March 8, 2009
Rev. Hilary Bitten
On the Occasion of the Centennial Celebrations of Nelson United Church
I would like to thank you for inviting me here today on what is a momentous occasion for this church. It is an honor to be talking with you and being able to participate in your celebrations. I bring with me the heartfelt congratulations of presbytery and the best wishes of every congregation represented within the presbytery.
Today we have come to celebrate and to praise God for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon this church throughout the past 100 years. Some of you may have been married here, you may have been baptized and confirmed here, you may have said goodbye to loved ones here. For some of you this church has been a focal point of your life, offering fellowship, a sense of community and an opportunity to serve. All of you come each week seeking to find a meaningful connection between the scriptures, and your life. We also come today to remember those who have gone before us. Those who kept this church together though the fun times and the challenging times.
Jesus said "So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock." (Matthew 7:24, 25)
Let's take a moment this morning to reflect on some of the highlights of the past 100 years. A lot has happened and a lot of changes have swept the horizon. And the church still stands. For anything to exist for 100 years it needed to start with a firm foundation, then the structure gets built and then it needs to be maintained.
Let's take a look at some of the rocks upon which this and other united churches are built.
The formation of the United Church culminated on June 10, 1925, one of the first such "united" churches in the world. It was hoped that by joining the churches together they would be better able to serve God. Since that date there have been many times that our church has been called to answer difficult questions. Many times that we have had to choose whether we are building on rock or on sand.
In 1936 the United Church listened to the call for full participation of women in church and began ordaining women to the ministry. As long as they were single. Married women were allowed to answer the call during the 1950's. And we built our house on rock — the rock of equality.
The 1st World War and then the 2nd World War, the war to end all wars, called those who were able to serve their country. And then we watched the Vietnam War and were disgusted by the atrocities. We learnt lessons about what humans can do to humans and decided we needed to speak out. We built our house on rock — the rock of peace.
Some of us watched and some of participated as blacks struggled to gain the rights that were theirs. We marched in rallies, sang we shall overcome from our choir lofts, and listened with intensity to Martin Luther King Jr., "We have a dream". We heard the voices of aboriginal peoples speaking out against the abuses of residential schools and of cultural genocide. And in response we have offered words and deeds of apology. And we built our house on rock— the rock of justice.
In 1988 the Church listened to the call for the full participation of gay and lesbian people in the life and ministry of the church and began ordaining those who were openly Gay and Lesbian. And we built our house on rock — the rock of inclusion.
And now the church is calling upon its members to listen to the voices of the earth. Renewing a creation based theology and sustainable ecology in a way that allows the survival of our planet, not for us, but for itself. We are trying to build on rock — the rock of respect.
Let's sing together the first verse of onward Christian soldiers:
With the cross of Jesus going on before — someone asked me why I would choose that hymn, and the answer is easy — that's our heritage, that's the firm foundation, that's why we have put all the rocks in place — with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Have all of these rocks been easy to put in place? No. Have any of them been easy? We have argued amongst ourselves, we have not always valued anothers opinion, or been able to feel good about ourselves and the words that come out of our mouths. But we have known that we will come out on the other side and come out stronger because we are deeply rooted in the rock of faith.
Anyone who has done building knows that the big rocks go first but if you don't take smaller rocks and fill the holes between the boulders then there are some huge gaps in your foundation. Throughout the past 100 years there have been thousands of pebbles — some bigger than others, pebbles such as the depression, two fires etc that have provided stability for the foundation of this church and allowed the walls to be built. Think about the programs that you have organized and run — youth programs, food programs, study programs, presbytery programs, prayer programs and music programs, just to name a few. Those are the things that have built your church.
All that is left is to maintain it — maintenance is the key to how long a building can last —it is the key to how strong the foundation remains. The church has based itself upon the life of the One who came from God, the One who has called us to discipleship. Therefore, every time we live that call we are maintaining the church. Every time we smile at a stranger, touch the shoulder of a lonely person, give food to the hungry, speak for those unable to speak for themselves, seek out the unfriended and offer them a place at the table. Every time we forgive one another and live the love we that we have been given — we are strengthening and we are maintaining.
Sometimes it is easy to talk about the church as a building: As we celebrate this church's anniversary let us remind ourselves that the church is the people. You, the people and the leaders of Nelson United Church, have put yourselves in a great position. You have your heritage — solid and firm; you have your present — seeking and serving; and you have your future — moving forward in hope knowing that you are bound by strong ties to the heart of God. We hope that as a church you will still proclaim a contrary message that is filled with faith, and honesty, and compassion, and inclusion, and justice, and love, and life.
I'd like to leave you with some questions: Have all the battles been fought? Is the abundance that we have been given evenly and fairly distributed? Do all children have equal opportunity? Does every person know that they are valued and loved? The list will go on. And you will go on — with the cross of Jesus going on before. That is our heritage as the church. To live by love, to forgive one another, to seek justice, to be agents of reconciliation. To believe in the one who comes from God, who is God, yesterday, today and forever. Amen
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.