Leaning on the Past to Look to the Future

Greetings Stonebridge Church,

The 30th anniversary is upon us. Many hours have been spent in the past few months preparing for this Sunday. 30 years ago, a small group of faithful disciples began to worship in living rooms with a dream of building a church where people could come in Jesus’ name to pray, to study the scriptures, to worship, to serve, to love, to grow, and to create a family of faith. 

The walls of Stonebridge UMC reverberate with the sounds of those who have come before us – singing, laughing, giving praise, celebrating new beginnings, offering heartfelt prayers, and sharing concern and love for each other. The sermons that touched our hearts and the songs that have filled our souls over these thirty years can never be silenced. We might feel their absence, but their voices still echo through the halls. We are better because of them. 

The tears shed in this place will forever stain the floors of this sacred house. Holy tears of joy and sorrow that mark our hearts as we have come to this place to remember and dream about tomorrow cannot be forgotten. Through God’s presence, the lives shared and lost have made this place holy ground. 

I believe the church will always be an anchor of love for our society and world. Especially today when our world is torn by hate and evil intent, our world needs the church. The assassination of Charlie Kirk (no matter how one feels about his words), is one of many examples of why the world needs the church and our message of love. Violence can never be tolerated and can only be answered with love. Despite what we hear and see, the love of Christ shall prevail above all the broken events of this world. 

The Church is our hope. It is our time to stand up for the presence of Christ in this world. The sacrifice and love of Jesus defines who we are and why we will continue for the next thirty years and beyond. The church is like a river of love that cannot be stopped. Fed by the holy springs of God through Jesus Christ, this river is all consuming and ever flowing with grace. As the old saying goes, “We may not know what the future holds, but we know the God who holds the future.”

As we celebrate this day and the church we call Stonebridge UMC, we now hold the legacy of those who have gone before. The vision of God is now in our hands. As we stand on the shoulders of so many, let us look to the future with hope and anticipation of what God is and will be doing through us. 

As we celebrate this Sunday, I will be preaching on the pearl of great value. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding the one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45) Jesus is our pearl of great value, beyond any human imagination. 

I am excited about worshipping with you on Sunday. It will be a day of great celebration for the work that has been done and the great work yet to be done by God’s Spirit through Stonebridge UMC. 

See you Sunday!

Pastor John Allen