Welcome Sunday, September 15, 2024
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell
Mark 8:27-38
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
So what did you do on your summer vacation? Where did you travel? What did you see? Who did you meet? What did you eat?
Well, we ate our way through every state in New England. And this year, for the first time, we spent some extended days in Rhode Island – an unusually beautiful place. But it’s what I ate in Rhode Island that really stands out in my mind.
It was in Tiverton – the Four Corners. The Four Corners, once a humble crossroads, has now been remade into one of those fancy places for fancy people from New York and Boston. And it is also the home of Grey’s Ice Cream. Now I mean no disrespect to Sweet Claude’s or Wentworth’s, but the butterscotch ice cream I ate at Grey’s that day was simply the best I have ever tasted. And it was creamy. And it was rich. And it spun on the end of my spoon like warm taffy.
In The Four Corners, there is also a charming little church, called the Amicable Congregational Church. What a great name. We went there because they had a large thrift shop. And once inside, we wandered around the basement Sunday School rooms, filled to the brim with all kinds of treasures. The women of the church run the thrift shop and so I introduced myself as a Congregational Minister from Connecticut. And I asked one of them if they had to move all this stuff each week before Sunday School. “No,” she replied. “Sadly, we don’t need these rooms anymore because we only have a handful of children left.”
She offered to give us a tour, and as we strolled around that beautiful little church, she told us the story about how she grew up there, and how the place used to be full week after week, and how they had two Sunday Schools just to accommodate all the children.
She sounded wistful and a little sad. And that’s when my pastor impulse emerged – even though I was on vacation. I reassured her that this story of religious decline was being replicated all over the United States; that there were many churches like the Amicable Congregational Church, striving to be faithful and creative despite the losses. And I encouraged her not to lose heart.
Just before we left, she thanked me for my words of encouragement, and then she said: “I’m glad to hear that we’re not the only ones struggling and that your church struggles too.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her about how alive this place still is, despite the great societal shifts and a deadly pandemic and the general disinterest in religion. I didn’t have the heart to tell her about how unusually beautiful this place still is.
Jesus and his disciples were traveling to the villages of Caesarea Philippi – another unusually beautiful place. I know that because I was there once. It was a hot day and we were very tired. Our guide took us into a grove of trees. And in that grove, there was a pool of crystal-clear water, fed by underground springs. And in the shadowy coolness of that place, we all took off our dusty shoes and sat on the rocks and soaked our tired feet. It was the kind of place you never wanted to leave.
I tell you about the beauty of that place because the setting is important for what is to follow. It was there, amongst all of that beauty, that Jesus asked the question that jarred them all back to reality. And his question rings down through the centuries to all of us: “Who do YOU say that I am?”
It’s an intensely personal question, with as many answers as there are people. But when Peter answered the question, he said what the rest of the group was thinking and hoping for: “You are the Messiah.”
And this what he meant by that. This is what everyone meant by that. The Messiah would be a strong man; a military leader who would save the people from their political calamity. The Messiah would send the Roman legions packing and reestablish the glories of Israel. But instead of military conquest and religious nationalism, Jesus talked about suffering, rejection, death, and yes, resurrection.
Well, this left them all shell-shocked. “What is he talking about?” they whispered. So, Peter took the Lord aside and said what all the rest of them were thinking: “Come on, Jesus! Lighten up! You’re bumming everyone out. You’re going to scare away the crowd! And we’re trying to build a congregation here. So, tell us what we want to hear.”
And that’s when Jesus called Peter the devil. And that’s when Jesus said: “You’ve your mind set on human things, not divine things.” And that’s when Jesus talked about his cross and their crosses and our crosses. And that’s when Jesus said that in order to find life, you have to lose what you have been calling life.
