Matthew 13:1-9

            Last week, our senior pastor, Joe Kutter, announced that he is retiring from congregational ministry effective August 31 of this year.  For many, it comes as a shock.  Everyone knew that his retirement was on the horizon, but for many – including Joe himself – it is sooner than expected.  I find myself in an interesting position this Sunday.  Joe announces his retirement, and it happens to be my turn to preach.  First, you need to know that this is purely by coincidence.  I was slated to preach on this day several months ago.  Joe is in Colorado preaching at the installation service of Steve VanOstran as the new Executive Minister of American Baptist Churches – Rocky Mountain region.

            And here we are – a church that finds ourselves about to go through a time of transition.  As Joe said last week, there is no such thing as a “good time” for a pastor to leave, because it is always hard.  Joe has been a phenomenal leader for the last 11 years, and when this time of transition comes, it always makes us feel anxious and unstable. As a church, we become vulnerable.  Anxious, unstable, and vulnerable:  that’s how we’re going to feel.  I know that because it happens to every church in a time of transition.  I also know this because I’ve already talked to some of you, and some of you are already worried.  “How long will it take?”  “How will our church be different?”  “How will we know if we’re on the right track?”  Many of you have been through this type of transition before and you are not looking forward to doing it again.  All of these feelings and emotions are very real, and very normal.

            Some of you are familiar with what’s called the “Stages of Grief & Loss.”  Often we talk about grieving when someone dies, but grief is something we can experience with any type of loss – a person, a job, a routine, etc.  When a pastor leaves, a period of grieving should be expected.  I want to list for you the common stages of grief.  As I go through this, keep in mind that there is nothing static about it, and every individual does this in their own way and in their own time.

[[STAGES of GRIEF – Slide 1]]

Shock & Numbness

Onset of Emotions

Depression/Withdrawal

Stabbing Memories

Bouts with Anger/Guilt

Reestablishment of Routine

Acceptance and Recovery

            Again, this is only a rough guide.  Not everyone grieves at the same speed; not everyone grieves in the same way…and not everyone grieves.  There are probably several people in this room right now (especially our visitors) who weren’t really close enough to Joe to go through any of this.  But many of us will.  And this is a glimpse of what we can expect…not only as individuals but as a church family.  Think about what happens in biological families when there is a death, a divorce, or any other type of loss.  The whole family equilibrium is thrown out of whack.  Holidays aren’t the same.  Relationships change.  Suppressed issues come to the surface.  It works the same with any system of relationships.  When a leader leaves, especially a senior pastor, we lose our sense of stability; it cannot be avoided.  This is what you experienced with Jane’s departure, and this is what you will experience with Joe’s departure.  It will be very important for us to spend the next 2 months celebrating his ministry with us, and saying good-bye.

            The lectionary gave us our scripture text for today.  We read from one of Jesus’ parables – the parable of the farmer sowing his seed.  What does this parable have to say to us in our current situation?  I’m so glad you asked.

            [Review parable].

            God is spreading seeds among us.  There are things we must be on our guard against that will prevent the seeds from growing. 

[[BE ON GUARD - Slide 2]]

Jesus said, “Some seeds fell along the path…

            Be on your guard…against smokescreens and masks that hide the real issues.  At times, some of us have a hard time admitting that we’re grieving, or that we don’t like how unstable things feel.  And sometimes, whether we know it or not, we bring up seemingly unrelated issues or problems that really boil down to the fact that we’re grieving and vulnerable.  Haven’t you seen this in family life before?  Unresolved issues bubble to the surface when there’s a crisis, and the issues can sometimes be decades old.  We have to admit that we’re grieving.  The surface issue is often not the real issue.  Be on your guard.

            Be on your guard…against closed-mindedness.  Sometimes it’s because we are in the depression and withdrawal stage of grieving, but there are times we might just want to close ourselves off, withdraw, or not get involved.  The desire to have things go back to the way they were can make us close off.  Be on your guard

[[BE ON GUARD - Slide 3]]

Jesus said, “Some seeds fell on rocky places where it…had no root.”

Be on your guard…against loyalty to a person or a leader instead of loyalty to the church.  The old saying goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”  It’s also true that we sometimes don’t realize where our loyalties lie until things change.  It’s happened before…in this and other churches.  A few people find themselves looking for another church because, as it turns out, they were committed to a leader – a personality – more than the church family.  We have to work and till the garden to make sure our roots our deep in First Baptist Church.  Be on your guard.

[[BE ON GUARD - Slide 4]]

            Jesus said, “Other seeds fell among thorns which…choked the plants.”

            Yes, my friends, there are thorns.

            Be on your guard.  A church should consider itself lucky if it doesn’t have those one or two people who just always have to start a fight.  I wish it were not so, but sometimes it happens and sometimes it’s out of pure spite and maliciousness, because there ARE people who will wait for the perfect time…when the church is vulnerable…to start a fight.  Be on your guard against contentiousness.

            Be on your guard…against rumors and indirect communication.  These are thorns that can choke a church.  If you hear something about Joe, don’t believe it until you have talked to Joe.  If you have an issue or problem that needs to be addressed with a certain individual, go to that individual.  Don’t spread your frustration and anger around the church – the rest of us probably have enough of our own.  Don’t complain to person A about person B.  Go to the person with whom the issue resides.  Rumors and indirect communication can choke a church…be on your guard.

            There’s one more thorn I want to mention, but this thorn is different because sometimes it has good intentions.  There are those who may say things like, “I’ve been talking to God about this, and God told me that this person should be on the search committee.”  Or, “God told me that this is the right candidate.”  Or, “God told me that this should be the interim salary package.”  I understand that many people who say this mean no harm, but the problem is what it implies.  Such language implies that the rest of us aren’t talking to God about this.  I am hard-pressed to believe that God bestows privileged knowledge upon one specific person.  This is a team effort – God works through his church.  Yes, in the Old Testament, God spoke through individual prophets.  But you notice when we get to the New Testament that the focus has dramatically shifted to the church.  So, someone might say, “God told me x.”  Thank you for your input.  Let’s wait and see what God has told everyone else.

[[THE GOOD SOIL – Slide 5]]

            Then Jesus said, “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

            God is spreading many seeds among us.  How can we be good soil so that God can continue to produce a crop in us during this transition?

¡  Grieve honestly

¡  Work for the good of the church first

§  1 Cor. 14:26 “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up..”

§  Eph 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

§  Eph 4:29-32  “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

¡  Staff and support our programs

¡  Take care of each other

¡  Be patient & open-minded

¡  Expect God to do great things

Brothers and sisters, it’s exciting what God is doing among us.  God is spreading many seeds among us. And I know that First Baptist Church is some of the best soil that God has to work with.  Amen?