Sermon 02/15/09 (1 Corinthians 9:16-23)

“Fond Farewells”
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 15 February, 2009
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
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 When I came to St. Mark’s two and a half years ago I thought I might be a hospice worker. One of my roles as your “Transitional Minister” was to help you discern where God was leading this little church. I thought, when I started here, that my role might be to help you die as peacefully as possible. If a congregation can suffer from depression, this congregation suffered from it. That first Christmas Eve several people were in tears, sure that it would be our last.

These were valid fears. Our bank account was going through its own “recession” back then, and the pews were pretty empty. We were doing some good ministry -- the 12-step groups, the Wellness Center -- but our big church building was empty a lot of the time. We were kind of a shell.

Two years later, that shell is full and bursting with energy. Our bank account is in better shape, our pews have more people in them on Sunday mornings, and I can hardly keep track of everything that goes on here during the week. I think every room in the church is either being used regularly or has definite plans for the near future. I cannot emphasis enough how proud I am of the transformation that has taken place at St. Mark’s. I don’t care if I’m starting to sound like a broken record. (It’s my last Sunday anyway, so you won’t have to hear it again.) I am proud of this church and I’m not afraid to say it.

What happened so drastically in these two years? Some of you have kindly attributed the change to my presence here, but I honestly don’t think that’s it and I think it’s dangerous to think that. If a pastor is the reason for a church’s success, then why bother going to church if that pastor leaves? I think we all know that doesn’t make sense.

On the contrary, I believe the reason St. Mark’s has come to this point of healing has more to do with the determination of its members to proclaim the gospel. I think that somewhere along the line this congregation made the decision that they didn’t want to die -- and so they did everything in their power to keep on living. That power blissfully includes the grace of God, and God was surely with us during this time, lighting a fire in us and giving us the strength to go on.

It is this same power, and this same call, which will remain with us as we go our separate ways. It is my fervent hope that you will keep coming around here not just because you love the people who are here but because you feel called to proclaim the Gospel. The Apostle Paul describes himself as “enslaved” to the Gospel, and while I don’t care for the language of slavery, I get his point. On the one hand, we have a choice whether or not to accept the call of discipleship. I am grateful that so many members of this congregation did just that, and got to work when St. Mark’s needed it most. On the other hand, once we accept that call we are tied to it in a way that is difficult to escape. Once we begin proclaiming the gospel it’s hard to stop doing it -- and that’s a good thing.

So, what does it mean to “proclaim the Gospel”? How have we been proclaiming the Gospel together here at St. Mark’s? When Paul uses the phrase, he is speaking literally of preaching to people who are not yet followers of Christ and inviting them to join the church. We have done some of that here. Our membership has expanded, and we work hard to welcome visitors who come through our doors. Maybe we even invite friends to join us on Sunday mornings. But “proclaiming the Gospel” goes beyond Sunday morning. We “proclaim the Gospel” whenever we open our church to people in the community -- and we do that a lot around here. And we “proclaim the Gospel” individually whenever we “act as Christ to neighbor” -- when we love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

I don’t see any reason why that can’t continue after I leave. I would be devastated if it didn’t. You are enslaved to the Gospel -- you must continue to proclaim it, realizing that God will uphold you when you have a difficult time. I, too, am enslaved to the Gospel -- the good news of Christ -- and that is part of the reason I am leaving you now. God is calling me in another direction, and while I love you dearly I am compelled to follow where God leads me. Right now, it seems, God is leading me to Minnesota.

Separations like this are difficult. I have, in some ways, tried to be “all things to all people” here, in that I have had a wide variety of experiences within this little congregation. I am eternally grateful for what I have experienced here and for the kindness and love you have shown me. But my first responsibility is to God, as is yours. Just as God is calling me to new adventures in a new place, so God is calling this congregation to new adventures right here. This does not necessarily mean that God will never call you away from here. But if you ever leave this church I pray it will be because God is calling you, and not because you become lazy or complacent, or even because you have a conflict with someone in the congregation. It is easy to do that. Pastors run away nearly as often as church members do. But if we -- pastors and parishioners alike -- are to be true followers of Christ then we will go where God leads us and stay when God wants us to stay somewhere.

I pray that I am making the right decision as I leave you. I pray that you will make the right decisions in where you choose to worship. And I pray most deeply that this church will continue to thrive as I have seen it do. I pray that St. Mark’s will continue to be a blessing to the community of Morrell Park, to one another, and to the world.

Now let us pray as one.