Jesus Gives Us Rest | A Sermon on Matthew 11:28-30

Introduction Well, we finally have all our stuff moved down to Jackson. Now the fun begins - unpacking.

All this moving got me thinking about the burdens we carry in life.  We all have stuff to carry.  Even people in Jesus’ day had stuff to carry.  Jesus knew it and invited them to make sure they were carrying the right stuff.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens” (v. 28)
Everyone is carrying something.  Some burdens are self-imposed (expectations, guilt, control, pride). Some burdens are imposed on us by the world (work, grief, injustice, trauma, pressure). Some burdens are spiritual (sin, shame, fear, striving to prove ourselves). All these burdens weigh us down and wear us down.  They make us weary.

We decided to downsize our home when we moved, because we're now empty nesters. No need for as much space as we had when we were parents with three young kids. So we got rid of a lot of stuff before we moved. But not enough. We still have too much for our smaller home. So we'll be giving more away--donating, selling, or throwing away.

In life, you can’t carry everything; it’s too much.  Before we become Christian, we carry all the things the world tells us to carry. And then, when we decide to follow Jesus, if we try to carry all our former stuff and all our Christian stuff too, it's just too much. What are you going to set aside so you can follow Christ?

Jesus comes to us and says: “If you’re weary from carrying heavy burdens, come to me!” He doesn’t want to add guilt to your already heavy load.  He doesn’t scold us by chiding, “Try harder!  Put your back into it!  You’re doing it wrong!” He just says:  “Come to me.”  And He says:

“Take My yoke upon you” (v. 29)
A yoke is a farming implement used to attach a heavy load for oxen, mules, or horses to pull. Jesus uses the image to indicate the work he has for us to do.

I don’t want you to miss this:  Jesus isn’t offering a burden free life.  He says, “Take My yoke upon you.”  So there’s still something to carry. Following Jesus still involves responsibility.  There is still obedience.  There is still work, sacrifice, and faithfulness.  But Christ’s yoke is something different we carry.

Christ’s yoke is:

• Shared - We don’t carry it alone.  We work with other Christians. (Oxen work in teams,)

• Guided - Oxen don’t decide where they go, they are guided by a plowman.

• Purposeful - So much of life seems to have no meaning.  If you ask someone, "Why are you doing that?" Can they give you an answer? Unfortunately, the answer is often simple "It's what everyone else is doing" or "I guess it's just what everyone says you're supposed to do."

Most importantly—carrying Christ’s yoke assumes a relationship with the Master. Jesus doesn’t hand us a yoke and walk away.  He says:  “I am gentle and humble in heart.” He doesn’t drive us harshly.  He doesn’t shame us when we stumble. He doesn’t discard us when we’re tired or used up. Christ cares about His people and He proved how much by dying for us on the cross. We are more than cattle to Jesus.  He gave His life for us! We are His friends. We are His brothers and sisters.

“Learn from Me” — Training to Bear the Yoke
Jesus says:  “Learn from Me.”  Oxen have to be trained to bear a load properly.  They’re living creatures with a mind of their own, but they’re not smart enough to see the bigger picture of the work being done.

The farmer is the one who sees a field and thinks, "This would be a great place to grow some wheat. It needs to be plowed up, fertilized, planted with a certain variety of wheat, and irrigated. He knows all the steps it will take to make the field fruitful. Nut the oxen don't know. They need a farmer (or a plowman) to lead them.

Jesus’ invitation implies we don’t know how to carry life rightly either.  It's true. We make a mess of things. And so we have to learn. And Jesus wants to teach us.

Learning takes time.  Just because you say yes to Jesus today, doesn’t mean you’ll be fully trained tomorrow.  Following Jesus is a process, not a switch that gets flipped.

In Jesus’ day, a young ox was often yoked with a seasoned one.  The young ox learned how to pull by
listening to the master’s voice and following the example of the more experienced ox. If the ox resisted the master’s voice, it led to a lot of wasted energy (and possibly getting someone hurt!).  If it pulled its own way, it led to exhaustion, frustration, and futility. But once trained, the work flowed smoothly, the load felt lighter, and the relationship brought order and peace.

We are not called to carry life alone—we are called to stay close to Christ and learn His pace, follow His direction, and go His way.

