Scriptures: Hebrews 11:8-16; Psalm 84
I have had a lot of thoughts related to this day. As I took inventory of the various things going through my mind, it didn’t all fit neatly together into a sermon with a theme, so I gave up on that. Instead I decided to put what I have to say this morning into the form of a series of letters addressed to different people, not worrying too much about the fact that some of the people these letters are addressed to are not here to hear and may not have any interest in hearing. As mentioned earlier in the service, it is good to begin with prayer, and a letter to God is sort of like a prayer, and so I begin:
Dear God,
This is sort of a big day for us at Sojourners, worshiping here and knowing that this time we are here for good. We want this to be a sacred space and we know that doesn’t happen without you. Of course I know it doesn’t happen without us either, because churches are not so much places where you dwell but where people dwell. Still, somehow, mysteriously, you are at the core of our gathering here. I know that this is not just automatically sacred space because we call it a house of God and say your name a lot. I know that if it is to be sacred, we will have to make it so by bringing our prayers and our questions here, by making this a spirit-filled place, by doing our best to make this a safe and welcoming and inclusive place, a loving place, a place of being strengthened for the seeking of justice, and of peace. I do realize that this will become more and more sacred space for us gradually, that this will happen over time. And so I guess what I’m asking is just a blessing, your blessing, as we begin this process of making this a sacred space.
It also occurs to me that I maybe should ask your forgiveness, or at least your forbearance, that we here at Sojourners are making such a big deal about this new home of ours when there are so many more important things going on all around us. I’m not beating my breast here too much, God, because I think you know that these events, like moving into a new home, are times of some importance and joy in these human lives of ours, and I don’t think you would begrudge us that. But do bear with us and remind us, if we should need reminding, that the deepest parts of our spirits, as the Hebrews scripture says, seek a home that is not this one.
Dear Sojourners,
I get to address myself to you all the time, so just a brief word today. The proper mood for today is probably to be forward looking. Someone among us once wrote that the name Sojourners signifies, among other things, an “openness to God’s call to move on”, and that’s probably what we should be doing today, being open to the call to move on, celebrating the call to move on, not looking back. But I can’t help it, looking back that is, just for a moment or two. Because I’m thinking of those people who started Sojourners, who first gathered in 1992 and throughout those first few years, who set the tone for what kind of a community Sojourners was going to be, and who could not have imagined that we would be here today. They could not have imagined because as recently as 7 or 8 months ago none of us were imagining being here. A few of you original, or very early, folks are still here. Others have moved on but I like to think that some of them anyway still think of themselves as a Sojourner, at least once in a while. I am thinking today of all of you who for a short time or a longer time have committed yourselves to this community of faith and contributed to this community of faith over the years. You may not have painted a wall, swept a floor, cleaned a window well, carried a piece of furniture, or cast a vote about this building, but you have helped to make it possible. My brief word to you Sojourners, members and friends, near and far—and of course including those too who have been painting walls, sweeping floors, cleaning window wells, carrying furniture—my brief word to all Sojourners is “thank you”. Thank you on behalf of Sojourners to all Sojourners. Thank you in the sense that every Sojourner might want to say thank you to all other Sojourners for making this community possible.
Having said that brief word, I can now say “Onward. Forward…by faith…continuing the Abraham-like journey also referred to in Hebrews, where he is said to have set out not knowing where he was to go.
Dear visitors to Sojourners
My brief word to you is simply “welcome”. We do intend to be a welcoming community, and so if you are a returning visitor to Sojourners, or a new visitor to Sojourners, or someone who hasn’t yet visited but is going to (maybe even though you don’t know it yet), we of course hope you will feel at home here and that you will eventually find your home here.
Some people have said that they knew this was the place for them the minute they walked in the door. I hope the doors to this building are magic in that way, like JABA’s were for some people, and like other places have been. Other people, for various reasons, aren’t so sure this is the place for them and they hang around and try to get the hang of what this congregation is about and maybe they do and maybe they don’t and maybe they do, but when they do they decide it is not for them. All of that is perfectly ok. And if some of you who visit maybe find some things you like but are confused, distressed, or uncomfortable with others, there are two things I would say. One is that a lot of committed, active members of Sojourners are confused, distressed, or uncomfortable with some aspects of Sojourners. And the other thing is that we are not about being comfortable or settled. We are, at our best, always an evolving changing community, and that is especially true at this point in our lives. We are a work in progress. This building is a work in progress, and so is this community of faith, so though we expect that some people will visit and move on to other places, we hope that many will choose not so much whether they do or don’t want to be part of Sojourners as it is, but will choose to be part of Sojourners’ ongoing evolving into whatever it is we are in the process of becoming.
