I knew from the start that this would have to be either a very long, or a pretty short sermon, there was no way to find a middle ground. So, I want to say just a few words in my last sermon as your Rector, and they are the same words I have tried to say, in one way or another, in the well over 1,000 times I have had the privilege of standing in this pulpit: They are words of faith, words of gratitude, words of love, and words of challenge and hope.
First of all, and as I will say again in the little service concluding our pastoral relationship, it has been an honor, a blessing, and a true gift to have been given the opportunity to be a part of St. Mary’s, and of Big Spring, for these last thirteen and a half years. I have received far, far more than I could possibly have given. This place has been very good to Kathleen, Will and me; and I have been able to work and live among some of the very finest people I have ever known. St. Mary’s staff—our splendid Deacons, Linda, Jann, Barbara—are simply the best there are—and you had better take good care of them. As with all of God’s gifts, they are better than we deserve.
And you—each and every one of you has, in one way or another, allowed me to share in your lives, and in your journey with and to God. For that I am forever grateful. The numbers give just a hint. In my time here we have had 36 baptism, 86 people have been presented (to two different bishops) for Confirmation and Receptions, there have been 7 weddings (not our strong suit) and, painfully, 76 funerals. Just about all of these have touched just about all of us in one way or another. All of this has created among us a web of relationships that ties us together in more ways than we can ever realize at one sitting. These years have been, for me, an holy, and a moving time. I have learned most of what I know about being a Christian adult from you, and I simply cannot thank you enough for all of this.
And there is much more. You all have helped Kathleen and me raise our son, and no small part of the fine man he is becoming is due to your care and participation in his life. That is an eternal debt. In the same way, your support for our active engagement in the life of Big Spring—especially for my involvement with Howard College and Rotary, has been a great source of personal growth and delight.
Of course, these years have had their share of struggles, conflicts, and hurt; I know there have been times when, for a number of reasons, but never from malice, I have made mistakes. For these, I ask your forgiveness, and your prayers. Life its own self is always messy, and parishes are as far from an exception to that as you can get.
And, to answer a question I’ve been asked a couple of times, I think my most abiding regrets were anticipated—I didn’t spend enough time with you, individually, and I didn’t spend enough time just sitting in the courtyard, and in the Bennett Garden. I do want to learn from those.
Gratitude and love, these, and sadness, are churning most in my depths today; but there is always more. Of course I am excited about the new challenges that are set before me; but at the same time I am hopeful and optimistic about you, about St. Mary’s.
You need always to remember that St. Mary’s has been at this a long time; you have had 27 Rectors in the last 125 years—each one of us, whether we knew it or not, was working for the sake of our successor. Rectors always do. I know that my successor will be blessed, and will inherit a vibrant and committed congregation.
The parish’s leadership is strong, committed and able. This congregation is rightly known throughout our city, our Diocese, and beyond, as having the ability to do amazing things; and that won’t change. Finally, I am utterly convinced that God is calling St. Mary’s to meet a real, indeed a desperate, need in this community for that special, Anglican, vision of the Christian faith that we have received and that we are engaged in living out. There is work to do here, and St. Mary’s is called to do that work.
Now, hope and challenge are always intimately intertwined. Real hope for any congregation, and certainly for St. Mary’s, lies not in the "things the Gentiles seek", in questions of survival, or of getting by, or of having enough stuff. In fact, it is only when these questions become dominate that their outcome is in doubt. There is no real hope when these come first. Real hope emerges from embracing the mission that we are called to do—from moving forward to reach out in Christ’s love to our community and all God’s creation through faith, worship, and service.
Never forget that in the little stories that we just heard from Luke, the bread, the fish, and the egg that Jesus likened to the Father’s gifts were never for the person who was asked, they were always for someone else. So, when it comes to ministry and mission, to the call to service that is, it seems, built into the DNA of this place—when it comes to the business of going forward and reaching out—and to the things necessary for that to happen—trust in who Jesus is, and in what Jesus has to say: "Ask and it will be given you; search and will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks, receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
Once more, thank you from the depths of my heart; it has been a joy and a privilege—I will miss you all deeply, and may God bless you always.
The Lessons for today: Genesis 18.20-33; Psalm 138; Colossians 2.6-15; Luke 11.1-13
A list of Sunday Scripture readings, with links to the Biblical Text:
A Lectionary Guide to the Sunday Lesson
Fr. Jim Liggett
P.O. Box 2949; Big Spring, TX 79721
(432) 267-8201 (phone)
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This page last updated on July 29, 2007