Today, Welcome Sunday 2024, we begin the final march toward December 8 when we will celebrate this marvelous congregation’s 300th Anniversary. And we have arrived at this moment in good stead. This congregation is still very much alive. - But here’s the thing: we are not completely sure why we have been so lucky. We are not completely sure how we have survived the cataclysms all around us. And because we are unsure, we are a little afraid. We don’t want to upset this delicate balance. We’re like the disciples who wanted to tone all the cross-talk down so as not to offend anyone or frighten them off.
But the Jesus question remains. “Who do you say that I am? First Congregational Church of Cheshire, who do we say that I am? And how does what you say find expression in this world?
Well, we have already made some declarations together about who Jesus is for us. In word and deed and by covenant, we have said that Jesus is a Savior whose arms are open wide. We call that being Open and Affirming. And so, in the name of Jesus, we welcome ALL as beloved children of God. And, I must say, we’re pretty good at it… at least in the confines of these walls on Sunday morning. But what about outside this unusually beautiful place? How does the rest of Cheshire know what we say about Jesus? How do all of those who are oppressed and ignored and vilified simply because of who they are know that this is One we follow?
We are also a Green Congregation, meaning that we actually believe the words of Psalm 24, that “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” And we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth. Therefore, we dedicate ourselves to love all that God has made. But again, how does anyone outside these walls know that?
Of course, we have many other ministries and commitments that declare our faith. And the thread that ties them all together is the spirit of openness and generosity and extravagant welcome. Good stuff.
But it upsets some people. Not everyone in Cheshire likes it. And we’re trying to build a congregation here! And so, we might be tempted to tone it down, lest we upset this delicate balance. But the question remains: “Who do you say that I am?”
On the cusp of this momentous celebration, when we look back with gratitude on everything that our ancestors in faith did, we must also pivot to look forward, with the Jesus question always in our minds: “Who do you say that I am?”
Let us not be afraid to answer that question. Let us not be afraid to pick up our crosses. Because beyond all those things that terrify us, that seem too tenuous or delicate to disturb, there is RESURRECTION – the most unusually beautiful place of them all!
Thanks be to God. Amen.
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell
Mark 8:27-38
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
So what did you do on your summer vacation? Where did you travel? What did you see? Who did you meet? What did you eat?
Well, we ate our way through every state in New England. And this year, for the first time, we spent some extended days in Rhode Island – an unusually beautiful place. But it’s what I ate in Rhode Island that really stands out in my mind.
It was in Tiverton – the Four Corners. The Four Corners, once a humble crossroads, has now been remade into one of those fancy places for fancy people from New York and Boston. And it is also the home of Grey’s Ice Cream. Now I mean no disrespect to Sweet Claude’s or Wentworth’s, but the butterscotch ice cream I ate at Grey’s that day was simply the best I have ever tasted. And it was creamy. And it was rich. And it spun on the end of my spoon like warm taffy.
In The Four Corners, there is also a charming little church, called the Amicable Congregational Church. What a great name. We went there because they had a large thrift shop. And once inside, we wandered around the basement Sunday School rooms, filled to the brim with all kinds of treasures. The women of the church run the thrift shop and so I introduced myself as a Congregational Minister from Connecticut. And I asked one of them if they had to move all this stuff each week before Sunday School. “No,” she replied. “Sadly, we don’t need these rooms anymore because we only have a handful of children left.”
She offered to give us a tour, and as we strolled around that beautiful little church, she told us the story about how she grew up there, and how the place used to be full week after week, and how they had two Sunday Schools just to accommodate all the children.
She sounded wistful and a little sad. And that’s when my pastor impulse emerged – even though I was on vacation. I reassured her that this story of religious decline was being replicated all over the United States; that there were many churches like the Amicable Congregational Church, striving to be faithful and creative despite the losses. And I encouraged her not to lose heart.
Just before we left, she thanked me for my words of encouragement, and then she said: “I’m glad to hear that we’re not the only ones struggling and that your church struggles too.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her about how alive this place still is, despite the great societal shifts and a deadly pandemic and the general disinterest in religion. I didn’t have the heart to tell her about how unusually beautiful this place still is.
