c18Pentecost 15 ~ September 9, 2007 ~ A sermon preached by The Rev’d Erl G. Purnell at Old St. Andrew’s Church, Bloomfield, CT

Deuteronomy 30.15-20; Psalm 1; Philemon 1-20; Luke 14.25-33

Beginning of a new year. Propitious day.
Looking backwards and forwards.
Historic place & building ~ historic parish.

Imagine starting St. A. in 1740.

·      Faces, hands, clothes

·      Beliefs, ideals, hopes, dreams

·      What did those folks want to accomplish?

·      What did they imagine for 267 years downstream?

·      Space travel, iPods, Harry Potter?

 

Good times & bad.

·      Wm Gibbs [44-77] ~ promise & harmony

·      Roger Viets [77-87] ~ growth … and then …

·      Revolutionary War ~ strife & conflict

·      New nation; new Episcopal Church

·      Ambrose Todd [87-99]

 

1806-1807 ~ Change & difficult decisions

·      Asa Cornwall [07-12]

·      What’s right

·      What’s best?

·      Can you imagine this building when it was new?

 

Adult Ed

·      1740-1787 ~ Rich Malley
·      1787-1860 ~ Puck Purnell
·      1860-1950 ~ Jim Hunt
·      1950-2007 ~ David LaBau

 

Looking back, we see people

·      worshipping together,

·      in community, and always

·      building a future for those who follow—us

Trusting, faithful, generous people who are the Body of Christ

 

Trusting

·      Trusting in God’s goodness

·      Trusting God’s grace & each other

Faithful

·      Faithful to God in Christ

·      Faithful to the Church & each other

Generous

·      Generous to God

·      Generous to others & this parish

Now, looking forward 

·      Who are we?

·      Photograph shows our faces

·      How are we the Body of Christ?

·      What will our legacy be?

·      What do we leave?

·      Can we be trusted to care for OSA while we are here?

·      Are we faithful in our worship, community building and outreach?

·      Are we generous enough to leave OSA better off than when we arrived?

 

Today—in 2007—when you look back to 1907 or 1807, can you see yourself sitting here in your usual pew?

·      Who were you then?

·      Who are you now?

Imagine the folks who open our time capsule in 2107.

·      What will they think when they see your face?

·      ‘Who was he?’

·      ‘What did she do?’

·      Or, ‘Which pew did they sit in?’

·      Will they think, ‘Yes, these were trusting, faithful, generous people?’

 

Celebrating the 200^th anniversary of this beautiful church building is such a hoot

·      a moment of sacred joy and fun

·      giving heartfelt thanks

·      as we commit ourselves anew to continuing the tradition of trust, faithfulness, and generosity in this place.       

         Amen.     

 Copyright © 2007.  Erl G. Purnell
All rights reserved.