10/19/08                                                                               Ephesians 2:11-22

“WHAT WILL NOT CHANGE”

Rev. James Singleton

A copy of a speech given by A. B. Cannon, a pillar of our church back in the 1930s found its way into my hands recently. The occasion for the speech was Rally Day, the Sunday when Sunday school resumed after summer break, and Almon Brown Cannon was asked to address the gathered congregation. I want to read to you a portion of his speech to the First Christian Church of that era.

            When I was asked to take this assignment, I demurred at first, for good reasons, but was finally persuaded—constrained, as Paul would say, rather against my will. They said they wanted someone who could go away back in church history...My connection with the church began in 1912, when the pulpit was occupied by Rev. Arthur, and the old-timers of that day were recalling the ministry of such preachers as Strickler and Taylor. I think the membership then was not more than 150. The building was just this room, as you now see it (the main section of the sanctuary). It was essentially the house of 1842.

 It had no great charm inside, although the windows were of good Gothic type, but the glass was disappointing. Pews were not too comfortable. Those were still the days when bodily suffering was supposed to promote spiritual grace. But the outstanding feature, as I thought, was the series of texts or mottoes extending around the cornice of the room, done in handsome Old English lettering.  

            I can remember some, like “Our Creed is Christ, our book of discipline, the Bible;” and “Where the Bible speaks we speak, where it is silent we are silent,” and others. Communion was served in the single common cup and the loaf was unleavened bread, home-baked.

            There was always a Sunday evening service and a Thursday evening prayer meeting, and we had a Christian Endeavor for young people and adults, and a Ladies Aid Society…The choir in those days was more or less sporadic but I remember Grace Smith as a leader at one time, and some creditable music. Mr. Ed Mack I think deserves credit for establishing the modern choir, around 1923.

            Those early pillars of the faith who were finishing their work just as I entered the scene were building better than they knew. Such stalwarts as the Freeborn families, Wallace, Al and Will, Mary Everhard, the Beardsleys, Aunt Matilda Bolich, Will and May Bolich, Mrs. Showers, the Durling women, the elder Baysingers, Days and Baish families, Andy Blough, Mother James—I am sorry if I have left out some—I know I have; it is fitting that today these walls should echo again to mention of their names, in memory of their sturdy faith.

            I say they had builded better than they knew, for by 1915 we were beginning to grow out of the old building, and grow up as a congregation. In that year the building was remodeled and the south wing added and drastic changes made in the interior, both upstairs and down. The way was prepared by a grand revival under R.V. Coombs and the Mitchel brothers, whose work was largely instructional. 

            The fiery Will Foster made splendid use of his gifts, and the work was continued by the scholarly Hamilton and Mr. Fifield who is still with us. Under Mr. Lentz, 1924-1929 the worship service and working procedures were greatly streamlined, and the stimulus of those days still continues. The organ was installed in 1926 and the rear addition was added in 1930.

            But probably that is enough of the past. It is written that the young shall see visions and the old shall dream dreams, and blessed is that dreamer who has not seen too many of his own fair visions perish. Youth has the future for its own and can afford to plan broadly, and I would say to the young people who now have charge only this, in the words of a great builder: “Make no small plans, for they have not the power to stir men’s hearts; and if the heart is not stirred, the hand will weaken.”

            That is enough to give you a flavor of the history and spirit of First Christian Church. In each generation, those who had visions and dreams implanted within them by God had the courage to stand up and lead the way to make those visions and dreams a reality. If they had not done so, we would still be in that one room building with less than 150 members—if we existed at all.

            But there is something else I want to draw your attention to and that is that despite all of the changes this church has gone through since its inception in 1828—it has still remained the same essential church built upon the same foundational beliefs.

            We have been focusing these past weeks upon all of the changes that our renovation project will bring to our church. And those changes are as needed today as they were in 1915 when the sanctuary needed to be updated from its 1842 look. We need to be updated from our 1955 look not only to be more appealing to future generations but to enhance our worship experience today.

These are no small plans, but hopefully are plans that stir your heart and strengthen your hand. But I don’t want to focus upon what will change today. Rather, I want to focus upon what will not change around here. I want us to focus upon some of the things that are of such central importance that we dare not change them.

            Even though we no longer can see that old English Lettering around the sanctuary proclaiming, “No Creed but Christ” and “Where the Bible speaks we speak, where it is silent we are silent” those statements remain true for us because we are members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We continue to be a church that emphasizes freedom and the responsibility of each individual to hear Christ through the Scripture and encounter Christ through your own faith. We allow no pope, no superintendent, bishop or preacher to dictate to us what we are to believe and how we are to live out our faith.

