My Final Sermon at Northwest

 This is the written version of my final sermon at the Church of Christ Northwest, preached on my last Sunday as youth minister there. It is formatted like a letter, specifically a New Testament letter.

    To the Church of Christ Northwest in Peoria, Illinois, peace be upon you all. May our glorious God and Father pour out mercies unnumbered in your midst, may our Lord Christ Jesus’s faithfulness never leave you, and may the Holy Spirit’s presence flood your hearts and lives. May you continue to seek out the Triune God with fervor and love as you bring about the establishment of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

       I would encourage you, my brothers and sisters, on this final day of fellowship. While I rest assured that the bonds that tie us together are woven through eternity, as the One who has bound us together is eternal, and that I will see many of you again in this current age, now comes the end of a particular season. I sincerely pray to Almighty God that as the next season dawns that it brings you nothing but growth, peace, and wonders beyond imagining.

            

    Beloved, you are my heart and my joy. I came to you a young, naïve man full of idealism and no real experience to speak of. Now I leave you slightly older, having experienced some of the highest peaks and darkest valleys of my life. Thanks to you I leave, I pray, a little wiser, a little kinder, and a little more experienced. While my idealism remains, by the grace of God, untarnished, God has, in his inscrutable wisdom, used you to pair with that idealism a healthy portion of reality. I genuinely say this with the utmost gratitude.

            

    I thank God for you daily. I will continue to pray for you, that you may know Jesus evermore. I pray that for all who come into this fellowship that you are as much of a blessing to them as you are to me.

            

    Beloved, I would encourage you not to forget who you are in Christ. Too often you define yourself by your faults and failings, by the mistakes of your past and by what you have not yet achieved. There is goodness and worth in confronting old sins that fester deep, and these should be uprooted swiftly and without hesitation. However, the failings of the past are not your identity. You are not defined by the scars of your sins but by the scars of the Crucified One.

            

    My brothers and sisters you must learn to live in the tension of two distinct truths. You are a collection of sinners, broken and in need of healing. You are also the Bride of Christ, the radiance of his splendor and hope to the nations. It is not I who name you so, rather it is the One who has the power to renew and reconcile anyone who trusts in his Name.

            

    Let Christ crucified and risen be your purpose and identity. If your purpose is anything less than Christ crucified and risen, then what are you doing? If your identity is anything less than Christ crucified and risen, then who are you? Root yourself in Christ crucified and risen and don’t settle for anything less.

            

    Do not envy the prosperity of others and do not seek to imitate those to whom God has entrusted different things. How often have we looked upon other churches and their numbers, budgets, and events with jealousy all the while ignoring the gifts and blessings God has given to us? The Spirit gives generously according to our need, and there has never been a time when the Spirit has not provided exactly what was needed.

            

    Use the gifts God has given to you. Embrace the fact that you are a smaller, family congregation. Look around you, for you can come to know and walk beside everyone in this room. How many of the larger churches can say that? Do not fear your limitations, for God’s grace is more than sufficient.

            

    I would encourage you in one more thing, my brothers and sisters. I speak to you as a fellow servant of King Jesus who longs for nothing more than your success and growth. The greatest command given to all Christians is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. No one could question your heart, and you should not lament your strength. In the pursuits of the mind, towards which I am inclined, you have grown immensely in the past years. However, do not neglect your soul, for that is where I think you are most vulnerable.

            

    To love the Lord your God with all of your soul is to be at rest in the presence of God. It is to anchor yourself to Christ in prayer, fasting, and meditation. It is in the quiet stillness of the soul where we encounter true peace and assurance in the power of God.

            

    Brothers and sisters you are a people of the heart and strength. Your passion burns bright, and you yearn to act on that passion. You have grown in matters of the mind as well, so the framework in which you do things has also been better established. This is good and should be commended. However, without growing in loving God with your soul it is incomplete.

            

    How many times have we, with great enthusiasm, begun something new and exciting only to have it collapse mere months later? How many get caught in a cycle of endless service, their strength sapped, because there is no conception of rest? How often have we let excitement and enthusiasm override wisdom and patience? When was the last time we let big decisions be guided by prayer and fasting? Sometimes the best action is to simply be still and know that he is God.

            

    Without the anchor of the soul, the heart may burn bright for a time, but that flame will fade and only ashes of what used to be will remain. Without the anchor of the soul, the mind may discover wondrous new things about God and his nature but all these amount to nothing without that personal commitment and trust in his presence. Without the anchor of the soul your strength will be ground to dust under the weight of the never-ending needs of others.

            

    I say this to you not to shame you but to encourage you to keep growing. I only can say these things because I know that by God’s grace and abundant power you are capable of overcoming any weakness. You have grown so much in these past seven years, and I know that that was just the beginning of what God has in store for you.

            

    Beloved, I will miss you more than you can imagine. Every time I ever visited my father’s house it was only a matter of days before I yearned to return to you, to this place where I belonged. Now that yearning will be a permanent fixture of my heart. I have no fear of what lies ahead, for Christ is faithful and true, but I do lament what I must leave behind.

            

    David and Sherri, my coworkers in Christ. I pray that your ministry continues to be blessed and a blessing. Rick and Meg, I will miss you. Thank you for including me in your family time and again. Betty and Meta, I will miss coming into the office and seeing you. Rebecca, my favorite questioner. I will miss our book clubs and the insightful questions that you ask. Gene and Karel, some of the first who took me in. I will miss you. Terry and Teressa, my twin and his better half. Thank you for your hospitality, the nerdy discussions, and friendship. Alan, Susan, Amelia, and Sadie, my friends and comrades these past seven years. Thank you for the hospitality, support, and encouragement you have provided.

            

    Rodney and Jill, my dearest friends. I will miss the laughing fits and time we spend together. Mike, Susan, Beth, Matthew, and Nathan, my adopted family. I will dearly miss the games, adventures, and craziness we shared. Aaron, Kristin, Anna, Emily, and Jenna, my companions in time and space. I will miss our deep conversations, Bible studies, and your ever-present hospitality. Dean, a true friend and mentor. I will miss our breakfasts, vent sessions, and your kindness. I could continue on ad nauseum, but time is against us.

            

    So, my brothers and sisters, this is the end of a season. I can only pray that my time here has helped you know Jesus better. You have certainly helped me grow in that regard. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit may you be blessed and may the face of the Lord Jesus be ever near to you. May mercy and grace flood this place, and may you continue to seek God in all that you do.

          Amen.