“My yoke is easy… My burden is light” (v. 30)
One thing you need to know about my family.  We love animals.  We have lots of pets--2 dogs 4 cats, and 3 chickens!

If you have pets you love, you probably know every detail about them. I know that Roy Bob is so fat his back is flat like an aircraft carrier! I know he loves 2 things most in life (in this order): He loves to eat and he loves to be the center of yoru attention and affection. I know his ears are soft and silky, but Winston's are wiry and scruffy. I know Winston will bark at any sight or sound he thinks he sees (even if nothing is there). But I also know he will run and hide if any real danger might be near because he's a total coward! Do you know your pets like me?

A good farmer in Jesus' day knew his oxen well.  They knew every curve of their neck, their temperament, what spooked them, and what motivated them. They often had yokes handcrafted to fit specific animals to ensure proper fit, prevent chafing & injury.  

And a good farmer cared about his animals and Jesus cares about us and His yoke fits perfectly because He knows everything about us. The Gospel of John says Jesus was there in the beginning when the world was created. Jeremiah said He formed us in our mother's womb. He designed our very DNA and knows what’s best for us--even better than we know for ourselves.

And Jesus designed a yoke specifically to fit you. It is well-tailored and fits so naturally sometimes you forget it’s there. And His yoke gives you meaning and purpose. Serving becomes a pleasure, not a chore. He empowers you to bear much fruit instead of burning out in a wasted life. Somehow, mysteriously, work starts to feel like rest.

When I was growing up, I’ve always had a technically minded, engineering-type brain. I like systems, how things work, how pieces fit together. So when I started thinking about my future, I thought, This makes sense. Engineering meant good pay, job security, and maybe even living in one place my whole life.

So I went to school and earned a degree in textile engineering, and I got a job at 1888 Mills in Griffin. I enjoyed the work. It fit the way my mind works.

But at the end of the day, something was still missing. I realized this wasn’t my purpose. Somewhere along the way, God made it clear that while I had an engineer’s mind, He had given me a shepherd’s heart—a desire to serve Him, lead His people, and build His Church.

It was as if the Lord said, This is how I designed you. Do this instead.

So I made the change. Not because I’m perfect or especially gifted, but because when you step into what God created you to do, something just fits. There’s meaning there.

And even on hard days—even when ministry is difficult—I can honestly say this: I’m glad I’m doing what God made me to do.

The world’s burdens don’t fit.  They rub us raw.  They wear us down.  And once we’re used up, Satan simply discards us and looks for another person to consume. The Enemy doesn’t care about you and a world led by Satan doesn’t care about you either.

The Choice Before Us
Jesus invites us to trust Him enough to trade our broken yoke for His perfect one. The rest Jesus offers is not an escape—it’s learning to live life the way it was meant to be lived.

As we close, I’d like to invite you to take a minute to reflect as I ask you a few questions:

• What burdens are you carrying that Jesus never asked you to carry?

• Where are you resisting His teaching?

• Are you walking close enough to Jesus to hear His voice?

And lastly, I'd like to invite you to follow Jesus. It's Jesus' invitation really. He says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Let's Start with Weaknesses | A Sermon on 2 Corinthians 11:30 & 12:6-9

Introduction I’ve been praying quite a bit about what to say today. This is my first sermon with you, and it’s a chance to introduce myself a little—who I am, how I think, what matters to me. But above all, as in every sermon I preach, my deepest desire is to share God’s Word and draw people closer to Him. That’s always first. Still, as I open God’s Word with you, I hope you also come away knowing me a little better.

As I prayed about where to begin, I sensed the Lord bringing to mind something the Apostle Paul once wrote to the church in Corinth. The Corinthians were a troubled church. They struggled with unity, with pride, with spiritual immaturity, and Paul wrote to them more than once to help straighten things out. And they didn’t always appreciate what he said. And when some wanted to ditch Paul in favor of other more agreeable leaders, they compared Paul to those other leaders who claimed to be better than Paul.

But instead of defending himself or trying to out-shine the other church leaders, Paul took an entirely different approach. Let’s read what he wrote. 

BTW, I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation today.  It’s what I typically preach because: 1) It’s easy to understand, 2) It’s accurate and reliable, and 3) It’s different from what most of us are used to and that's important. Sometimes, we've heard Bible stories so many times and we're so familiar with them that we don't hear them with fresh ears. Because the NLT sounds different, it encourages to hear familiar stories with fresh ears.

