SERMON OF DR. HOLTON SIEGLING A Story of Faith May 21, 2017

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "SERMON OF DR. HOLTON SIEGLING A Story of Faith May 21, 2017"

Bennett Lynch
5 years ago
Views:

1 SERMON OF DR. HOLTON SIEGLING A Story of Faith May 21, 2017 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. Psalm 78:1-8 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations. Matthew 1:1-17 Over the past few months I have enjoyed the privilege of working with our Birthday Committee as they made preparations for our time together this morning, as we worship God and celebrate 70 years of life and ministry as the Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church. The actual date of the founding of our church family is May 22, 1947; and, since that time, a lot has happened within these walls, though I might add that these particular walls were not built until 1

2 March of In fact, it was over at the Sequoyah Hills Elementary School where we first gathered for worship, before eventually doing so in the chapel. While 70 years is, indeed, a long time, it is not so long that there are not some folks with us today who were either around at that time or at least have some good memories of those early years. With that in mind, one of the projects that the Birthday Committee successfully undertook was the making of a video wherein 10 long-time church members were interviewed and they each shared something of their story. The video itself will be shown in its entirety once we gather in Barron Hall for lunch following this service of worship, and, at some point, we plan to put the video on our website. For our purposes this morning, allow me to simply share with you that, while there was a question asked of each person that was unique to them, they were also two particular questions that they were all asked. The first question was this: What are some of your fondest memories as a child growing up at SHPC? And the second question was... What are the greatest hopes and dreams you have for future generations at SHPC? You know, it is almost as if our questioners had in mind that passage from John s Gospel which reads: But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you (cf. Jn 14:26). You see, helping us to look back and remember God s previous work in our midst while also revealing to us something of God s faithfulness in our present and future circumstances -- that has always been part of the role of the Holy Spirit. What s more, that work of the Holy Spirit, it has helped God s people in every generation to understand their place both within the history of God s people as well as in the future of God s people. Consider our New Testament Lesson this morning. Usually we read those opening verses of Matthew s Gospel as a genealogy - and in many ways, that s exactly what it is. But it is also much more than that! You see, not only is it a family tree / a family heritage which helped those first believers to know who Jesus was, but it also gave meaning to their present circumstances, it helped them understand something of their purpose, it showed them who they were! In other words, Matthew s genealogy was not a matter of one person begetting another! It is so much more than just seventeen verses of names, who was the father of whom for forty-two generations. No! Those verses were not as much about the people of God as it was about the God of those people. For when those names are listed one after the other after the other, upon hearing that litany of names, it would have conjured up in the memory of the hearers the very historical contexts of the 2

3 people who were listed; such glorious works of God as the Exodus of His people and their entrance into the Promised Land. That said, we would do well to remember that those eras of God s people marked less by being conquerors and more by being subjects would have also come to mind. In other words, that large and virtually all encompassing genealogy, it managed to put the whole their lives squarely within the purview of God. Another way of talking about this is to say that Matthew s chronology is not as much about Abraham and Jacob and King David as it is the one to whom their lineage ultimately directs itself and in whom their lives find their purpose and fulfillment. Which is to say that the history of God s people, it leads us to the Christ, that all of those people and all of those stories are to be understood in light of their witness to Jesus. I dare that that it is precisely why we, by God s grace, can realize and affirm the richness of our church history, because we know it to be a history that is contained within a far grander design and purpose than we can presently discern. Because we start with God, we can rightly celebrate the lives of our charter members, some of whom, as you noticed earlier, are here today. Because we view our story within God s larger story of salvation we can rightly celebrate all the members who have joined since our charter, not to mention our musicians, educators, ministers past, present, and future. In this way, dear friends, we celebrate not ourselves or our accomplishments, but rather God s faithfulness, and we affirm that who we are finds its deepest root not in our lives, but in the life of the one who gave us to life in the first place, the one who even now uses those witnesses of the past to lead us somewhere new, to the very glory of God s children. Our time together this morning, it is part of a larger story. It is the story of God s guidance and protection, a story of thanks and praise. It is a story of understanding both who we are and whose we are. Indeed, it is a story of faith which serves as the beginning of the next story that God will tell. In our OT Lesson this morning we are given a glimpse of God s church in more ancient times, and we are shown how it too possessed a similarly long view of God s story of salvation. The Psalmist understands perfectly well the joys and sorrows of God s people, but he also knows how all of their experiences have shaped and molded them into the very people of God who they were. Psalm 78 is called a maskil, which is to say that the words contained therein are intended to help the people of God know how to live, how to be faithful. And we will notice how more than a few of those lessons are relevant for us on a day like today. The opening verse reads as follows: Give ear, O my people... You see, we are a people who belong not to ourselves; but, in life and in death, we belong to the very living God who has called us and continues to call us into covenant relationship with God and with one another. 3

4 Oh, I pray we never take for granted the power of our identity as children of God - the power of our relationships within the Body of Christ - for stronger are they than any ties of race or nationality or economics, for this kind of covenantal faithfulness, the strength of relationships, they have weathered many great storms. When we read the 78th Psalm, we also pick up on a profound sense of having experienced God s grace. Verse 4 references: the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might. For the people of God at that time, and for us today, I believe, there is being communicated something of the vital importance of continually affirming that God has been with us, performing glorious deeds and wonders. And can we not look back and celebrate how God has been at work in our life as a church family, be it in the sharing of the Gospel and in the two new churches which branched out from our witness, to that fabulous pre-school which continues to share God s love with children? Can we not look back and celebrate God at work in the absolute abundance of our life and witness? And consider what Psalm 78 says regarding our witness. It says: We will tell them to the coming generation. But tell them what? We will tell them of God s activity, of God s faithfulness and our own, we will tell them our story, by living our story. And we will live our story not only within the walls of this sanctuary, but outside of them as well. Inwardly strong and outwardly focused, we like to say. Which is another way of emphasizing the importance of being spiritually strong and physically sent. Sent into our community with the kind of Christian hospitality that shows our neighbors that we care, be it in the form of worship services or movies on the lawn or Easter Egg Hunts. Sent out even to the farthest reaches of the globe through the witness of the various missionaries that we support, making disciples of all nations. And this cannot stop! The Psalmist puts it like this: I will open my mouth...i will utter. Consider those individuals who have and continue to transmit something of God s story of salvation to others. I m thinking about Dr. Julian Spitzer who served as our pastor for 32 years and Bill Barron s pastorate which spanned an equally impressive and faithful 27 years. And I wouldn t dare try to list all of the teachers who have and continue to equip the saints in this place - a sermon could not contain all their names. So it is with a story of faith that God has written through the instruments of his children over 70 wonderful years! When you have time, read through the history booklet in this morning s bulletin and be equally attentive to those of our church family who have been interviewed via the video. May such witnesses to who we have been as a community of faith, may they serve to propel us to become who God is calling us to be. As we continue to celebrate this milestone in the life of this particular expression of Christ s Church that we know as Sequoyah Hills, let us continue to remember God s faithfulness; let us have a clear sense of our identity and our purpose; and may we continue to dedicate ourselves to the writing of 4

5 this story...because, believe you me, it is not over by a long-shot. Praise be to God for this church family...for this, our story of faith! Let us pray...god of the Ages, help us to recall anew your faithfulness in the past, but help us to be equally mindful of how you are leading us, even now, into your glorious future. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. This transcript has not been read or edited by Dr. Siegling. 5

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and