My children’s message for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost (August 16, 2026). Shared at Trinity Long Island City in honor of the building’s 100th anniversary.
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I’m so glad you are here today! And I’d like to start by introducing myself. I’m Pastor Marc – and I serve a congregation just over the Hudson River in Northern New Jersey. I’ve been a pastor for twelve years and began seminary four years before that in August 2010. So I’ve been in the professional religious business for the last sixteen years. When I was in seminary, I worked at a church in Manhattan or participated in worship at my seminary campus. But before that, my church was here at Trinity. And this is the first time I’ve been in this space since right before I moved to Northern New Jersey. So – if it’s okay – I’d like to just take a moment to look around and notice everything that’s around us.
Feel free to first look around. Note the pews – and the one you would usually look at. Pay attention to what you remember – and what looks a little different. Feel free to get up and go into the places where you once were – as a lector; decorating the altar; communion assistant; where you stood when you were married and when Oliver was baptized. Look at the walls – the flag; the peeling paint. And then notice the people – who you remember, who you don’t, and who you remember being there but either moved away or are now experiencing Jesus face-to-face.
One of the things that is exciting – and difficult at the same time – is change. No matter what – things change. Sometimes that change is really exciting – like going to a new school, learning something amazing, taking a great vacation, or having an amazing experience that makes us feel happy. Some change is hard – like losing a friend, a death in the family, losing a job, or when we have to move. I’ve experienced a lot of amazing changes in my life – changes that began here when I discovered more about Jesus, about grace, about mercy, and it’s this community that nurtured me to become a pastor. Some changes, though, have been harder. Sometimes, when we want and long for, is for things to not change and we’ll do everything we can to keep things from changing or not allowing things to change because we’re scared, nervous, and anxious about what might happen when change comes. Even this building, that’s 100 years old, can feel like something in our life that doesn’t change while we are – and that stability can help us feel grounded, secured, and bring us hope. Yet, like I pointed out, even buildings change in big and small ways. Change – good, bad, or indifferent – is a part of life and our relationships, our church, our beliefs, our thoughts, our perspective, our point of view, and even our bodies – they do change. But the one thing that never changes is the promise we have from God. You – through every change – are always a beloved child of God. You – through the ups and downs – matter. And God promises that in baptism and through Jesus – God will never let you go. We will change but God’s love for you never will. And it’s that changeless promise that brings us comfort, peace, guidance, and hope as we live through all the changes life brings.