LillyAnna Kuehl
March 6, 2011

Sermon:

I have a story to share about this sermon. I thought the words would come to me when I was in a quiet place with my bible next to me. But that was when I had a writer's block. Most of it came to me on a chaotic plane ride. The ride was bumpy and loud and the TV's were going. But as I looked out the window to the beautiful sunset I started to type. It all came rushing to me. Barely taking my eyes off of the sky, I saw it turn from bright blue to seeing city lights down below me. Before I knew it my computer was loosing battery and I saved. I saw God in the sunset, in the city lights, and in the bumps from the clouds. Inspiration came to me from the kids in the seats across from me and the elderly man sitting next to me and the steward offering me drinks. God is everywhere.

In the Psalm today, it asks "Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans... the rulers plot together against the Lord." The nations don't trust in God, they plan to break free from God's slavery. Is going against God, becoming free? He is our creator, just like a fish cannot live without water and a tree cannot live without soil. We cannot be complete without God.

Moses waited on the mountain for forty seven days. He went through a spiritual transformation in the cloud at the top of the mountain. As we go through many phases in our lives, we learn to trust God. We experience a transformation from middle school to high school. We want to become more independent from our parents. We become teenagers. As teenagers become more independent from parents they learn their own passions. When I started to move away from my parents reign I learned that I enjoy community service and going out with my friends. Even though I became more independent from my parents I also became more dependent on my faith and God. I started to explore the Christian faith in my own ways. Taking charge of Acolytes, spending a week at Mfuge, and joining the Diocesan Youth Council allowed me to see the world differently. Mfuge lets me experience other people’s lifestyles and I become thankful for my family and friends. The DYC helps me see how fortunate we are. Many don't have the chance we do. Us, as a small congregation can depend on one another like family. The church has gone through its transformations whether it's through priests or refurbishing the kitchen. Just like the Lion King, we do go through the circle of life. People start out as infants and go through a phase of dirty diapers and crying all night long. Then toddlers start waddling and saying Dada, after they get the walking concept down they start walking away from the parents. ??Already want freedom?? Sunday school is next. Is heaven really in the clouds??? Can I walk on the clouds? Imagination takes over the 5 year olds as they draw scribbles but then turn around and say its mommy. God is in those drawings and he is in the clouds. Now can we really walk on clouds? I don't think so because we'd fall through. But I’d like to think angels fly up there. Now the children are old enough and they constantly hear that they are the children of God. Well aren't we all the children of God, no matter how old. Noah was 400 when he was asked to build the ark. As the kids enter Middle School, they get their first taste of freedom and reality. Mom isn't walking me to the bus stop anymore. I get to choose what I want to wear. Stereotypes form along with cliques but in between all of that I am learning who I am. The biggest question in life is WHO AM I?

WHO AM I? I am LillyAnna. I am a female. I am 16. I am a sister. I am a daughter. I am a friend. But does that answer the biggest question? Through the transformation of middle school to high school, you develop who you are. I am an animal lover. I love collecting spoons. Chili's is my favorite place to eat with my friends. I don't care whether its 5 minutes or 2 hours I love driving. My close friends mean everything to me. Through the conflicts, stereotypes, and cliques in middle school, I learn who I want to be. Even though conflicts, bullying, and teasing can hurt they eventually shape who you become. But also putting a smile on your friend's face as your in church during sermon or sharing and inside joke with your best friend will shape who you are. Some of us, okay maybe just me, don't understand sarcasm?? But hey it makes everyone laugh when I finally get the joke after 10 minutes.

So you may ask me, how does this relate to God or the readings today? As teenagers learn their likes and dislikes, they expand on their faith as well. Have you ever not been able to trust someone? Well in the first readings, the disciples didn't fully trust that Jesus was the messiah because they believed Elijah would come back to get things prepared. It wasn't until after Jesus’ sermon that they realized he came back as the Baptist John. Through difficult times of adolescence we forget to trust God that everything will be okay. Moses goes through the spiritual transformation just as people do. He took a period of time to concentrate on his faith. As we enter confirmation and the renewal of our baptismal vows, we take time away from school, sports and our passions to concentrate on our faith. As I became less dependent on my parents, I found myself to become more dependent on God. I found my faith in the prayers before a big test or a prayer that my application for DYC would be accepted. A prayer for my first flight by myself. We experience God through our actions and the actions of others. Gathering around the table saying Thank You for this meal, or playing a board game with family and being happy. We are here to do God's work, and spread his word. One way to spread his word is through smiling. But what happens when something goes wrong. You start to ask why?

WHY?? The common 4 year old question, but how many times a day do you ask why? My question to you is have you ever looked at the definition of why in the dictionary? Well I decided to tell you what it means anyway. Why is for what reason or what cause. So in psalm 2, "For what reason are the nations so angry? For what cause do they waste their times with futile plans" Why waste your time questioning God? Do God's work and accept his way. He will guide you through the challenging times and smile with you during the happy times. We cannot be complete without God.