September 30, 2007; The 18th Sunday after Pentecost-The 40th Anniversary of St. Paul's on-the-Hill Readings Amos 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-19; Luke 16:19-31; Psalm 146:4-9.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Forty Years of Ministry: Bridging the Chasm The gospel reading speaks to an essential matter: how are people to find their way to God? You can hear the rich man's anxious plea; once he realized that there was no hope for him, he begs Abraham to reach out to his brothers and warn them to think beyond their immediate circumstances. The great chasm, which separates those who know God and those who do not, is bridged by our faith-we have received the grace of knowing God through Jesus Christ and we have been called to share that knowledge. As the gospel reading indicates, there are those who are set on living lives that do not take into account what they know about God: people such as the rich man and his brothers who knew the right thing to do for the poor but choose not to respond in faith. Most people, however, are responsive to the love of God. Many still need to hear about God and learn about the Christian faith. They may know about Christianity but a version of faith that is judging and fear based-we would not recognize it as the faith we experience through our community. We are here to share God's love with all so that a response can be given. We share the love of God by welcoming all to be a part of Christian community. There are great chasms in our world that cause spiritual loneliness, confusion and despair. There are great chasms in people's lives. Every person is made in the image of God and, therefore, whether aware of it or not, every person longs to be in right relationship to God. We have been called to affirm that deep longing for relationship with God and, with God's help, to provide what a church can provide, access to grace. Back in the 1960s, there were people who knew about the grace given through church involvement, and the resulting active life of faith, and they saw the need for an Episcopal church in Frederick County; they worked to make that vision a reality. For forty years, the members of St. Paul's on-the-Hill have sought to bridge the chasm by following Christ and inviting others to join in this great adventure of faith. A church is not a building. A church is not a club. A church is not a social or political organization. While a church can be social, while church members can love their building-so can other groups. The church is something different. A church, this church, is the body of Christ visible in the world. A church is a group of people who are engaged in ministry. We come together at least once a week to worship God, to be with Jesus in this special way, and to be strengthened by the Spirit so that when we leave this place we show forth by our words and deeds the peace and love of God to all. Today we celebrate all of the blessings that God has given us through this ministry. We give thanks for the lives shaped by the sacraments and the fellowship; we give thanks for the pastoral care offered; we give thanks for the outreach to hungry and those in need that feeds us as well; we give thanks for the children and the youth who learn lessons of faith and life lessons here; we give thanks for lives shared and relationships built over 40 years-and so much more. At the time of its founding, St. Paul's on-the-Hill was created to be a mission church in the full theological sense of that word. From the start we were on a mission to bring the good news and to be the good news for our neighbors. We are still on that mission. Over the years many people have been apart of this church. We are blessed to have some of you visiting today. Every person who has called this church home, for however long, contributed to the mission and they contributed to God's vision for this community. As wonderful as even a short time of doing ministry here can be, nothing can compare to those who made a commitment 40 years ago, 30 years ago, 25 years ago and stayed faithful through all of the years-through the best years and through the most challenging. Churches do well when we are focused on the big picture-focused on God and the mission God has called us to do. Faithfulness to the mission makes all the difference. There are many newer members here today; you are already an important part of our story; your contributions and your presence here shape the life of this church. When you see the DVD of the pictures from the last forty years, I wonder if you will have the sense of our history that I had. The details change, the emphasis of the mission may change, the people change-but God's call to be the CHURCH does not change. God's faithfulness to us over the last forty years is evident. You will see the grace given in the eyes of those who have had the chasm bridged. Looking back helps us to have a sense of God's on-going mission for us. In the years to come, we will continue to bridge the chasm by helping people to grow in their relationship with God and each other so that we can serve the world in Christ's name. Amen.