You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:6)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (I Peter 2: 9-10)

Each year at the time of the Annual Parish Meeting we try to take stock of where we have been and where we are going. Just two months ago we celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of our parish looking back over the contributions of many people who gave of their time, treasure and talents so that we might have this place where God might be worshipped and glorified where we as traditional Anglican Christians might follow what Bishop George David Cummins, the founder of the Reformed Episcopal Church called "the old paths of our fathers". Being an Anglican means having a deep and rich connection to the past. The Bible, the Creeds, The Book of Common Prayer and the Articles of Religion link us to the Historic Church via the English Reformation. As Anglicans we are a covenant people called to holy worship of a Holy God.

We have been blessed with capable leadership in the wardens, vestry, trustees, finance committee, EMC committee, teachers, workers, musicians and youth group. In so many ways we have done an exceptional job for a small church.

But last year we had our challenges as well as our successes. The parking lot expansion has been very difficult. We had to undergo major repairs after hurricane Ike. Last year, for the first time since 2002, we had a small net loss of seven in membership. We struggled with attendance for bible study and attendance of weeknight holy days. This very cold winter, attendance has been down on Sundays. For our parish to prosper we need to be here for each other and we need to participate in the life of our church.

Today, however, I also want to focus on a vision for the future that is faithful to this rich heritage of the past. In addition to the successes of the past, we look ahead and dream dreams of what we might be as a parish, as part of the Reformed Episcopal Church and as part of an ongoing renewal of the Anglican Way in North America. We have wonderful opportunities to grow in faith and in numbers.

What does it mean when Scripture declares that we are to be a Holy Nation and a Kingdom of Priests? To be a priest is to offer sacrifice. To be holy is to be "set apart", to be sacred or separate. In what sense are we called to be "priests" and in what sense are we "set apart"?

The model might be found in Jesus: He is in the World but not of the World — When we examine our relation ship to God through faith in Jesus Christ, the concept of the covenant is a good reminder of what we should be.

In fact the covenant is an agreement, and the story of Jesus and what this means is found in the writings that we call the New Testament, or the New Covenant.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, God invites us into His family, His people, His church. We are not forced to have faith, or coerced into being obedient. But when we do express faith in Jesus, it brings responsibility. We are now the ones who have been charged with both being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

St. Peter picks up on this theme in I Peter 2: 9-10 — This passage applies the language of the covenant to the church — He says to his readers that "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him who has brought you out of darkness. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

We have received mercy, and that brings a covenant responsibility. Note that the initiative of God again is seen in the idea of a chosen race, that the concept of priesthood is evident for the Christians, that the idea of a holy nation is most evident for the church, and that God has made a claim on his people — we belong to His Kingdom of Priests and are part of His Holy Nation.

Christ Himself has brought us out of spiritual darkness and into His light. Christ is the "light of the world" and we are called to reflect that light in how we relate to each other and how we model Christ in our lives.

A priest offers sacrifice. Since Christ's offering of Himself on the cross has eliminated the need for future bloody sacrifices, ours must be the offering of "ourselves, our souls and bodies" and the offering of "our praise and thanksgiving."

On the one hand we have ethical and moral responsibilities to our fellow human beings. We owe gratitude and thanksgiving to God. We have an obligation to become a community of faith within the larger community. Part of that is witnessing our faith in the world.

Trying to fulfill both responsibilities of this covenant is not easy. We need to strive toward being a moral and ethical people on the one hand, and a mission and ministering people on the other.

As a parish I would like to see us focus this year on the following two goals:

First, we need a renewed commitment to our worship and bible study. During Lent we will begin our Wednesday evening services again and it is my hope that we can continue these after Lent. Our four Lenten talks on Wednesdays will be on some aspects of Christian discipline that are a focus of the Lenten season: prayer, fasting, self-sacrifice, and keeping the feats of the church. These are all areas where we can grow spiritually.

Second, I hope we can have a new commitment to growing our parish God's way. That means a focus on evangelism — inviting friends and family to church, making it friendly and attractive to visitors. Sharing the Good News of the hope that in each of us through Jesus Christ.

A holy people are not perfect people. We are forgiven people, a people with a mission and a ministry — we are a priestly people — touching the lives of those that we encounter and being a better and better church family by modeling love, compassion, mercy, and forbearance with a living faith. We are to offer "ourselves, our souls and bodies" as living sacrifices. It is in this holiness and ministry that we find our true joy and happiness.

When we live lives of faith, and are good stewards of the small things God has given us, we can be assured that He will give us stewardship over greater things and make us more like Himself. We are indeed called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, and we are called upon to live out these challenges trusting that the Lord has prepared a great future for us.

You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.