That’s a good way to start our time of transition, our interim period here at St. Margaret’s. Thank you, thank you for being here with me as we begin this time of transition. Also called an interim period. Thanks be to God that we can do this together. It’s going to be a great adventure and it’s going to require all of our best efforts. And so I want to begin our time of transition with a little reflection provided by a Methodist Church in Dunkerton, Iowa. Their reflection, is entitled "What kind of church are you" It’s a good question as we begin our work of transition.

What kind of church are you?

A lively church has parking problems—

a dead church doesn’t.

A lively church has lots of "noisy" children and young people—

a dead church is fairly quiet.

A lively church often changes the way things are done—

a dead church doesn’t.

A lively church often asks for more program and mission money—

a dead church tries to keep plenty of money in the treasury.

A lively church asks people to open up and risk involvement—

a dead church plays it safe and never risks.

A lively church sees challenges and opportunities—

a dead church sees problems and dangers.

A lively church apologizes, forgives and seeks forgiveness—

a dead church never makes mistakes.

A lively church uses its tradition and facilities to serve people—

a dead church uses people to preserve facilities and traditions.

A lively church believes in God’s future and "lets go" with faith—

a dead church believes in the past and "holds on."

A lively church is filled with committed givers—

a dead church is filled with tippers.

A lively church dares to dream great dreams for God’s kingdom—

a dead church has nightmares.

So, what kind of church are you?

Well, we might not be perfect—we might not fulfill every one of the "lively" items perfectly, but I am proud to be part of St. Margaret’s Church, a lively, a vibrant, growing, dreaming, believing church. I am proud to be associated with you. I am bursting with both pride and joy as we begin our work of transition. For this is surely a moment of great grace given us by our God.

I changed the appointed readings for this Sunday and I selected the readings that you heard, to set a vision and a course for us over the months of transition beginning this Sunday.

Your vestry is working with the bishop and the bishop’s office to decide upon a course of action to follow as we carefully and prayerfully work to call our next rector. The bishop’s staff brings their experience of the transition process to us; we share our knowledge of this congregation and this community with them. We also share our hopes, dreams, and expectations with them and at just the right time with all of us working together and with God’s Grace a new rector will be called. And so I ask, no matter how long this process may take, I ask that you trust your vestry, trust the bishop’s office and most especially trust that the Grace and Will of God will be worked in this place. For we are God’s faithful and beloved people and God’s Grace and Will is something we treasure and use and wish to fulfill.

Meanwhile, there’s plenty of work to do and the readings will help us focus our energy. When you leave here today and when you wake up tomorrow and the next day and the next day after that, (as all of us, you and me together, work through the transition time), let these words, these four words, be in your heart and in your mind, CALLED, CHOSEN, GIFTED, LOVED.

You may wonder what will be different in the transition time? Well, nothing of substance because day by day, we will be called to know Christ and to make Christ known to the best of our abilities in all that we say, and in all that we do. That is not going to change. But we can also try out some new things during the transition time to enhance our knowing and our making Christ known, and we’ll have fun. And let me begin, modeling the idea that nothing of substance changes, but some things might be a little different: you’ll hear a homily, something that you receive every Sunday in worship, but let me leave the pulpit, something I don’t usually do on Sunday. In fact, in thinking back over my 14 years here, I can’t remember when I’ve left the pulpit on a Sunday to be among you, but this morning I will; I will step away from the pulpit and step out in trust and I will do this with a prayer that was a gift to me in 1993 as I came here.

Many of you who worshipped here with Brad Hall, who served on vestries here, did committee work here, came Sunday after Sunday heard this prayer each time he got up to preach—and believe me, when I’m facing a tough decision or trying out something new, this prayer (which got into my heart and bones and into my very being), is the prayer that comes to my lips:

"Come Holy Spirit, come with your fire and burn us, come with your rain and cleanse us, come with your light and reveal to us. Convict us! Convert us! Consecrate us until we do something with our lives".

That’s the spirit we want to enter the transition time with. Come Holy Spirit, convict us, convert us, consecrate us, and let us dream big dreams for the Kingdom of God in this moment. Let us share those dreams with others in this valley. Let’s return to the four words—called chosen, gifted, loved—that will guide us.

The story about the call of Samuel was our first reading today. That’s not a story from long ago and far away, it’s not some kind of a fairy tale that we share at bedtime, that’s the word of God and the word of God reveals the behavior of God. God didn’t behave this way once, with the boy Samuel, not at all. This is how we can expect God to behave with us. God will call to you and me, as surely as he called to Samuel. God calls each of us by name, knows our name, uses our name, calls to us. Just like he called Samuel. That’s what’s revealed in the scriptures.

