LASTING CHANGES

June 6, 2010

Pentecost 2
1st Kings 17:8-16

Galatians 1:11-24


(prayer)
The author of the book of Acts tells us a dramatic story of how Saul of Tarsus, a self-proclaimed opponent to the followers of Jesus changed his ways and became known better by the Greek version of his name, Paul as a zealous member of the early Christian church movement. Acts tells about Paul en route to Damascus with official papers sanctioning the arrest of any followers of The Way, when he was literally knock off his horse and blinded by the light of God, as the risen Jesus asked him “Why do you persecute me?” Within a few days, Paul was part of the very movement he had hoped to eradicate. The book of Acts was written about 15-20 years after the events it describes. Paul himself does not describe the events surrounding how he came an apostle. What we do have is the passage from the first chapter of the Galatians letter: Paul had come to accept that it was his destiny to be an apostle – and that (at the appropriate time) God revealed that calling to him. And he was changed.
It was a lasting change – it made a difference in his life and (directly) in the lives of many early followers of Jesus, who heard the good news from Paul. Indirectly, of course, we are all lasting products of the changes that Paul made.
You may have noticed the sign outside St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Leduc this week: “We don’t change the message, the message changes us.” Finding and living Faith is about change.
This is based on a basic belief that we have potential to improve ourselves. That we are not complete in every aspect of who we are. We can learn and grow and we can make changes that impact our lives and the lives of others. It is a noble desire to seek to change one’s life for the better.
Jesus encouraged those who had been sold the message that their lot in life was fixed: the poor, the outcast, the sinner. Jesus told them that they were loved so much by God that they were more than they might assume. As a beloved child of God, they were deeply valuable and were on par with everyone else in God’s creation – even those who “the world” might define as above them.
It makes sense that it is in the Galatians letter, where Paul tells of the importance of his conversion, that he also writes that: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:38)
Lasting Changes. It is both our goal and mission.
Like Elijah did literally with the widow and her son, we want to (figuratively) feed the hungry and quench the thirsty. We want to offer hope for lasting changes. It is not surprising that a desire to enable these internal changes, also motivates us to make tangible changes in people’s lives. It was churches that began many of the outreach programs that grew into modern government run social services. Church people continue to be behind many food banks and movements for social justice and change. Like they did with Paul, internal changes tend to have external impacts.
We are people with a history of change, who seek to have a good and lasting impact on the future we share.
//
In 1911, the Presbyterian congregation and the Methodist church in Leduc saw a value in joining forces. The history of “why” is sketchy, but a good guess would be that there were very practical reasons – combining the people of two churches made a larger congregation and having one minister rather than two free up resources for other ministry possibilities. But I suspect that there was a deeply important theological reason at play as well that was emerging in Canada at the time.
Canada became a recognized nation in 1867, built largely on European immigration to North America that had been occurring for the better part of a century and a half. They brought with them the church traditions of their home lands. Many of these European parent nations had long established national churches. Now that Canada had a national structure, within established denominations, there were formal national unions of smaller regional units.
In the latter half of the 19th century, there was a movement aimed at creating a national Canadian church. Turn of the century discussions included the involvement of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Congregationalist Union of Canada and the Methodist Church. In Western Canada, this movement led to practical unions in anticipation of national unions (St. David’s was part of that union church movement). National progress was halted when the Great War (WW1) broke out in Europe in 1914.
After the war, the idea of a union church were taken extremely seriously. A Basis of Union was drawn up establishing how the churches would come together – everything from structure to doctrine was included. [slide] The Congregationalist Union was on board, The Methodist churches voted in favour of union and that denomination agreed to the union. The Presbyterian Church followed a different method, each congregation was given a choice to enter the new union or stay Presbyterian. In the end about 2/3s of the congregations agreed to Union [that is why there is still a Presbyterian denomination in Canada].
In 1925, it was made formal – by the unprecedented method of an Act of Parliament. At a formal service on June 10, 1925, [slide] 8,000 people gathered in Arena Gardens (later renamed Mutual Street Arena) in Toronto to liturgically enact the birth of the United Church. The United Church of Canada was born.
//
So, on Thursday, the United Church of Canada will be 85 years old. Birthdays bring families together. You may know that we have been paired with the United Church in Murray River, PEI. [slide] It is hoped that people will send a letter or an email to establish a connection between our churches.
At a family celebration, we often tell stories and reminisce as a way of remembering who we are and where we’ve been. We’re going to do that now, giving thanks to God for being with us all the way—“in life, in death, in life beyond death.”
Let’s begin by going all the way back to 1925 and the first hymn of the inaugural service of The United Church of Canada. Please remain seated to sing the first verse “The Church’s One Foundation.” It is #331 in Voiced United. [slide] As we sing, imagine four processions—the Presbyterians, the Methodists, the Union Churches, and the Congregationalists—meeting at the entrance of the church and mixing together as they enter the church for the very first worship of The United Church of Canada.
// sing #331VU v1
I’m going to tell some stories now. I am grateful to my friends Karen and David Holmes for sharing the wording of some of these stories for this special anniversary Sunday.
Since some of the stories come from 85 years ago, you may not have been there so you might not remember them. But I’ll just remind you. Part of our being church is that we take our stories—some going all the way back to the Exodus and before—and we make them part of us and our lives here and now. We re-member them. And so, after each story, I’ll ask you a question: “Do you remember?” [slide] And I invite you to respond, “Yes, we remember.”
//
On June 10, 1925, a new church was born. Administratively and institutionally, it was a bit of a train wreck. I mean, you know what it’s like trying to get some agreement in just one church, try organizing different denominations into one! But at the same time, this was a new and exciting thing. Instead of breaking up because we disagreed with one another, we were uniting.
The United Church of Canada was the first modern union of different denominations in the world. We were born out of a desire to follow Jesus’ prayer that all of his followers in the world might be one, united in love and in purpose. It was a history-making moment.
Do you remember?
All: Yes, we remember!
In 1936, Lydia Gruchy became the first woman ordained into ministry within the United Church. Although Methodist Churches in the US had been ordaining women since the 1880s, it was still pretty controversial in Canada. Of course, it wasn’t a complete shattering of the glass ceiling: the church did not permit married women to be ordained until the late 50s. Even so, given that some churches today, still do not believe that women should be ordained, we were well ahead of the times. That seems to be a hallmark of the United Church. We are often at the leading edge of church movements.
Do you remember?
All: Yes, we remember!
In 1968, the United Church elected its first lay Moderator, Dr. Robert McClure. Robert McClure was a medical doctor, a missionary who served many years in China, India, and the Middle East, among other places. Oh, if we started to tell stories about him we’d be here all day! But he was a challenge to society and to the church. He challenged society to live by the values of justice, courage, and compassion—and he challenged the church with piles of questions and fresh thinking, backed up by a lifetime of service to Jesus Christ.
It was during Robert McClure’s tenure as Moderator that we began saying “A New Creed”, a statement of faith that has since travelled all over the world and been used in all sorts of churches.
Do you remember?
All: Yes, we remember!
Normally on communion Sundays, we say the United Church Creed together, just as we are coming to the table. Even though our bulletin has that for today as well, let’s say it early! Turn to page 918 in Voices United.
As we read our Creed, listen to these words that have shaped and defined the character of our church. I invite you to remain seated as we profess this faith together. [slide]

