This is it.  It’s hard to say these words.  It’s not easy to leave you. In the past seventeen months we’ve been through many changes. In the past two months we’ve been though two joyous weddings and four painful funerals together.  Together we’ve labored and rejoice during a season of interim ministry that has convinced Central’s greatest skeptics that you will not only survive, but you will thrive, and I will cherish every moment. I feel closer to you than I thought possible, and even though my leaving isn’t easy, it’s wonderful to have something between us that makes goodbye hard.

 

There’s an Irish blessing that reads as follows:  “May you always have work for your hands to do.  May your pockets hold always a coin or two.  May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.  May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.  May the hand of a friend always be near you.  And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.”  I like this blessing because it begins with the blessing of work and ends with the blessing of gladness.

 

Although I leave not having done everything I wanted to do, I leave blessed by our work together.  When first I came, people outside this church talked about shutting the doors.  There’s no such talk anymore.  I salute you for picking up the gauntlet of courage cast at your feet by people of faith like Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Esther, Mary, Paul, and Peter.  Courageously, you decided to make this a time to turn things around.  Because of your courage, I leave you with a rejuvenated Diaconate that doesn’t wait around to be told what to do or that’s content to serve punch, cookies, and a lunch every now and then.  Because of your courage, I leave you with a Session that observes order and even when I make a misstep, calls me on it.  Because of your courage, I leave you with two distinct worship services, both of which are confident, secure, faith-affirming, Presbyterian, and gospel driven.

 

Because of your courage, I leave you with an expectation that in the next few months you will not only have a new Pastor, but also a full time director of outreach and youth.  Because of your courage, I leave you with a renewed hand bell choir and a newly formed 9AM praise band both of which are rehearsing weekly.  Because of your courage, I leave you having shaken off dusty traditions that while meaningful were clearly part of a past that was choking your future.  Because you had the guts to turn things around, I leave you with several new members, most of whom are already committed in service to this church.

 

Now, what made all this possible?  To me the most obvious answer it to look inward where I see the work of the Spirit through the unity that is slowly creeping back into your midst.  Through unity, a church is capable of anything it sets its mind to doing as long as it brings glory to God.  Through unity, a church can work despite internal differences of opinion and do glorious things that only look like they happened because of a pastor’s leadership.  Now before you roll your eyes at me and think I’ve got my head in the clouds, let me also say that your unity isn’t ideal.  There’s still a lot more work to do, but I think that’s fairly typical whenever more than one person comes together about anything.

 

So let’s be honest about your unity.  Unity hasn’t meant that you agreed on everything.  It didn’t mean that everyone was happy all the time.  But, this isn’t what Jesus meant by unity.  Jesus wasn’t naive about what unity meant and he didn’t speak of it as some pie-in-the-sky idealistic thing.  What he knew about unity is what we have discovered in the recapturing of it for this community of faith.  Unity doesn’t just happen, it takes a lot of work.

 

Unity meant longer session meetings than I like because we decided it was better to meet and do the hard work of building bridges rather than to simply gloss over business for the sake of a clock.  Unity meant that this service relinquished its ownership of Central’s worship identity by permitting the 9AM service finally to become its own thing.  Unity meant saying we were sorry to each other, forgiving, and agreeing to move on for the sake of our future mission.  Unity meant meeting in the chapel for a few months and becoming a community during worship again rather than staying in pews that kept you spread out and apart.

 

Unity meant moving congregational meetings to the 10AM time and held not in the sanctuary, but in Bellingrath Hall because only in this way could you affirm both worship services despite individual preferences.  Unity meant opening officer slots up to people who’ve not been members for years, and inviting some who have been here for years to opportunities they’ve never before considered.  Unity meant admitting that you’ve not been following the Book of Order as much as you should’ve, but then rather than being stubborn you submitted to the process and order re-emerged.  Unity meant agreeing to read the Bible together this year, and even though we’ve not made it all the way through, I think it’s cool that during my last week here we made it through all the Psalms.