Dear First Church of the Nazarene
Until recently we did not know each other very well, actually hardly at all. It is more than possible for churches around Charlottesville, or anywhere, to operate in their own separate spheres and just not know very much about other congregations. It is so easy to be separated by history, geography, sociology, theology, denomination, and many matters of style and belief. For whatever reasons, we have been living separate lives all this time, but now your hopes for your future as a congregation and our hopes for our future as a congregation have led our paths to cross. Thank you for holding this space for us until we were ready for it. I suspect you are thankful to us for being ready for it when you were ready to leave. And thank you for being fair and friendly with us in the dealings we have had with each other.
We still don’t know each other very well, just a tiny bit better than hardly at all. But we are going to be neighbors here for several years, as you continue to live in the house next door. Maybe this will be an occasion for us to learn something about each other. Maybe we can do even better than that, though of course we will continue to have our separate lives to lead. In any case, I approach our future relationship with good will and with an open mind and heart.
Dear People of the Belmont neighborhood,
We are glad to be here. Some years ago, we rented office space behind Belmont Baptist Church, just a few blocks from here. At that time, we frankly didn’t put a whole lot of effort into learning about or being involved in the Belmont community. We worshiped somewhere else. Our members lived all over the region. And the likelihood was that we were here just on a temporary basis, which turned out to be the case. Since then we have changed, and our circumstances have changed, and as we return to Belmont we do so with the intention of being a responsible part of this neighborhood. We will not ever be a neighborhood church, focused specifically and only on Belmont. We will continue to draw members from a wide area and carry out our ministry in many different places, but we are also putting down some roots here and intend to be here for a while. This time we will take the trouble to learn about the neighborhood. This time we will be able to open our doors to the neighborhood. And we will gradually find ways to contribute to the life of the neighborhood. We mean to be good neighbors.
Just as Sojourners has changed in the last few years, I understand that Belmont has changed too. I hear there is an economic boom and that housing prices are a lot higher than they were a few years ago. I will dare to speak for Sojourners and say that we are hopeful of being part of a diverse community in Belmont, that we will support the ability of life-long residents to continue to live here, that we will support the availability of housing for people of limited means, that we will do what we can to have Belmont be a safe place for people of different races, nationalities, sexual orientations, ages…where all are welcome.
Dear Charlottesville, greater Charlottesville,
We have decided to locate ourselves here in the city in the heart of this region. Some few of us have grown up here. A few more of us have lived here a very long time. Many of us are more recent arrivals. For all of us, this is our community. We will not just inhabit this building, stick to ourselves, and mind our own business. We will seek the good of Charlottesville and surrounding communities. We do not much care—I may not speak for everyone on this, but I know I speak for more than just myself—we do not much care that this has been named the number one place to live. We do care that this become a place where justice prevails. In seeking the good of the surrounding community we may sometimes contribute energy and dollars, and be cooperative and supportive. We may sometimes be a thorn in the side. If we aren’t, we will need to ask ourselves some hard questions. But we are glad to be here, not just glad to be here, but glad to be here.
Dear Sojourners,
We have our work cut out for us. We’re starting a new chapter in our story. Already it’s been exciting and fun, and I hope it will continue to be exciting and fun, but it will also be full of challenges. We begin our time here today with communion. It represents three things to me and I will try to say them quickly and simply. It represents the ties among us as a congregation and an invitation to share our life with whoever wants to share in it, whether for a short time or a long time—our human ties with each other. It represents our souls reaching out for God, however we think about that or experience it, and God’s reaching out to us, our ties to God, the sacredness beyond, around, and within. And it represents our hope for a new creation, God’s reign among us, healing for broken hearts and a broken world. We begin our time in this place with communion.
Dear God,
We don’t know what lies ahead, but go with us in our journey together. Bless this place and this people of yours and all people who pass through here. Be comfort for us. Be strength for us. Be hope for us. Also, be a thorn in our side. But do be with us, and sustain us in our desire to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you. Amen.
I—Holy God, we give thanks for the gift of this day, for the opportunity to be together with friends, for the opportunity to be in this place, for the joy of being in this place, for the presence of old friends and new, for the sounds of laughter and music, and for your quiet, loving presence in it all.
II—Loving God, we give thanks for everyone who has made our being here possible, former members who have laid the groundwork for our being here without knowing it, people who have given money, met, cooked, painted, fixed, scrubbed, done what needed to be done, people in other places in the United Church of Christ who have taken an interest in us, all who have prayed for us, encouraged us, and wished us well.
III— Gracious God, we come to this place today as seekers. Our words can only hint at what we are in search of: perhaps no more nor less than a kind or true word, or strength to carry on, or courage to be a voice for justice, or the willingness to forgive and the hope of being forgiven, or a holy presence amid the daily flow of our living. Touch our restless souls with your loving presence. And in the midst of our seeking, give us a spirit of gracious thanksgiving for what has been, an openness toward what is yet to be, and delight in the journey. Amen.
Jim Bundy
February 6, 2005