Youth Sunday Sermon: "Infinite Love," by Katie Crockford

For the Lord is good, and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

     Good morning! My name is Katie; I’m fifteen years old, and a freshman at Northwestern High School. A month or so ago, Val and I were talking about Youth Sunday and at that point no one had committed to doing the sermon yet, and I said the three words that come out of my mouth a lot around here, “I’ll do it.”

        I am sure at this point in the service, you have all noticed that this year’s Youth Sunday theme is all about God’s infinite love. Most of us since we were young children, through Sunday School classes, friends and family members, Bible studies, sermons, music and hymns, youth group, and everything in-between, have been taught numerous times, that God’s love is infinite, and that no matter what we do, He will always be loyal and love us still. But think about it for a moment. What happens when we hear the same thing repeatedly over time? Do you begin to tune it out? Do you think to yourself that you already know all about that and stop listening? Most of us probably start to do what I call “selective hearing,” meaning we begin hearing that “I know” in the back of our heads, and we stop really listening.  We think that since we’ve heard this before, we now know it all. Some of us start to interpret and edit things into what we ourselves want to hear, and not what we really need to be hearing.  Does “God Loves Me” mean I can rest on that knowledge and that is the end of the story? Or is there more to it?  What does it mean to be loved infinitely by God, and could there be a responsibility that comes with that love?   

     This morning’s scripture lesson is Psalm 100: 1-5. It begins with, “Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the Earth! Serve the Lord with celebration! Come before him with shouts of joy!

     This past summer, I had the privilege of going on my very first Salkehatchie mission trip, in Fairfield SC.  What better way to talk about serving than Salkehatchie!   Last summer, I was one of the youth who shared about my experiences from the week.  You may remember that I was on the site of a woman named Alethia Ford. She is around the age of 60, has two children, one of which lives with her, 4 grandchildren, and a few great-grandchildren. Ms. Ford runs a day care in her house, always keeping between 5 and 8 kids at once, and in all honesty was in no shape physically to look after young children. We would often find her asleep on the couch while the older children, probably around eight years old, were feeding the younger children in high chairs. There were cribs everywhere and you could hardly walk. But keeping other peoples kids, kept her bills paid.
     Ms. Ford desperately needed a new roof and her back porch stabilized. Her roof was at least two or three times bigger than the roofs on all of the other sites and we lost count of the number of leaks we found that Ms. Ford didn't even know about. When I saw the roof, the first thoughts that came to my mind were I am scared of heights, the majority of us have never been on a roof before, nor laid a finger on a nail gun, and there is no way we are going to finish on time. But I kept reminding myself that everybody was on their site for a reason and that God works miracles.”  Serve the Lord with celebration, not fear, doubt, or negativity. 

      On the first morning, we arrived at the site, did our devotion, and prepared to begin working on the roof.  All of us got on the roof and learned how to rip up shingles and use all the power tools. We knocked down two chimneys and replaced a lot of rotten wood and then re-shingled the entire thing.  Maybe we would be able to accomplish our task!  I started to feel encouraged, instead of filled with fear and doubt.  When we finished her roof later in the week, and it was time to show Ms. Ford what we had done, I was unsure about how she was going to react, and I wondered if we had done enough. She came outside, we showed her the roof, and she kept talking about us coming being such a blessing and how much she appreciated what we did, and then she began to cry. I then knew we had done all that we could. When we first met Ms. Ford, she told us that her roof had been leaking for two years now, and how she was so excited that we were coming. But the thing that she said that really stuck in my mind was, "I was so surprised to get the phone call telling me that you guys were coming. I would have never been able to pay somebody to come and fix it on my own.”   As we toured the other sites,  I was amazed at the number of homeowners on the other sites, whose house I didn't work on at all, that came up to me, gave me a hug, and thanked me for all that we had done.  We felt great at the end of the week, but that doesn’t mean that our work there was easy for us. I can promise that by the end of the week, there were times that some of us felt like giving up.  We here hot.  We were tired, and we were dirty.  The heat index reached 105 degrees, every bone in our bodies hurt, and for me when my whole entire body broke out in an itchy rash from the fiberglass in the shingles, serving with a joyful heart and celebration wasn’t always the first thing that came to my mind and heart.  It wasn’t always easy, but we did it. We did it because we persevered with open minds and hearts and because of that, we were able to receive the abundant joy that comes from serving. We saw how much our work impacted Ms. Ford’s life.

