Sermon 1-25-26
Third Sunday in Epiphany
Texts: Matthew 4:12-23, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Pastor Jean M. Hansen
A Thank You Note
Good morning, Faith family; it seems only appropriate that I should begin today’s sermon by putting it in … context. I have beat that Biblical context drum so hard during the past 24 years that it may be a surprise, even shocking, that today’s context is not related to a particular Bible passage, but to what’s happening on January 25, 2026. This is the last sermon I will preach as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, and as someone who does not have the word “retired” in front of her name.
Because that’s the context, it has been tempting to torment myself with the expectation that this would be the best sermon I ever preached, in which I would say everything that I’ve wanted to say in the past 24 years … or even 38 years… but have not uttered. Therefore, this sermon would cause you to leave, shaking your heads in amazement. I’m sorry to say that probably will not be the case. First because I don’t do well under pressure, and second because if I have not said it by now, then I either have not been fulfilling my call, or it did not need to be said.
Instead, I’d like to think of this sermon as a “thank-you note”, sincere in sentiment, but not too mushy, and not too long. The thank-you is to God, primarily, and to the people who have walked this road with me.
On that Journey I see my internship here at FLC where it was determined that I cannot sing, but can preach, and that it’s possible be affirmed for ministry even in the midst of insecurity. Some of those who did so are in this sanctuary today.
I have been blessed in three calls, in three different ways. At St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sharon Center, I was launched into pastoral ministry by people who were patient and supportive of their young pastor, who was doing as much learning as leading. They willingly managed the challenges of a growing church in a growing area, and every decision was challenging, yet exciting.
Then, I moved on the opposite end of the spectrum, as Director of Pastoral Care at St. Luke Lutheran Community in North Canton, which was a continuous care retirement community. The faithful there, which included families, were thankful for worship, for prayers, for kindness, for a companion at life’s end. If my ministry was launched at St. Paul, it was defined at St. Luke, where I confirmed a gift of compassion, but also realized that I missed the breadth and depth of congregational ministry.
During a grueling two-year process of seeking a call, I learned a bit about sexism, that I lack interview skills, but primarily that there is value in accepting God’s timing so that the best possible situation can develop. In March of 2002, the good people of Faith Lutheran Church extended a call to me, and here my ministry matured … and so did I. We embraced risk and change as a theme and faced an altering culture together. You were there for me during two significant times of loss, which I will always remember, and have embraced my shortcomings and offered abundant support.
One of the things that makes a sermon like this one difficult is that during 24 years there are so many significant people and events; it seems unfair to name some and not others.
I’ll never forget two particular years, though. One is 2015 because in that one year this congregation finished and dedicated the building project that had been years … and, I mean years … in the making, and also celebrated the organ renovation in the sanctuary and the sound/projection system upgrades in the Fellowship Hall. That all happened in time for the combining with St. John/St. Paul Lutheran Church, which was one of the smoothest such endeavors ever accomplished. That was because Pastor Rick Gordon and the people of SJ/SP made significant sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel, and the people of FLC understood that was the case and empathized, supported and welcomed them. The result was a stronger congregation and the SJ/SP Endowment which provides grants for outreach to ministries throughout the Synod, proving that two are stronger than one.
The other year I’ll never forget is 2020 when the pandemic stretched us all, but thanks to dedicated people other than me, we never missed a beat when it came to holding worship services, which led the congregation to embrace technology for ministry in a new way. That also was the year FLC became a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation, which not everyone embraced. Yet, our Welcome Statement makes it clear that we strive to imitate the unconditional love of Jesus.
I have been blessed to be a part of outreach efforts initiated by congregation members - the Community Garden, the Ohio Mission Trip, volunteering at DLM and the Loads of Love Laundry Ministry. The Interfaith Justice Alliance expanded my/our relationships and understanding of justice. Being able to participate in two very different worship services, in which musical gifts abound, has nurtured my faith. And, it’s been a gift to work together with colleagues for years, often decades, and be blessed by their gifts and wit and unfailing support.
All of that is just the tip of the iceberg; I cannot even begin to name all the ways I and others have been blessed through this congregation and it’s ministries of Care and Nurture, Communications, Learning, Ministry Development, Operations, Outreach and Worship.
Let me be clear, though, that all this hasn’t happened by accident, but by intentional (another of my favorite words) faithfulness of the people of God - you - and by the power of the Holy Spirit. You are the church; you are the ones who like Peter, Andrew, James and John, are called by Jesus to fish for people in the midst of a culture that thinks it does not want to be caught but desperately needs the good news that Jesus proclaimed. And while you’re moving forward in this fishing enterprise we call church, Jesus is the one to keep your eyes on.
The Apostle Paul made that clear to the people of Corinth when they were focused on church leaders and lining up behind their favorites. “Was Paul crucified for you?”, he asked, a rather startling statement to get them back on track. They should be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose, with their focus on Jesus, and their purpose to share God’s grace that came to the world through him.
Jesus is the one to follow in this fishing endeavor, not another fisher, even if “pastor” is in front of his or her name. That’s why all will be well, my friends; it’s not me or anyone else, but Jesus who leads. If we all keep our eyes on him and embrace the single purpose of sharing the grace of God that our Lord conveyed, and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, with gratitude to God in our hearts, this transition will create a context. It will be a context in which the unconditional, unending, indescribable love of God is made known. For that, and for all of you, I proclaim, “Thanks be to God!” AMEN