Bazaar United Methodist Church

Bazaar, Kansas

2 Corinthians 5:6-17

Transitions

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord-for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we should rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all, therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:6-17

Paul is talking about the tension we feel as Christians, between our desire to go on and be with the Lord and our desire to remain here with our family and friends; with doing the work to which we are called and with being set free from the burdens of life. It is a delicate balance, a tension that must be held evenly or we lose our way. Any time the tension moves too far one way or the other, we lose our balance in the life of love and must do a course correction. If we are too preoccupied with heavenly things, with the mystical life, we can reach the point of becoming of no earthly good to God or other people. As the bumper sticker says, "What on earth are you doing for heaven's sake?"

On the other hand if we are so embroiled in the ways of the world that we take no time or little time for God, if an hour on Sunday morning is all the time we devote to God, or an hour every second, third or fourth Sunday, I would say you are dead even in your own body. Paul was writing to a church of committed Christians who met together at every opportunity. In the verses immediately preceding this passage he writes that we wait for the day when "what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." In other words the life that awaits us is the true life and this is only a reflection of life.

And so we are confident, because we have been given the Spirit as a promise of what is yet to come, a deposit on hold for a future restoration of the full blessing-the fullness of the love of God being made real in and around us. And so we walk by faith, trusting in God who made the promise, believing that God's truth is more real than the things we can see and touch and feel.

And so the love of Christ urges us on. It urges us on to action in the here and now. It urges us on to living life fully. It urges us on to love others as Christ loves us. It urges us on to living out the Gospel message. It urges us on to become just like Jesus.

We are here preparing for a time of transition. Next Sunday will be my last Sunday with you. You will have an interim Sunday and then Young-Gil Bahng will become your new pastor. When he comes I will no longer be your pastor. I will not come back to do funerals or weddings here because you will have a pastor to do those for you. And you will need to turn to your new pastor for your needs.

It is appropriate for us to review some of the things that have happened over the past few years. I have been here for seven years. That is a long time for United Methodist pastors to remain in one place. I am grateful to all of you for the ways that you have helped to "train me up in the way that I should go" as a pastor. Some of you have given me sound advice and good insight. Some of you have been great encouragers. Some of you have drawn me up short and made me rethink what I was doing. But overall I have had seven very good years here and I will always be grateful to these churches for giving me a good start in the ministry.

One of the really high points in my ministry here was our trip to Waveland, MS to work after Katrina. While the others did all of the real work actually helping those in need and I only supported them by cooking and organizing the first-aid closet, I still got to be a part and hear the stories and know how we as two small churches were able to help real people who deserved assistance during a time of real need. You were all a part of that and, if you recall we were able to leave $1000.00 behind for others to use as needed. The plan was that they would buy $50.00 gift certificates so that those who came looking for supplies that were not there could go to Lowe's and buy what they needed for themselves.

For this congregation, I have been really pleased that I have never issued you a challenge that you did not stand up and reach for it. Whether it was money for UMCOR or food for Round-up for hunger, you have always given liberally and willingly. You have extended you hearts and hands to the poor both here and abroad and it has often tapped your finances very closely. I know that and have appreciated your willingness to sacrifice.

These are obvious ways in which we see the Spirit at work within us and among us. And those are the big things. Those who have participated in the evening studies on prayer and bible study in the last seven years have found that they have grown spiritually, regardless of who taught the class. Those who attended the prayer group routinely all grew deep spiritually. Classes from "How to Pray After You've Kicked the Dog" to the "Spiritual Gifts" class from "Experiencing God" to the "Disciple Bible" class and others all helped those who chose to avail themselves of the teaching to learn and grow and it has been a pleasure to be a part of that process.

All of these classes and others were offered so that we might cultivate our relationship with God, so that we might grow in grace, so that we might love God even as God loves us. So we are always confident, Paul says, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Hopefully in the past seven years you have been built up in the faith. Yes, I know I preached a good many sermons that stepped on people's toes; that reminded us of how far we fall short of the mark. The purpose of that is to urge us on to those disciplines which draw us closer to Christ. Not living up to Christ-likeness? Then get into your scripture, pray, meditate, involve yourself in the classes that are offered here and through the District. You'll be amazed at the kind of spiritual growth that can take place with just a little self discipline.

We walk by faith, in confidence. Are we confident in ourselves? No. Are we confident in our faith? Again, no. We are confident in God's love and God's grace. We trust fully in God. God will see us through anything that may come to us in life. And the love of Christ urges us on to live holy lives knowing that we were created for this, created in the very image of God.

I have to tell you that overall I have been very encouraged by the spiritual growth I have seen in this congregation over the past seven years. I believe you know more of the scripture now than you did before even if all you have done is to come to church. I am encouraged by your concern for the poor in Chase County. It is important work that you do in this way. Currently the food pantry is in need of cereal, protein products, and spaghetti sauce. We are also out of our one lb. packages of frozen ground beef.

I have always thought that this church has great potential. I still believe that to be the case. I believe that Bazaar United Methodist Church has great potential. Hopefully Young-Gil will help you to be more invitational and to increase your attendance. I think that you can be a beacon in the dark, guiding people to Jesus Christ. But you must let go of some controls to allow that to happen. Remember that you have everything you need to be successful. God has given it to you as a free gift. Go forth with joy, walking by faith in complete confidence, because the Lord is with you. Amen.