Bible Text: John 15:1-8 | Preacher: Pastor Dorry Newcomer | Series: The Apostles’ Creed | Anybody here like to play pool?  I was never very good at it.  When Phil and I bought our house in the Poconos, it came with a pool table.  We’ve had the house for four years now, and I haven’t gotten any better.  I’m just not coordinated and/or patient enough!  But I do love how the game of pool starts.  They call it a “break”.  You place all 15 colored balls into a triangle rack, take the rack out of the way, and then shoot the cue ball into the pack.  You just never know where all those balls are going to go!

To me that’s the most exciting part of a game of pool.  But I’ve had some life experiences where I felt like I was one of the balls in the triangle pack.  I got hit with something that sent me every which way!  I wouldn’t call those experiences exciting.  More like jarring, disruptive, and scary!

Our scripture lesson today is part of a long discourse in John, a compilation of things Jesus said to his disciples to prepare them for his death.  Despite all those instructions and words of comfort, think how it must have felt for them when they Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death.  They had been living together, working together—they were tight!  But Jesus’ arrest, that was such traumatic news, it was like the start of a game of pool.  The cue ball hit, and the disciples went all over the place.  Instead of sticking together, they scattered.  Of course, Jesus predicted as much.  He knew that fear does that to us.  We freeze, we run away, we hide, and on occasion we fight back.  The news of Jesus being arrested was so frightening, frantic energy sent the disciples every which way.

But by Easter Sunday, most of the disciples were back together again.  They were still scared.  And confused.  I am sure Jesus’ words about remaining in him were on their minds.  How were they supposed to “remain in” or “abide in” Jesus when Jesus was no longer with them?  No branch can bear fruit by itself.  They needed each other, that much they knew.  But how were they to stay connected to Christ?

Our scripture lesson today never mentions the Holy Spirit, but we know that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can abide in Christ.  Just a few verses before in John chapter 14, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples.  “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  The Holy Spirit is our teacher, the one who helps us apply Jesus’ words from 2,000 years ago to our lives today.  The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, the one who knows our needs and advocates for us.  The Holy Spirit is our Rememberer—the one who not only reminds us of everything Jesus taught us, but helps us to re-member, to be the hands and feet and voices that embody Jesus today.  It is the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised who helps us remain in Christ and bear fruit.

Growing up, did you learn that song, “Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, his banner over me is love?”  I always liked that verse especially.  It helped me visualize staying CONNECTED to Christ, even while my life branched out in its own unique direction.  What a great way to visualize the Church—all of us unique people, branching out into different lines of work, different neighborhoods, different arenas of service.  Yet all of us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, connected and united in Christ.

It’s a good thing the Holy Spirit is so powerful, because staying connected is not easy.  There are so many forces that try to pull us away from being loyal to Christ.  Jesus gives us a very strong warning, though:  if we do not remain in him, we will not bear fruit.  If we bear fruit, we will be pruned back so we can bear even more. But if we bear no fruit, we will be considered useless and thrown into the fire.  God is not going to pour God’s energy into branches that are more interested in themselves than they are in Jesus.  That is why every week we could legitimately just pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, come!”  Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot stay connected to Christ.

Even if we are 100% committed to abiding in Christ and bearing fruit, from time to time situations present themselves that challenge our ability to stick together and stick close to Christ.  Here at Lima Church, over the last year and half you’ve had to deal with at least “breaks”, two of these cue-balls crashing into us situations at once.  June 2018 you said good-bye to Pastor Bob, and a few weeks later said hello to Pastor Dorry.  That was hard.  For many of you, as well as for me, it was a jarring transition.  The cue ball hit us, and we saw all the solid and striped balls moving in unpredictable ways!

Then, almost exactly a year ago today, I preached a sermon about the Way Forward—which was the name the United Methodist Church gave to its initiative to find a way to put an end to our division over issues relating to human sexuality.  Until that sermon, it had been not been talked about at all at Lima Church.  We were all together in our triangle formation, with important issues looming over us but no one addressing them.  As soon as I brought it up, well, we began to see some frantic energy.  It was like a break that starts the game of pool, and there was no predicting where all the balls would go!

A little over six months ago now, the United Methodist Church had its special General Conference to find a way forward.  That gathering was like another “break” in the game of pool.  I don’t think anyone predicted how many United Methodists would be moved to action as a result of the decisions made there.  Some of my clergy colleagues have told me they had people leave their churches because a way forward that allowed for a range of views was not found.  The UMC is not progressive enough for them, and they are tired of waiting for change.  Ironically, those same pastors have also had people leave their churches because the votes were so close.  The UMC is not conservative enough for them, and they are tired of the whole thing.

But not everyone who was moved to action moved their church membership.  Here at Lima, the results of General Conference moved people to begin thinking about how they could STAY in the United Methodist Church while taking a stand for what they believe is right.  That is how our Reconciling Team got formed.  It was not my idea.  It was energy from that cue ball hitting members of Lima Church that prompted them to come together for prayer and study and action.

