Reverend Raymond Osborne, Pastor

Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

If I were to ask you this morning “What’s important to you?” We’d get a variety of responses. Some possible responses might be:

1. My Family
2. My Job
3. My Children
4. My Education
5. My Grandchildren
6. My John Deere

You get the picture. The list goes on perpetually. . It has been a year since I’ve been here and man the time, at least for me has flown by! As I look back on my twenty-plus years of ministry I can truly say that I am the happiest now than I have ever been! I hope you can tell that, but part of me is afraid you might not. There have been a lot of things that have happened since we have been here. In our church we’ve added new members. We’ve had a Bishop speak in our pulpit and administer the sacrament of baptism here. We’ve been involved in social ministry and missions. We’ve reached out beyond our doors to take the Light of Jesus into the community and world.

We’ve seen loved ones unite in marriage and babies born and about to be born. We’ve had loved one pass from this life to the next. We’ve seen people battle illness and as they did we have prayed with them and stood with them. You’ve even seen your pastoral family through the biggest crisis of our lives. You stood beside us and lifted us up in your prayers and with your love. When I thought I could not walk one more step and fell at this alter you gathered around me and prayed with me. You did the greatest thing you could do for us – you prayed with and for us.

Over the past year we’ve been through a lot together. We’ve walked through valleys and we’ve climbed steep mountains. We’ve stood on top of the mountain and declared the Glory of God. We have become family to each other and that’s the way it’s suppose to be.

But now we’ve come to a crossroads. We begin our second year together. What now? What does the future hold? What can you as a church expect from me your pastor this year and in the following days?

Let me begin by saying I love you! Hear me – I love you! If you didn’t catch it before, I am the happiest in this pastoral appointment than I have ever been in twenty-plus years of ministry. Do I want to leave? Do I want to seek another pastoral appointment? Let me answer that with an unequivocal – NO! I have commented to Stephanie, and I hope it’s okay with you, that I will leave here when one of three things happen:

1. The Bishop instructs me to leave
2. I retire
3. I die.

Beloved, I love you and I am committed to this church and this charge until someone other than me decides differently. I’m not going to run out on you. What I am going to do is this: Roll up my sleeves and dig in with all my heart and soul to see this place continue to grow for Jesus Christ. In the summer it’s easy to let ourselves become discouraged because our numbers are down. We have grown and we will continue to grow; this year, next year, the year after that and the year after that.

What do we have to do? What Mary in did in our text. She forgot about all the non-essential stuff and she sat as Jesus’ feet and listened to Him. Some of us won’t want to listen. Some will become distracted by the non-essential stuff. I don’t know if I’ve ever shared this with you, but Jesus himself tells us how to grow a church.

In St. John 12:32 Jesus says: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” What do we need to do to continue to see our church grow? Lift up Jesus. What is the most important thing for us to do this year and every year? Lift up Jesus.

Jesus said to a complaining Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Mary gave her sole attention to Jesus. I realize I can stand here and say this until the cows come home and because of experience in years past it’s hard for you to believe. Time will only tell I guess, but I am here and I’ve come to serve my God, my Savior, You and this Community. In just a few moments I’m going to administer the sacrament of Baptism. I am fully convinced that when an infant is baptized it is one of the first experiences that child has with the grace of Almighty God. Beloved our world needs for us to lift Jesus to a seeable position so they may experience the Grace of God in and through Him. I’m committed to that and it is truly my prayer that you are too.

There's a little chorus that goes like this: "Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above him there's no other, Jesus is the way

Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above him there's no other, Jesus is the way What's important to me?

1: My relationship with God
2. My family
3. This charge and this church

God loves you! Jesus loves you! And you know what? I love you too! And don't you DARE think anything different!

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