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November 22, 2009

Hear the Word and Act

Hey, it is done! Well, ok, it isn’t exactly done, but it is done enough to dedicate, and it is done enough to celebrate. It was quite a week around here finishing up a million details, cleaning, furniture arriving, carpeting going down and ceiling tiles going up. Lots of people have been very busy- construction crews, church members, staff and people we pulled in off the street.

 

Someone asked me last week if I was ready to see the completion of my legacy. That stopped me cold. I did not like that thought at all because I believe with all my heart that this building is not my legacy, it is yours.

 

You are the ones who made the decision to stay in this location.

You are the ones who had the dream to buy up the block and expand.

You passed resolutions, made plans and purchased property long before you ever heard of me.

 

When I did arrive I asked the Planning Committee and the Session to read a book called When Not to Build. You are the ones who decided to build anyway. You are the ones who contributed the money to begin the project. And you are the ones who have given so faithfully- even in the midst of a recession.

 

You are the ones who have been here- making decisions, choosing colors, moving furniture, framing and hanging pictures, cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, making coffee and planting trees.

 

This building is part of your legacy; a legacy of faithfulness, of determination, of commitment, and of hope in the future even on the bleakest of days. You have a history of being that kind of congregation. You have a lot to celebrate today.

 

Bertoldo de Giovanni was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art.

 

One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, "Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!"

 

Dedication is costly. But it is worth the price. This project has required and will continue to require our dedication of resources, our talent, our time and effort. In order to have the dedication of motivated people, there had to be an object worthy of dedication. This church had to have a central enough part in the lives of enough people to bring about the commitment.

 

There had to be an attractor, a magnet, to pull all these resources out of the ground, so to speak, the money out of bank accounts and the volunteer work out of people’s busy schedules, the talent out of people’s souls. In the end it all boils down to love. This church is a beloved place. It is, for many of us, the closest we will come to the beloved community in our lifetimes.

 

We do not have to wait for this project to be completed. The church is busy and active already doing things the church is expected to do. Let me tell you a few things about this community.

 

One morning I was sitting in my office with the door open and a couple of guys came in to start tearing down walls in the hallway. One man asked his buddy- What do you know about this church?

 

Nothing, why?

 

Well, it saved my family. Last week the boss said there were no jobs coming up. Everything was cancelled because there is no money. My wife was going to take the kids and go south to live with her parents until I got work. And then this job came.

 

Some of the first folks we met in this building process were Miller Eds Electrical guys. Todd and Nate have had their heads in every part of our ceiling for the past 18 months. In October we got an email from Susan Glant telling staff

 

Nate Morgan’s 9 month old son, Luke, had a severe seizure and almost died yesterday. He and his wife did CPR and got the child to the hospital in time. No cause has yet been determined so the family is not sleeping much for fear that this could happen again. Nate and his family are asking for our prayers. Our staff has been praying for Luke and walking this path along side Nate.

 

Last week, one of the elevator guys, Mike waved me over the where he was working. Now I have to admit, I was not planning to like Mike or his co-worker because it was the elevator company that was holding everything up and being very uncooperative (and if I had know they would not finish in time for today I really would not have liked him). But I knew Mike didn’t make those decisions, he just did the work. So he told me the elevator was running and almost finished, did I want a ride. We got in and as soon as the door shut Mike asked, Pastor, do you believe in the power of prayer? As we rode up and down he told me a story about an experience with his son and prayer. Otis elevator company is at the bottom of my list, but their employee Mike is a good and faithful man and we were blessed to have him here.

 

We don’t need to wait for every detail of this project to be complete. The church- the body of Christ- is already complete and God is present with us.

 

It is not about what happened in the past. It is not about what will happen when this is all done. It is about what happens now every single day in this place and in our lives.

 

This building is nothing short of a miracle. But it did not get here by rubbing a magic lamp. It got here by the hard work of many people in the church today. But the spirit that made this building possible has been growing here for generations.

 

Terri Hubbard has written a poem in honor of this day-

 

A Caring Embrace

 

There’s a light shining here that beckons me

A warmth that draws me inside

Again and again,

every time I come in

it finds a place in my heart to abide

 

There are memories here that surround me

A weaving of lives filled with dreams

Faces of those

who came in and then chose

To be a family of faith so it seems

 

There’s a peace flowing here that comforts me.

It’s a place I’ve come with my tears

The caring embrace

that’s the soul of this place

has brought solace to me through the years.

 

There’s a presence here that anchors me -

Something I know but just cannot see

Sometimes I sit still

let go and can feel

Love wrapping itself around me

 

There’s a quiet voice that says to me

“Others need what you’ve found in this place!

Throw open the door!

Welcome in even more

To find love here and the peace of my grace!

 

With love for all that Northminster has been and continues to be to my family and me.

- Terri Hubbard November, 2009

 


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