Finishing up...sermon post John 21...another goodbye and possible hello

 

My heart is humbled by this picture.  "It usually doesn't work this way" or "This seems too good to be true" are phrases that have come out of my mouth and also through the lips of others.  What you see in this picture are the leadership of two churches, about 45 minutes apart in travel time, sending an associate pastor of 9 years from one church, Shoreline Church, being sent to the other church, Weymouth Community Church, as their lead pastor.  This Sunday we will have another picture of a similar scene when Pastor Chris is received.  This transition has shown me how much more I need to look for God's hand in it all.

In Machias, my previous assignment, the phrase was, "We don't want to settle" and I would add "for anything less than God's called man for this ministry."  So I need to throw this picture up of what happened in January 2021 not too long ago.

My time is finishing up here and I am looking forward to the next assignment that I pray would end up as these with God's called man and family to carry faithfully the gospel to the church and community.  My last week is full of finals:  final report, final important conversations, final meetings, final sermons, and final hugs and tears.  We get asked how we do this, living this very mobile life at this stage in our lives.  How we are blessed by God and His family overshadows any type of human inconvenience.  Having a small part in seeing the gospel continue to be spread through the local church fuels us forward to assignment #3.

With installation Sunday this Sunday, last Sunday was my final sermon at WCC.  We finished up our blitz through the last week of Jesus and His resurrected appearances.  John 21 was a time to remember for the disciples and especially Peter.  "This has happened before" was our theme to help us see how Jesus interacts with the one who betrayed Him 3 times.  

Remember #1 - A night when they caught nothing.

Remember #2 - A charcoal fire.

Remember #3 - A meal of fish and bread.

Remember #4 - A number "3" correspondence

Remember #5 - A familiar command from Jesus

Peter has been called by Jesus and even though he has done some face plants like his foot in his mouth when contradicting what Jesus has said or his 3 denials of Christ in the courtyard or his not answering Jesus' questions as asked in this passage or his final turning of his sight off of Jesus to point to another, Jesus continues to instruct him on what to do.  A fallen called one is not tossed aside by Jesus but rather is continued to be instructed in what to do.  Peter will do some more face plants in the book of Acts but we also see a Peter who lives a surrendered life in the books of 1 & 2 Peter.  You hear the total surrender in 2 Peter 1:14.

"...knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, 

as also our Lord Jesus Christ has indicated to me."

Not one to write in my Bibles, I took up the practice through this marathon run of John 11-21.  I preached this way also with no notes but what was before me.  I'm trying to have just the Bible in my hands as I preach.  I also need to catch up so I have something physical to hand down to my children and grandchildren of how God impacted dad and grandpa.  

More news coming of where we will be next but Lord willing Monday we head to Florida for a few days before a family celebration in Illinois of our son Ben's wedding!  16 years ago this day, Stephanie, Ben and Jason were in a head-on car crash on a winding road in northern Michigan so we are so thankful for family gatherings. 

Adam