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The sixtieth anniversary of CCC and the beginning of the "God is Still Speaking" Campaign are about identity: who we are as Christ Congregational Church, and who we are as the United Church of Christ. A local psychiatrist recently asked in a new book: what is a person’s true identity? Who are you? He wrote that you are not what you think, you are not what you feel, you are not what you intend. You are what you do. In a church what we think and feel and intend are very important. But most important is what we do. It has been said that the words of Micah 6:6-8 sum up God’s purposes for us. The prophet says, "What does God require of you? Do justice. Practice loving kindness. And walk humbly with your God." Justice – compassion – and a daily journey with God. All three are active, not passive. All three involve deeds, not just thoughts, feelings, and intentions. The Jews have a word in Hebrew: mitzvah. It means a deed in which God’s Word is enacted, where the sacred is made present. Deeds of justice. Deeds of compassion. And a step by step walk with God. It has been said that walking with God in this way is not us walking out in front of God or back behind God, but us walking beside God – like a young boy walking beside his father and engaging in conversation. Or a young girl walking beside her mother and learning about the world. Interactive. In this walk with God we are engaged with a God who is "still speaking." Not just long, long ago. Not just in a book of sacred text. But now. This is our identity. There is more light and truth to break forth. Watch. Listen. "Never put a period where God has put a comma. God is still speaking." That is the UCC identity. Incidentally, you may be interested to know that fundamentalist TV preacher Pat Robertson’s response to this is that we got it wrong. He said recently "Never put a comma where God has put a period. God has spoken." And there, I would say, lies all the difference.

Has God spoken to the people of Christ Congregational Church in the past? Yes. Is God still speaking? You bet. An anniversary is a great time to look back and celebrate with appreciation. And, just as importantly, it is a time to look forward with hope and anticipation. What does a look back over the last sixty years tell us about CCC? How have we met Micah’s charge to do justice, act kindly, and walk humbly with God? What footprints have God and we left behind on that walk? I believe that again and again those who came before us, and those now among us, have engaged in deeds of justice and compassion - both in our gathered life as a congregation, and in our community. We have embodied honesty, integrity, acceptance, forgiveness, and inclusion. We have stood up for the least ones among us and worked on their behalf. There are so many stories to tell. At the luncheon after worship you will hear some of them. And look at some of those footprints.

In the second chapter of the Book of Acts, we find that almost too good to be true picture of the early Christian community. Shared possessions. Prayer and teaching and caring and wonders. It was attractive. "See how they love one another!" said the world. What a labor of love to create a church – then and sixty years ago. When our first worshipping community at CCC met at the old Blair High School, each Sunday it took two and a half hours to set up for worship in the gym and as much time to clean up afterwards and put things away. All done by volunteers for years. What love!

The quality of a faith community is shown by how inclusive its welcome is. When in the 1950’s more and more African-American folks were attracted to this church, some members approached founding pastor John McClelland to complain. They did not want an integrated church. His answer to them was "Well, that is how it is going to be. And that’s that." And some white families left. But more came. And they came because of such courage – such love embodied in deeds – was attractive. Our decision-making style at CCC, based on inviting everyone into the process, is certainly right and mature. But our living history reminds us that the important decisions that have shaped this church were decisions for change and deliberations that involved conflict. Change and conflict are at the heart of a living church. They ought never to be seen as signs of failure. Failure happens when change and conflict are avoided, or when they are not managed in healthy and loving ways. Many aspects of life at CCC that we take for granted were in fact hard-won. Contentious issues of the past were faced and struggled through. It wasn’t always the case that women and men exercised equal status as leaders in our congregation. All male deacons gave way to male and female deacons. But even then women were not allowed to serve communion. At the luncheon you will hear Kay White’s remembrance of how that came about. The War in Vietnam divided the congregation and, for a time, even divided individual families. The ordination of a lesbian to ministry in the United Church of Christ evoked intense disagreements twenty years ago. Our voting to become a Just-Peace Church and an Open and Affirming Congregation – all these issues and more, including deciding to use the inclusive language New Century Hymnal – all involved facing conflict, opting for change, and hanging together through it.

This quality of love has expressed itself in many striking and unusual ways. The absolutely unswerving devotion to Rev. Joey Noble as she struggled with the cancer that would take her life. We shouldn’t forget how hard that was: for her, of course, but for us. But such was the sense of solidarity and love that we stuck together. And her example became a powerful kind of ministry in itself. For many her illness and death precipitated a spiritual crisis. Facing such suffering involved spiritual conflict and spiritual change and led to spiritual growth. And such was the courage of our congregation that even as we grieved for her, we chose to move ahead with an ambitious building program.

What mattered during all these times was not just what we thought, or felt, or intended. What mattered was what we did.

What of the future? We will face today’s and tomorrow’s challenges in the same way we have done in the past: by recognizing the need to change and facing the conflicts that come inevitably with change. To quote John McClelland, "That is the way it’s going to be. And that’s that." What are those issues? I believe the hardest issues return to us in the guise of new demons. As Jesus said when evil spirits are cast out, they hang out elsewhere for a while, and then circle back on you. CCC has a commendable history in facing the reality of racism. In our early years we began reaching out to what were then called "the negro slums" of East Silver Spring. A cross was once burned on our front lawn in protest to our support for wrongly accused black youth. Our eight year association with Faith United Church bore much fruit. All good. But the fact is that we are less racially diverse now than perhaps ever before. Why is that? What does it mean? Our undertaking the Anti-Racism Initiative and the recent Racism Audit are important steps in looking at and trying to understand what is happening and do something about it. You will hear an important update on that initiative this afternoon.

We have a proud history in helping develop our community – Emergency Homes, Inc. led to the founding of the Housing Opportunity Commission of Montgomery County. Extended Hand was literally a hands-on approach to helping poor people reclaim their dignity. This church and its pastor Bob Marston were instrumental in founding Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen and many from this congregation helped Progress Place become a reality. But while we can celebrate these successes, the numbers of homeless grow, locally and nationwide. The number of people in poverty is on the rise. And while the retail and cultural development of downtown Silver Spring is at last a reality, we see that to the East of us the Long Branch community continues to stagnate. Despite major attention from county government and community groups, problems of drugs, violence, delinquency, and now gangs are on the rise. And yet again our nation is engaged in a bitter and divisive foreign war.

And finally, the rejection by the major networks of the new UCC TV spot serves to heighten our awareness that we live in a time of religious, political, and social ferment - a time when a simple and direct message of church welcome and inclusion is deemed "too controversial." TV executives openly state that the decision to reject this ad was motivated by the Executive Branch of Government’s opposition to gay marriage (which is not depicted in the ad, and, in any event, no UCC body at any level that I am aware of has officially advocated). Free speech is reigned in through fear of the government and the religious right. It is clear to me that the very least we can do as people of faith is state our identity: this is who we are as Christians. We will speak for ourselves. We do not speak for those who, in the name of Christ, bully, misrepresent, oppress, exclude, or put people on trial for being who God created them to be. That is not the United Church of Christ, nor is it Christ Congregational Church. It is time to reclaim our identity as a city upon a hill, as a light to the world. That is who we are. So let’s do it. AMEN.

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