 

And what better Psalms to end on than these wonderful series of praise Psalms.  The Irish blessing I read earlier ended with gladness, and I thought that was a nice thought for us because praise is the natural outgrowth for Christians whenever unity is present.  Has it ever struck you as odd that of all the things Jesus could’ve prayed for us, He chose unity.  He didn’t pray for our protection, peace, blessing, productivity, or success in mission.  No, He chose unity above all else because in our unity we are most glad and most attractive.

 

If you ever find yourself wondering why He’d pick this over all the other important aspects of Christian life then you need to look no further than what has happened during these past 18 months.  The most important words I could ever say to you as I leave is to repeat what Jesus Himself said before he left this life.  “Be one as God is one.”

 

Garrison Keillor coined one farewell line that I like:  “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”  The work of unity is hard but it’s good, and its never done because the evil one knows exactly which buttons to press and he’s going to press them at every turn.  The goal of our enemy is to destroy this church.  The evil one wants a thriving Central Presbyterian Church even less than you or I would want a root canal on a healthy tooth.  He’s going to push every single button in each of you to drive you as nuts as he can with each other.  He’s going to try to put a wedge between you again because that’s what happens when the shepherd leaves the sheep.  People will be late to meetings and not return calls.  People will irritate you and not include you in their plans.  People will appear to play favorites.  Now, what will you do?

 

If you are a Session member and can stand, please stand.  It has been my privilege to work with you as your moderator.  While our meetings have been long they’ve been more productive than any period of ministry I’ve yet had.  I leave you with this charge: Christ places the unity of the church into your hands.  There’s no pastor here once I leave, but you are the active Elders of this church and in your hands God has placed leading the unity of this church.  Be faithful to do your work well, fight hard not for yourself, but for the life of this church.  You will disagree, but you can be one in your disagreement.  Each of you loves this church, but more than that you each love your Lord.  I leave this church in your hands knowing you will do what God has asked of you to do: stay one.

 

Now, if you are an active Deacon and can stand please do so.  I have had more fun with you in your meetings than I have with any group I’ve ever had.  You’ve also transitioned to a new structure that has meant more work for you, but you’ve embraced it gladly.  Well done.  I leave you with this charge: Christ places the unity of the church into your hands.  You are ordained into service to God’s people through this church.  But, without unity your work will fail.  Christ expects you to serve self-sacrificially, not self-gloriously.  You have the opportunity to inspire unity, joy, and service among Central’s members, visitors, and the surrounding community.  So when you hear comments, attitudes, or see behavior that reeks of disunity it’s your duty to call others on it, gently, but unequivocally.

 

Now, if you are a church member and can stand please do so.  I came to you as one wandering in the wilderness between finishing a Ph.D. and my daughter’s graduation from high school.  I was in an interim period myself, not certain if God would call me to full time academics, or fulltime pastoring.  Thank you for having been the instrument through which God has revealed to me that He wants me to pastor full time.  I have enjoyed being your Interim Pastor and will cherish every memory.  I leave this charge with you: Christ places the unity of this church into your hands.  It is not just a duty of Elders and Deacons to live up to the prayer that Jesus prayed for His church.  Disunity can creep in through the most subtle of ways, but it all begins with your own thoughts, words, and behaviors.  The greatest gift you can give to your future Pastor is a church that is strong in its unity, that considers the well-being of the church before the gain of individual members, and that fulfills the mission of the church not because it is obedient but because members genuinely love the Lord.  The basic unit of the church isn’t the Session or the Diaconate, but you, the members of this church and it’s by your words and actions that the unity of this church will stand triumphantly.

 

Jesus knew what He was praying for, he knew the work involved and the joy that comes at the end of the labor.  We’ve experienced the dawn of what happens when unity replaces division.  Thank you for showing this to me, yourselves, and those around you.  Now keep to it, and with God’s help you will.  Hallelujah.  Amen.