Epiphany Sunday 1-6-2013 Service of Celebration
3 ”I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now”.
Those are the opening words of Paul in his Letter to the Philippians. They are words of affirmation and an expression of gratitude for the partnership in the gospel. Consider these words that Paul shares with us this morning.
God has blessed us. In the beginning, for each of our congregations and within our parish, God instilled a vision, a dream of ministry, a dream of building a sanctuary where community can assemble and worship, pray, participate in the sacraments and dine in fellowship and to go forth in service to the community that surrounds them. I am reminded of the words of scripture from Acts 2:42… “They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, and to Fellowship, to the Breaking of Bread and to Prayer”. These words are a reminder of whose we are, who we are and our very purpose as members of the body of Christ. These words are within a picture on the last page of Trinity’s Fifty Year Anniversary book. They are a reminder to us of how the early church established its identity. They developed an early theology and practice centered on the core elements of faith. Throughout the ages, the church used this very principle as the church grew and developed local congregations. Indeed God has blessed us.
God has blessed us. We give thanks this morning for members of Waverly, who moved from Calamus, Iowa and in 1890’s and settled in central Martin County and in April 1899, founded Waverly Lutheran Church. Through the early years, as they were served by area pastors, the members of Waverly began to see their vision, their dreams come into reality. Many of our members today are descendents of the original members. The life and ministry of the church is shown in its diversity of age. This morning we give thanks for Lenora Mau who is our oldest member at 99 and Alexander Hansen, son of Neil & Cara, as our youngest at 1month and who was baptized one week ago. Indeed God has blessed us.
God has blessed us. We give thanks for Pr. Stensland, who in the 1940’s met with members of the community in their homes here in Truman, along with several members from Waverly. Through this period of time, their vision and mission became reality. On January 5, 1949, Trinity Lutheran was established. Through the dedication of Pr. Stensland and the charter members, the church began to flourish. Today, we acknowledge Veryle Williamson and his sister Arleen and Eleanor Lubitz as our charter members who are still with us. This morning we give thanks for Sylvian Behrens as our oldest at the age of 95 and Sophie Carlson (Caitlian) as our youngest. Indeed God has blessed us.
At the same time, we remember that our parish also came into being in conjunction with the newly formed Trinity. So the Trinity and Waverly partnership goes back sixty-four years. This time line gives us the opportunity to remember. Throughout its history prior to the partnership, seven pastors have served the Waverly and nine have served the Trinity & Waverly Parish along with several interims. Together as pastors and members, we have been the heart and soul of the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus in our community for these many years. Indeed God has blessed us.
As in all family relationships, there are many occasions where we have the opportunity to gather together. In the community of faith, we gather not only for worship, but special occasions, baptisms, first communions, confirmations, graduations, weddings, anniversaries and a time for remembrance at our Celebration of Life Worship. We are family. Indeed God has blessed us.
God has blessed us. Perhaps no other hymn describes this abundant love, more than “Jesus Loves Me”. As in the dynamics of family relationships, there are times of conflict, settling around given issues, whether it be centered on theological, scriptural, cultural or in-house. As often the case, words have been said or un-said in silence, or like-wise our actions, known as commission or omission, bring tension and discord. But God has blessed us. We are blessed within the church to begin our worship service, knowing as we come before him, we confess our sin. And we know that he is a gracious and compassionate God, forgiving us of our sin and empowering us with his Holy Spirit to forgive one another. The words we speak in the confessional and now in the closing litany for the interim acknowledge this and affirms our relationship together. God has blessed us. We are family. We will sing during communion “Blessed Assurance and Great is thy faithfulness”. The words in these hymns speak to these promises. Indeed God has blessed us.
In Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, chapter 1, he describes the church as “fellowship” or "partnership”. The Greek word koinōnia is a word that expresses the essence of Christianity. The church is a community of active participants, gathering together as "brothers and sisters" and having a common faith. That is, the church is a community because of God's call in our baptism. We are reconciled through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are sanctified through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This morning we celebrate Epiphany Sunday. It is a celebration of new beginnings. The story of Epiphany continues the Nativity story of our Lord. It proclaims the unifying theme of that is proclaimed throughout the church. In the celebration of the Epiphany, tradition holds that on this day, the 12th day of Christmas, the Wise Men, symbolizing the world, come and bow down and worship. This Christ child is the Savior of the world. From the beginning the story of the proclamation of Jesus is, “For God so loved the worlds that he gave his only Son and whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life”. This message shortly after his birth and throughout his life and ministry draw us to our God. In a few minutes, we will come and participate in the Lord’s Supper. It is through this powerful gift and through him, that we are unified as forgiven children of God. Indeed God has blessed us.
God has blessed us. Today, with our worship “Celebration of Ministry” service, we celebrate our past, our history, our partnership in ministry. Today, we also move forward as this interim time and our partnership comes to a close. Today in our respective congregations, we move into new ministries, new journeys as we proclaim the love of God in our communities. Indeed God has blessed us.
God’s blessings to you this morning and throughout our days.
Pastor Giese