When something challenging happens in the life of a church, when the cue ball hits the pack, there’s no telling where all the solid and striped balls will go.  Over the years, I have seen people get mad and leave.  I have also seen people leave without getting mad.  They left because they felt the Spirit leading them to a different place and left in peace.  I have seen people become passive and apathetic.  I have seen people get angry and bitter and try to rally people together with destructive motives.  I have heard about the opposite of that–people getting angry and disappointed and coming together with constructive motives and a mature commitment to peace-making processes.  But I had never personally seen that much until coming here to Lima and what has been happening since April.  It makes me feel really proud and blessed to be here.

What that boils down to is this:  just because there is movement, that does not necessarily mean people are following Christ.  Just because there is energy, that does not guarantee it is the Holy Spirit who is breathing life into the ideas.  Just because people are organized does not mean they are bearing the fruit for Christ.  We all know that.  So we have to test and discern and constantly check our connection to Christ.  I want you to know, our reconciling team has been meeting about twice a month since April, and at almost every meeting, the word “humility” has played a big part in the conversation.  The reconciling team has been proceeding slowly, with prayer and study, trying to graft themselves more fully onto the vine of Christ.  Their deepest desire is for this congregation to be a branch that bears fruit.  Their goal is to glorify Christ, not to advance any particular agenda.  I can tell you for sure that I do not feel like I am the leader of this movement.  I feel completely inadequate as a leader!  I am on my knees praying that we are following the Spirit of Christ.  I feel that we are.  But I cannot give you a 100% guarantee of that.  Who could?

What I can give you is some assurance about what being a Reconciling Congregation is all about.  The term “Reconciling Congregation” is a designation used by United Methodist congregations, or sometimes subsets of congregations, to help them communicate their desire to affirm all persons regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.  That word “affirm” is important.  Not just welcome all persons—welcoming is actually already required by our Book of Discipline. Reconciling congregations go further and commit to affirm, accept and celebrate all persons without regard to gender identity or sexual orientation.  What that means specifically is that, if they could, Reconciling Congregations would host and perform same gender weddings, and would support openly gay clergy.  It does not mean they are willing to break our UMC rules.  I am not willing to break the rules, and I would not ask Lima to break them.  The Reconciling Church designation expresses a belief about what a congregation or a group within the congregation feels is right, and a wish for that belief to be respected in our denomination.

There are several Reconciling Congregations in our area, including Swarthmore, Media First, and Drexel Hill UMC in Delaware County; Aldersgate and Skyline UMC’s in Wilmington; and some prominent churches you’re probably familiar with in Philadelphia like Arch Street and Historic Old St. George’s.  While the idea of becoming a Reconciling Congregation is new to us, they have been in existence since the mid 1980’s.  They are part of a Reconciling Ministries Network that helps people find a church that is affirming. We can choose, by a vote of the congregation, to become a part of that Network.  Right now the reconciling team is still prayerfully considering the wording of its statement of affirmation.  When the statement is perfected, most likely in November, it will be presented to Church Council.  With their approval, it will be presented to the congregation for review and input.  If and when the congregation feels ready, we will schedule a vote.  At every juncture we will be listening for the Spirit.  “Have thine own way Lord, have thine own way”: that is the ONLY goal of this process.

When I preached about the Way Forward a year ago, I had no idea Lima might start to think about becoming a Reconciling Congregation.  But I think it makes sense, given Lima’s track record of supporting gay and lesbian leaders for twenty years.  Still, it is not easy.  I wish I would have thought about the pool playing analogy when I wrote about Lima’s Reconciling Team in my State of the Pastor Report.  I could have said that the General Conference decisions were like the cue ball hitting us hard, and people in this church have felt a lot of anxious energy as a result.  But what I think is amazing is, roughly 30 people have been coming together to try to discern and do God’s will.  This is a hard time for churches, no doubt about it, and especially for Lima because you have still a pretty new pastor at the helm during a time of great upheaval.  Asking you to trust me is asking too much.

But I can ask you to trust Jesus.  I can ask you to trust your brothers in sisters in Christ.  I can ask you to come to a reconciling meeting to learn more if you’re interested, or come and ask your questions if you are concerned.  I can ask you to think about the solid and striped balls lined up together in that triangle frame, in perfect formation on the pool table.  How would Christ have us organize ourselves?  Scattered all over the place?  Or together, even though at times we have our differences?  I can remind you that Jesus told the people closest to him that they are already clean, because of the word he has spoken to them.  But in order to bear fruit, in order to be part of the continuing, ongoing work of God, they must remain in him.

If it were up to me, being a church member would be easier.  You’d never have to deal with money problems, or building problems, or people problems, or dare I say it, CHANGE!  You’d never have to experience any cue balls hitting you and jarring your faith and filling you with frenetic energy.  But none of that is in my control.  Instead, I get to bear witness to the truth that change can push us away from God, if we let it.  But it also has a way of helping us graft more completely onto the vine.  It’s when we’re jarred and disoriented that God’s loving presence can become a more treasured constant, if we are open to that.  And that presence ultimately gives us consolations and confirmations that we are on the right path, as well as clarifying guidance and correction if we’re not.

When we say “I believe in the Holy Spirit”, we are paraphrasing our memory verse, which we’ve been working on for five weeks now:  One way or another, God will bring to completion the good work begun in us.  That is the Holy Spirit’s main job.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.