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Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these — the homeless, tempest-tossed — to me;
I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door.

Emma Lazarus wrote these words. They are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. They are a symbol of what this country represented to the world when it was founded. During the years that immigrants were processed at Ellis Island, the Statue loomed large- a sign that the transition from the “old country” to the new was occurring in an immigrant’s life.

The immigrant had left behind all that was familiar in order to create a new life in the United States. The dream of a life where there were, and are, freedoms often unimaginable in other places. Opportunities to be more than is possible in other places where too often you are limited in what you can do and where you can go. The dream and the reality founded on that dream have a price, however.

You have to leave behind your old life and create a new one. This isn’t easy and it often takes more time than you’d like. Saying hello to new possibilities often means saying goodbye to some cherished traditions. The memories are still present though – and should not be set aside even as we move forward into new ways of being.

Our history – individually and collectively- is important. Our history tells us who we have been and lays the groundwork for who we might become. Our history tells us about our values and how we have lived those values. Our history tells us about how we found our way forward when things looked dark and dim. St. Andrew’s recounts its history on its website as a way of connecting the past and the present. The article about Bill Wieland and his desk in the Banner Graphic reminds us that Bill was a faithful leader of this parish for more than 23 years- and his legacy remains in the wonderful work that he did at St. Andrews and in the wider community. Retaining the best of the past, it is time to begin to move into the future.

An intentional interim is a period of time for a congregation to assess its past, to discover what its identity is in this new time, to renew relationships with each other and our wider faith and secular communities, to support existing lay leadership and raise up new leadership both lay and ordained,  and finally, with the calling of a new rector, to commit to a new future.

These can seem to be daunting tasks – even overwhelming. That is why there is no set time for this work to be done. It is critical that St. Andrew’s take all the time necessary to accomplish each task fully and appropriately. We are held in God’s hands, and God will not let us down.

The life and work of Jesus is all about transition and transformation. Jesus calls the weary and those carrying heavy burdens and offers them rest. This is a good time for us to look at what we have been doing – perhaps because “we have always done it this way.” Does how “we have always done it” leave us weary? Or does it remain something that gives us joy and enhance our worship of God? The answers may be different for different ones of us – not everyone will see everything the same way.

Part of what we will be doing during this intentional interim period is to look for areas where we are weary. To see where we might lay our burdens down and rest in Jesus. If we are willing to trust in God, then we will find rest and become energized for the work ahead.

Jesus commissioned the twelve and gave them authority over unclean spirits and the power to cast them out. He gave the twelve the power to cure every disease and every sickness (Mt. 10:1). Talk about transition and transformation! Ordinary folks, like you and me, called to be disciples of Jesus the Christ.

First, they have each left their life and gone to follow Jesus. Now, Jesus has given them power and authority to do awesome things. Casting out demons and curing the sick – bringing rest to the weary and those carrying heavy burdens. Their lives were transformed in marvelous ways because they were willing to follow Jesus. Even more, Jesus tells the twelve, take no gold, silver or copper in your belts. No bag for your journey and only one tunic (Mt. 10:9-10).

Faith in the commissioning by Jesus, alone, is sufficient for the work they have been sent to do. Jesus waits for us to hear his word and so often we fail to hear it. We are called to dance and we sit and mope. Or we are called to mourn and we ignore the injustices of the world around us (Mt. 11: 16-17). We get so caught up in the nitty-gritty of our daily lives, the weariness of it all, that we forget that we are children of God called to be light to the world.

This intentional interim time is a deliberate space for us to reconsider and to re-evaluate who we are and how we live in this world as St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. There is much that St. Andrew’s does in Greencastle and Putnam County and the Diocese of Indianapolis. There is much wisdom in those who worship in this space and then carry the message of the transforming love of Christ into the world. This is a time to celebrate what is best about St. Andrew’s and also a time to dream and imagine what St. Andrew’s might be going forward. Keeping our focus upon Jesus and his love for us and the world, and our response to that love, we will find the yoke of following Christ to be easy and the burden light (Mt. 11: 29-30).

The mission of St. Andrew’s gives us direction as we begin our work together: to learn to follow Christ’s teachings daily; to gather together for prayer, worship, and the breaking of bread; to welcome all people, celebrating our differences as well as our similarities; to respond to those in need with energy and compassion; to be good stewards of God’s earth; and to give our time, talents, and resources in carrying out Christ’s ministry in the world.

“Do not be afraid”- the angels and other messengers of God- tell us over and over again not to be afraid. Yes, transition and transformation can be daunting. Yes, who St. Andrew’s will be in the future will likely be somewhat different than it is today. We do not need to be afraid because God is with us in all that we do. We can lay down our burdens and rest in Christ. And that is good news, indeed. Amen.