When Michaelangelo carved his sculpture of David, acknowledged the world over as an artistic masterpiece, it is significant that he chose to use marble, not Jello. Marble is a sensible substance to sculpt with.. It glistens. It has a majestic quality to it. It has to be chiseled People are not likely to come by and try to break a piece of it off to see what it tastes like.

So intrigued are people with Michaelangelo's work that the University of Stanford is currently involved in a project in Florence, Italy, that is attempting to create an accurate 3D image of the statue, a computer model that can be investigated in greater detail, and give an insight into the techniques the master craftsman used in the sculptures creation.

The tools they will use include a large scanner on a 20-foot truss that can measure distances down to a one-quarter millimeter. "The Digital Michelangelo Project", as the Stanford researchers call it, has already discovered one thing the history books got wrong. David doesn't stand 14 feet, 3 inches tall. He's 17 feet tall. An error that meant they had to redesign all their equipment to reach the top of the sculpture.

A lesser known modern sculptor, by the name of Daniel Wurtzel, has no ambition to create a replica of David, nor to map out his most minute details. No. He wants to create sculptures out of Jello and is currently involved in 'The Gelatin Sculpture Project" that he describes as "a result of consciously trying to free my mind from the traditional constraints of sculpture making. For me, this work sums up the spirit of the times in a joyous, uniquely American way, with humor, a never-before- seen sculptural presence, jewel-like visual beauty, tactile sensuality and conceptual clarity".

It is his belief that to fully realize the potential of such a concept it must be 'executed on a monumental scale', which also means he has to come up with a new recipe for Jello as, by it's nature gelatin is unreliable. It mold's, decays, spoils and melts at room temperatures. Best of luck to him, I say. Of course, right now you may be thinking, "This is all very interesting, but what on earth does it have to do with the instillation of Rev. Peter Vial?"
Well as you know, Peter is being installed not only as pastor here at Upper Glade, but also as a congregational development officer for the Presbytery of West Virginia. Although I've only been in West Virginia for a few years, I get the impression that congregational development in this state may be a process more comparable to sculpting with Jello than chiseling with marble.
There is a glorious unpredictability about this state. The one thing you can say for sure is that there is very little you can say for sure about West Virginia. There always seems to be an ebb and flow of opportunity and disappointment, a dance of the good and the not so good, and all the time the need to create something new that's faithful to the old.
It's reflected in my own little congregation in Fayetteville. We seem to have everything in place and then the unexpected happens. My dear friend and colleague in ministry, Mike Burton, last few years has been a wonderful Clerk of Session, but had a heart attack just before Easter. Praise God, he survived, but it will be a while before he's able to resume his duties.
My wonderful Sunday School Superintendent, Rachel Law, announced just a few weeks back that her husband has been relocated in his job, which means that in June their whole family have to move out of state. A lot of the congregation are involved in teaching, and there is a constant debate going on about will this school close, will that school close. Just when you think you've chiseled out a marble framework.. it all turns to Jello.
At the same time, on Easter Sunday, we received five new members, and have a couple more waiting in the wings. There's been a few new faces in the congregation. Our twice monthly Fellowship dinners are thriving. We have a study group that meets in the students discretional time at the local Middle school, that's attracting on a regular basis about 140 participants. So in some ways we are blossoming, in others it's like we are falling apart.
So Peter, I'm glad you're here! I might just need some timely advice. And I know I'm not the only one who is glad that you are here. That the congregation here at Upper Glade are extremely pleased to have a pastor once more. It's been a while.
I've had the privilege of moderating their session for the last few years, even managed to get over here and preach on one occasion when elders were ordained. It's been a two-way relationship. A couple of them have preached over in Fayetteville when I've been elsewhere. What can I tell you about the church here in Upper Glade? Well that brings me to our scripture passage from Nehemiah.
Nehemiah chapter 3 gives us a picture of the people standing side by side, working together to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. In chapter 4 we see how there is opposition towards them from all sides. Formidable foes such as Sanballat, Tobiah, Arabs, Ammonites and Ashdodites are speaking against them and ridiculing their attempts.
Harsh words are spoken. "What a bunch of losers! Trying to rebuild walls from heaps of garbage and dust! Not a hope". "Look at what they've done, it's not up to much. Why, if a little fox, should jump up on that wall, it'll all come tumbling down".
But the people aren't listening. No matter what their critics may say, verse six tells it like it is. In the King James version, it simply says, "For the people had a mind to work." Or as the N.I.V. (The 'Nearly Infallible Version') puts it "For the people worked with all their heart".
How has this congregation survived so well without a pastor for a long time? Well - like the people of Nehemiah's time, they stand side by side and invest their lives in the life of this church. The people here have a mind to work!
This area of West Virginia is not experiencing an economic boom. Major companies are not relocating their headquarters to Cowen. SuperWalMart and Target have not been prospecting for property space.
When I read some denominational publications it seems they are full of predictions of doom and gloom. There are lots of voices out there that could be as discouraging as those of Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites!
Thankfully these Upper Glade folk haven't been listening. They've been to busy -standing side by side - building the wall -closing the breaches - keeping a watch out for each other. There's a good spirit to this congregation. They pray. They respond to needs that God brings their way. They share when they are blessed. They offer a ministry of hospitality. They have folk who can preach and teach and offer the ministry of caring.
But one thing they have lacked. A pastor. A Nehemiah to provide direction when things haven't turned out as planned. Somebody with the time to get a few steps ahead of them and look at the bigger picture. So, Peter, as I say, they are glad you are here. I commend these good folk to your care.
To the members of this church, what can I say? Keep building. Keep standing together. Keep looking out for each other. Keep on praying and praising and preaching and teaching and singing and sharing and caring. Stay faithful and God will bless you and the one who seeks to minister to you.
Be open to changes and new ideas that Peter may bring. The world is changing. The church is changing. It could be that Jello sculpture Daniel Wurtzel has got it right. Maybe the time truly has come for "The Gelatin Sculpture Project" to be unleashed upon a world where nothing stays the same. Our world and God's church needs new approaches, innovative ideas, and healthy doses of holy humor.
I'm going to miss my drives over here on summer and spring nights. Maybe not the night-time winter ones, but I will miss the fellowship and spirit of your session meetings. I commend Peter to your care, knowing he is in good hands. And Peter, I commend the good folk of this church to your care, in the confidence that you will be a blessing to them.
It could be that at times your work of Church development will be more along the lines of un-chartered  Jello sculpturing rather than recreating the forms and ways of the past. Here at Upper Glade you have a group of people prepared to stand side by side - "with a mind to work". A faithful church committed to building Jerusalem in their own back yard.
May God bless the ministry that God is calling you to, both here in Upper Glade Church, and throughout the Presbytery of West Virginia.  Whether your work resembles sculpting with Jello or chiseling out of marble, may your confidence remain in the ability of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide, the death and resurrection of God's Son Jesus Christ, to forgive and empower and the Grace of God that is constantly within us and around us. AMEN.