2 Corinthians 11:30
30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

2 Corinthians 12:6-9

6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Boasting in Weakness
The part the Lord wants us to focus on this morning is Paul’s choice to boast about his weaknesses.  Rather than saying the Corinthians should follow his leadership because he was better than his competitors, Paul boasted that he was weak. 

That’s the opposite of human nature, isn’t it–focusing on our weaknesses? When we first meet someone—especially when we want them to like us—we want to put our best foot forward.

We highlight our strengths. We polish our image a little. We might even boast a bit about our accomplishments or drop a few names.  It’s human instinct to lead with the best version of ourselves.

And in Paul’s case, it must have been especially tempting. Some in the Corinthian church were criticizing him. They said other leaders were better, more eloquent, more “spiritual” than Paul. They questioned whether he was worthy of respect. If anyone had a reason to defend himself, to build himself up, it was Paul.

But instead of doing that, Paul does something unexpected. He boasts—not in his strengths, not in his successes, but–in his weakness.

My Weaknesses
What would it look like for us to boast in our weaknesses? What would that look like for a pastor to boast about his weaknesses on his first Sunday with a new congregation?

Well, I have plenty of weaknesses. I'm terrible with names. And that's tough for a pastor learning hundreds of new names in a new congregation. I care about you and I want to know your name. But I will struggle to remember them. It will take a bit of time. But even worse than that, I struggle with the names of people I have known and loved for a long time. Their names will occasionally just slip from my mind--and I mean people I really know well. And usually it happens at the most in opportune time--like when I'm praying for them: "Lord, please watch over... Him... while he has surgery today." (And the "Him" in the story is thinking, "You've known me since high school. You don't even know my name?" That's one of my weaknesses.

And I'm forgetful. I forget things. A lot of things. People will say, “You remember that conversation we had three weeks ago?” And I’ll think, I can’t remember what I had for dinner yesterday.

And it’s not just that I forget — sometimes I misremember, which is actually worse. I’ll be absolutely convinced something happened. I’ll remember vivid details. I’ll think, I know this is true.

This usually happens with my wife, Kelly. I’ll say, “Remember when we went to that town and visited your friend? I remember it clearly — I was wearing these pants, we’d just eaten dinner, and I had steak.” And she’ll say, “No… we didn’t.”

Then she’ll pull out her phone — because phones never forget — and she’ll show me pictures and say, “We were four hours away in a completely different town when you think that happened.”

And I just stand there thinking, How does that happen?  Because in my mind, it’s all so clear.  That’s how forgetful I can be.

I tend to skip things in the worship service. You’d think after doing this for twenty-five years, I’d have it all down by now. But we’ll be moving right along in the worship service, and the children’s moment is coming up… and I’ll skip right over it.  Sometimes I’ll even skip the offering (and some folks out there are thinking, Amen! Skip it!  But the finance chair is thinking, No, no, no — don’t skip the offering!)

It’s not intentional. It just goes right past me. I’m already thinking about what’s next — and suddenly I’ve forgotten what’s right in front of me.

I have trouble focusing on more than one thing at a time. I can focus in on one thing like a laser. I'm great at that. But I'm a terrible multitasker. If two people are talking to me at the same time, I can't hear what either of them are saying. If a TV is on in a room and someone is trying to talk to me, I literally cannot stay focus on what they're saying. It's a weakness of mine.

I'm an introvert. I love having deep, one on one conversations, but I struggle with mingling in large crowds. I'm socially awkward. And some people are great at working the room, but not me. You'll usually find me standing to the side talking to one or two people. And I'm just not good at making my way around the room to get to everybody.

I can be messy. My wife can say amen to that. I can be messy — not because I don’t care, but because I get laser-focused on things, and tidying up doesn’t always make the list.

At my last church, where I served for fifteen years, I just finished packing up my office about a week ago. And I discovered there were things in that office I never even unpacked when I first arrived — fifteen years ago.

I promise I’ll try to do better. But I’m not going to stand here and tell you my office is going to be the neatest one in the building.  

That said, don’t think I’m unorganized — I do have a system. Sometimes my system is: put it on my desk, leave it there until I’m done with it, and then put it away.  And if after six months it’s still on my desk and I’m still not done with it… well, that probably means it doesn’t need to be done at all. So it goes in the trash.  That’s often how my system works.

