20161109 (farewell to Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian)

Youth Sunday at FHC - forming and empowering the young

I will miss you very much my

Brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thank you on behalf of myself

And my family for the welcoming

And sustaining love you have so 

Many times selflessly extended 

To us in our joy and in our grief.

Since 1977 we together have with

Fervent worship and majestic artistry 

Celebrated and praised our loving

Creator, Who made us in His image

And likeness that we might share

In His life forever, and His Son,

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who became

One of us and suffered ignominious

Crucifixion and death to sever

The bonds of evil which held us

Captive, and the Holy Spirit Who 

Guides and protects us every 

Moment of our lives. Grateful for 

Courageous and learned ministers 

Who have led us in worship 

And instructed us in sacred study,

We are also blessed with gifted 

Artists and talented singers to

Help us raise our voices in praise.

With Jesus as our guide we are 

Today pulling from our hearts 

The thorns of historical and 

Institutional racism. With Jesus

As our guide we must challenge

The systems which keep the many

Poor and make the few obscenely 

Rich. With Jesus as our guide we

Strive against the fear and hatred

That preclude our hospitality to 

Strangers. With Jesus as our guide

We must struggle to save all 

Nature from ruin out of greed.

But above all I must alert you

To the peril of placing our

Trust in violence, weapons, 

And war instead of in God Who 

Alone is our defender from

Those insane with power who 

Can unleash the stockpile of hell,

Putting an end to all of God’s good 

Creation on this earth forever.

Fearful and ungrounded we have

Sickly lusted for dominion

Among the nations which is

God’s alone. It is the root of 

Our genocide, slavery, racism,

Inequity, and imperialism. 

God commands us not to kill, 

Yet much of our national wealth

Depends on the manufacture, use,

And sale of deathworks to other

Nations. We could instead lead

Those others out of the shadows

Of death and destruction, whom 

We now prefer to subjugate by

Ultimate terror, by an example

Of forsaking war, disarming,

Alone if necessary, and 

Trusting in God, our Maker,

Our Savior, and our Protector.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, 

For they will be called 

Children of God.” Matthew 5: 9

c. J.S.Manista, 2016