Homily for the Closing Service

‘You have not passed this way before’. Those words from Joshua resonate with us today. They were first spoken to a people standing at the edge of the Jordan, between one chapter and another. Behind them lay years of wilderness journeying; before them lay a land promised by God but not yet known by them. They were not simply moving to a new place – they were entering a new reality. Joshua’s instruction was practical and spiritual – follow the ark and keep your eyes on the presence of God.

Today we gather at a crossing of our own. This is the last day of Church House here at 5 to 7 Muswell Hill. For many years this place has been more than simply an address. It has been a centre of administration, conversation, planning, decision-making, hospitality and prayerful service. Much of what has happened here has not been visible to the wider church, but it has mattered. In countless ordinary tasks, the life of the Province has been served.

Today is a day of thanksgiving. We give thanks for current and past members of staff – for diligence, patience, humour, loyalty, professional skill and personal kindness. We give thanks for all who have attended to the countless details without which the Church’s wider ministry would not have functioned.

We also give thanks for current and former members of the Provincial Board, recognising the responsibility carried in decisions about buildings, finance, ministry and structures. Such decisions are never merely technical – they touch people’s lives, memories and hopes.

But today is also a day of sadness. To close a building is never simply to lock a door, because buildings hold memories. For some, Church House has been a familiar destination, for others a workplace and a community. Because this move is accompanied by the departure of some staff, today also marks the end of roles, routines and years of service.

The people in our Bible reading did not cross the Jordan easily. They had to leave the place where they had camped and trust a way not yet visible. The river stood between them and the future, and it was bursting its banks. God did not wait until the crossing looked manageable. The people were called to move when the obstacle was real and courage was needed.

That image speaks to us now. The move from Muswell Hill to Fulneck offers new possibilities, but it also involves disruption, cost and loss. We should not rush too quickly to say, ‘Everything will be fine’, if that leaves no space for grief. Christian hope is not the refusal to acknowledge pain, but the confidence that God is present in it, and that God’s purposes will continue beyond what is ending.

At the heart of the reading was the ark of the covenant. The people were not told to follow Joshua’s confidence, their own enthusiasm, or a carefully drawn map. They were told to follow the sign of God’s presence. The ark went ahead, and the people followed. That is something the Church needs to remember at moments of change. Buildings matter, but they are not eternal. Structures matter, but they are not our salvation.

There was another important detail in the reading. The priests stepped into the water before the crossing became clear. Faith often calls us to do just that. We want certainty before we move, but God often gives enough light only for the next step. On this last day in Muswell Hill, we do not know exactly how the relocation to Fulneck will shape the Province. But we know that the God who has been faithful here will not cease to be faithful there.

That is the most important lesson of this reading and one we need to carry from this place. The address of Church House will change. The way things work will change. Some of us will move into a new chapter of life. But the calling remains – to serve Christ, to build up the Church, to bear witness to the gospel, and to do so with humility, courage and love.

So today we remember faithful service, difficult meetings, shared laughter, pastoral conversations, and decisions made with the best wisdom available at the time. We ask for God’s blessing on those who are leaving us, and on those whose work will continue in Fulneck.

‘You have not passed this way before’. It is true that we have not. But the Israelites discovered that the unknown way was not an abandoned way. God had gone before them, had been among them, and had made a path where no path seemed possible. As we close this chapter in Muswell Hill and look towards Fulneck, may we do so with thanksgiving for the past, courage for the journey ahead, and faith in the living God who still leads his people onward.

Amen.