Changed from Glory into Glory: A Pastor's Farewell

Devotional

Day 1: Changed from Glory into Glory: God’s Unfolding Work in Us

A child’s question about a hymn lyric becomes a lifelong compass. Being “changed from glory into glory” means God meets us exactly where we are while pulling us toward who we’re becoming. Like trees growing rings without rushing, our transformation happens through abiding – not achievement. This process requires embracing both the stability of roots and the discomfort of stretching. Every season of uncertainty becomes holy ground when we trust the Gardener. What feels like loss may be soil for new growth. [32:18]

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you sense God both affirming who you are today and nudging you toward growth? How might your current challenges be part of moving “from one degree of glory to another”?

Day 2: When God Calls: Wrestling with Sacred Yeses

Life’s biggest decisions often come disguised as ordinary moments – a phone call about a church vacancy, a hymn sung at the right time. Discerning God’s call requires holding our plans loosely while listening intently. Like roots feeling for water, we lean into prayer and community. The truest calls persist through both doubt and confirmation, asking not for perfect certainty but willing obedience. Saying yes to God often means grieving one shore while embracing another. [30:10]

“And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant hears.’”
(1 Samuel 3:10, ESV)

Reflection: What invitation is God repeating in your life that you’ve been hesitant to fully embrace? How might community help clarify your next faithful step?

Day 3: Roots and Branches: The Work of Staying Planted

A church’s 150-year legacy grows through ordinary faithfulness – replaced roofs, served meals, tear-soaked chapel carpets. Like trees drawing from deep roots, lasting ministry requires staying grounded in prayer while stretching toward community needs. Maintenance and mission intertwine; fixing floors becomes holy work when done for the stranger seeking God. True growth happens when we tend both the unseen roots of devotion and the visible branches of service. [37:08]

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
(Galatians 6:10, ESV)

Reflection: What practical act of maintenance or service in your life could become an act of worship if offered with renewed intention?

Day 4: Lion’s Courage: Following When Others Hesitate

Lucy’s Narnian choice mirrors our call to brave obedience. Following Christ sometimes means walking alone before others see the way. Courage isn’t fearlessness but moving forward despite trembling knees. Like trees bending in storms yet holding ground, we anchor in God’s call rather than others’ approval. Every brave yes – whether confronting injustice or speaking tender truth – helps others glimpse the Lion’s path. [54:01]

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9, ESV)

Reflection: Where is God asking you to lead even if others aren’t ready to follow? How might your courage become others’ roadmap?

Day 5: Fruitful Abiding: When Roots Feed the Harvest

A tree doesn’t strain to produce apples – it simply drinks deeply and suns itself. So with us: spiritual fruit grows through abiding, not striving. Patience blossoms when we’re rooted in God’s timeline. Kindness flows when we’re nourished by divine love. The world’s chaos meets its match in souls grounded in the River. Our work isn’t to manufacture goodness but to stay connected to the Source. [01:01:16]

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: Which fruit feels scarce in your life? What practical step could help you sink roots deeper into God’s presence to nourish it?

Sermon Summary

God’s call has framed fifteen years of shared life, beginning with the question that comes every day: “Is it God who calls?” God’s answer came through the old hymn line, “changed from glory into glory,” a phrase that names God’s steady work of loving people exactly as they are and calling them forward into the next good place.

The church’s life has shown that holy changing in baptisms and weddings, funerals and stewardship campaigns, classrooms and mission partnerships, food pantry hospitality and shelter for neighbors without homes. The congregation’s courage has kept the church standing in a trembling time, giving generously, repairing and renewing its spaces, raising up leaders, and becoming more inclusive. The church’s disagreements have also revealed care for things that matter, alongside grace enough to get over the little things.

Psalm 1 offers the image for what remains when much is changing: a tree planted by running water. God does not always answer anxious questions with a simple yes or no. God calls people deeper and closer, like roots wrapping around a mountain and drawing life from the river. The important things remain: God’s presence, God’s love, and the call to stay rooted even while branches bend in the storm.

Love stands as the first gift: “Be love. Spread love.” God’s image in human beings makes love more than a feeling or a church slogan. Love becomes flesh in words, actions, mercy, justice, covenant, and the stubborn refusal to answer hate with hate.

Courage stands as the next gift. Fear of what others might say can keep a person from following Christ into the dark, but God gives strength for the next faithful step. Curiosity and humility belong beside courage, because opinion is shallow while wisdom is deep. The Holy Spirit can send a teacher right to the church door, overturning assumptions and teaching glory to God through another person’s gratitude.

The fruit of the Spirit finally names the church’s true work. Hurry becomes terrible theology when calendars and watches become gods that silence God’s invitations. Trees do not hurry around the garden. Trees stay planted, soak up grace, and bear love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The church’s radical witness appears when kindness answers cruelty, patience answers fury, and gentleness answers arrogance.

