Last year, one of my children shared with me some startling news - that we are moving - we are moving dad, can you believe it - we are always moving - he had just come from a lesson on earth sciences and learned that is the continents that we have built our homes, our lives upon are moving - the continental plates are shifting under our feet.

WE often do not notice this shifting that is happening, but at the pressure points, the places where the plates bump and collide one another, there can be upheavels. At those pressure points, there can be great change - no, at those pressure points, there is great change . There are lots of times when the ground under our feets shifts, but what s our response?

There is an old hymn I grew up with, probably many of you know it well:

If we translate this hymn with the thought that our faith keeps us the same in all parts of our living, then we would miss the true idea behind the hymn. If we think that not being moved means keeping everything the same, then we miss the point. Like the tree that sets down roots, it sets those roots to secure the nourishment it needs to grow. Trees are stationary, we as people of faith are not. When John Welsey heard call to faith though, he was greatly moved...when the first thoughts in 1862 was conceived of establishing a visible place of ministry later to be called George St. Church, people were being moved. As people of faith, we are called to be moved - often, we move when we sense a push or pull to do so.

One of the blessings of being involved with the District is the opportunity to meet with pastoral charges - the people in the pew and the leaders of our churches. What I am hearing is probably no startling news - there is much change going on and the way that the church has been received in the community is no longer as it was 30 or 40 year ago. In the church, we are experiencing much change as we live in a time of upheavel- in many ways, we are standing on a pressure point in our community and in our church life even now. I bet if you glimpsed back some 40 years ago to the first Service for the People of the Sea and then compare our society and church with those of that day, you would see much change and maybe, we would call it upheaval. Yet, when that first service was organized, there must have been visioned a need for it. It has now become a part of George St. Tradition, but like many things at George St., it must have been started for a purpose - for a perceived need or for a way of expressing ministry and service. Ministry is bring connections to our word - it is the act of bearing a witness to God’s love and making that love manifested in our relationships. The Church is not a creature to serve itself, it is a divine gift to serve our world. The Church is meant to be a living expression of Christ and not to be shackled as a prisoner to the past - it is meant to change so to have is being in our world. There is that word again, have you heard it - CHANGE - is it greeted with fear and mistrust or joy and celebration or a little bit of both?

There is a dynamic in regards to change in our communities of faith that can be expressed between two extremes - on one side that says that nothing is of value anymore and all things must change and on the other extreme, the sense that we must not change anything. Somewhere in the midst of those extremes probably lies the truth needed for us and in between those two extremes, we hear the call of God and are open to it as we hold in tension as sense of being grounded and being open. I say again, somewhere in the midst as we hold in tension the sense of being grounded and being open is where we will find the call of God for our time and for our community. I believe that your Church*s vision statement: ROOTED IN THE ROCK - TRANSFORMING FOR TOMORROW sounds like a play on that same tension. The people of faith gathered into George St and in the wider community called to be rooted, not in the past, but in the rock. Taking our stand, not upon a certain tradition or even firmly holding faith to a certain understanding of dogma, but rather to stand firm in the graceful and loving presence of God as reflected in the Christ. Holding tightly, not to a way of understanding, but rather striving to be rooted in a promise that God is with us.

In our Gospel, we are given an example of being rooted - of a person who builds, building upon a rock. The foundation being built upon a rock is a metaphor and a warning to the disciples to build their faith upon Jesus*s words. The rock is likened not to holding onto something, but to putting something into practice -Jesus*s words. The building up the rock is not meant to be a phrase symbolizing something in-active or stagnant, but rather Jesus*s words put into practice. Jesus*s words put into practice, is not that also called faith? Faith, like the idea of building up the rock, is also an action word, not limited to a particular way of viewing, but rather to a way of being in response to God*s gracious presence. Building upon the rock or being rooted in the rock and faith is about not just a way of seeing the world, but also interacting with it. I put it into a concrete example - the Jimmy Pratt Memorial centre is a place, but more importantly, it also reflects a vision of how faith called the people of George St. to interact with the world. The same is true for any room in this church, as people gather, you gather to be rooted in the rock- the room nor even the physical plant of the building is not what makes you rooted, it might express it for a time, but being rooted in the rock is about longing to put faith out there in terms beyond ideas to where the rubber hits the road. And you have done it before - you have heard a call to help, sensed a need to respond to and then put those faithful ideas into faithful doing - ministry.

But the ground underneath our feet is still moving - it is shifting and producing places of tension as the way things were and the way things may need to be collide with one another. As our ground shifts, we are still called to be rooted in the rock of faith, but also called to be risking for tomorrow.

There is a newer song I like listening to, it is called Lord, move, move me. The chorus reads:

A people of faith, as people being rooted in the rock, you also are encountering places of

upheavel - places of tensions as you strive to put the call of God*s presence into a practice of faith. Your encountering of those places of change is not limited to your congregation, but it will be unique in this congregation. The relationships between the people gathered here will make what you do unique as you hear God*s Call. To respond to the ministering opportunities, you will need to harness and celebrate the gift of faithful relationships. You will need to be open to be transformed as God works with you and one of the powerful ways we see God working is in our relationships.

Our willingness to be open to God working in our Relationships is expressed in a covenant. Your willingness to accept the leadership of Rev. Sue and to have her lovingly challenge you in faith is part of that covenant. Her willingness to celebrate your leadership and to work with other leaders is also part of the covenant. She and you share more than a quasi employee and employer relationship - in a covenant, you are called to bear witness to a love for your community and to celebrate that love as well as care for one another. You also bear witness to being rooted and reaching out as you interact with the District and we pray, that the District bears witness to you.

I underline, you are entering into ministry with Rev. Sue - you are not employing her to take care of you - yes, she will strive to care for you and YOU FOR HER, but most importantly, you together being rooted in the rock, will work alongside one another to hear the voice of God and to risk and respond.

Relationship is the key to a covenant working - being in relationship with God, being in relationship with one another to express God*s love. Relationship is the key when mis-communications happen - and it will - relationship and the care that knits you together will enable you to keep the lines of communication and love open. Relationship will allow you to voice your visions and to put faith into practice as this community of faith encounters the shifting ground under our feet.

Yes, rooted in the rock and daring to risk, you will meet the challenges of the shifting ground. Yes, rooted in the rock and daring to love, you will bear faithful witness to this covenant that will shortly be entered into and celebrated . Yes, rooted in the rock, you will sense the movement of God and God*s call to be moved as you put faith into practice. Together, this congregation and it’s minister and the larger church, rooted in the rock and risking - there is the call of God for you, for us all - may you and we all be so faithful to be rooted rock and also moved wherever God’s call is heard. AMEN