I make mistakes.  I make lots of typos–especially when texting or writing with my phone. I promise you — I am an intelligent person. I don’t misspell words because I don’t know how to spell them. I misspell them because I start typing, and my brain is already three thoughts ahead of my fingers.

So sometimes you’ll see things on the slides and think, Is that spelled right? I’m looking right now — I think we’re okay today — but every now and then, something slips through.

Emails and letters can be bad enough, but text messages are the worst. My fingers are too big for those tiny buttons on my phone. I’ll type something out, send it, and then look back at it and think, What did I just write? That makes no sense. That’s complete gibberish.

Susan can probably testify to this, because we’ve been texting back and forth quite a bit over the last few months while she’s been serving as the SPRC chair. I’d send her a message trying to say something encouraging — something like, “I’m grateful for you and excited about coming to serve this church” — and then I’d look at what I sent and think, I promise I know how to spell these words.

I make mistakes. Not because I don’t care — but because I’m human and that's one of my weaknesses.

I struggle with visiting. I want you to hear this clearly: I love you. I truly do. I pray for you.  I lose sleep over you.  But the Lord gives each of us different strengths, and I want to be honest with you about mine — and about my weaknesses. Visiting is not my greatest strength. I do it, and when I do, I value that time.  But it hasn’t been my strongest area. 

Going back over the last twenty-five years, I think every church I’ve served would say I ministered to them faithfully — and they might also say, “I wish he’d visited more.”  That’s not something I’m proud of. It’s simply an area where I’m weaker. And I want you to know that upfront — not as an excuse, but as honesty — because God often does His best work right in those places of weakness.

None of these are things I’m proud of—but they are places where I depend on God, and where I depend on others.

But I love Jesus. He is God and He created me.  And he designed me for a loving relationship with Him. And even though I started out my life trying to live to please myself and do what I wanted, not caring what He wanted, Jesus forgave me. And I am ever grateful for His mercy. And I love Him. And I know I’m a citizen of His Kingdom and He’s my King!

And I want to invite as many people to follow Jesus as I can. We're designed for a relationship with Him. We need Him just as much as we need air to breath and water to drink. It's part of our DNA.

God Works Through Weakness
And somehow, God works through me–not because I’m great or talented or more spiritual than anyone else.  God works through my weakness when I am faithful.  It brings Him glory.

God worked through weak and unexpected people throughout the Bible. Jacob was the second born twin-son. The blessing is supposed to pass to the firstborn son. But God gave Jacob the Abrahamic blessing not Esau.

Moses was “slow of speech”, but God delivered the Israelites from slavery through him.

Ruth was a foreigner and a widow, but became the great-grandmother of Israel’s greatest king.

David was just a forgotten shepherd. When the prophet Samuel came to Jesse's house and said he wanted to look at all his sons and choose the next king of Israel, Jesse didn't invite David to the feast. He left him in the field with the sheep. But after looking at all the other sons, Samuel said, "None of these are the one. Don't you have any more sons?" And Jesse said something like "Well, there's David, but he'll never amount to anything so we left in the field with the sheep." And Samuel said, "Bring him here! We won't start eating until he arrives!" And then he anointed David as the greatest king Israel ever had.

And David's great, great, great... Granddaughter was Mary. She was too young, too poor, and lived in an unknown, backwater town. People said, "Nothing good ever comes out of Nazareth." But God thought differntly. He sent the angel Gabriel who said, "May, the Lord has found favor with you and you will bear His son and He will be the Savior of the world..."

God is always working through the weak, the unexpected, the overlooked, and the forgotten. He doesn’t choose the strong, because they might boast they did it on their own. God chooses the weak and He gets all the glory, because people can clearly see the only way they succeed is through the power of God.

And that’s what I want as I start with you.  I want God to get all the glory.

What Does This Mean For You?
So what does this mean for us—for the people of Stark Methodist Church? It means we don’t have to pretend here.  We don’t have to impress God. We don't have to pretend with each other. We don’t have to hide our struggles.  We don’t have to polish ourselves up before we come to Christ. The same grace that met Paul in his weakness meets us in ours.