Serve the Lord with celebration, even if, and maybe especially if you are hot, tired, and dirty.  Nowhere does it say to serve the Lord when it is comfortable and easy.   I am glad we didn’t give up.  After that week, I can promise that when you serve others the way God wants you to, you will receive just as much as you gave, if not more, when you keep an open mind.  Serve the Lord with celebration, and lives are changed.  Sometimes the life changed is yours.  

     I want you to think about it for a minute. When you serve the church, do you do it with a joyful heart?  Are you happy to be teaching Sunday school, serving in the nursery, helping with Vacation Bible School, or serving in a more behind the scenes way that may seem boring and underappreciated?  Do you hide from the leadership of the church when you know you are about to be asked to serve?  (You can’t deny it; I have seen you do it). Do you respond with joy, or do you search your mind for excuses not to serve? Excuses like someone else will do it.  I have done my time.  I don’t have time to take on one more thing.  I don’t mind helping, but I don’t want to do that and I really don’t want to be in charge.  From the time my family and I first came to St. John’s, serving the church has become a major part of my life. I have taught rotation Sunday School, helped with iServe, gone on a few mission trips, walked for many years in the CROP walk, acolyted, I serve on Youth Council, play the trumpet in some of the worship services, sing in the adult choir, and even assist with the children’s choirs, just to name a few of the ways that I have found to get involved.  If there is anything that I have learned from doing so much around this church, is when you allow it to happen, serving with celebration is the easy part.  Joy will be a part of serving if you open your heart and mind enough to let it in. I will never forget one year during Vacation Bible School, when I walked down the stairs into the Core and the group of three year olds that I had been crew leading throughout the week, saw me and came running all at once to give me a hug. I can promise you, I was serving with celebration that day.  Sometimes it is the little things from serving that bring the joy and celebration. Things like the hugs from the kids, the smile you can bring to someone’s face, or when someone like Ms. Ford at Salkehatchie tears up from appreciation for what we did. Serve the Lord with celebration, and God’s joy will fill your heart. 

Psalm 100:3

Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the Lord is God— he made us; we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep of his own pasture.” About a year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to go with my mom to a church in Charlotte and hear Marian Wright Edelman speak. For those of you who may not have heard of her, she is an advocate for children and one of those people that can make an entire room fall silent and go completely still when she stands up to speak. One of the things that she said that day really sticks out in my mind when I hear this verse. She said, ““When Jesus Christ asked little children to come to him, he didn't say only rich children, or White children, or children with two-parent families, or children who didn't have a mental or physical handicap. He said, "Let all children come unto me." As humans, this is something that we tend to forget. We discriminate against those who look different than us, have different family dynamics, or different amounts of money, instead of looking at what’s on the inside. We forget that He made each of us, and everyone belongs to him. After spending the last few years in middle school and almost a full year in high school, I have had a first-hand look at what happens when we forget that everyone is sacred in God’s eyes.  I have watched people disrespect, isolate, insult and make fun of others.  Sometimes I have experienced it myself.   He made us.  We are his people.  We belong to Him.  All of us.  What do you do every week to welcome God’s children to this place, to make sure that the church is never a place where someone else is degraded or disrespected?  Do you see everyone that you encounter as a sheep in your same pasture?  Do you welcome everyone to this place with an open heart, open mind, and an open door, as the United Methodist Church advertising campaign suggests? 

Psalm 100:4-5

Psalm 100: 4-5 says, “Enter his gates with thanks; enter his courtyards with praise! Thank him! Bless his name!”

     When you got here this morning, did you suddenly remember that today is Youth Sunday and go, “Oh man, the pastors aren’t preaching today,” or the choir or the praise bands aren’t singing, or the organ isn’t being played this morning.” When you walked through the doors this morning, were you still mad at the person driving the car in front of you that was driving twenty miles under the speed limit that made you run late to church?”   Are you grumbling about someone with whom you disagree?  Enter his gates with thanks; enter his courtyards with praise, not negativity, frustration or the petty annoyances that we sometimes allow to take over our lives.  We have a lot to be thankful for!  Take time today to thank God for the blessings we have in each of our lives and as a congregation. 

“Because The Lord is good, his loyal love lasts forever.  His faithfulness lasts generation after generation.” 

