"Standing at the crossroads: Behold I am doing a new thing"

Message for Sunday, July 19, 2026

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Good morning friends!

 

We stand today at a crossroads that feels heavy, uncertain, and, to many, deeply frightening. Our pastor has departed, and with that departure, a painful proposal was left behind: the recommendation that it is time for Emanuel to close its doors forever. The doomsayer looked at our shrinking numbers, our aging congregation, looked at our bank accounts, and looked out the windows at a changing Woodhaven, and declared that our story is over.

 

But I stand before you today not just as your deacon, and not just as your fellow lay servant, but as someone whose heart is entirely bound to this house of God. I am here to tell you that God is not done with Emanuel Church. A building is just brick and mortar, but a church is made of living stones. Our pastor may have resigned, but Jesus Christ has not resigned from this congregation! 

 

Our bible reading today comes from Isaiah 43:19: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

 

When Isaiah wrote these words, God's people were in exile. Their world had completely changed, their old ways of worship were gone, and they felt abandoned in a spiritual desert. They were looking backward, mourning what used to be. It is easy for us to do the same. We remember when the pews of Emanuel were filled with familiar faces, decades ago, when the neighborhood shared one history. 

 

But Woodhaven of today has changed. The streets around us are filled with new nationalities, new accents, new cultures, and new families. The doomsayers look at these changing demographics and see a threat. They see a reason to lock our doors and walk away. But brothers and sisters, where the world sees a threat, the Kingdom of God sees a harvest field.

 

As I stand at this pulpit today, I look out at these pews and I see more than just a room. I see a century and a half of faith. For 150 years, this church has stood as a beacon of hope at the crossroads of Woodhaven.

 

This legacy is deeply personal to my family. My brother Eric, who serves faithfully as our treasurer, and I are the third generation of the Ackermann family to worship, serve, and give of ourselves right here in this sanctuary. Our family’s history is woven into the very fabric of Emanuel.

 

I tell you this because Eric and I talked long and hard this week about our future. And we want to say to you clearly, from the bottom of our hearts: we did not inherit 150 years of faith just to watch it be extinguished by a wave of fear. Our family and so many of your families wants to see Emanuel continue to live, thrive, and share Jesus’ love for many years to come.

 

That 150-year legacy isn't a monument to a dying past; it is a foundation for a living future. If we can look at a changing Woodhaven and see a beautiful field of opportunity rather than a reason to quit, then I know this entire congregation can do the same.

 

God asks us a piercing question through the prophet Isaiah: "Do you not perceive it?" 

 

Revitalization begins when we change our outlook. If we look at our new neighbors through the eyes of fear, we will close. But if we look at them through the eyes of Christ, we will see an incredible opportunity for outreach. God has brought the nations of the world right to our doorstep in Woodhaven. They need the same hope, the same grace, and the same love that has sustained this church for a century and a half.

 

We cannot survive by trying to be a museum of the past. We must become a greenhouse for the future. This means opening our hearts, our ears, and our doors to the people who actually live in our community today. It means learning new ways to serve, new ways to worship, and new ways to love.

 

The easiest thing to do would be to turn off the lights, lock the doors, and agree with the doomsayer. Mourning is easy; resurrection takes work. But we serve a God of resurrection.

 

Let us honor the past, and honor the multi-generational faithfulness of everyone who built this place, by building a bridge to the future. Let us prove that Emanuel—which means "God with us"—is truly living up to its name. We will not close. We will reach out. We will welcome the changing nationalities of Woodhaven with open arms, and together, we will watch this desert stream with new life.

 

Deacon Arthur S. Ackermann