Some of you may feel strong today.  Some of you came in feeling tired, worn out, or run down. Some of you came in feeling ashamed, broken, overlooked, or forgotten. The good news is this: God does His best work right there.

Paul didn’t hide his weakness — he offered it to God. And I wonder what might happen if we did the same.

What is your “thorn”?  What is the place where you feel insufficient, frustrated, or tired?
And what about this church?  What are this church’s greatest weaknesses?

Instead of asking God to wait until we’re stronger, what if we asked Him to work right there–in our weakness?  Because God says, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

So I want you to hold your weakness in your heart as we prepare to come to the Lord’s Table.  We don’t come because we are worthy.  We come because He is gracious.
This table is not for the strong—it is for the needy.  Not for the perfect—but for the forgiven.
When we receive Holy Communion, we are reminded that Christ gave Himself fully—even in suffering—so that our weakness would never be the end of the story.

Holy Communion

The Journey of Faith (My Last Sermon at Pleasant Grove Methodist Church)

Introduction
Do you remember the first sermon I preached here at Pleasant Grove?  Probably not.  That’s OK.  You probably won’t remember this last sermon either. 

But I do hope you will remember me.  I know I will always remember and thank God for you.  You have been a blessing to me and my family.  Most important of all, I want you to remember how good, how faithful, how wonderful is God.

I have preached over 700 times since I came to PG 15 years ago.  But this last sermon I only get to preach once.  So, I have prayed a long time about what I should say.  And through prayer, God told me this last sermon doesn’t need to:  summarize my ministry, justify why I am leaving, or secure my legacy.  Instead, I simply want to:  be a witness to God’s faithfulness, trust God with what I cannot carry forward, and release you.

Hebrews 11:8-16
⁸ It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. ⁹ And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. ¹⁰ Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

¹¹ It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed^[a] that God would keep his promise. ¹² And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

¹³ All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. ¹⁴ Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. ¹⁵ If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. ¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Abraham & Sarah
Abraham trusted God enough to leave his homeland and go to a “Promised Land”.  Abraham didn’t even know where he was going, but trusted God to show him how to get there. 

Obviously, I feel a kinship to Abraham.  I spent my childhood moving from town to town.  Then I became a pastor who moves from church to church ever so many years at the Lord's direction.  So, I I can relate to Abraham in the sense of literally following the Lord by leaving a place you love to go where the Lord is sending you.

Sarah also had great faith.  She left her hometown too, going with Abraham.  I am so thankful for my wife, Kelly.  She lived in the same home for her entire childhood.  Then she married me and has been moving every since, because the Lord has moved me and she has been so faithful to go with me everywhere I've gone.  And that takes a lot of faith and dedication.

Sarah also trusted God to give her a son, even though she was old and barren.  And He did.  Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac; and through him came countless descendants.  Sarah and Abraham had many biological descendants: the 12 tribes of Israel.  

But their descendants also included are many non-biological descendants.  Anyone who chose to follow the God of Abraham became a one of Abraham’s children.  In John 8, Jesus explained being a descendant of Abraham is not about bloodline;  it’s about faithfulness.

Hebrews 13a
Hebrews 11:13a says:  “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.”

These people who trusted God with everything died without receiving what God promised.  Yet they still believed.

Now think about that.  That takes some deep faith.  Can you trust God even if you die before receiving and answer to your prayers?  True Christian teaching holds that we are saved by God’s grace when we have faith.  God promises that all who repent of their sin and trust in the atonement on the cross shall be forgiven their sins and welcomed into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.  Do you believe God’s promise to you through Jesus Christ?

God Has Been Faithful to Us
God has been faithful to me. 15 years ago, I was sitting in a hunting blind in the woods on a spring day, hunting turkey in Forsyth, GA.  My District Superintendent called.  That’s the only reason I answered the phone while hunting!  He said, "I know you've enjoyed serving your church in Smarr for 5 years, but it's time to move.  The Bishop plans to appoint you to Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Dalton."  

I didn't know much about Dalton, except the made a lot of carpet.  And it was on the complete opposite side of the North Georgia Conference.  But I promised to go where they sent me.  So, we packed up everything and moved to Dalton.

