First Congregational United Church of Christ – Eugene, Oregon Page 1 of 3

“Adjusted Expectations” Sermon by Rev. Diane K. Hooge July 14, 2013

In the 1970s, the only campsites I remember around the city were the ones on campus used by students who were determined to get into MacArthur Court for a home game. If UCLA was coming to town, the site of the encampment increased. When I left Eugene in 1983, one of my favorite memories was the good times at Mac Court, fondly known as “The Pit.” The then ivy-covered building was the home of the basketball team known as the “Kamikaze Kids” (perhaps a name that would not have been used today). But, before even arriving at the stadium, there was the ritual of listening to Uncle Fuzzy and Wendy Ray on KUGN as we circled the blocks looking for parking. Then there was the long walk, most often in the rain, with the energy of all the other fans headed in the same direction, all still listening to the same pre-game show. We would arrive at the ivy-covered Mac Court to be greeted with the familiar green-jacketed ticket taker and then with the U of O pep band working up a frenzy in the crowd, we would begin the hike up the stairs to sit in the seats joining with the other familiar season-ticket holders. If you were some of those fans who experienced John Wooden on the UCLA bench when Oregon won the game, then you know the terrifying thrill that came with watching the scoreboard swaying over the court with the Oregon fight song blaring, as the crowd was united in stomping their feet and screaming for joy. Moving back to Eugene a year ago has required some adjusted expectations. There are some 66,000-plus additional citizens. KUGN feels very unfamiliar. There are now special bus systems to get one to the stellar Matthew Knight arena, with its unique court with the tall firs that show up so clearly on national TV embedded in the floor. There is no longer a Chase Gardens Gift and Flower shop, no longer a Reed and Cross, no longer an Edman’s Furniture. Fifth Street Market has gone upscale…but there is still the Saturday Market and the Country Fair! Even when much is familiar, there are still adjustments. Today’s text is about adjusted expectations. Most of the deeper adjusted expectations of our lives are often associated with wilderness experiences. Many of us can point to those out of our childhood. As adults we encounter more of them. Changing health issues often send us into the wilderness; expecting to have a child and being told we can’t; expecting to have a certain professional position and having it elude us; expecting certain behaviors from our families and finding ourselves disappointed. Often it is these times of adjusting our expectations that we opt to shift our priorities, and we get clear on where we will spend our energy and where we won’t. Our scripture lesson today is about sharing a segment of the journey. It is about adjusted expectations. Genesis 11:31 gives us the information that Terah, Abraham’s father, has every intention of moving to Canaan. The text informs us that he took his son Abram and daughter-in-law Sarah, along with his grandson Lot, and they all went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, the text informs us that they settled there instead of going on to Canaan. And we are told that Terah eventually died and was buried in Haran. We are given no reasons for Terah’s decision to settle in Haran. Did he find the good life in Haran? Did he determine that Canaan couldn’t possibly be any better than Haran? This is a puzzling piece of history. We have no way of knowing if he abandoned his dreams or if he found fulfillment enroute to Canaan. We are given the reality of one who modified his dreams. We are given an example of how dreams can be fulfilled through other people. What was not carried out in Terah’s lifetime was carried out through his son Abraham’s life. The quest for dreams—for freedom—for liberation—are not always met in one’s own lifetime. First Congregational United Church of Christ – Eugene, Oregon Page 2 of 3