I believe that God has called you here whether for a month, or two months or four months or year round, God has called you by name to this community because He’s also chosen you to be part of this community as we heard in the Gospel.

"You did not choose me;" Jesus told His disciples gathered around Him, "I chose you! And I appointed you to go and bear fruit." These same words are addressed to you and me. Called to this community, chosen by Christ, to be part of this community, blessed by Christ to bear fruit, fruit that will last—what could be better? What could be more important?

The fruit that we are to bear is marvelous, wonderful, life-giving, inspirational, filled with light. We are to bear the fruit of forgiveness and reconciliation; we are to produce the fruit of revealing the Father in Heaven who loves all of creation and every person in creation. We are to bear the rich fruit of healing. There is healing work done through this congregation to God’s glory. There is the fruit of serving others, even as Christ served others. I’m not sure what gift is your gift, but that’s the next word to be taken up this Sunday.

I believe the Apostle Paul: every one of us called by name, chosen by Christ to be here in this moment, appointed by Christ to bear fruit, is gifted by the same Christ. And, I’m not sure what your gift is, and I’m pretty sure that it’s not just a single gift for God is very lavish with the gifts that help others. Everyone of us called and chosen to be in this place in this time, has gifts to share, and they may be simple or they may be grand—they may be, the ones described in Paul’s letter, to be pastor, or healer, or apostle, or evangelist; or they maybe simple gifts. Maybe you have an hour to give and you give it to the Mission and Ministry of St. Margaret’s.

Yesterday morning, four men (Don Poorman, Jack Bolz, Howard Schultz, and Jim Monroe) who have about an hour a week to share with us came in here as they do every Saturday. Faithfully they come in here, they walk through every pew, straighten up the papers in there, it is a gift they give the whole congregation. When you came in this morning, the pews were reasonably clear because of the gift of time given by these men. It’s a small gift they have given all of us. We have numerous volunteers at the Cellar Door, and always welcoming more and at Maggie’s Corner and our Alter Guild, volunteers serve as lectors, they serve in our choir. Our choir members volunteer time to come in and rehearse and then, coming back, they share the gift of their voice with us to lift our hearts to God. It is a beautiful gift they give us each week.

Every one of us has something to offer because Christ has graced us. That’s what the apostle said and that’s what I believe. And when those gifts are shared the body of Christ is built up in love and that is an amazing thing and THAT is what people will come to experience here. And that doesn’t go away. We are the ones called in this moment, chosen, in this moment, and gifted in this moment to know Christ and to make Christ known in and through St. Margaret’s.

We can attempt all our work—we can have fun experimenting with this and that—with a real boldness because of that final word, the ultimate truth. It is what you heard in the Gospel: "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you." As the apostle discovered and wrote: there is nothing in all creation that can get in the way of the love of God that comes to us in Jesus Christ. That love is offered forever. That love is offered at the same level, moment by moment. No matter what might happen in this time of transition, that love of God in Jesus Christ will be a constant for us.

It is the joy of the Son, knowing the Father’s constant love. It is the joy of the disciple, knowing Jesus wants our joy to be complete, like his own. Yes, a joy to try out new things, to wonder and to dream big dreams, to say, "Here’s who we are and here’s who we want to be by God’s Grace." We can do this because we know that no matter what, God will love us.

Understand what I’m trying to say, with your head and your heart, and your strength and soul; let your whole being understand. Nothing we can do as individuals or as a congregation, nothing we can do will cause God to love us more—by the same token, nothing we can do as individuals or as a congregation, will cause God to love us less. God is love and what his Son was telling us, is that God’s love is yours, today, tomorrow and always, no matter what. Jesus spoke in order that our hearts may be filled with joy. It is a great thing to enter this time of transition knowing that no matter what, God’s love will be there, will be ours, and will be ours to share.

Called, Chosen, Gifted, Loved. We’ve got work to do and I will tell you again, I am proud to be a part of this with you, a part of this process with you.

Let me finish with a prayer composed in the 13th century, but new every time it is prayed, and it is even part of our hymnal.

Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which you have won for us, for all the pains and insults you have borne for us.

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, may we see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.

Clapping by the congregation.

Thank you. Let’s take that joy into the transition. With joy, with the power of the Holy Spirit, let’s stand; one thing that doesn’t change in the transition is our Faith. Let us say the Nicene Creed.