Moses, Joshua, David, Paul, all wanted their successors to do well. Solomon was sceptical about that: "I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless." (Ecc 2.18)
Nevertheless when old Joshua farewelled the leaders of Israel, he told them what to do (Josh 23.6ff). David did the same for Solomon: told him what to do (1 Kings 2.2ff). So did the apostle Paul when he farewelled the elders of the Ephesian church for the last time (Acts 20.17-38). Each of them told their successors what to do. They didn't tell them how to do do it, just what to do.
Of course it wasn't the only time they told people what to do. But when the time came to make sure the succession was secure they made it very clear.
And all of them said more or less the same thing: do what God said to do. In every case there were dangers and threats ahead. Courage was needed in the next generation, as it had been been before. Courage to do what God had commanded and not turn from it to the right or to the left. Not to be sidetracked.
The handing on to the next generation is always a gradual thing. And therefore a continuous process. Two dangers beset traditional churches. One is that there is nothing to hand on. The other is that what is handed on is how to do it, not what to do.
Is there really any hope for an ageing church? Mainline denominations, like ours, have been in decline for a long time. But we are still here. So maybe we will just keep on going. Like many of us still in the church. We just keep on going.
But we know that we individuals won't just keep on going. We will all die. And before that some of us will start to wear out, and some will spend some time at the end of our lives in some kind of care.
And many of our churches won't just keep on going either. Many are wearing out. Many can no longer maintain their buildings. Many can no longer maintain a full-time paid ministry.
Increasingly central church administrations are worried about a huge and looming maintenance bill hanging over their church properties. Increasingly new ordinands are not entering full time paid ministry.
Where does hope lie? Or is there no real hope. Is it better to plan for a comfortable demise. Perhaps by combining parishes, sharing clergy, and otherwise arranging to keep going the services and organisations that we find most helpful.
That is in fact the common approach most churches have. Many of us would say that is not what we want. But it is what we do. One of the reasons is that we don't know what else to do.
Or if we have some idea of what to do, we don't think we have the ability to do it. This is because the usual hope (apart from divine miracles) is to look to increasing the number of young people - "the future of the church".
However the solution does not lie with young people. It lies with the old people.
{podcast id=338}
Sermon preached at St Mark's Bassendean on Sunday 18 September 2016
Bible Readings: Isaiah 29.11-21; Psalm 2; 1 Cor 1.1-25; Matthew 12.38-42
{podcast id=337}
Sermon preached at St Mark's Bassendean on Sunday 11 September 2016
Bible Readings: Isaiah 44.1-5; Psalm 118.15-29; Galatians 6.11-18; Mark 8.27-38
The Big Issues; Where the pressure comes from; The better way
{podcast id=336}
Sermon preached at St Mark's Bassendean on Sunday 4 September 2016
Bible Readings: Hosea 8.1-14; Psalm 89.1-8; Galatians 6.7-10; John 5.31-47
The First Difficulty; Who can do Good? To whom is the good done?
{podcast id=335}
Sermon preached at St Mark's Bassendean on Sunday 21 August 2016
Bible Readings: Joshua 1.7-9; Psalm 119.9-16; Galatians 5.16-26; John 14.23-27
Fruit and law; How the fruit is produced: death first, new life next, being led by the Spirit after that
{podcast id=333}
Sermon preached at St Mark's Bassendean on Sunday 17 July 2016
Bible Readings: Leviticus 19.9-18; Psalm 133; Galatians 5.13-15; John 15.9-17
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