December 14, 2008 Sermon
Youth Sunday 10:30am
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Advent 3 - Year B Youth Sunday 10:30am
Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-37 December 14, 2008
Christopher Steadman Drew Theiman & Susanna Brosseau San Angelo
Christopher Steadman:
In the words of a famous singer-songwriter:
"Anticipation...anticipation is makin' me late...keepin’ me waiting..."
I know a little something about waiting...I am, after all, a second child...and a teenager.
I had to wait to get a new bike; I had to wait to get my own room; I had to wait to get a cell phone, I have to wait to get a car...what is worse, is that most of the time I have to wait until a year after my brother gets these things before I do!
Anticipating the happening of good things is hard for anyone, but nearly impossible for children!
Advent and the coming of Christmas is a joyful time for adults, but it is excruciating for kids!
We live in a world where everyone wants everything...right now.
Take ketchup for example. It is not good enough to anticipate that great taste to compliment your fries with a slow pour from a glass bottle (with a few well-placed smacks to help); no, someone had to get smart and invent the instant gratification of the plastic squeeze bottle! We now even have the convenient individual travel size packets!
Advent...anticipating...waiting...
Well...as a teenager tired of waiting...I am thrilled to know that I don't have to wait for God's love. It is here, it is now! That is why I like the second reading for today. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances."
Sometimes,, I feel that we get so caught up in waiting for the next thing to come along in our lives that we forget to enjoy what is right in front of us.
When we are kids, we can’t wait to be teenagers. When we are teenagers, we can’t wait to be adults. I’ve been told that once you are adult, you spend a great deal of time wishing you were a kid again.
When we spend all our time hoping or anticipating something, we tend to miss out on what is right in front of us...so Paul's letter reminds us to "Rejoice always, without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances."
In all things that happen, good or bad, I know that God is with us always...no waiting...
So, next time you put ketchup on your burger or fries...whether you're a smacker, a squeezer or you like to tear with your teeth...I hope you remember that you don't have to wait for God's love.
Drew Theiman:
Although it is hard to give thanks in time of sorrow, looking at the bright side can make one appreciate things to a much greater extent.
In Thessalonians it states, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench that Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil."
We all take things for granted every once in a while, and I know I'm guilty of doing so. It's those basic, simple things that just slip our mind. For example: I am unbelievably fortunate to have a family that loves me unconditionally, and to have a roof over my head and food on my table. However, I don't rejoice about this or give thanks quite enough.
I have two of the most loving parents in the world, and sometimes I forget that I was even adopted! I thank God every day for putting me into their hands. I would thank my parents every day as well, but I thing after the first month they would get pretty annoyed. :)
The point I’m trying to make is that I take things like having loving parents for granted sometimes.
In every circumstance, whether good or bad, it is extremely important to rejoice in live. God has given me so much; and this church has helped me through a lot of those bad circumstances. I look at this church as a safe place for me to think about everything and get away from the world and gather my thoughts. I am incredibly thankful for the friends I have made here. There's always a shoulder to lean on, someone to talk to, or someone to laugh with.
I often think of the people who have made a major difference in my life in this church. Some of the ones that come to mind are; Susan Kinney, my confirmation mentor of three years who I just love and respect; Barbara Jackson who always remembers the wee ones; Dr. Wehner and Sherry who opened their home to the youth and spent so much time helping with youth activities; and Susanna, our current youth who has given me words of wisdom and guidance, but could also relate to me on a very personal level; and how could I forget our choir teacher, Jane Lewis who let my brother and I "start choir early"; and I am very fortunate, especially, to have known Ozzy Seacrest who was so instrumental in involving the youth in the church. These are just a few of the many people who have touched my life in ways I didn’t know possible. I am so fortunate to know all these people and to have them guide my formative years.
So from this day forward, I will make a point to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances."
Susanna Brosseau:
It was hard work, being a prophet. At best, you had a small group of listeners, while the rest of the world ignored you. Then, maybe, hundreds or even thousands of years after your death, somebody might say, "Oh, it turns out that Habakkuk was right all a long. I guess they should have listened." At worst, you ended up with your head on a platter at the request of a dancing girl.
Luckily, I think the expansion of our collective consciousness in the 21st century, combined with better and more accessible communication, has given modern-day prophets a bit of a break. People are more willing to hear our prophets speak, even if they don't ultimately agree with the message. And the prophets we’re most likely to encounter are ever more willing to be heard, even when the audience may shy away.
Who are these prophets? Who are these people, who will stir up our complacency, rally to a social cause, speak for the disenfranchised, and never let an argument drop until their opinions have been heard? They are...our children and youth. The kids who greeted you today, who ushered you to your seats, the ones who spoke the Word of the Lord to you and sang to you. The kids who preached to you and the ones who will share with you the blood of Christ during our Eucharist...they are our prophets.
I have seen the youth and children of Emmanuel as a social voice of our church, collecting during Advent and Lent to help those in need and singing to us with God's Word. I've seen them change our local community, bringing Christmas to families that were facing a bleak and cheerless winter and serving the hungry at the soup kitchen. And I have seen them change the world, going without food for more than 24 hours to raise money for the hungry and contributing funds to provide medical care for kind halfway around the world. Our kids have looked at all aspects or their world and said "No more. These people are sick and I am going to see to it that they are healed. No more. Those people are hungry and I am going to feed them. No more. This child has no hope, and I am going to give her a vision for the future." They are speaking and acting and living the Word of God, and I am in awe of them and deeply thankful for them every day of my life. When we see these kids, we need to look beyond our vision of them as our sons, our daughters and our students, and see them also as our prophets, the squeaky wheels in the mechanism of the church.
Parents, if this makes it any easier, keep in mind that prophets do have a peculiar knack for saying those things that we really don't want to hear!
For the rest of us, I'll share a really wise thing I heard when I was first starting out in youth ministry. One of my more experienced colleagues said to me, "You know, sometimes I really hate going to youth seminars and conventions. They'll always tell you that the youth are the future of the church. That's not true! The youth ARE the church!" I believe she was right, and I think of what she said just about every day. Our children and youth are not put on the back burner of life at Emmanuel. They worship with us, they’re actively encouraged to ask questions of us and of our clergy, and they have both the right and the responsibility to let us know when we're dropping the ball--particularly you and me, Jane, sorry--and we have the right and responsibility to respond to them in love, to help shape their faith with the help and guidance of their families, and to send them into the world to be the hands and feet and voice of Christ's body.
Please join me in praying for our children and youth.
Gracious Lord, you have given us the gift of children in our lives and in our church. Please guide them in such a way that they may one day guide others into a greater sense of your love and grace. Please lead their families and teachers too understand and love them, that they may understand and love others. Give them joy in discovery and peace in maturity, and give us all the blessed awareness of your constant presence and love. In Christ's name we pray. Amen
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Revised: 12/29/08