            We are free of creeds and church hierarchies that tell us that we must believe certain doctrines or we are not Christian. And because of our freedom, we have always been and continue to be a very diverse church.

            We have always believed that the great confession is the bedrock upon which the Church and the Christian is built. If you confess that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, then you are a brother or sister in Christ. Whether you are a Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, Mennonite, Greek Orthodox, Methodist, Lutheran…whether you are a liberal, conservative or moderate, you are welcome here and the communion table is open to you. That will not change!

            Unity is our polar star. Just as Paul spoke of the Church in which circumcision was so crucial to some early Christians but not to others, he saw that they still could be united through faith in Christ. “In essentials unity; in non-essentials diversity; in all things love” was another one of those sayings that use to adorn this sanctuary and remains our motto to this day.  

Let us learn and grow through our differences, for it is our differences that help keep us from idolatry and partial truth. Dividing walls come down here, not only literally but figuratively. We will continue to be as wondrously diverse and free, yet, united as we have always been. That will not change!

            Our church has always believed in the importance of the laity and has believed that God is as near to lay people as to clergy. You heard more lay people named as pillars of the faith by Cannon than you heard clergy names. As Paul said, “All have been brought near in the blood of Christ.”

It is still our lay elders who preside at our communion table because of our belief in God’s equal love of all people. It is not just the ordained who are set apart and who may come near the table—it is all who believe. That will not change!

            Nor will our recognition of the spiritual blessing and ministry of women change. While there are other churches that do not even allow women to serve in offices of the church, let alone ordain women into the ministry, we have ordained women for over 100 years. Our church has in the past and continues to be blessed by women ministers, women elders and women leaders. That will not change!

            We are going to make changes in our sanctuary. We will change the color, the lights, the sound, the way the choir sits, and the position of the pulpit; we will remove the barriers to open up sightlines and bring the entire chancel area closer to you, the people. But what will not change will be what has always remained central for us—the communion table.  

The table itself will be different, but not the central focus upon the table. It will still contain the same words: “This do in remembrance of me” and will still contain the same elements on top with chalice and bread symbolizing the sacrifice Christ made for our sins that we might have both abundant and eternal life. The physical tables have changed over the years, but the spiritual table has remained the same. Every Sunday that the congregation has met in this church since its inception, the central focus has been on the Lord’s Supper. That will not change!

            And what lies behind the communion table, the baptistery, will not change. It is still where converts will die and rise in Christ Jesus, just as they have in the past. What will change, however, will be the curtain which will be replaced with a stained-glass window. But that window will capture the story that is told in all of our surrounding windows and witness to both the humanity and divinity of our Lord through a cross that is grounded into the earth but projecting into the heavens. It will be a change to remind us of what never changes—the old old story.

            Our sincere and genuine care for one another will continue. When someone faces a crisis, our prayer chains beseech God on behalf of that person and that person’s family. When someone is in financial need, our Good Samaritan fund is there to help. When life takes crazy twists and turns and you need guidance, there is always a minister, an elder, a teacher or a fellow church member who will listen, encourage and uplift.

            The support of our Youth goes all the way back to the Christian Endeavor groups of our early church. Young people from other churches come to our Sunday school and Youth meetings because they find something special here. We will still provide a life changing camp experience, and a first rate Youth ministry. We place primary importance upon our young people and that will not change!

            We also place primary importance upon our elderly. Elders take communion to shut-ins and there are programs aimed at strengthening our Golden Agers bodily and spiritually as well as ministries that depend upon their commitment. None of that will change.

            And even though we are talking about changes within these walls, we are still a church that reaches out beyond these walls through missions. Our church ranks 33^rd in churches across the country in outreach giving within our denomination. In addition, we are in the top 5 in our denomination in giving to world-wide disaster relief through Month of Compassion.

And it’s not just money that we send, we send people. One of our mission teams is healing a house broken by Katrina in Mississippi as I speak. Our mission support locally, regionally and globally will not change!

            We have four cornerstones in our church that are dated: 1915, 1954, 1966, and 1989. But we have one cornerstone that is not dated; it simply has a name on it: “Jesus Christ.” Through all of the changes our church as gone through and will yet go through, Jesus Christ remains the firm foundation upon which we are built. “In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” That will never change!

            As you prepare to make your pledge for our Building Campaign, base it not only upon all that will wonderfully change around here—base it also upon all that will wonderfully not change. For we will still be the same church we have always been and, indeed, it is what will not change about us that will make all the changes both necessary and worthwhile.

AMEN.