. When I
was in distress, I sought the Lord…
The writer
of Psalm 77 is a man named Asaph. It is
easy to identify the spiritual anguish he is suffering from. Asaph and his people have suffered heartache
and loss. Their temple, their house, is
no more. Their enemies have been allowed
by God to overtake their land and people.
Asaph is so
upset that he begins to wonder, “Has God forgotten me and my people?” Asaph writes, “Has (God’s) unfailing love
vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time?”
With all
hope seemingly lost, Asaph then does something crucial to his spiritual
life. Listen to verse 11 of Psalm
77. I
will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long
ago.
Asaph
remembers that God is holy and that His will is perfect. He remembers that through His power, God
works mighty miracles. He prays these
wonderful words: What god is so great as
our God?
And then
Asaph very specifically remembers how God saved Israel from Egypt’s
slavery. He recalls how the people fled
the Pharaoh during the Exodus. Asaph
pictures the people standing at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army bearing down on
them. All seemed to be lost but then a
way of safety was provided. The waters
are parted; a way of escape is made.
Asaph
describes the scene like this: Your path
led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though Your footprints
were not seen.
The reason
why God encourages His people to remember the past is not to live in the past
but to move forward in faith in the future.
By remembering
how God has acted on behalf of His people in the past fuels our faith that we
can trust in His help or protection or forgiveness or love in the future.
Living in the
past make for a stale Christianity. I
don’t believe that’s what the Lord’s will is for the church, for our church.
So, on this
ground breaking Sunday, we remember our very first house of worship. We give thanks to God for leading us to this
place. We rejoice when we think of all
the ways that we came together as a community of Christ – receiving His gifts
of grace in worship and sharing those gifts of grace with one another and our
community.
God has
richly blessed Life in Christ.
Remembering our past, we are confident He will continue to bless as we
faithfully proclaim His Word and administer His Sacraments. What
God is so great as our God?
Our new
fellowship and Christian education building will be one more tool and resource
at our disposal so that we might continue to carry out our mission to live and grow in Christ ~ encourage and
reach others. It’s exciting to think
of all the possibilities for fellowship and growth and outreach the future will
bring.
As we move
forward, then, let’s keep on remembering.
Keep on remembering God’s faithfulness to us in the past. Keep on remembering that the work God has
done in the place is greater and more awesome than any of us ever imagined.
And as we
remember, may God grant us the courage and faith to keep moving forward in
order to share the love of Jesus Christ with joy and enthusiasm. To God be the glory! Amen.
