Scripture:  Exodus

Luke 4:14-21

I bet you’re wondering where we’re going with these scriptures this morning and what they have to do with each other.

All in good time, all in good time.

Last week during Rich’s sermon, he said that on his gravestone he hopes it will read:  He meant well or He cared.  That afternoon my husband Brad and I were watching the football game when a Pepsi commercial came on – the one with Bob Dylan  singing “Forever Young”, and he said,  if I die tomorrow I want  Tom Hoatson to sing that at my funeral.  And that’s what I want on my gravestone. O.k. I said, I’ll go to work on that.  So, Tom, there’s your heads up.

Then I started thinking about what I’d want on my gravestone and I decided it would be one of two things.  The first is:  I told you I was sick.

The other is “The only constant in life is change.”

Because that’s really the only thing I know in life to be true these days.  It’s here, it’s there, it’s in my life, it’s in your life, it’s in the church. Last Sunday we celebrated Rich’s ministry - and sometime in the next month or two we will have an interim minister (because dear God, I can’t do this job by myself) and then after that – we will have a new settled pastor.

For the times they are a changing - sings Bob Dylan – and it’s the truth.

The fascinating thing about change is that we all react to it differently.

To prove my point let’s take a little survey.

By a show of hands – if you love change, if you get all excited about doing something new, if you embrace it with every fiber of your being – raise your hand.

Now, if you think change is fine – it’s just part of life – you have no problem dealing with change - raise your hand.

O.k., now when it comes to change in your life – you’d rather undergo root canal – because at least with root canal you know what you’re getting into – raise your hand.  Be honest!

We all react to change differently.  Even in families.

Our oldest son Nathan has no problem with change – never has.  His reaction to change – if he notices it – is “Hmmm.  O.k.”

Andrew on the other hand has, what we like to call, transition issues.  As a child, he just couldn’t make the change from one activity to another, or one place to another, or one thought to another.  If it was time to go someone where he’d say.  I don’t want to go.  Once we got there, he’d say:  I don’t want to stay.  When it was time to go he’d yell:  I don’t want to leave.  And once we were in the car on the way home he’d scream.  I’m never going back.

That was his mantra all through childhood.  I don’t want to go, I don’t want to stay.  I don’t want to leave.  I’m never going back.  It was exhausting.

When it was time for him to leave for college, we weren’t sure he was actually going to go.  Now, we’re not sure he’s ever going to leave.

So when it comes to change Brad and I are equally diffident and terrified – thanks to our children.

Change is not easy – and we all react to it differently.

It’s at times like these that we can draw great comfort from the stories in the bible where people – our foremothers and forefathers in the faith – are dealing with change.  Because from them, we find that a)  change is constant - it happens to everyone.   And b) everyone has a tough time dealing with it.

For example, from the book of Exodus – the Israelites have been freed from slavery – from years of oppression under the Eyptians – by Moses and his brother Aaron – this is a good thing!  They have crossed through the Red Sea and  have begun a new journey to the land that God has promised them with Moses leading the way.

But it’s not easy.  Because it’s change.

And right away the people start complaining.  They cross the Red Sea in Chapter 14.  And in chapter 15 they complain about the water – it doesn’t taste good.  They complain again in Chapter 16 – they’re hungry.

They complain in Chapter 17 – “Give us water to drink” they say to Moses.  And Moses says, “Why do you quarrel with me?  Why do you test the Lord?”  Everyone’s getting a little testy – tensions are rising.  The people complain some more:  “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children with thirst?”  Finally Moses turns to God, says, “Help” and God takes care of the them as God always does, by making water come from a rock to ease their thirst.

Change is hard – even good change is hard.

I think what keeps many of us from embracing change – dealing with it well – is fear.  We’re afraid of the unknown.  We don’t know what’s going to happen next, we don’t know what the future will look like like – and that makes us anxious and unsettled.  It makes us afraid. 

The Israelites were afraid.  They liked Moses, may have even trusted him, but they didn’t know where they were going, there were lots of obstacles along the way – like not enough food or water – they were in the wilderness and the wilderness can be scary.  They didn’t like being slaves in Egypt – but at least it was familiar to them.  The unknown – even if it’s good – can be scary.

