"A Day of New Beginnings" - Sermon, July 4, 2021 (First at Foothills UMC, Cameron Park/Rescue)

 Foothills UMC

“A Day of New Beginnings”

Rev. Andrew Davis

July 4, 2021

Mark 6: 1-13

 

         I don’t know about you, but today feels a lot like the first day of school.  I remember growing up how summer break would begin and before we knew it, the end of August would be here and school would be starting up again, usually the after Labor Day at that time.  Leading up to the first day of school was a sense of anticipation, along with a few nerves, and all the questions; will I like the teacher(s)?  Will I like my classmates?  How much will my teacher ask of me?  Luckily in elementary school, we knew most of our teachers pretty well and had similar classmates, while the transitions into junior high, high school, college, and eventually seminary all had those similar feelings.  I think it’s safe to say that all of us have been anticipating and building up to today these last few months since Pastor Mike’s new appointment as special assistant to Bishop Carcaño was announced in February and my appointment here to Foothills UMC was announced in March.  When I received the phone call from our DS, Rev. Dr. Blake Busick in early March, the anticipation and build up to this day of new beginnings began, as we have arrived.  

         Anytime we face a new beginning here in the church or in life, there are many feelings we might be experiencing, ranging from excitement and anticipation, to anxiety and nervousness.  I feel those feelings too, having just left my appointment in Quincy and the life I have known for the last five years.  While itinerancy is a part of life as a UM pastor, it can be exciting coming into a new beginning and experiencing a change with all of the challenges and opportunities ahead.  Changes can be good if we allow them to grow, stretch, and challenge us because it’s hard for anything to stay the same, even when we want things to be the same.  In our gospel lesson from Mark that Coleen just read for us, the people of Nazareth get to see a big change in Jesus, as he comes home and experiences a new beginning although Jesus brought about the unexpected too.  Jesus’ new beginning in returning to his hometown doesn’t exactly go so well, as he is rejected by the people in Nazareth, with people seeing him only as the carpenter and son of Mary.  Jesus had been on the move, teaching and healing, except when he comes home, he is bewildered by the people’s unbelief, just as the people wondered where Jesus learned to preach and heal with such authority.

         Instead of letting the people’s unbelief phase him, Jesus gathers the disciples and commissions them to go out and do the same things he does, healing, casting out bad spirits, although without any provisions except for a staff to shoo snakes from the path or other animals.  Despite the people’s unbelief in Jesus’ hometown and their offense at him, Jesus shows us how unbelief should not hinder us either as followers of Christ.[i]  By sending the disciples out to teach and heal, it is a day of new beginnings for the disciples just as today is our new beginning together in this new appointment as we listen together for God’s voice to lead us in our walking, talking, and dreaming together, and as we go out to serve together.  

After being sent into something new, I have felt a sense of renewed energy in preparing for today, in the conversations I’ve had with the leadership of the church, and Trevor and I have felt more than welcome here in these early days.  When Jesus sends the disciples out, he advises them that they may face rejection like he did in his hometown just as we may all face rejection a time or two as well.  This day of new beginnings is a good time for us to look outward, think outside the box, and as we have learned this last year and a half, continue finding new ways to BE the church.  As we learned during the pandemic, the church is not defined by the building, but instead called to go into the world, as we have a lot of opportunities to engage in mission outside our doors, both in-person and online.  Still, there are some challenges in trying to engage with our community and our greater world, as there may be some rejection.  

In a recent Gallup Poll that was released in this past March, a particular challenge that stands out is that 

 

 

religious membership in the U.S. has fallen to just 47% among those surveyed — representing less than half of the adult population for the first time since Gallup began asking the question more than 80 years ago.[ii]

         I know that news like that sounds like a hindrance to the mission for us as disciples today.  I know for others, this news might cause alarm bells to start ringing, or lead to some hitting the panic button.  Still, Jesus didn’t see the rejection in his hometown hinder his mission and I’m not going to let it hinder ours either.  I see this as an opportunity, as one of the responsibilities we have as members of Christ’s church is to share our story and witness to the people we encounter when we go out of these doors each week.  At the 2008 General Conference Session, witness was added to the vows of membership in the UMC, which is how we share our story in addition to our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.  We have a responsibility to witness or share our faith with people we meet by building relationships with them when we go out to serve.  That can happen in line or with the clerk at the store, the baristas at your local coffee shop, your server at your favorite restaurant, the people at the post office, etc..  Not everyone is going to want to hear what we share, except that I encourage us to share our faith anyway and particularly through our actions in how we show our love of God and neighbor.  

         On Thursday when I was writing this, I decided to leave the office and go to the Starbucks on Green Valley and Cambridge, as the coffeeshop is the perfect place to go to, especially when we can build relationships.  Right away, I engaged in a friendly conversation with one of the baristas who liked the Hawaiian shirt, but more importantly was given a warm welcome by the whole staff when I walked in.  Being sent out means being willing to engage in a loving way, showing kindness, and being willing to listen, then eventually as your relationships with people grows, know that Jesus is there with us.  I think there is still a yearning to hear about God’s work in the world through Jesus, and a yearning to be the hands and feet of Jesus, although we will still face rejection a time or two even though we can’t let it hinder us, or prevent us from going out to serve.*  We have a new beginning before us and with God’s grace, a fresh start together to go out and make a positive difference in our community and in our world each and every day.

         In the days, weeks, months, and hopefully years to come, I look forward to hearing your story.  I would love to hear where you feel called to serve in our community and church, where Jesus sends you out to serve, and how you demonstrate your love of God and neighbor through your actions.  I would love to know how your life has been changed as a result of being a part of Foothills UMC.  An in turn, what do you expect in this new season together?  I encourage you to share your faith in everything you do, with every person you encounter, and everywhere you go.  Don’t let anything hinder you and don’t miss out on this new movement by God, as we follow Jesus, while being guided by the Holy Spirit.  Let the church say, Amen!  

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[i] Emerson Powry, “Commentary on Mark 6: 1-13” in Working Preacher, Accessed 1 July 2021, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-14-2/commentary-on-mark-61-13-5.  

[ii] Scott Neuman, “Fewer than Half of U.S. Adults Belong to A Religious Congregation, New Poll Shows” in National Public Radio, Accessed 25 May 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/982671783/fewer-than-half-of-u-s-adults-belong-to-a-religious-congregation-new-poll-shows