Place UMC, March 4, 1979
ISAIAH: 1:2-9:
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
5 Why should ye be stricken any more? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant….
A few weeks ago, I spoke to you concerning the history of this church. Together we decided that this ground, like the ground on which Moses stood beside the burning bush, is holy ground. I reminded you of District Conferences that have been held in this church, of a centennial celebration that was held here, and we were reminded that the influence of this church for the past 145 years has spread throughout this nation.
We attempted to paint a picture of a day and age which was different from ours. It was at this altar that young brides brought their grooms to establish Christian homes. it was at this altar that men, women, boys, and girls dedicated their lives to Christ. And it was into these pews that friends and kindred came to mourn the loss of souls departed. The church was a part of the life and times of the people.
In closing, we pointed out that the real purpose in the message from the burning bush was not to tell Moses that the ground on which he was standing was holy ground, but rather to lead the children of Israel to their deliverance.
The book of Isaiah deals with a period of Biblical history in which Isaiah pointed to a time when the nation of Israel would be virtually destroyed. Recurring throughout the book of Isaiah was the theme, “A Remnant Shall be Left.”
It was God’s promise to the children of Israel that regardless of the difficulties and regardless of the punishment inflicted on them, God would not utterly destroy the nation of Israel. It would always be the function of the remnant that was left to remember the true God and to return the children of Israel to the paths of righteousness.
We might wonder in a church so small as ours what is the use in continuing to struggle for existence. The character of the community has changed. Lifestyles of the people have changed, and it would be easy simply to drift into the future and to allow our church to lapse into oblivion. But from the book of Isaiah, the message rings clear as to our purpose–“Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant…”
The problem confronting this small rural church is the same problem facing many small rural churches in America today. The economic ties in the community have changed; and no doubt, if there were no church here, we would probably not be meeting to establish a new one here. The church does not appear to be the wave of the future.
Back when Edward Gibbon recounted the causes for the fall of the Roman Empire in his grand work entitled The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, one of the precipitating changes which he listed was the changing configuration of the population.
Practically within our own lifetime we have seen this country move from a rural society to an urban society. We have seen the personal relationships which grew out of the rural society and agricultural economy deteriorate; and in many instances, there is no relationship at all now among the various segments of our population. Raw emotion can flow freely under such circumstances where there is no appropriate relationship.
Perhaps some examples need to be given of the changes in personal relationships to which we refer. As one enters the church, to the right there are four bronze memorials. Mrs. Mary DeBardelaben was the person from whom we quoted extensively in our last talk on the history of the church. She had made a presentation 45 years ago on the occasion of the church’s centennial celebration. Speaking of 45 years, that’s how long Fletcher Robinson served as Sunday School Superintendent; and he is also memorialized. Dr. P. M. Lightfoot was one of the corner stones of the community, a country doctor, and land owner. Mrs. Bibb was our teacher, school principal, and friend.
In the economic, political, and agricultural life there have been people in the community like Mr. Herbert Henderson who operated a 40-mule farm and cotton gin; Mrs. Carrie Carr who operated a cotton gin and “carried” a good many of the community’s farmers. Mangum and Bessie Carr had a substantial operation employing many people; Mr. Arch Segrest was a substantial landowner, farmer and County Commissioner, and a person of considerable renown. There are others too numerous to mention. These were strong individuals; and as people of this type have slipped away from us, so has the character of the community which they represented. Without dwelling on the point, our credit is now impersonal, coming from large corporations for the most part; and that, in and of itself, has a considerable impact on the way people live and think and act.
It was from communities such as the Shorter Community that young men went forth to protect this country in World Wars I and II. I remember very well the Roll of Honor which hung on the wall at Shorter High School, and I remember that there were stars by five names, indicating that those five had paid the supreme sacrifice.
Suppose that the world today were faced with a Hitler. Where are the fountainheads–the branch heads, if you wish–in these United States from which the young men would leave, perhaps never to return, but proudly to defend?
But the prospect of cataclysmic warfare should not be required in order to illustrate the decay of our moral fiber and the courage to protect it. I believe that our rural churches are the key to calling the people into a new relationship with God and, thus, with each other. It is only on this firm foundation that the moral structure of our society can be reconstructed.
I can recall in duck ponds on cold wintry afternoons, and perhaps just after the sun has dipped beneath the horizon, a few mallards making it in to safety through the approaching night. These few issue their call to their brothers flying high overhead. Though danger might lie between the high skies and the safe lake, it would be necessary for the others to find their way through the darkness.
In the same manner, we, the remnant which is left, must issue our call.
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