What an amazing achievement – 60 years – albeit now 61 because of Covid. A diamond celebration. It’s not an easy task to achieve and how fitting that a 60th anniversary is known as a diamond celebration. A diamond is a rare jewel that is formed from carbon deposits that undergoes immense temperature and pressure. Most of you have been here a lot longer than I have and no doubt you share some of the pressures that have affected the shaping and formation of how Good Shepherd looks today.
Sometimes we see pressure as a negative thing because it can be quite difficult at the time when facing immense pressure. But as congregations wrestle and struggle during those times of pressure we can come away with renewed vision. We heard in last weeks Old Testament reading Jacob wrestling with God and you can imagine the immense pressure he went through. It lasted all through the night and in the end Jacob came away with a lifelong limp. But he also came away with a new name – Israel – meaning one who has struggled with God.
In our 60 year journey we have struggled in many ways Dealing with decline in membership. Dealing with an ageing congregation. Dealing with a struggle to find leaders. Dealing with an ageing building and the need for constant repairs. Dealing with Covid and some of the impacts that it has left us including the ceasing of our Community Meal. Dealing with financial struggles Wrestling with the matter of ordination. Maybe you have had your own personal wrestling matches with other members or decisions made or, like Jacob, even with God.
Some of these pressures have left us limping along like Jacob. But we must see them as part of God’s shaping of our character even when those pressures leave us hurt and struggling. And sometimes we struggle for a long time. But remember with diamonds – some stones take shape in a matter of days or months, while others take millions of years to materialize. A diamond doesn’t begin as a diamond but only after immense time and pressure does its beauty arise. But it’s the end product that God is forming where the beauty is revealed.
And, likewise, now God is shaping us here at Good Shepherd. It has taken 60 years so far and our formation is not done yet. Just look at some of the shaping God has done over the years. Our Good Shepherd Primary school. Our Good Shepherd Retirement Village. The thousands of meals served in our community meal.
What can be at the time periods of struggle and pressure are times when God is shaping us. And there are times when during those struggles we wonder why we are going through them. Will we get through this?
Israel struggled with its wrestle with God not understanding how God was working. To help them understand God took Jeremiah to the potter’s house to watch an artist at work. This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Can I not do with you, Good Shepherd Ringwood, as this potter does?” declares the Lord
We may not be what we were back 60 years ago – 50 years ago – and the danger is thinking that our hay day was back then at the beginning and that we are not as precious as we once were. But that would be denying the shaping that God is doing. And remember, the shape of the clay at the beginning was not what the potter wanted – in fact it was marred in his own hands. We are constantly being shaped by God and the more kneading and the more pressure and the more struggle we go through shapes us into the shape that seems best to God even if to us it looks marred.
I repeat, what an amazing milestone which we should all be both proud of and thankful to God for from the foundation members who began our 60 year journey to the new comers who are continuing the shaping.
St Paul calls the journey of faith a fight and that is sometimes what it feels like. But it’s a good fight, as he calls it, because we are fighting for the kingdom. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
As we celebrate this wonderful blessing today let us remember that masterpieces take time to achieve their final shape, like a diamond. And let us remember, as St Paul says in Ephesians Chapter 2 – For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. How exciting to know that God is the one shaping us and that he has prepared a long time ago what he wants us to be and the 60 years may yet still be the beginning of God’s work in us. I know at times it feels like we would love to go back to the way things were – when we had full churches – 2 services – packed Sunday Schools and lots of fellowship –
But remember, Israel also wanted to go back when the pressure built up instead of going to the promised land. Jesus also said in response to – I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. So let us keep looking forward to how God is shaping us and remember that the final product is not here yet. We are on a journey to our Platinum celebration with our 70th ahead of us – and who knows we may yet get a letter from the king for our 100th. But until then we have the King of Kings with us along the journey – shaping us into his image and for that we give all Glory to God.
