Today is a special day in the life of our congregation. We are fortunate to have several retired ministers among us and two of them have reached the milestone of having achieved over sixty years of ordained ministry. Rev Jack Goodluck and Rev Trevor Oates have served God and God’s church faithfully and this is something we will honour in our service today. Ministers make a series of promises towards the church and the congregations they serve, and it is a heavy obligation. It is therefore a remarkable example of faithfulness and service that they have carried out these promises for so long. Their service and faithfulness mirror the themes of promises and faithfulness we are looking at today.
The lectionary readings this week look at some of the promises made by God. In Biblical terms these are called “covenants”. They are not like contracts where two parties come together with equal bargaining power to reach an agreement. In the covenant, it is only one side, God, that has all the power, and it is God who takes the initiative and agrees to a course of action. In the covenant we are looking at today, one side, humanity, does not even need to do anything. God promises to love us regardless of how we behave towards God. That’s not to say God will allow any conduct to be acceptable, but it does mean God’s love for us remains constant throughout our life. Throughout history we can read the promises God has made towards us and see that God has been faithful to them all. This shows us we can put our faith in God who will fulfil what God promises.
While many of us will never reach the milestone that Jack and Trevor have reached ourselves, that does not mean we cannot learn something from their example. A core promise of God is to be with us and to never leave us. What if part of that promise is realised through the faithful ministry of all of God’s people? In the Uniting Church we believe that everyone has been graced with some gifts. We also believe that the purpose in having these gifts is so that you can use them to serve God and God’s people. As God has promised to be present to us always, when we act as Jesus acted, for that person, we are effectively being the presence of Jesus in their life for them. When we feed someone, when we welcome someone, when we care for someone, we are not only showing them God’s love, but we are also being God’s presence to them. Just as Rev Trevor and Rev Jack are proof of God’s promise never to leave the church without leadership, those who make up the congregation can also be proof of God’s promise to be a loving and caring presence forever in the world.