New Concord Presbyterian Church

January 10, 2010

One of the most famous lines from the movies comes from the mouth of Judy Garland playing the part of Dorothy Gale in "The Wizard of Oz." Dorothy and her dog, Toto, take shelter in their farmhouse when they see a tornado approaching. The house is swept up in the tornado and Dorothy looks out the window into the vortex and sees crazy sights: a woman sitting in a rocking chair knitting, various farm animals, and a witch on a bromstick.

Then with a mighty thud the farmhouse comes to halt. Timidly Dorothy opens the door and takes a look at where she has landed. For those who were experiencing Technicolor movies for the first time the bright colors of Munchkinland must have been quite a shock. Then Dorothy says, "Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore."

Dorothy’s whole life had been disrupted. Everything she had known and depended upon was gone. She found herself in an uncertain place at an uncertain time. I’ve heard that phrase "uncertain times" used of our time as well. It has rolled off the tongues of those who want you to invest in whatever money making scheme they want you to buy in to – assuring you that by investing in them your (financial) future will become more certain even in these "uncertain times." I’ve heard this word come off the lips of those who report on terrorist plots or wars and conflicts. We are living in uncertain times – we never know when or where the next attack is going to happen.

But then again uncertainty has always been a certainty. There have always been questions about what the future holds. People cast lots or flipped Tarot cards or read palms or look at the stars and planets or patterns of numbers – all to try to find out some certainty in "uncertain times." The future is uncertain – that is a certainty. At every turn in life there are things that point out to us that we’re not in Kansas any more – things are changing all the time.

There was a great deal of uncertainty in the early church when the book of the Acts of the Apostles was written. The apostles knew Jesus had died and yet there he was before them in all his Technicolor glory. The rules had changed. They weren’t in the proverbial Kansas any more. Even after Jesus left the disciples and charged them with the mission to go and preach, things kept changing. Everything was unpredictable.

Right before the passage we read today, Stephen was martyred. He was dragged out into the street and stoned to death for preaching about Christ. And the ones who were stoning Stephen gave their coats to a man named Saul to hold. From this event a whole tornado of upheaval happened in the early church. In Jerusalem, the followers of Christ were persecuted. People were dragged off to prison for following Christ. The large group of followers that had gathered in Jerusalem was scattered. Just a few of the apostles remained in the city.

As for the rest of Christ’s followers, they found themselves scattered across the countryside. Even as they journeyed along the road, they preached. They preached wherever they were.

Philip found himself in Samaria after the church had been scattered from Jerusalem. So, looking around, he began to preach where he was. And amazing things began to happen. People were cured from diseases – both mental and physical. And they believed in Christ. Many were baptized and word even got back to the apostles who had remained in Jerusalem that Samaria had accepted Christ so they sent Peter and John to help out with the ministry.

Now you may remember something about Samaria from other stories in the Bible. Jesus went into Samaria once where he met a woman at a well and asked her for a drink of water. This was scandalous because Jews and Samaritans did not mix. They each thought the other did not worship in the correct ways. Jesus also told a story in which a Samaritan was the hero. When a priest and a Levite walked by and injured man, it was the Samaritan who stopped and helped his neighbor in need.

So there was a history between Jews and Samaritans and much of it was not positive or uplifting. Philip had landed in a place that was most certainly not his version of Kansas any more. But rather than seeking out a way to get back home, Philip began to do what Christ had commanded his followers to do. He began to tell anyone who would listen about the amazing work of God through Christ. And many believed and were baptized.

This church, New Concord, has a rich history. There are uplifting stories of great-aunts and uncles, friends, and ancestors who worked to plant this church. This year marks the 175^th year that New Concord has been a witness for Christ in this area. 175 years…think about that for a moment. Think of all the people who have sat where you are sitting right now. Think of those who have shared meals together at this table and other tables that have served as the Lord’s Table. Maybe you can remember some of them, maybe you just arrived and don’t know any of them. But each one of us is an inheritor of those who have gone before us. Whether you’ve been here all your life of just walked in the doors of the sanctuary for the first time today, we all benefit from the work of those who have gone before us in the faith.

I’ve sat in on many meetings at this church and in others where the theme that comes out is the uncertainty of the times in which we are living. Some might say that with the advances in technology and proliferation of other options on a Sunday morning, the church feels as though it has just been plopped down and opened the doors only to find out that we’re not in Kansas anymore. Things have changed and the future is uncertain. Those who follow Christ find themselves scattered. There are some here, some over at the Methodist church, some over at the Baptist church, some at home still in bed, some at work, some at the mall – Christians are scattered.

But yet here we are. This is where we are. The world we live in is a far cry from the world the founders of the church lived in 175 years ago. We can all make arguments about how now is better or worse than 175 years ago. But this is where we are and we now have a choice. Are we going to take a step out in faith and tell others about what God has done and is doing through Christ? Will we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and among us where we are?

I have to tell you this: there is no Yellow Brick Road outside our door. There is no Wizard of Oz willing to take us back to where and when we were. We are not going to get back to what the church used to be – and I admit that I really don’t want to either. The heyday of the 1950s and 60s is gone for the church. We are not going to be able to recapture or recreate the past. But God doesn’t call us to live in the past. God’s work didn’t stop when Christ ascended or the apostles died.

The path of our future is uncertain but there is certainty in that the future belongs to God. Can we follow Christ where we are? Can we tell others about the amazing work of God through Christ? Can our eyes be opened to see the Holy Spirit moving and working and baptizing and empowering each and every one of us?

The future is uncertain but it is God’s. Isaiah knew that when he wrote, "But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."

This is where we are and when we are. Through each one of us, God can work. Phillip landed in Samaria and found people listening where he didn’t think they would. We are in Concord, perhaps we too can find people with ears open to hear the promise of life in Christ. May God be with us and guide our ministry where we are.