     When we close our ears to the things that we have heard repeatedly, we miss what matters the most.  We hear God loves us and that He will always be loyal, but sometimes we miss the responsibility that comes with that. You can be a member of the country club, the gym, a school club of some sort, but ultimately being a member of the church means more than belonging to a group of people. His faithfulness lasts generation after generation because someone before you recognized that they were the avenue through which God’s infinite love could reach the next generation.  Because they were loved by God, they accepted the responsibility to share that love with others.  Now it is your turn.  Serve the Lord with celebration, know that we all belong to Him, enter his gates with thanks, and his faithfulness will last from generation to generation.  Let your commitment to Christ lead others to the infinite love that God has for each of us.  Amen. 

Bread – Staff Devotion for March 4, 2014 by Frances Duncan, Director of Senior Adult Ministries

                All of you know my passion for making bread. I have always loved to bake, and bread fascinated me with all the different kinds and textures. A little over 25 years ago my sister-in-law, Frances Wrenn, gave me a cup of sourdough starter someone had given her. I made the bread and decided this was a recipe that I liked. I worked with it – made a few changes and my journey with making bread continues. My greatest joy is to share my bread with others.

                The starter is very important to the success of the bread. The starter is water, sugar and potato flakes that have fermented and fed the yeast. The yeast is very important to the end product – your bread. The yeast makes the dough rise and become airy and soft and good to eat.

                The starter has to be fed on a regular basis or the yeast will die. It must be fed, used, refrigerated, fed, used, refrigerated, etc.  If this process is followed the starter can be kept going for a long time. If the process is not kept up the starter will literally die. That means there will be no active yeast to make the dough rise.

                Bread nourishes our bodies and gives us strength for our work and play each day. References about bread are found in different circumstances in the Bible. There are several that probably come to mind. The story in the Old Testament of God feeding the children of Israel the manna from heaven that kept them alive in the wilderness. In John’s gospel, Jesus says “I am the bread of life.” And then when was in the upper room with his disciples he took bread – broke it and said this is my body broken for you. Probably the one to come to mind most is the request in the Lord’s Prayer – give us this day our daily bread.

                When Jesus says “I am the bread of life,” we understand the central place God has in our lives. When we ask for our daily bread, we are seeking more than bread to eat – we are asking for strength and grace to do the things God would have us do.

                God offers us many kinds of starter gifts – skills, talents, love, and grace to name a few. Just like our bread starter we have to take care of them. We have to feed them so they may feed others. If we don’t share our skills and gifts, they will die for lack of use. When we accept God’s love and grace we can then share with others God’s greatest gift, Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Dear God,

                We thank you for our daily bread. We thank you for all the love and grace and forgiveness and peace you have given us. May we always be ready to share these gifts with others.

                Dear God, we praise you for the gift of your Son Jesus, the Bread of Life, who unites us all. Guide us now as we work to do those things you would have us do. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Positive Vibes by Lauren Reinhardt

I could feel my stomach churn and somersault. Knowing what I ought to do but doing the opposite has that unsettling effect on my gut. But it wasn’t enough, and the words still bubbled out: “Good luck tomorrow. I’ll be thinking about you and sending positive vibes your way.”

Seriously? What is a positive vibe? And just how are my thoughts going to be of any benefit locked inside my thick, obstinate skull?

Why couldn’t I have just said what I was thinking: “I hope your surgery goes well; I will be praying for you.”?

If it had been a church friend, I would have had no problem saying that. But a work colleague out in Washington state that I was literally introducing myself to and speaking with for the very first time? Apparently, I’m not so bold.

In fact, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I caved and took the easy way out. I chose words that had no real or specific meaning, opting instead for the general and vague. But more importantly, I missed an opportunity to share my faith.  

Sharing your faith doesn't have to be complicated. But it does mean using some specific words, and I’m pretty sure “good luck” and “positive vibes” aren’t quite what Jesus expects of us.

Sure, it’s nice to let people know you are thinking of them. But the choice of words is important. By including, “I will pray for you,” I would have showed just a glimmer of my faith, as well as a caring interest in his well being. But that glimmer might have given him courage to ask about my faith, or open a dialogue; it might have bolstered his own faith; or it might have been a little water on a seed planted – or the seed itself! No opportunity is too small for us to show and share our faith – or for God to do mighty, miraculous work through us!

I have an accountability group of sisters in Christ, and one commitment I’ve made this year is to find ways to be a blessing and in so doing live out my faith. Looks like I still have plenty of room for improvement. Thank goodness for grace. Now, ya’ll pray that I (and we!) do better next time.

God's Signs by Dana Hamilton

My first pregnancy quickly ended in a miscarriage. I was devastated. My whole life I knew I wanted a big family. Many thoughts went through my mind, and I was furious that I was going through all that pain. I was so depressed and didn't understand why.