We are not alone,
we live in God's world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God. [slide]
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God's presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope. [slide]
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
[slide]
//
Not all of our church’s history has been good. At the General Council in 1986, we made an apology to the First Nations peoples within the church. We apologized for the very serious harm we had caused the families, the languages, the culture, the faith, and the identity of the Aboriginal peoples of this land. We did not cause only harm, and for the most part our intentions were good. But we confused our cultural ways with the gospel and caused hurt we cannot undo. In recent years, the church has worked hard to respond with compassion and healing in the wake of the impact of the residential school system.
In this and in other matters, the ability to repent—and the need to repent—is part of who we are as the United Church. [slide]
Do you remember?
All: Yes, we remember!
In perhaps the most controversial move in our church’s 85 years, after almost a decade of study, conversation and reflection, in 1988, the United Church declared that a person’s sexual orientation, in and of itself, was NOT a bar to ministry. The wording was simple but powerful: “All persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are eligible to be considered for ministry.” The church drew opposition from within and from without. There were congregational splits and some people and even whole congregations left the church. It took a decade for things to somewhat stabilize. Through it all, the church stood its ground - believing this to be an issue of faith and justice. And it further defined the United Church as a staunchly inclusive church. I believe that it is our inclusiveness (and our openness to helping people engage the Spirit of God in the context of today’s world) which attracts many people to the church today.
Just a few years ago, here at St. David’s, as the marriage laws of Canada were changing, we decided (after study and conversation and reflection) that we would treat requests for marriage from same-sex couples no differently than we treat requests from opposite sex couples. Although, I have not yet been asked to officiate a marriage for a gay or lesbian couple, it was (and is) a powerful statement.
Do you remember?
All: Yes, we remember!
//
If I try to sum up the aspects of the United Church that truly define who we are: that try to highlight, how we hope to make lasting changes in people’s lives, I would say that:
We believe that God loves us all. We believe that Jesus lived and showed this love. We seek to follow Jesus in this way. Just as parents do not wait for that first smile before they love their children, so God loves us from the moment of our birth and even before. And God never stops loving us, no matter what we may do.
There can be this wonderful moment when any of us decides to follow—decides to say “yes” to God’s love. That is a personal yearning fulfilled at the deepest level of the heart and soul. That moment is enacted publically and celebrated in ceremonies baptism and confirmation of our faith.
It is a magical moment when we let go of our self-centred lives and take up a life of ministry centred on God. It’s like a new life, a new birth, a new freedom, and a new calling for us—and we become part of a new family, the Christian Church.
We are bathed with water in the name of our triune God, and we become part of God’s covenant people.
Do you remember?
All: Yes, we remember!
[slide]
[turn on lapel mic]
[sprinkle water]
So remember your baptism and be thankful! And if you have not been baptized, then enjoy this watery blessing!
//

[from pulpit]
I hope that you can take from this time together, a common quest: for self and world, made new!

Let us pray:
God of power and grace;
Open our hearts to know your care for us. Sustain us and give us generous spirits, that we may change our own lives and the lives of others. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

*Offering*