Ghandi preached freedom for India, but he didn’t experience freedom. Moses never entered Canaan, in spite of spending 40 years leading the people through the desert. Martin Luther King, Jr. passed on his dreams. There is risk in dreams. Dreams may be passed on—but they are not always claimed. And dreams are often the property of the powerless, for those with little power often only have their dreams. Those with power often have too much to lose to dream. Abraham is the faith figure of the one who inaugurates the new era. Faith takes different forms with different generations. Although Terah didn’t actually enter the Promised Land, I believe that Abraham carried his father with him into Canaan. He carried Terah’s dreams. Just as there were adjusted expectations with Terah on his journey, so there have been adjusted expectations within this congregation. Two weeks ago I led the final forum on our interim journey. I talked about the expectations of this congregation that began in October of 2010 when Pastor Greg Flint announced his retirement date of June 2012. The plan was in place. The congregation was prepared for the crossing that would take place a year ago as a new Senior Pastor was called. Everything was being checked off the list in preparation for the change in leadership. All the final parties were being planned to say goodbye to Pastor Greg and his wife Susan. There were two months to go; and then the unexpected happened. A letter from the moderator to the congregation arrived in everyone’s mailbox. It stated that the candidate had decided that he needed to say “no” to being presented as the Search Committee’s choice for the new Senior Pastor. Everything came to a stop. The party and final Sunday of beloved Pastor Greg went off as planned, but now there was a new committee formed called “The Next Steps Committee.” The committee discerned that a separate Search needed to be set up to call an Intentional Interim Pastor. The Senior Pastor Search Committee, after having caught their breath, decided to keep-on-keeping-on. And the congregation entered into what we might call the land of Haran—the in-between chapter of the church’s life. I believe that God brought us together as Interim Pastor and church in transition. Together we have walked through the feelings that come with grief, frustration and disappointment when things don’t happen on the timeline that we hoped for. As our Interim banner states, “Trust in God with all your heart and Spirit will lead.” The Spirit has led. This past year has been about taking the time to reflect, review and listen. In this season that I’m calling Haran, we’ve had a chance to work together to discern God’s invitation into the future. It hasn’t just been about waiting for the Search Committee to find the next Senior Pastor, although that is a critical piece. It has been about the whole community becoming more united and spending time taking a look at the systems and policies (both written and unwritten). It’s been about discerning how this community is being invited by God to move into its future. We have looked at ways to promote growth and shore up systems. Today I give thanks for the journey that we shared together in preparation for receiving your new Senior Pastor. Thank you for your acceptance, welcome and willingness to be in partnership as we reflected on the past and prepared for the future. I celebrate the deepening strength of the leadership. I give thanks for the sense of unity within the congregation. Abraham could have seen his father Terah as stubborn – someone stuck on the journey and a failure for not having reached his goal. Or, he could see his father as someone who took people on a journey as far as he could lead them.

First Congregational United Church of Christ – Eugene, Oregon Page 3 of 3

The foundation of our faith journeys has been laid by the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. You know the people who have impacted your life: -people who pushed you because they believed in you. -people who modeled following their commitments. -people who may not have accomplished all that they wanted to accomplish, but you recognized the faithfulness of their journey. Pioneering comes for each of us when we claim our authority in the God who has called us into new arenas. It demands adjusted expectations. The crossing to the new land comes even when we’ve been called to go – and we don’t know the answer to “where.” One knows they are blessed not when one has gotten rid of dangers, risks and burdens, but when one has been given the strength to bear them. That’s what Abraham represented. The essence of his journey was his faithfulness to God. You are stepping out of the Haran interim time and you are headed for your future. Just like Abraham carried the dreams of his father Terah from Haran to Canaan, so you carry the dreams of so many of the faithful who have died: Bob Mangers, John and Ruth Bascom, Rev. Nicholson, Beverly Schull, LaVern Barnhard, Don King, Fred Kinsman…and the list goes on. The new beginning is in motion. This week Rev. Jonathan Morgan arrives to close the sale of his new home and to begin his transition to Eugene and this faith community. The Spirit is leading. There will be new calls on the life of this congregation as you join in partnership with Rev. Morgan…and I am trusting that Spirit will lead me to where I’m to serve in the next segment of my journey. Faith means being bound together in trust. Faith means stepping out with no clear end in sight. Faith means accepting and embracing adjusted expectations. Faith means remembering: remembering that we worship a God who has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Thanks be to God. Amen.