My sweet husband has spoiled me and been there for me since we were 14 years old.  To show his love and support, he let me pick out a piece of jewelry. Although my husbands sweet gesture did not take the pain away, it did lifted my spirits and make me feel so loved and blessed to have such a loving husband. I chose an aquamarine ring. I loved the stone, although I had no connection to that birthstone. The next month I was pregnant. My son’s birthstone is the beautiful aquamarine.

Some may think its coincidence, but I know my God sent me my angels, Whit, and later, his little sister Cecilia. Whether coincidence or not, God has blessed me with my children and the aquamarine ring reminds me of this.  I wear that ring everyday. I don't know why I went through that pain, but I do know I am now more thankful for my children. God has sent me so many "signs" in my life, and I am so thankful for all that he has shown me. 

God had Another Plan by Lacy Ngo

The summer before my senior year my best friend and I visited Charleston, SC.  We had so much fun.  While we were there we went to a fancy hair place to get our hair done, ate wonderful seafood, and most importantly visited the College of Charleston. The college and the town were beautiful and exciting.  We both knew after that trip that we wanted to go to the College of Charleston for college, and we knew we wanted to be roommates.  We even got excited when we saw the grocery store and the Blockbuster movie store where we were going to do our shopping and renting together.   We bought College of Charleston t-shirts and bumper stickers for our cars.  I was so excited about going to College of Charleston with my best friend that I applied the first week of  high school my senior year.  After all, I wanted to be sure that I got in.  I hoped I would get in;  I made mostly straight A’s in school (I made a B in Freshman Focus, which was a class aimed at helping freshman adjust to school, discussed peer pressure, saying no to drugs, and gave a review of math and English.  I made another B in gym.  Ok I was what you would call a “girly” girl).  My friend  was just as excited so she applied the second week of school.  The forth week of school my friend got her acceptance letter.  I was excited for her, but I wondered why I hadn’t heard anything yet.  I waited…  A month passed, and I still hadn’t heard.  I hadn’t even gotten a letter saying that College of Charleston had received my application.  By then my parents and I were worried that my application had gotten lost in the mail so my Dad called to see if they had, in fact, received the package.  The admissions department said they had received my application and that I had been put on the waiting list for acceptance.  My friend had actually gotten what they called early acceptance.  This confused me because, although my friends grades were good, I was a school fanatic.  Grades were close to a top priority for me.  I later realized that College of Charleston was basing early acceptance on the SAT scores.  My friend had scored a few points higher than me.     I started to fear that I would not get into the school I wanted , and I also realized that I needed to have other options.  I decided to look around and apply to other schools as well .  I also applied to three other schools, one being Clemson.  They all accepted me soon after I applied.  Then I began to visit the other schools.  I had visited two out of three of the schools and still wanted to go to College of Charleston.     Clemson was the only school left to visit.  So January of that year, I headed off to Clemson with my parents.  As we were pulling up to the campus my heart began to beat faster, and I felt a feeling I had not felt for another school.  I had not even gotten out of the car yet, and I was telling my parents that this might be the school.  When I got out of the car and did the tour with the tour guide, I knew it!  It felt right; this was the place I wanted to go.  I was sure.  As we drove home, my Dad asked, “What if you got a letter of acceptance from College of Charleston tomorrow?”  I told my Dad, “Even if College of Charleston accepted me tomorrow,  I was going to Clemson.”   Strangely, the very next day I got a letter of acceptance from College of Charleston.    I  felt a chill when I realized that  I didn’t get accepted until the day after I had decided not to go there.  I felt sure that God knew what path he had wanted me to take.  He knew that if I had gotten into College of Charleston before that day that I would have gone there.  All I can say is God had other plans for me.  He knows what he was doing.  After all, I would not have married my husband, and I majored in something not offered at College of Charleston.  I now love my career.  The change of plans, changed my life drastically in more ways than I can even imagine.  

Fulfilling Freedom Moment by Katie Crockford

Fulfilling Freedom Moment

     Good morning! My name is Katie and a week or so ago, Jimmy and Kandy Hamilton asked me if I would be willing to do a Fulfilling Freedom moment. They said that I could talk about anything that had to do with the new building, the campaign, or what the church means to me in general. My first reaction was sure, this should be easy, but then I began to really think about it. I began to realize just how much is here at the church that I take for granted and just how much all of it means to me. But I knew, I couldn't cover everything in one morning, so I would like to share my testimony with you guys about how I learned to serve God and the church, through the old building, the new building, and the Fulfilling Freedom campaign.