I have a good friend who says Fear is when we forget everything will be all right.

Kind of an acronym.   When change – great change comes our way we tend to  forget that everything will be all right.  That God is with us. That God will take care of us.

Time and time again – on their journey through the wilderness to the promised land – the Israelites found this to be true.  God was there.  God was with them.

God is with us, too.

One more thing about this passage – and this is about Moses.

As Moses led the Israelites from one place to another – on their journey to this new place, to this new thing God was doing with them, he guided them, he heard their complaints, he listened, he was loving and firm.  He shared God’s word and God’s promises with them - but he did not go to the promised land with the Israelites crossed over with another leader.  And together they began their new journey.

Moses was like an interim pastor – so you see interim ministry is biblical, too.

Now people are asking me all the time, when are we getting an interim?  Who will it be?

What will he do?  What will happen to us? And they ask with anxiety and worry and occasionally terror because unless you’ve been through an interim period, you don’t know.  And I get it – it’s change and change is scary.

So I will tell you what I do know.  The committee who is searching for us is working very hard and they are very good.  They care and they want the right pastor for this church and we are praying for them.

And during this interim time we will continue being the church – being who we are.  It may look different but things change from year to year anyway.  Last year I was blonde – this year…not so much.  Though I sense change coming very soon.

As this church, we will worship together, we will do mission together, we will care for one another, take care of the buildings, care for the town, do youth groups, sing, laugh, pray and do what First Parish Church has done for over 250 years.

And if anyone asks how you can support this church during this time tell them:  Come to church, come be the church.  You are the church - pastors come and go – it’s what happens.  But you are the ones who are here all the time.  So come, be the church during this interim time.  And that includes supporting the church financially as well – let’s be the church together in every way.

And during this interim time, the interim pastor will love us, guide us, listen to us when we complain – be firm with us when we need it, challenge us when we need that, too.  This person will share God’s word and promises with us, and most of all, this person will walk with us on our journey - from here to there, to this new place, to this new thing God is calling us to do and be.

And this interim pastor may be a man or this interim pastor may be a woman.  We just don’t know. Personally, I think women pastors are fabulous!  What we do know is that this person probably won’t be like Rich or like any other minister you may have known.  And he or she won’t be like Jesus either.

I bring this up only because the other day I was talking to Don Bernier and every time he brought up something that needed doing I kept saying, “Oh, the interim will do that.  And the interim will do this.  The interim will take care of everything!!!  And Don said something along the lines of:  whoever we get, you know it’s not going to be Jesus, right?

And for the record – this is where the scripture from Luke comes in – not everyone liked Jesus, either.  Here in the gospel of Luke he’s preaching to his home town – the place where he grew up – in the temple where he grew up and at first they like what he says:  All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his  mouth,  but as Jesus went on – they liked him what he was saying less and less until, “all in the synagogue were filled with rage.  They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill so they could throw him off.”

Not even Jesus could please everybody.

So whoever we get probably won’t be like Rich or like any minister you’ve had before – and he or she won’t be like Jesus, either.  But God will send us the right person for this church.  That much we know.

For the times they are a changing – and as they change remember these things.

We all react to change differently so be sensitive and kind to one another in the days and months ahead.

When you feel change coming and you will – in fact Wendell and I might just change things up on you just for fun – let it sit with you for a bit before reacting – you just might like it.

And when you do have a comment to make – perhaps a complaint– before you do,  take a deep breath, count to 10 and think about why you’re complaining  - are you sad, are you angry, are you tired, or are you afraid?  Then direct your comment to the right person in a gentle, loving, Christian way.

Remember… Fear is forgetting that everything is going to be all right.

And most of all remember that you, that we are not alone – God is very much with us on this journey.

To close I have just a few quotes on change that I think will be helpful to us down the road.

WOODROW WILSON:

If you want to make enemies, try to change something.

JAMES YORKE:

The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.

JOHN F. KENNEDY:

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, nor sun without rain.  But God did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. Anonymous

Amen.