Jesus and his disciples were traveling to the villages of Caesarea Philippi – another unusually beautiful place. I know that because I was there once. It was a hot day and we were very tired. Our guide took us into a grove of trees. And in that grove, there was a pool of crystal-clear water, fed by underground springs. And in the shadowy coolness of that place, we all took off our dusty shoes and sat on the rocks and soaked our tired feet. It was the kind of place you never wanted to leave.
I tell you about the beauty of that place because the setting is important for what is to follow. It was there, amongst all of that beauty, that Jesus asked the question that jarred them all back to reality. And his question rings down through the centuries to all of us: “Who do YOU say that I am?”
It’s an intensely personal question, with as many answers as there are people. But when Peter answered the question, he said what the rest of the group was thinking and hoping for: “You are the Messiah.”
And this what he meant by that. This is what everyone meant by that. The Messiah would be a strong man; a military leader who would save the people from their political calamity. The Messiah would send the Roman legions packing and reestablish the glories of Israel. But instead of military conquest and religious nationalism, Jesus talked about suffering, rejection, death, and yes, resurrection.
Well, this left them all shell-shocked. “What is he talking about?” they whispered. So, Peter took the Lord aside and said what all the rest of them were thinking: “Come on, Jesus! Lighten up! You’re bumming everyone out. You’re going to scare away the crowd! And we’re trying to build a congregation here. So, tell us what we want to hear.”
And that’s when Jesus called Peter the devil. And that’s when Jesus said: “You’ve your mind set on human things, not divine things.” And that’s when Jesus talked about his cross and their crosses and our crosses. And that’s when Jesus said that in order to find life, you have to lose what you have been calling life.
Today, Welcome Sunday 2024, we begin the final march toward December 8 when we will celebrate this marvelous congregation’s 300th Anniversary. And we have arrived at this moment in good stead. This congregation is still very much alive. - But here’s the thing: we are not completely sure why we have been so lucky. We are not completely sure how we have survived the cataclysms all around us. And because we are unsure, we are a little afraid. We don’t want to upset this delicate balance. We’re like the disciples who wanted to tone all the cross-talk down so as not to offend anyone or frighten them off.
But the Jesus question remains. “Who do you say that I am? First Congregational Church of Cheshire, who do we say that I am? And how does what you say find expression in this world?
Well, we have already made some declarations together about who Jesus is for us. In word and deed and by covenant, we have said that Jesus is a Savior whose arms are open wide. We call that being Open and Affirming. And so, in the name of Jesus, we welcome ALL as beloved children of God. And, I must say, we’re pretty good at it… at least in the confines of these walls on Sunday morning. But what about outside this unusually beautiful place? How does the rest of Cheshire know what we say about Jesus? How do all of those who are oppressed and ignored and vilified simply because of who they are know that this is One we follow?
We are also a Green Congregation, meaning that we actually believe the words of Psalm 24, that “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” And we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth. Therefore, we dedicate ourselves to love all that God has made. But again, how does anyone outside these walls know that?
Of course, we have many other ministries and commitments that declare our faith. And the thread that ties them all together is the spirit of openness and generosity and extravagant welcome. Good stuff.
But it upsets some people. Not everyone in Cheshire likes it. And we’re trying to build a congregation here! And so, we might be tempted to tone it down, lest we upset this delicate balance. But the question remains: “Who do you say that I am?”
On the cusp of this momentous celebration, when we look back with gratitude on everything that our ancestors in faith did, we must also pivot to look forward, with the Jesus question always in our minds: “Who do you say that I am?”
Let us not be afraid to answer that question. Let us not be afraid to pick up our crosses. Because beyond all those things that terrify us, that seem too tenuous or delicate to disturb, there is RESURRECTION – the most unusually beautiful place of them all!
Thanks be to God. Amen.
RSS Feed