A Legacy of Movement

Today we are continuing our Legacy series. We talked last week about the legacy we have of circuit riders traveling thousands of miles on horseback to bring the Gospel into Wilson County. They sacrificed tremendously to help the church grow into this county. We also talked about the first Methodist structure that we know as Pickett Chapel being built in 1827 by slaves, and about the white church worshiping on the lower level and the slaves worshiping in the balcony. That was the case until the white church decided it wanted its own space and moved to a different location. All of this is part of our legacy.. That move in essence birthed two separate churches: First United Methodist Church and Pickett Rucker UMC. I think in 2027, we can have big fun celebrating our bicentennial together as one. What a glorious legacy that will be for our community!

I want to talk today about the legacy of movement for the church today from that point forward. I don't know all of the dynamics at play in 1853 which caused the white church to move, but I dare say a lot of it was the tensions of the day as division in our nation was reaching a pinnacle with the Civil War only a few years away. The church relocated basically a block away to what we now know as East Main Street. In case you aren't familiar with that location, it would now be just to the right of the First Baptist Church building today as you are facing it. I would also say that from what I have begun to glean in research, the movement of Lebanon in general at that time was beginning to shift away from Market Street as a major thoroughfare, and more toward what we now call Main Street/Lebanon Road/Highway 70. I gather that despite any other reasoning for moving away from its older building, the desire to move toward Main Street was a strategic decision to ensure it was in the middle of Lebanon traffic... 

Later, there came a time when the church felt landlocked in its location and began to look for a better spot to minister. Lebanon was growing toward the west, and they wanted to continue to be in the place where the community was growing. They had a parsonage pretty close to the tree we planted during Covid which we string lights on every year now. The reason I know so is that when we were digging the hole with a backhoe to plant the tree, we dug up some pipes still there!. It scared us for a minute.. The church bought some land around the parsonage, moved it to where it is now, and built this structure in its place. As a way of remembering where we came from, they brought two stained glass windows from the East Main building to here. Those two windows were originally put in the steeple, but later were relocated to the shadow boxes in our foyer which we enjoy every Sunday morning. In addition, they moved the bell from that church to this one. It is up in our steeple now and our acolytes ring it after the 11AM service every week. It says on the bell, “PRESENTED TO THE METHODIST CHURCH LEBANON TENNESSEE BY MRS MA PRICE AD 1857 LET GOD BE PRAISED.. 

Since then, we have added the Family Life Center; plus,Dr. Joe and Pat Bryant donated the money to build BRYANT CHAPEL, which is a huge resource for our community; and even recently, a donor gave to buy our organ and remodel our Sanctuary for expanded ministry in this community..All of this is part of our legacy, and it comes from faithful people looking out for the best for our church and its ministry. You and I may not be able to donate a chapel or organ or even a bell, but we all participate in the ministries of this church through our faithful giving. 

This week, you should have received a letter in the mail from us with an estimate of giving card in it. Next Sunday, we will have a basket up front where you can drop in your card during communion, and we will pray for those gifts and consecrate them to the glory of God and to the work of the church before we have earned a penny in 2025. If you are unable to be here, you can mail your card in, or you can fill out an estimate online as well and we will include it.. This helps us to plan and prepare for ministry moving forward. I'm so thankful for this church and your faithful response to our Lord and his Church. I am proud to be your pastor. I want to tell you that my family will be filling out our card as well. I also want you to know that we tithe to this church; that means we give 10% to the church for its work.. In addition, we support the missions fund here and several other ministries that are important to us. I want you to know that I am invested in this church with you. 

But here is the question I want us to ponder as we finish our time together. This church has moved from home churches started by circuit riders, to a structure on East Market Street, to a structure on East Main Street, and now to this campus. Our church has a legacy of movement, a legacy of going where Lebanon needs us so we can remain relevant to the life of our community…BUT WHAT IF GOD CALLED US TO MOVE AGAIN? WOULD WE BE WILLING TO GO? Now hear me: I think we are extremely strategic in our current location, and it allows us to be used by our whole community, but WHAT IF GOD WAS CALLING US TO MOVE. WOULD WE GO? 

In our text for today, the Israelites came to Egypt and settled there after an amazing series of events surrounding Joseph. His brothers wanted to kill him out of jealousy, but he ended up being the Pharaoh’s right hand man and was in a position of power and influence. When a great famine hit, Joseph executed a plan to store up grain beforehand and prepare Egypt to survive and help others, thanks to God. Because of this, Joseph saved his family from the famine as well, and as the book of Genesis ends they are prospering and flourishing in Egypt. The only problem was, this was not the land God had prepared for them. They grew comfortable in Egypt and didn't go on to the place God had for them. As a result, the new Pharaoh in power knew nothing of Joseph and nothing of what he had done, and he was afraid of how numerous Israel had become. So he enslaved them.. 

There is obviously a lot more to this story, which includes God raising up Moses to free the people and begin leading them to the land he had promised…but the whole reason they were enslaved was that they were not where God wanted them to be. They got comfortable and complacent.

Our legacy is that we are a church willing to move and go to where God is sending so we can maximize our potential as God's church. I don't believe God has plans to ask us to relocate, as I can't imagine a more strategic location in Lebanon than where we are…but I do feel quite confident that God is still calling us to GO and to MOVE and to get outside the walls of this amazing structure to be God’s church that Lebanon needs. 

That is the best legacy we can have. 

Thanks be to God
AMEN