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God's Not Dead and Neither Are We!

What follows is the homily presented at the Clarion Association Fall Meeting on Sunday, October 26, 2014.

Matthew: 14:22-33
This summer there was a movie that has become popular in Christian circles.  It hit movie theaters in the spring and made the top five in ticket sales during its first weekend.  It has been played in churches around the country and I suspect maybe even in your church.  If you haven’t guessed by now, the movie is God’s Not Dead.  But before the movie came out, the title song, “God’s Not Dead” a rock anthem by the band Newsboys was a Christian radio hit.  



It's a catchy tune and a powerful message!  I think there is an even more powerful message here.  It is a message that we might miss if we aren’t paying close attention.  If God is not Dead, then neither are We!  This is important for us in the Church today.  So, to make sure you are getting the message, every time you hear the phrase, "God's not dead" in want you all to respond with a resounding, "and neither are we!"

Let's give it a try... God's not dead...

We focus on the lack of attendance, the dwindling offerings and increasing budgets, our over-busy lives, and our growing older population.  We, like Peter, often allow ourselves to focus on the storms, the waves, the problems around us; and the prevailing thought is that the church is dead or dying.                                  

If God's not dead, than neither are we!  That is the good news for today.  

You traveled here today to be reminded that we are not Dead.  The United Church of Christ is very much alive.  You may not agree with everything the church does or even with your neighbor in the pew next to you. That’s okay!  In fact that is maybe what makes us a force in the world.  Being united is not the same as being identical.  We are not called to be identical, we are called to be united.  And maybe, just maybe it is the challenge of living with our difference that makes being united worthwhile.   We are united and we are alive and we have a mission!  God's not dead and neither are we.

We may be older than we used to be, smaller in numbers than we used to be, poorer than we used to be… But we can still roar. We can still be a witness. We are not finished because God is not finished!!!!   God's not dead and neither are we.

That is the good news, now the challenge.  If we are to be the Church in the Twenty-first century we just might need to change.  A little or a lot, it makes little difference, if we are alive, we need to be changing.  


I saw this post just yesterday and I believe it is true.  It is a quote from one of my favorite authors, Leonard Sweet, “When the church resists change, it is a classic case of letting the dead bury the living.”

It is true in our local churches and our Association. Perhaps there are changes that we need to make.  Perhaps you have some ideas.  Please share them.  Being the largest association in land mass and yet small in number of churches and members we need to consider some new ways of doing ministry, of communication, or building relationships.  Today we are asking you to get the word out about our FaceBook page, a valuable tool for sharing ideas and information.  But we also recognize that not everyone uses FaceBook, so we are also gathering emails for those who use that technology.  And we recognize that there are some that don’t have or want a computer. If you are one who wants to be informed, give your mailing address and we will keep you informed that way.  However you keep up to date with the association, we need you to share the information in your local congregation.

God’s not Dead!  And neither are we!  We will try new things.  We'll try some different things, like an Association picnic next summer. Some will work, some won’t and that is okay too.  We are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful.  To be faithful means to take chances, to take risks.   

The Church, the United Church of Christ, the Penn West Conference, the Clarion Association, and your local congregation; we are to live this truth: God's not dead!  And neither are we!

Most Gracious and Loving God,
We thank you for calling us to be your church!  We thank you for giving us a mission, a reason to press on.  We pray that we will continue to answer the call and be witness to our world that God's not dead! And neither are we!  

In the name of the one who was, and is, and always will be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN!


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