From January 9 - February 6, I will be preaching a four-part sermon series that will engage in a sustained examination of our identity and calling as the people of God. I invite you into this time of exploration and dialogue. - Dan Anderson-Little, Pastor
This sermon series is motivated by a number of factors:
1. We are at the beginning of a new year, which is an important time to take stock of who we are and where we are going.
2. The recent Presidential election raised a host of questions about "moral values" and the faith community. Trinity needs to be an active and dynamic part of this discussion.
3. Trinity's future is not clear. Over the past five years we have maintained worship attendance (at about 150) and the average age of our worshipper has gone down - both of these trends are better than the "average" Presbyterian church. At the same time, however, our financial giving is decreasing. Our wonderful church program is supported by an annual budget which is much larger than congregations of comparable size. We regularly spend earnings from our endowment and some of our church savings in order to balance our budget. This practice cannot continue indefinitely. Eventually, we must decide to cut our budget or grow as a congregation - either option will require significant changes in our current priorities and church life.
4. Having been at Trinity for six years, I am now feeling God's urging to be more explicit in my leadership as we confront these and other new challenges and opportunities. I am increasingly called to be concrete about what I see ahead and how I believe we can get there. Over the years, I have received feedback from members of the congregation that I can be abstract when I talk about our future as a church. This is an effort to be clearer.
Each sermon will begin with a Biblical exploration that sheds light on our current reality. Sermons will end with implications - if this is true, then what?
Sermon #1 - The People. When Jesus called the disciples, he did not say, "Believe in me"; rather he said, "Follow me." In this sermon, we will consider what it means, in our baptism, to be the people of God. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? How do we build a lifestyle that helps us to grow in that relationship?
Sermon #2 - The Place. When Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them," he expressed a tension about place. People are always gathered in a place, but Jesus reminds us that there is no one place - our place is where Jesus is found. In this sermon we will examine the importance of our place - the Trinity building; we will also discuss its limitations as we seek to be the Body of Christ in our neighborhood and in the world.
Sermon #3 - The Story. God's story is a story that reaches back to the dawn of time and forward to the fulfillment of history. It is a story that is captured in scripture and a story that we are invited to live. In this sermon, we will dive into the story and discover our place in it. We will seek to articulate the story and wrestle with ways to share the story with others, especially in a time when so many approach the church with suspicion, hostility or indifference.
Sermon #4 - The Pastor. Being a pastor today is demanding not only because there's too much to do, but also because it's hard to know what to choose to do, how to do it, and why. In this sermon, I will discuss my calling and my priorities as a servant of God and as the pastor of Trinity Church.
Although these sermons are not intended to be confrontational, they will, for some, be controversial. We live in a time when there are many different expectations of the church, of Christians, and of pastors - and it is impossible to choose priorities and directions without disappointing some people. In that regard, these sermons represent a risk. I risk being misunderstood; but I also risk being understood, and having some come to the conclusion that they do not like what I am saying.
Because these sermons are risky, I intend them to be an invitation to dialogue. I earnestly seek your input and response to them. I want to know where you agree, where you are not sure, and where you disagree. I need your best thinking and discernment to sharpen and focus my own. To that end, I have scheduled five dialogue gatherings for members and friends of Trinity Presbyterian Church to engage in conversation about the issues raised by these sermons. Four of the gatherings will be on weeknights at members' homes, and one gathering will be at the church on a weekday.
I ask everyone who engages in these sermons and the ensuing dialogue to keep a couple of things in mind: These sermons are not the last word on these topics; instead they represent my best thinking and my strongest convictions at this time. As we approach these issues with open minds and the willingness to disagree and even be in conflict with one another, we will gain the advantage of our collective faith and collective wisdom. I earnestly believe that God has a marvelous future for Trinity - it will take all of us to get there!
These dialogue sessions are currently scheduled. If there is a need for more, I will plan them:
University City
Where: Home of Bob and Nancy Wagoner,
7848 Greensfelder, 314-863-2328
Date: Tuesday, February 22, 7:00 pm
Central West End
Where: Home of Keith and Ann Fischer,
1 Lenox Place Pl., 314-361-5891
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 7:00 pm
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Date: Tuesday, February 22, 11:30 am (bring a brown bag lunch)
Webster Groves
Where: Home of Kathie and Bill Cahoon
423 Bacon, 314-961-6495
Date: Sunday, March 13, 4:00 p.m.
We remember our baptism because that is where our living, dynamic relationship with God is grounded.
When Jesus was baptized he heard God speak of God's immense love for him:
This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.
When we were baptized we heard God speak God's immense love for us:
This is my daughter, this is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.
Our baptism calls us into a lifelong relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Like all relationships, this relationship calls us to engage fully in it so it might grow and deepen.
We are called to grow in our faith over our lifetime. To do this, we must intentionally attend to three areas that are addressed by Christian education:
1. Foundations - the protein of our faith. This includes Bible study, theology, history, polity.
2. Formations - the exercise of our faith. This includes prayer, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines.
3. Intersections - the work of our faith. This includes mission, worship, social action, and justice.
We all need guidance to create an appropriate plan of spiritual growth.
By the end of the summer of 2005, Trinity will train and deploy spiritual directors or guides. The guides will meet with members to help them identify spiritual needs in their lives and find appropriate places to address those needs.
Places are important to us - they are where we are grounded; they are where we belong. Abraham and Sarah were promised a place. And yet, God's promise to them was bigger than a place just for them - for they were called to be ancestors of a multitude of nations. What's more, Abraham and Sarah never arrived at the place that God had promised. The story of scripture, therefore, is ambivalent about place.
Jesus defined place, not geographically, but spiritually - "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there."
In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded his followers, not to stay, but to go into all the world. In the Great Commission, every place becomes our place.
We are called to use our place - Trinity Presbyterian Church - as a vehicle both to be grounded in our faith and to fulfill the Great Commission. The church building needs to both welcome others and send us forth.
Trinity as a place of welcome and hospitality
1. Explore and implement (if advisable) the possibility of Trinity serving as an art gallery for local artists. This would not only give artists a place to share their creations, but also a place for the community to come and be challenged, inspired and moved.
2. Commit to making our space more conducive for fellowship, both for current members and for outsiders. This effort has already begun.
Trinity as a place that sends us forth into the world
1. Throughout the year, each commission, board, and task force will have at least one meeting outside of the church discovering and conversing with the local community.
2. By mid-March 2005, the Pastor will hold office hours, at least one afternoon a week in a local establishment. This will enable the Pastor to meet with and get to know community members and will community members the opportunity to meet the Pastor and get to know something about Trinity.
Jesus passionately believed in the Good News that he proclaimed, but he was also clear on what his limitations were. In the story of the rich, young ruler, Jesus did not change his mind when the young man couldn't fulfill Jesus' requirement to sell everything.
So many of us have difficulty saying "no" appropriately. We want to please others and be liked and so we say yes to things that are not our responsibility or our calling.
God calls us to certain ministries and tasks. God has also created us to be gifted in some areas and not in others. The clearer are about those ministries and our giftedness with ourselves and others, the healthier we are and the healthier the church is.
All of us, pastor, staff and members need to be clear about our callings - we need to prayerfully discern those places where God calls us to ministry and where God calls others.
We need to discover ways to honor the various callings of our lives - in ministry, in our families, in our relationships, in our community. God desires that we be integrated persons who are faithful stewards of every area of our life.
The pastor needs to be clear about his or her responsibilities and his or her limitations. This will be worked out over time in dialogue and joint discernment.