Fifty years ago, on November 22, 1953, this sanctuary was consecrated. The congregation had outgrown the sanctuary located at 4th & Arizona that had served as its home since 1895. Construction of the Education Building had not yet begun, but the congregation was now ready to move into this new home for worship. Five different services were held on that Sunday: 8:30 am, 9:45 am, 11:15 am, 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm. It was reported that a total of 4,500 people attended that day to hear sermons and prayers by Methodist leaders such as Bishop James Baker, Bishop Gerald Kennedy, Dr. Roy Smith of First Methodist – Los Angeles, and the senior pastor of this congregation at that time, Dr. Kenny Carlson. It was, by all accounts, a day of great joy and celebration.

The Lay Leader of our congregation then was Roy Naylor. Before he passed away, Roy shared a story with me about the building of this sanctuary. Kenny Carlson was one of the most influential and visible pastors in this congregation’s 128-year history. He was, therefore, a very important part of the planning to construct a new sanctuary. During the building campaign that raised funds for construction, Dr. Carlson suffered a heart attack. Roy recounted how anxious everyone was about continuing with this project; the senior pastor of the church was incapacitated. Then Roy’s eyes sparkled as he told how the laity of the church pulled together in that time of crisis and successfully raised the pledges needed to continue the project. They realized then that as important as Dr. Carlson was, he was not the church. No pastor is “the church.” The church exists because of the laity who constitute this community of faith in Jesus Christ. This magnificent building that we still worship in to this day is one of their great legacies.

I hope that you will take a few moments today following the service to join us in the courtyard for refreshments, and in the Fireside Room to see an exhibit that Ralph and Marilyn Hedges and Marie Rourke have put together for us. They have gone through our historical records and found many interesting photographs, newspaper articles and other materials about the building of this sanctuary. This congregation has a rich history and it is important that we appreciate the great tradition that has been created here.

In the Old Testament lesson this morning, we heard another story where the people had to overcome obstacles to rebuild another house of God. The book of Ezra tells the story of the return of the Jews to Jerusalem following their exile in Babylon. In 587 BCE, the people of Israel suffered greatly at the hands of the Babylonians: the Temple was destroyed, the city of Jerusalem was sacked, and the people were either killed or sent into exile. Fifty years later, the people began to return to Jerusalem to rebuild both the city and the Temple. Cyrus, the King of Persia who liberated the Jews from their captivity, returned the sacred vessels and issued the edict that the Temple should be rebuilt. He says to Sheshbazaar, leader of the Jews: “Take these vessels; go and put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” (Ezra 5:15)

Of course that was a great day of rejoicing and celebration. The people of Israel were going home, and they were now given permission to rebuild the center of their religious life. Yet the very next sentence in the scripture hints at the difficulties that lay ahead: “Then this Sheshbazaar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it has been under construction, and not yet finished.” (Ezra 5:16). We find out later that only a small percentage of the Jews actually returned from exile; many had put down roots in Babylon and refused to come back. Some of those who did return opposed the rebuilding of the Temple, resulting in a work stoppage and a long delay. The Second Temple was finally completed after almost 25 years of on-and-off construction.

That’s the part of the story that is most instructive for us as Christians today. Building the house of God is not easy, and I don’t just mean the physical building. I am also talking about the church in terms of its mission and service to others. There are many delays and obstacles to overcome. There are disagreements about how to go about it that have to be worked out. Building a church is a constant, changing process, one that will never reach its conclusion until Christ comes again to establish a new kingdom on earth. Until that time, we are faced with making the tough decisions of how we are going to serve in the name of Christ.

Today we not only celebrate our past, but we also anticipate our future as First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica. What will we look 50 years from today? What will our children and grandchildren say that we did to serve Christ in this community? It is appropriate that we consider that future on this day. Christ the King Sunday marks the end of the liturgical year for the church. This is the day that we celebrate the reign of Christ in our lives. There will come a day when God’s kingdom is fully realized. There will be a new heaven and a new earth where God “will wipe every tear from their eyes” and “death will be no more, mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” (Rev 21:4) That is our ultimate hope for the future.

Today we also consecrate our 2004 pledges that will fund the ministries of this church next year. Step back and think of how many people this congregation has touched since we moved here 50 years ago. How much beautiful music has been performed? How many inspiring sermons have been preached? How many baptisms and confirmations and weddings and funerals have been performed? How many classes have been taught? How many meals have been shared?

We in this generation have been given a great legacy from the previous generations. We also have been given a great responsibility. Those who have gone before us entrusted that we would continue to serve this community in a variety of ways. We have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future with your prayers, presence gifts and service. In a few moments, we are going to come forward and deposit our 2004 pledges in the box up front. Just as we have re-consecrated our sanctuary with our prayers today, we are going to consecrate these new gifts for our future work. As you come forward, remember all those who sacrificed much to bring us to this time in our history. May God bless us and guide us as we build upon that tradition and prepare the way for the generation that follows us in another 50 years.

Amen.