This sermon is based on John 17:20-26. Click here to listen to an audio version of this sermon.
About 12 years ago, on a beautiful Palm Sunday morning, I was running around with some of the other kids my age, playing with the palms we had received earlier from the parade. After a while, however, something strange peaked my interest. The entire congregation seemed to be gathered around a central location in the churchyard, where a wrought-iron fence surrounds a grave. I jostled through the crowd to see what the commotion was about, and to my 6-year-old amusement, I saw that my little brother had somehow wedged his head between two of the iron bars in the fence. Thankfully, the struggle was resolved thanks to an ingenious application of Crisco to my brother’s head.
What may seem like a completely irrelevant story is actually very indicative of the type of community we have at Trinity and the type of community that has nurtured me my whole life. In today’s gospel, Jesus prays for his disciples and for all Christians. He says: “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known, in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and that I myself may be in them.” In this passage, within the scope of our history, Jesus describes a sort of chain reaction. He prays that his disciples will remain close to him and know him so that they will pass their knowledge to the next group of eager listeners, who will pass on their knowledge, and so on. The way I see it, Trinity has been a part of this reaction. Growing up in the Trinity community, I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by people who love nothing more than to spread Jesus’ love and mission everyday, through example as much as through word.
In boys’ choir with Mrs. Taylor, I learned to use my voice to praise God and gained a love for music that has stayed with me to this day. “Going to the top of the class” is still probably the best praise I’ve ever received, and all those hours under the guidance of Mrs. Taylor and the adult choir helped me see the beauty in God’s music. Volunteering for the noon lunch program with youth group helped me gain an appreciation for the abundant life God has given me, and I learned firsthand the great feeling that helping others can give. Every year when I volunteered for the Christmas Eve dinner, as I found myself enveloped in the spirit of receiving, it was incredibly refreshing to be reminded of the true reason for the Christmas season. As middle and high school rolled by, Mike, Wendy, Muffy, Paul and Elizabeth made sure all of us in J2A and Senior High remembered to make room for God somewhere in between our hectic teenage lives. Above all, from a young age, seeing so many people joyfully giving their time for others left a huge impact on my character and how I have interpreted God’s message.
Jesus said: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” Jesus prayed for all Christians to lead by example and to pass the good news on to each successive generation. In reflection, as I teeter between youth and adulthood, I am both incredibly grateful for the support and guidance this church has given me and completely ready to begin spreading the word of God myself. Amen.
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