Today's Sermon

 

"Community"

Ana Colwell, Wilson Adkins, Mia Mayzel 

Matthew 10:5-15
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town.”

Matthew 19:13-15
Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.

Our sermon today was given by three members of our high school Confirmation class.  Two of the three did not use a manuscript.  Below is a summary of the sermon.

Ana -
     Now that I am becoming a member of Westminster church and finishing the process of confirmation, I’ve reflected on what my responsibility is when becoming a part of this community. In summer of 2019, I made my “decision” (more of a forceful decision by my parents) to attend a mission trip in Santa Cruz. I was very unsure of the idea of going to this church retreat for a week in the summer. Thinking I was going to read and annotate the bible the whole week I dreaded this trip. Don’t get me wrong, if that's your style then I am all for it, but being an energetic teenager, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of doing that one of my precious weeks of summer. I was then put in a car with 5 other unfamiliar faces. And trust me…the awkward silence spoke for itself and we had no idea who anyone was or how to break tension. Upon arrival, we started to do ice breakers. Slowly everyone on the mission trip crept out of their shells and the room was filled with laughs that were contagious.

We were given projects to choose from for the week – the Homeless Garden, St. Francis kitchen, and the Boys and Girls club. I chose the Boys and Girls club, and for a week was constantly being dragged around to play barbies, Legos, dodge ball and more. At the end of this joyful week, I reflected on how I was in the beginning of the trip. I was a typical, “no one look at me I am embarrassed awkward teenager” to now wanting to really get to know middle schoolers who I am now friends with.

Three years later from this experience I consider my peers I worked with, my second family. A break from stress in my life when walking through the doors of Westminster and always being greeted by my church friends in a warm welcoming. To Ben's colorful outfits, Olivia's soccer injury experiences, or Jeff's high school stories, I always leave this church with a smile on my face. I found my responsibility as a part of the church, to dive deeper into meaningful friendships and expand by including our local community into relationships we’ve now made with each other. While our love for this church builds the foundation, our open mindedness to new ideas structures us, and our differences as individuals brings us closer together as a community to what makes up Westminster. 

 

Wilson -

• The church youth group is really supportive, safe place
• We can make the “real world” like that so we feel that way everywhere
• “Fill my bucket” book from when I was young is memorable
• Filling someone's bucket doesn't have to be a big thing, maybe it's just a quick complement
• After pandemic, we really need to share our love for each other
• My school project on the tradition of Brumalia, is an example for how to 'fill someone's bucket'
• I need community, you need community
• Jesus sent disciples out on what could be considered the first mission trip
• We, too, are sent out to love our neighbors. God is calling us to say that today

 

Mia -
We’ve chosen the theme of community.  What does it mean to be part of a community and what do you need to do to expand your community?

• Branch out
• Don’t worry about the awkwardness of not having talked to someone
• Be in the right mindset
• Be OK if people aren’t ready
• Jesus loves everyone, including the sick, the poor, and the children. So we are called to love everyone as well.