In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

On this day that we are marking here this morning; on this day when we make this final act of worship in a church building which is to close; on this very day, you may think it ironic that in churches throughout the land – indeed throughout the world – what is being commemorated is the Baptism of Christ.

Today here in St David’s, we are marking closure. Baptism, on the other hand, we associate with new life and new beginnings.

In Matthew’s Gospel we hear that Jesus went out to the River Jordan – along with hundreds of others.  Although he was reluctant to at first, John the Baptist baptized him and, as Jesus came up from the water, the heavens were opened to him, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove. There started something new. The beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

I wonder whether the Gospel writer Matthew is using that image of the dove as a sign of a new beginning. A fresh start. Or, a change of direction. Jesus had spent the first thirty years of his life growing up and working in the town of Nazareth. His baptism, by John the Baptist, was a turning point in his life. And, so the story goes, he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and God proclaiming that he was well-pleased with his Son, the Beloved.

Over the years, many baptisms have taken place here in this building.

When I conduct a baptism, I often say that, in blessing the water which we shall use, I like to think that I am connecting it with the many stories that there are in the Bible, where water is featured. Often the one that children recognise is the story of Noah and the Ark. You’ll remember that, according to the story, God sent the waters to flood the earth to wash away wickedness and evil and sin.  But, because God told him to, Noah and his wife and family built the ark and they and all the animals sought shelter in it. 

They survived the floods. But it took a long time for the floods to subside.

And how was Noah to know that it was safe to move out of the ark? He sent out a dove.

At first the dove returned with a small olive branch in its beak. The waters were still too high. Later on Noah sent the dove out again and, because it never returned, so the story goes, Noah knew that all was well.

The waters had gone. The wickedness had been washed away. The earth had been cleansed. Things could begin afresh.

The dove heralded the start of the next stage in the earth’s life.

Well, just to complete this little lecture on ornithology, I want you to look to the altar and to the little window above. And you will see…..a dove.

That dove, up there, could be our symbol as we embark on the next stage of our Christian journey together, in this parish.

A little earlier we paused in silence to remember and give thanks for this building and for all that it has stood for, and all that has taken place in it. We did so with sadness, but I hope as well with joy, as we looked back at many happy times.

And in this parish, we can look forward with joy as well. Joy because we are, all of us, starting a new stage in our Christian witness.

And this journey is not just about the closure of St David’s Church, full stop. 

It is about the parish of Flint looking to the future and realising that, in a changing world, we cannot afford to be like another bird – the ostrich – and bury our heads in the sand.

All around us we can see new opportunities to reach out in Christian love and care for our neighbours. But that requires us to be different.

You and I – as Christians – are being called to think not so much just about how to maintain our buildings, but how to be the Church – the people of God here in these communities.

And that can be fresh and stimulating and exciting.

When I wrote to Bishop Gregory to tell him of the PCC’s decision to close St David’s, he wrote back asking me to convey to the PCC and to the parish his “admiration for our willingness to take difficult decisions”. 

I told him of our proposal to re-dedicate the parish church as the Church of St Mary and St David. 

He hopes that it will become “a place of spiritual support and inspiration that will allow a far stronger witness to the Gospel, in the communities of Flint and Oakenholt”.

He hopes that.

I hope that.

And I hope you do as well. All of you.

Hope for the future is what our faith is about.

Now, it’s not going to happen overnight.

We need to work through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Together, we need to discern what God is calling us to.

I believe, that people, in this town, in this community and indeed all over the land, are looking for a greater sense of meaning in their lives. There is often pain and despair and a sense of hopelessness.. And sometimes, there is no-one to turn to.

We have something to offer people in need. We are called to share with them the good news of God’s forgiveness and love.

We do that by the way that we, as Christians, live our lives and by how, as the Church,  we reach out to those around us, in offering practical care and help and support where it is needed. That requires us to be focussed and committed.

And in our church life we have to be generous in spirit, understanding of one another, and willing to accept that there must be change.

At the same time, there can be no place for cynicism, for anger, or for territorialism. That is not the kind of people we are called to be.

When many of us, as babies, were baptised into the Church of God, our parents and godparents made promises on our behalf. At our confirmations, we made that commitment in our own right. And we were reminded at that occasion, by the Bishop, that God has called us by name and made us his own.  We were confirmed with his heavenly grace, anointed with his Holy Spirit, and empowered for his service.

We made that commitment out of our own free will. And we must honour it. We are members of what Peter, in his First Letter, describes as  “ a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.” That is our calling.

Today, we look back at what has been, but also we look forward to all that is yet to be.

May that dove, up in that window, here in St David’s Church, on the day it closes, be the symbol for this parish of the next stage in our Christian life and witness. 

With God at our head; with Jesus Christ as our example; and with the Holy Spirit to guide us, I pray that, in this parish, we can move forward in love and understanding for each other, and in one united commitment to serve our neigbours, in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Amen.