Rev. Brewer-Calvert preached this sermon entitled “This Is a Day of New Beginnings, Time to Remember and Move On” on the Sunday, February 24, 2013, as the first of a four-part sermon and worship series called “This Is a Day of New Beginnings”, which correlates with our congregation’s moving through a mission planning process called New Beginnings.
Take the Long View
Dear Friends,
Greetings! I do hope this note finds you well.
Very early in our tenure together as pastor and parish (Feb. 9, 1998 – present), the Rev. Dr. Fred Craddock was invited back to First Christian Church of Decatur to speak here during a Saturday morning breakfast program. He and his family had been members of this congregation throughout the 16 years that he taught homiletics and New Testament studies at Candler School of Theology at Emory. After retiring from teaching, he moved to the north Georgia mountains, where he co-founded Cherry Log Christian Church and the Craddock Learning Center, both in Blue Ridge.
Being the storyteller that Fred Craddock is, he shared with us a narrative of a young minister who starts out in a local church with a burst of energy and pizzazz, causing quite a ruckus, drawing in new people and starting fancy programs. However after a brief period of time the new preacher burns out, fades out, and moves out. Craddock compared that with clergy who may move at a slower pace yet are steady and remain present over a greater period of time. He used an analogy that struck me at the moment and has remained a constant memory and challenge, almost like a spiritual talisman. I’ll paraphrase his comment. He said, “Some people are like a comet. They come on the scene with great fanfare and flash, streaking across the sky with a bright light and a sparkling trail. As quickly as they arrive they are gone. Some people are like the Moon. They’re not very fancy.” He stopped to look up and contemplate an imaginary moon in the sky. “Yes, there it is, again. Guess it will be up tomorrow as well. Steady, dependable, constant source of comfort. Comes up every night and reflects the light of the sun.” Then he paused and gently asked his listeners one question before sitting down. “Are you like a comet, sparkly and bright and quickly done, or are you like a moon, steady, constant, comforting, reflecting the light of the Son of God?”
One day a blessed soul approached me with genuine concern for the well-being of another member of our faith community. The request for help included a suggestion for immediate intervention. My response was to encourage patience and grace, saying, “Let’s take a long view.” We prayed together for God’s wisdom and guidance and lifted up the soul in need. Afterward I added both troubled souls to my personal prayer list, paid attention to their patterns of behavior, and stayed in touch. Thanks to the tender mercies of God, all parties are doing well and blessed with new spirits and a new hope.
Are you like a comet or a moon? Comets get a lot of press. The Moon is seemingly just there, steady as she goes. However, you and I can appreciate that there are a multitude of gifts and benefits that come with moonlit dancing in the reflected light of the Son.
1. When you are together for an extended period of time relationships deepen. You know one another’s strengths and “growing edges”, sorrows and dreams. You learn better how to care and listen. You appreciate and cherish the narratives of your neighbors’ lives. You let go of the temptation to judge and assume the responsibility of tolerance and acceptance.
2. Dedicated engagement in a relationship includes the benefit of having a say in its direction and vision. Those with no commitment for the long term have no right and no power to suggest substantial change. Only those who are absolutely, positively committed to the people and the common cause may advocate change. (This may help to explain why both passing comments and parting shots are so easily sloughed off, falling to the ground unheard and unheeded.)
3. Silences between a couple yoked for years may cease to be a burden and grow to become a loving expression of understanding. Likewise in a community setting, communication moves to a deeper, more spirit-filled level, which may include (but is not limited to) the divine gifts of human touch, silence, presence, music, storytelling, tears, and laughter.
4. Trust takes a long time to build. People who flit and fly from one relationship to another without staying the course miss out on the chance to build trust, which is the foundation of faith. Trust, like respect, must be earned. Once granted, relationships may deepen.
As always, First Christian Church of Decatur, I am delighted to be your pastor going on 15 years of together reflecting the Son’s light, and love, and laughter. Shalom,
James L. Brewer-Calvert