      To start off with, my family and I have been a part of this church since my mom, Sarah, became the Children's Director here, in the year of 2001. Some people might say that church for them is a place to pray, a place to hear and learn the word of God, or an environment of people that share the same beliefs as them, but if someone were to ask what the church is to me, I would say a second home and a second family. 

    

      When my family and I first joined St. John's, I was 2 years old and my grandfather had just passed away after a long battle with brain tumors and a series of strokes. To say that his death was devastating to our family would be an understatement, and starting off at a new church and for my mom a new job during such hard times, quite frankly was nerve-racking. But it didn't take us long to realize that we had nothing to be nervous about. St. John's seemed to be the church where we fit in. We were welcomed by many people and it was clear to us that St. John's was the church where we were meant to be.

     At the time we joined, it was just my mom, my dad, me, and my grandmother, Lesley, who decided to join with us. I would like to take a minute to share my perspective of what St. Johns was like at that time, before the new building. I was only 2, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. There was a total of 4 nursery classrooms and one children's bathroom. I can remember spending many Sunday mornings in this area. There were several kids crammed into each classroom and there was not a lot of space to move around. My mom’s office was in the library across from the sanctuary, away from all the other staff. There was not yet a preschool program, the after school program was crammed in Huddleston Hall, there was no Contemporary worship service, or rotation Sunday school for the elementary aged kids. I can also remember many Vacation Bible Schools where all of the kids were crammed into the sanctuary instead of having the open space of the core.

     A few years later, when I was about 4 or 5 years old, and my brother was born, I began hearing talk about a new children's and youth building being built, and I became excited. I can remember my mom telling me about the new rotation Sunday school program we would have and how the nursery was going to grow. But along with everyone's excitement, I can remember lots of people feeling uneasy about such a big change in the church. People were always asking whether or not it was really a good idea and why couldn't we just leave things the way they were. But I can assure you that everything was well worth it in the end.

     When the building was complete, I was in the 3rd grade and the changes in St. John's were unbelievable. There are now nursery classrooms for every age group with plenty of space, a preschool that consists of nearly 150 children and a very long waiting list, a full after-school program with its own space and much more. I can remember starting rotation Sunday school. Our first rotation was all about Daniel and the Lion's Den, and instead of just reading about it, we got to learn about it through music, movies, cooking, drama, and art. Through the new building, the church has also added a Contemporary worship service, a new space for Quest, and well you get the point. The list goes on and on. But then there was one problem. St. Johns was now in a lot of trouble financially because the new building put the church in a lot of debt. I can remember everyone being stressed out all the time wondering what we were going to do to fix the problem. A few years later I began hearing talk about the Fulfilling Freedom Campaign.

     I am ashamed to say it, but I have to admit that I was one of those people that wasn't too sure about the campaign at first. I had a lot of what-if questions. Questions like what if no-one commits to giving anything, and even if they do, what if people don't follow through with what they committed to? But, boy was I wrong. In fact, I get the honor this morning of announcing to you that the church has now raised $1,432,113.80. I would also like to add that through the campaign, not only has the church grown through the financial part of the campaign, but I have also noticed the church growing closer together as a family through serving on the various committees and so forth.

     Now you are probably wondering what this has to do with how I learned to serve the church and why in the world am I telling you things about the building that you may already know, but I am getting to that. I count myself blessed because as I have grown, I have gotten to see the church grow in its ministries as well. When the church added a building just for the children and youth, I realized that we are expected to make up a part of the church as well and that serving in the church isn't just for the adults. I realized there was a reason the church made such a sacrifice for the children and youth-- so we could have a better opportunity to know what it is to be a disciple. Since the new building, I have become an active volunteer in things like iServe, teaching rotation Sunday school, assisting with children's choirs, playing the trumpet during some of the services, helping with Vacation Bible School, acolyting, many years of the CROP walk, serving on the youth council, mission trips such as Salkehatchie, and even things like Journey to Bethlehem. Some people assume that I participate in all of those things because my mom works here and I don't have a choice, but they're wrong. On occasion something will be out of my comfort zone, and I will have to think with the "do it for Jesus and get over it" mindset, but most everything is done by choice. Over the past several years, I have grown to love serving in the church and most of it is by choice because I love spending time here. The congregation and staff have helped raise me and over the years have all become my church family which I would not trade for anything. Thank you!