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Key Takeaways

1. God keeps calling people forward God’s love does not leave people frozen in a good place from the past. God receives them as they are, then draws them toward the next good place of faithfulness. Change can feel like a messy muddle, yet God’s call holds both tenderness and purpose. [32:18]
2. Roots matter more than certainty Psalm 1 gives an answer deeper than yes or no: stay close to God. Roots do not eliminate wind, lightning, or bending branches, but they hold the tree in living ground. God’s presence gives stability without demanding that every future step be known beforehand. [47:50]
3. Love must become visible action God’s image calls love into bodies, words, choices, mercy, and justice. Love does not retreat into sentiment when life gets complicated or costly. Christ-shaped love answers darkness and hate without becoming darkness or hate itself. [51:28]
4. Humility leaves room for God’s surprises Opinion can harden quickly into a false kind of wisdom. The Holy Spirit often corrects assumptions through people who arrive carrying a truth that has not yet been seen. A learner’s posture makes room for gratitude, repentance, and fresh glory to God. [58:24]
5. Fruit grows from planted lives Busyness can become an idol when it decides which holy invitations deserve attention. The fruit of the Spirit comes not from frantic motion but from drawing deeply on God’s grace. Kindness, patience, gentleness, and self-control become brave resistance in a mean-spirited world.

## [61:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:03] - A Last Time in the Pulpit
[30:10] - The Question of God’s Call
[31:49] - Changed From Glory Into Glory
[34:10] - The Church’s Rummage Sale
[35:51] - Fifteen Years of Shared Life
[37:29] - A Church That Serves and Gives
[44:34] - Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Growth
[46:25] - Trees Planted by the River
[50:26] - Be Love, Spread Love
[52:28] - Be Brave and Accept Command
[55:33] - Be Curious and Humble
[59:52] - Do the Fruit
[62:31] - Paying Attention to One Wild Life
[64:09] - To God Be the Glory

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 1:1-3
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” [47:19]

Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” [27:47]

Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [39:24]

Observation questions

In Psalm 1, what does the tree receive from the streams of water, and what does it produce in its season? [47:19]
What kinds of shared moments and ministries show a church loving in both word and deed—such as worship, care during grief, shelter, food, learning, and mission? [36:02]
Which specific qualities are named as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, and which of them seem especially needed when people are cruel, furious, or arrogant? [01:01:19]
In Micah 6:8, what three things does God require, and how do justice, kindness, and humility belong together? [39:22]

Interpretation questions

Psalm 1 describes a life rooted in God rather than a life protected from every storm. What might it mean for a believer to bend in a difficult season without being uprooted? [47:29]
God’s call can lead people from one good place to the next good place. How can a believer tell the difference between change that is merely uncomfortable and change that may be drawing them closer to God? [32:36]
Micah joins doing justice with loving kindness and walking humbly. Why is humility necessary when a church or individual seeks justice in the community?
Galatians says that fruit comes from the Spirit. Why is patience, kindness, or gentleness more than a passive response when the surrounding world is harsh? [01:01:35]

Application questions

Where are you facing a question that feels like it needs a simple yes-or-no answer? What might it look like this week to “snuggle into God”—through Scripture, prayer, worship, or a trusted Christian friend—before demanding certainty? [48:05]
God loves people as they are and also calls them forward. What is one “next good place” where you sense God inviting you to grow: forgiveness, courage, generosity, service, prayer, or something else? [32:45]
“Be love. Spread love.” In one relationship, workplace situation, family tension, or online interaction, what would love become in your actual words and actions this week? [51:40]
Is there a faithful step you have avoided mainly because you are afraid of what other people might say? What would courage look like if it were simply the next faithful step, rather than having every outcome guaranteed? [54:04]
Think of a recent assumption you made about someone else. How might curiosity and humility help you listen more carefully, receive correction, or recognize what God may be teaching you through that person? [58:24]
When does busyness become a “small-g god” in your life—when your calendar, watch, or to-do list keeps you from noticing God’s invitations? What is one small way you could make room to pay attention this week? [59:56]
Which fruit of the Spirit do you most need to practice right now: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control? What concrete situation this week could become a place to practice it? [01:01:19]

Sermon Clips

43s

“The fruits of the spirit are love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self control. And if what you have to offer doesn't have that spirit, it's not from the river. When the world is cruel, your answer is kindness. When the world is impatient and furious, your answer is patience and forbearance. When the world is arrogant, your answer is gentleness and self control.”

50s

“Promise. Promise to each other to stand by each other in sickness and in health for richer and for poorer, completing our duty, giving our honor, doing justice, being merciful. Wherever you are, whatever you are up against, whatever you are mixed up in because it is where God wants you to be, there. Be love in your flesh, in your actions, in your words. Show the world how love is done. Anchor in God's love and spread like the branches of a tree. Be love, spread love.”

48s

“What does it mean to be changed from glory into glory? I stooped down right there beside her in the isle and said, honey, changed from glory into glory means that God is always loving us and always growing us. God takes us from the good place that we've gotten to, and God leads us to the next good place God wants us to be. God loves us exactly as we are, and God calls us forward to all God hopes we become.”

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