In the Christian church endings have always been at the same time, beginnings. The pain of the demise of one form of the church has been at the same time the birth pains of the new spirit filled community. And I, but more especially you, are not so much the last of the Mohegans of the Christian church, so much as are the privileged children of God, who are called to be a part of the transition of the church from what we have been to the new church of God's making and doing. So though we may be confronted with a loss of members and dollars in this church, there is no excuse for a loss of vitality in the church. There is still the presence of God, the good news of Jesus, the moving of the Spirit, so the predominant mood should be one of celebration, and we should continue to invest our best energy to the quality of life of our worship experiences.
Advent encourages the appropriate response for a people in transition.
Advent calls us to hang in there in hope, and to live in expectation of God's new day, to keep a very light grip on what has been and cultivate openness and flexibility in anticipation of God's amazing and surprising future. In the meantime we can continue to do those things which have always been a part of the church and always will be. Like a football team that is not quite ready for the sophisticated west coast offense, but they can always practice blocking and tackling because that will be a part of the game, wherever and whenever it is played. So let us proclaim the good news, tell the story to our children, let us embody God's love for all of our near neighbors, especially the poor, the emotionally scarred, the homeless, the oppressed, the outcasts, the innocent victims. Whatever the form of the church in the future it will be composed of people in ministry, people living out of their gratitude for God's gifts.