We Have Good News ….and we Have Good News!!!! -Pat and Steven House - Pentecost 20 - year B - Oct. 18, 2009

Numbers 13:1 to 14:9

Steven read “non-bold typeface” and Pat read “bold” typeface

“We have good news, and we have bad news” came the report from those who had been sent to spy out the Promised Land.  The good news is that the land which God had promised to us looks like good land.  In fact, it is a land “flowing with milk and honey.”  And having said this, the spies hoisted up for all to see the giant cluster of grapes which they had carried back from the promised land of Canaan as proof of its abundance.  Canaan looks like a magnificent place to live.  This is the good news.

But the bad news is that someone else is already living there.  Someone else is already feasting off the fat of the land.  And to make matters worse, the spies reported that the inhabitants are people of great stature, they are giants, they are stronger than we, and their cities are fortified.  The situation appears hopeless.  Say the spies, “We seemed ourselves as grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”  This is the bad news.

It seems to Pat and me that anyone who decides to travel through life with God as their guide will find themselves in situations where there is good news and there is bad news.  It was true for the Israelites.  The good news is that God had promised to lead them into a good and fruitful land.  God had promised to be with them always and to bless their generations.  The bad news is that the Israelites had much work to do in order to claim the Promised Land.  It would not come easy for the Israelites.  Not unlike us, they had to confront giants, real and imagined, in order to experience the fullness of God’s promises.

There is Good News and there is Bad News.  As for Israel, so for Church of the Holy Comforter. As for the first disciples, so for us, disciples in Burlington on this Sunday morning in 2009.  

The good news is that Holy Comforter has a renewed vision in this constantly-changing world.  The good news is that the desire to share the good news of the gospel is alive and well in the church.  We have heard God’s promises and in faith we have followed. 

The good news is that God’s mission for us is huge, deep and wide, broad and high.  We can barely imagine the scope of it.  And that is why we must proudly proclaim the Holy Comforter Church vision: “We, the people of Holy Comforter, though very diverse politically and socially, care for each other and care deeply for how our faith is manifested in the community.  We believe all people are equal in God’s hand. Our nurturing congregation has an appreciation for diverse perspectives and opinions. We grow through a continually evolving and questioning discussion regarding our faith, God, and society. We welcome all, without reservation, into our Christian body to be part of a loving and sharing family.” 

The bad news is: putting our vision and God’s mission into practice requires harder work than we might choose to endure. It requires everyone in the congregation, young and old, to accept the challenge.  And the bad news is there will always appear a host of giants, real and imagined, whose presence will tempt us to turn away from living the vision that God has for Holy Comforter.

And yet - The good news is that our Holy Comforter ministry fearlessly reaches outside the parish to minister to a world in need of Christ's love.  We support numerous ministries with time, money and use of our buildings: the student ministry at Elon, the Millennium Development Goals, the Episcopal Relief and Development, Courage to Change, the Family Abuse Services of Alamance County, CrossRoads,  Hispanic Ministry – and that’s not all of them.  We can take pride in the impact that Holy Comforter has in the community. The bad news? There is much more that needs to be, and can be, done in our community. And yes, that costs resources – of time and money.  

The good news is we are a loving and caring community.  We also feel intense sadness when we hear the bad news, as we did so often this year, that Holy Comforter lost several of its beloved and committed family members to illness and death.  And countless others who sit near us each Sunday have suffered because of the economic crisis.  The good news is that in times of deepest grief and despair, we have the entire church to support us, comfort us, hold us up and give us strength.  Just as the stained glass window in the back of church portrays the loving embrace of Jesus around Emily Holt, what a comfort to know that Holy Comforter embodies the loving arms of Christ around each of us.

The good news is we have a magnificent church facility which is drawing more and more worshipers.   The good news is that our sanctuary with its Gothic architecture and tower has been a comfort to many generations and provides an extraordinary worship service experience.  Our church buildings are a treasure and home to God in this community. These buildings have been a place for praise and worship, for arts and celebrations, for weddings and funerals, a place for prayers, and prayers, and more prayers. The bad news is that our church facilities are old and our sanctuary is almost 100 years old.  The bad news is that buildings always cost money; even after construction, there is maintenance and renovation, often unplanned and needed at inconvenient times. And yet the physical plant of Holy Comforter is vital to our mission and is worthy of every dollar offered in sacrifice for its continued living history.

One hundred twenty-nine years ago, a group decided that this city needed a Church of the Holy Comforter. The good news is that Holy Comforter is in a central neighborhood that offers great potential.  The bad news is that the church is located in the heart of a city that is currently struggling.  Many businesses have closed.  But the good news is that a new coop is planned to open next to the church. The good news is that Lab Corp and other businesses continue to support the city of Burlington and there are many people committed to making Burlington a better place to work and live.  The good news is that Burlington needs the vision and work of our church today as much as it did more than 100 years ago.

The good news is that Holy Comforter has been blessed with a caring and loving rector.  David Williams has served as worship leader, administrator, teacher and friend to countless people.  He has shared in our experiences and stories, in our own good news and bad news. David has challenged each of us to be aware of God’s call to be compassionate stewards of the faith. His shepherding has been instrumental in the lives of many and in the successful ministry of our church. The bad news is that our shepherd will retire on February 1, the anniversary of 25 years of extraordinary service as a servant-leader. The bad news is there will be uncertainty that comes with losing our shepherd. The good news is we are God’s people and God will provide.  The good news is that we have a wise vestry and there is a well-defined and supportive rector search process.  We also have a wonderful and gifted staff to continue the important work of Holy Comforter.  Although there will be tears of sadness, there will also be tears of joy.   

The good news is that when we give our money to Holy Comforter and to its mission, our gifts support the teaching, preaching and pastoral ministry of this church.  Our gifts support the legitimate and important expenses incurred in service to God’s mission.  But God’s mission is so much bigger than this church and it often demands more from us than we’re prepared to give.  Jesus challenged the disciples to count the cost before joining God’s cause.  Once you have set your hand to the plough, Jesus said with urgency, you cannot turn back.  Because the good news is that God’s harvest is ripe.  The good news is, that God is in need of laborers who have joined the cause and who will not stop to count what it will cost them to continue.

It may be difficult to see the good news with the presence of bad news all around us.  But there is good news to celebrate.   For while we may experience life’s stress, pain and even despair, God and Holy Comforter will not abandon us during these difficult times.  Although it may be easier to push aside yet another call for financial support, God reminds us that our church is the one place to which we can always turn. Indeed, when we give to Holy Comforter, we are giving to ourselves. 

When we give to Holy Comforter, we renew our strength to SOAR.  When we give to Holy Comforter we demonstrate our hope in the Lord who will renew our strength so that we will soar on wings like eagles. When all is said and done, the one thing that we can never ever forget is that in God’s kingdom, the good news is always the last word.  God promised Israel a beautiful land flowing with milk and honey.  And the good news is that God kept that promise.  Israel did inhabit the land, in spite of the giants who first frightened them. And so the bad news has become the good news.  God calls you, and you and you, and me.  God calls all of us to face the giants, to take a risk, to take a step forward in faith, to make a sacrifice, to trust in the promises which God has placed before us.

Next week, the Pledge Review offering cards will be distributed in church, and you will be asked to prayerfully and joyfully make your commitment to God’s work in this church, and to one another. By offering your financial stewardship to Holy Comforter, you are offering resources to ensure that our Church is present in our lives and in our community.  For what would we ever do without the good news that God and Holy Comforter are there for us.  Come SOAR with us on the wings of hope!

By the grace of God we can say that we have seen the Promised Land and we have returned with good news and good news. 

AMEN! and AMEN!