For 15 years, God’s been faithful to me as I’ve shepherded this flock. He has taken care of my family.  My children each knew your love in ways that shaped them for the rest of their lives.  Kelly and I have been shaped by you too.  I've learned so much , grown as a pastor and a Christian from having been with you.  Thank you for loving me and my family.  And thank you for growing in Christ along with me.

God has used me to bless many here in Whitfield County—not because of my talent or anything good in me.  God has blessed you through me simply because I said yes.  If anything good has come from my ministry here, it is because of God’s goodness and blessing.  Any mistakes or harm that's been done is on me.

Trusting God Means Letting Go
Trusting God means letting go.  You may have your own ideas about how things should go. But you can’t be a control freak about your life and put your trust in God.  It requires letting go.  You may not understand His ways, but you trust His way is always best. 

It’s hard for me to let go when it comes to you.  I love you.  

For 15 years, I’ve focused so much of my heart on you.  And I have a shepherd’s heart.  I always want to protect you.  I always want to lead you in the right direction.  But now God has called me to go shepherd another flock. And I trust God above all else.  And that means I have to let go.  I have to entrust you to another shepherd God will send.

So I will not cling to you.  I will not try to meddle in your affairs after I leave.  I will not compete or hinder your next pastor in any way.  Because I trust God is sending you just the right shepherd He has chosen to lead you as God wants you to be lead.  So, I will be very careful not to do anything that interferes with you accepting and following the new shepherd God brings to lead you.

I’ve spent the last few months preparing to depart.  I’ve tried to get things ready.  I’ve turned over duties to different leaders I trust so Pleasant Grove can continue to serve God.

I’ve helped setup a transition team to lead you until God sends a new pastor here.  Amy Harris, David Crawford, Sherry Dickson, and Kelsey Ikerd have agreed to take turns preaching on Sunday mornings.  They already have the next 8 weeks scheduled.

Rev. Don Dexheimer—a retired Methodist minister—will cover pastoral needs that require an ordained minister (holy communion, baptisms, funerals, etc.).  He will also facilitate Wednesday night discussions (resumes Jan 14^th).

Sherry Dickson will teach Thursday morning Bible study (resumes on Jan. 15^th).

And I have never tried to micromanage you because I know God has given each one of you a special gift to help uplift this congregation and carry out the mission to make disciples of Christ.  So, I trust God will help each one of you to step up and support this church in your own way.

I can’t tie up every loose end.  But I’ve done what I can.  Now I want to bless you and commend you to God.  I trust Him to take care of you, just as I trust Him to take care of me and Kelly and our family.

Home is Not A Place on Earth
One of the main ideas in Hebrews 11 that really resonates with me and is so important for us is:
Home is not a place on earth. 

Hebrews 11:14-16a says Abraham’s descendants were, “…looking forward to a country they can call their own. ¹⁵ If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. ¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland.”

Whether you've around a lot or lived in the same home your whole life, I want to leave you with this important truth from Scripture.  Our true Home is yet to come.  God has promised eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven for all who trust Christ as their Lord and Savior.  And that will be our true Home, our Promised Land.

I hope I will see you again in this life.  But even if I don't, I hope we will be together for eternity in our Heavenly Home.  We will gather around the throne of God.  And we will never have to leave each other again, because we will live together with God and each other in perfect harmony.  And there will be no more sickness or sorrow or suffering or death.

Closing Ceremony 
As I close today, I want to have a special ceremony to symbolically release and bless each other as I pass the light of Christ on to you to carry it forward.

I would like to invite some members of the transition team up to the altar.
[David Crawford, Amy Harris, Kelsey Ikerd, Don Dexheimer, and Sherry Dickson]

Pastor:  “The light that has guided us does not belong to any one pastor or season. It is the light of Christ.”

[Light transition team's candles from the Christ candle]

Pastor:  “This light is now carried not by one voice, but by many.  And it belongs not only to those who preach, but to all who serve.”

Pastor Asks the Transition Team:  “Will you serve faithfully in this season, listening for God’s voice and caring for this congregation with humility and courage?”

Transition Team Representatives:  “With God’s help, we will.”

Pastor Asks the Congregation:  “Will you continue in the worship and mission of this church, trusting God to lead you into what comes next?”

Congregation:  “With God’s help, we will.”

Pastor Asks All:  “Will you pray for one another, speak the truth in love, and remain open to the work of the Holy Spirit?”

All:  “With God’s help, we will.”