November 13, 2022

Grace and Peace to you – my brothers and sisters of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church – in the name of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.  I rejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit over the past year that brings us together for this moment. 

My favorite New Testament church is the Church in Antioch whose origin story we read in Acts 11.  The church in Antioch is not an intentional church plant by an organized religious body.  Instead, it springs up as the Jesus movement scatters outward from its center in Jerusalem. 

As these early Jesus followers arrive in the great Roman city of Antioch, in the far east of present-day Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea, something amazing happens.  These unnamed Christians choose – without asking permission - to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus – not only to other Diaspora Jews, but also to Gentiles.  Luke writes, “the hand of the Lord was with them” and the first integrated church was born. 

These Jewish Christians trusted the Holy Spirit enough to make room for others who were culturally different than themselves.  They trusted Jesus’ teaching enough to change the narrative they had been taught.  These culturally different members trusted one another enough to be church with each other.  This trust brought tears to Barnabas when he arrived in Antioch to give a report to the Jerusalem church.  He saw the grace of God at work among all of them – Jews and Gentiles – and rejoiced.

Trust is a hallmark of the Antioch Church.  They trust Barnabas to bring Saul, their persecutor in Jerusalem, the one who caused them to flee, into their church to lead and teach them.  They trust God changed his heart.  Later, they will trust the Spirit to commission Paul and Barbaras as the first missionaries sent out into the world – sent from the church in Antioch.  Trust empowers the church to grow its Kingdom impact.  The world is different today because the Antioch church was built on trust.   

Stephen M.R. Covey in his business book The Speed of Trust calls trust the one that changes everything.  He writes:

There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world …. if developed and leveraged this one thing has to potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every dimension of life. It is the least understood, most neglected, and most underestimated possibility of our time.  That one thing is trust.

Since the late 1980’s I have been an outside observer of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church.  For many years I wondered what made our church so special and unique.  When you called me as your 5th pastor on February 27th, I got my first hint of the source of our uniqueness.  You called me as your pastor on a voice vote by the congregation.  For those who have been here a long time, you may not realize how unusual that one step is.   

Like the church in Antioch, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church is a high trust church.  You trusted the Spirit at work in your search committee to lead them to your next pastor.  You trusted your congregational leaders to conduct due diligence to confirm this person.  Your trusted one another to work with your new pastor.

I have realized over our 7 months together - Trust is our superpower.  Trust is what makes Vestavia Hills Baptist Church a beautiful expression of God’s grace, community, and mission on this mountain top.  Let me share two specific examples.

1.    VHBC Trusts God

In my first months as your new pastor, I have invested my time in getting to know you and hearing your faith stories.  I have discovered a church who trusts God. 

As we sat together over meals, coffee, and Bible study, you shared story after story of God’s grace and love in your life.  I found an openness about your faith.  You trust God with your lives, and you trust God at work in the lives of others.

This trust in God means we do not force our faith on others.  Rather than requiring unity of thought, belief, faith or practice, our trust in God at work in one another has created a diverse congregation of Jesus followers.  At our core, this deep trust in God allows us to release our desire to control God or others.  This trust allows a fresh wind of God’s Spirit to move freely within our fellowship.

Our trust in God goes back to the earliest days of our church.  Describing the ministry of our first pastor, John Wiley, Wayne Flint remarks in our history book, John attracted a diverse congregation of “well-educated, independent-minded members.” 

Our trust in God creates a unique, wonderful community of faith in a world unfamiliar with trust. 

2.    Along with trusting God, VHBC also trusts each other. 

Our trust in one another runs deep.

One of my initial questions about the church was how our church makes decisions.  Rather than a clear organizational chart outlining the flow of decision making, I discovered a web of committees and leaders empowered by the trust of the church to guide the work of the congregation.   This web of trust allows our ministry to flow generously following the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

Our trust of one another flows out in our ministry.  The beauty of this trust attracts many who have experienced the barbs and arrows of contemporary church and ministry.  We are a refuge and sanctuary for many who have been hurt by the church.  Many of you found your way to Vestavia to be healed by the salve of this congregation’s generous grace and trust.  Many, like me, discover when you walk into this sacred space the love and acceptance of God through the care of this church – we experience church as we always hoped it would be – a place of deep trust, acceptance, and love. 

Our trust in one another has built a community of faith unique and special to all who find their way to the top of this mountain. 

Our trust swims deeply in the DNA of Vestavia Hills.  As we look to the future, let invite us to expand our trust.

1.    Let us trust God at work in the world.

Not only is God at work inside Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, but God is also at work in our community and world.  For us to become a greater expression of God’s People on earth as it is in heaven, let us push outwards towards our Kingdom Potential.  Our church sits at the heart of the Birmingham metropolitan area.  As we envision our future, let us explore where God’s Spirit is at work in our community and join that work.

Our trust in God means we do not have to control or manage or always agree with our partners.  Our trust allows us to come alongside others for greater Kingdom impact when it comes to justice and care for those on the margins of our society, state, and world.

When I imagine God’s Kingdom released in us as we trust God at work in the world – I see our church spread around the globe engaging, loving, and caring for the least in the world. 

2.    Let us trust Jesus with mystery. 

The world continues to change at an exponential pace. Technology, medicine, economics, media, politics, astronomy, education, church – simply name an area of your life and measure its change over the last 5 years.  This rate of change will only increase over the next 5 years.  Change produces mystery. 

With so much change, it becomes harder to make sense of what is happening now or what might happen.  As we move into the future – we need to find a home in this mystery – a place of security.  Let me suggest we grow in trust in Jesus.  With mystery and chaos swirling around us – let us center our lives on Jesus.

As a pastor during these uncertain times, I have doubled down on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.  The importance of creating and living by a rule of life centered on Jesus has grown.

A Rule of life is a set of spiritual practices we adopt as individuals and as a community of faith which center our lives on Jesus.  It’s a conscious decision to live the way of Jesus in a world of mystery.  A rule of life can contain prayer (in its various forms), worship, mission, generosity, Bible study and meditation, fellowship, and other disciplines.  A rule of life connects our behavior to Jesus, giving Jesus the opportunity to transform us into his image for the sake of the world.  

Trusting Jesus with mystery gives us the opportunity to face an unknown future as individuals and as a church.

For more than 65 years, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church has grown in faith and trust in Jesus and one another.  This trust is our superpower.  This trust empowers us to be the church God’s future will require of us.  Like the Church in Antioch, this trust in Jesus makes us a shining light in the world.

Let us hold this trust with great respect.  Let us protect it as we hold onto one another.  As your pastor I dedicate myself to its preservation.  

At the same time, let us put our trust to work.  Do not be fearful to move into God’s future.  Instead, let our trust in God and trust in one another guide us to new opportunities of faith, mission, and ministry. 

I love being your pastor.  Thank you for sharing your lives with me, trusting me with your stories, and calling me to serve you.  I still have more stories to hear and more of you to get to know beyond your names and where you normally sit in worship.  As Advent leads into 2023, let’s make getting connected a priority. 

May God strengthen us for the road ahead.

You are greatly loved, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church.

Thanks be to God.  Your Pastor.

Eric