it’s hard to say good bye
Here is the sermon I shared at the decommissioning service for Wilson United Church in Florence, NS last night (June 21, 2015).
Wilson Decommissioning Service
Rev. Nick Phillips, June 21, 2015
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-18
Thank you.
Thank you Wilson United Church.
Thank you to everyone who was here each and every Sunday. Thank you to those who sang in the choir. Thank you to those who greeted people at the door. Thank you to those who took up the offering. Thank you to those who read scripture and minute for mission.
Thank you to those who sat on committees. Thank you to those who raised funds to keep the church going. Thank you to all of you; Those here now, and those who have called this church home for the last 108 years.
This church has been the source of wonderful memories for many, many people. Baptisms. Funerals. Weddings. Confirmation. Dinners. Celebrations. Laughter. Tears. And everything else.
Thank you. read more…
chosen
Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1-11
A young man from good home. His father is a teacher. His mother is a nurse. They are a musical family, and a church-going family. The young man is a good hockey player and plays on some top local teams. He takes his first drink at the age of 14. And from there his life takes a tumble. He disappears from family events… where is he tonight? Eventually he hits rock bottom…
What would you expect from such a young man? Where is his life leading him? Drugs? Dealing? Stealing? Jail?
Another young man. Again, he lives in a good home with hard working parents who provide for and support him in his dreams. But it’s not a church-going family. In fact, he gives the Christian clubs at university a rough time (all in good fun he thinks). He’s got no interest in church or God. His life is pretty good, if he must say so himself. He’s got a good girlfriend. He’s a good athlete. He’s a good student. He sees a bright career laying out before him, and there’s not a lot that’s going to take that away from him. What does life have in store for this young man? A big house? Fancy cars? A nice corner office? read more…
God’s not done…
Below is the sermon I shared at Wilson United Church, Florence, NS on June 7, 2015 on the occasion of their final Sunday morning service as a congregation.
God’s Not Done
Scripture Reading: Job 42
Did you know that on Wednesday the United Church is celebrating it’s 90th anniversary?
Across the country churches are being asked to celebrate and ring their bells proudly in the morning, 90 times. Some churches are having parties, others are hosting dinners, still others are celebrating in other ways to mark the date.
In other places people are taking a quieter approach to the celebration, if at all. And I understand why. The future of the United Church of Canada is very much in question right now. read more…
the praying continues
My friends and I at Cruxifusion continue to pray for the United Church of Canada as it prepares for General Council 42 in Newfoundland and Labrador this August.
Holy Lord,
We are in the midst of meetings. Meetings to prepare for meetings. Meetings of conference. Meetings preparing for General Council.
We meet to make plans.
We meet to see friends.
We meet to make decisions.
Sometimes we meet just to meet.
Be among our meetings, Lord.
Be among our plans, our friends, our decisions.
May your Spirit be upon those who have and are being elected to represent us in what we see is a critical hour. Although in your eyes I’m sure it really isn’t. In your eyes it’s likely just an opportunity to show your faithfulness.
Help us to be faithful to you.
Help us to see your love, your beauty, your vision for this world.
As you walk with us, may we feel your presence. Nudging us. Prodding us. Pushing us. Leading us where you are going.
Be with us all. Be with those in our church, and with those outside it.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all the glory is your’s. Now and forever.
Amen.
another maritime conference and youth forum
This past weekend I was in Sackville, NB for Maritime Conference, more specifically, I was there for Youth Forum.
This was my 5th Youth Forum over the last 8 years, and I love working with the youth.
But this year was different.
This year I was feeling very down about going to Maritime Conference, in fact I was feeling dread. I arrived on Wednesday afternoon to set up for the kids coming, and to be perfectly honest, if I could have gone home I would have. Such was my mindset going in.
I spent significant time in prayer asking God to show me how I fit into this weekend. I asked him to show me why I was even there. I prayed for guidance and vision pouring out my heart.
This year a particularly difficult issue was coming to the floor of conference, one I was in opposition to, and one I knew would exclude me from feeling like I could fully participate in the future of the United Church of Canada in this place. In fact, I attempted to amend the motion so that it would include me and my like-minded friends, but the amendment was ruled out of order. This was the first morning of conference.
This is also when God began to show me why I was there. read more…