Isaiah 51:1-6
Psalm 138
Romans 11:33-36
Matthew 16:13-20
That's pretty exciting isn't it? There are a whole lot of people who have helped out so that we're able to do this addition. But there is one person that I think is one of the most important people of all...because if he hadn't taken good care of our building and helped keep things running all these years, we probably wouldn't even have this beautiful building here today. And then we sure wouldn't be adding an addition on to it. Did you know that Bill Cheeseman's grandpa was one of the people who helped to build this building? And now he's been helping out with getting our new addition going. Bill has been a very wise Elder and he has helped out a whole lot.
I have a thank you card here for Bill that I thought Nina could give to him. But before we give it to him, there's something else that's pretty important.
You know, I'll bet that a lot of folks don't know that you kids helped raise money for the new addition too. Do you remember what you did to help with raising money? (Cards)
What kind of cards did you make? And do you know that you all raised a lot of money with those cards? So far you all have raised $ 238.50 from all your cards that were sold. And did you know that there are some people who are giving us the same amount of money for each card that we sell? So that means that so far you all have raised $477.00! That is really something!
And I have some thank you cards for you all too. Bill, would you come up here for a minute and, Nina, would you please give Bill his card? And, Bill would you give the children their cards? Now everyone, let's give Bill and the children a big round of applause. All may return to their seats.
A year from now, this wonderful old church building will be one hundred years old. It's cornerstone was laid on September 15, 1903.
Today we are breaking ground so that this beautiful place of worship will continue to be available to all of God's children regardless of disability; and so that we can continue to do the work of the Church - proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to a world who desperately needs to hear it.
It almost seems as though the Spirit must have had a hand in our readings for today. We're taken back to the very beginning - to a time and place some two thousand years ago when the very first person ever proclaimed that Jesus is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And it was upon that proclamation of faith that Jesus said he would build his Church.
Whenever I think about the growth of the Church since then, I'm always awed and humbled. From Peter's declaration of faith there has grown a Church which has spread to the ends of the earth. And indeed, the gates of Hades have not prevailed against it.
When Cedar and I first came to Our Saviour's five and a half years ago, we were looking for a community; for a place where we could worship with others who proclaimed Jesus as Saviour; and where we could find the sustenance we needed in order to do the work that God calls all of us to do.
I remember that first Sunday morning - there were hardly any people here. And the few that were here were standing up in the choir pews practicing some hymns that I'd never heard before.
I remember thinking that I'd never seen such a small congregation. By the time the service began, there were 12 or 13 people at the most. But it never occurred to me to stop coming because there weren't lots of people . On that first morning, the people who were here welcomed us with grace and love.
When the hymn singing was over, Ron came over to where we were sitting to be sure that we had service bulletins. Charlie looked right at us before the Eucharistic Prayer and announced that everyone was welcome at this table of God. Toward the end of the service Charlene, who was sitting in front of us, turned around and invited us to stay for coffee in the undercroft - whatever that was!
At coffee Bill told me about how his grandfather had been a key player in building this beautiful place and Lu showed us her prayer book and tried to explain something about the service. Before we left, Luci showed us the fair linen and talked about our Celtic roots.
No, it wasn't the numbers, it was the warmth of the welcome that made the difference. I fell in love with the Church of Our Saviour that morning and I'm still in love with her.
Not long after we started attending Our Saviour's, I began hearing people talk about how long we'd be able to keep the church going. I heard people say that the church was dying. Then Charlie announced that he was retiring, and it wasn't long before it became pretty clear that we weren't going to be able to find a part-time priest, even if we could figure out how to pay for one.
Things looked pretty dismal. We were an old parish and maybe it was time to throw in the towel. Oh, we might be able to keep things going for a few more years.... but the future looked grim. I remember one bitterly cold Sunday morning when I was scheduled to be the Lay Reader for Morning Prayer. There were four of us here that morning. Now until then I'd always felt sure that somehow this church would survive, despite all the fears and worries. But that morning - I found myself beginning to doubt.
However, God obviously had a plan of God's own. And it sure wasn't to close the doors of the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Little Falls, Minnesota. We launched into something called Total Ministry. Josie Martins arrived bringing a zest for life that was absolutely contagious. People were called to a ministry team. Children began to appear among us. And slowly but surely more people began to come.
You know it's been over two years since I've heard anyone talk about how this church is dying and when we're going to have to close the doors. Today we're alive and healthy and growing. In these past few years, we've stepped out in faith, we've taken risks, and God has not abandoned us.
Today, August 25, 2002, we're stepping out in faith one more time. We're broke. We're still small. And we're breaking ground anyway. Because we have work to do. God's work is not done...
There are folks who've been turned away elsewhere who will find a community of believers here at Our Saviour's that's ready to open their arms and welcome them - just as they are... those who are disabled, or poor; people of color, gays and lesbians, people who are mentally ill or developmentally delayed, ex-convicts, people who are lonely and afraid... These are the people that Jesus calls us to serve. And then there are the unchurched who have absolutely no idea that their Creator aches to shower them with grace and love.
No - God's work is not done by a long shot. And as Jesus foretold two thousand years ago, the gates of Hades haven't closed us down yet...and they never will.
One hundred years ago, God called Bill's grandfather and many others to step out in faith and build a building that would stand firm, that would weather the storms to come - that would offer sanctuary and solace to God's children. They built a place that was meant to last, because they knew there would always be work to be done. And were it not for the foresight and courage of these men and women - we wouldn't be here today, celebrating another milestone in the history of the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour.
Some of you probably know that Bill Cheeseman has written a history of our parish. In his conclusion of that history, I think Bill says it best of all when he wrote:
"Sometimes on Sunday morning when I'm sitting here waiting for the service to begin, my mind wanders and I think of all the stalwart Episcopalians who preceded us, that kept the faith and left us as heirs to this beautiful and serene house of worship, and I thank them."
May we all thank them on this very special day.
AMEN.