Joint Sermon by Hannah and Kathryn Grace Cathedral in Topeka, KS January 18, 2009
Hi,
my name is Hannah. Miqra, which is Hebrew for "reading," is a three-day
event for the youth of the Diocese of Kansas and the highlight of my
year. Miqra challenges the participants to read the Bible, out loud,
taking turns in shifts in seventy-two hours. We started reading on
Friday (yesterday), and we'll end sometime tonight or in the early
hours of tomorrow, Sunday morning. I'm excited. It's always such a
ridiculous and fantastic feeling of giddiness, knowing that we have
accomplished such an incredible goal.
I am always encouraged
and strengthened by words that come out of this weekend. They guide me
through the sadness and frustration that seems to come with being a
human being. Miqra gives me the courage to go on with Christ. It is
truly one of the most extraordinary and beautiful experiences in my
life.
"O Lord, you have searched me out and known me. You know
when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far
away." I love Psalms. They're full of human emotion; full of
praise, doubt, passion, fear, life, sorrow, love. . . I know these
emotions; I've lived through these feelings. I can relate to them. We
all can. That's how God calls to us. You see, God understands us. He
knows us. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, our fears, our passions,
our lives. . . He knows our very bones.
I'm working on a
piece of artwork for my senior portfolio. It's 72" x 30", a collage
of a human skeleton, a skeleton just about my size. It's almost a
self-portrait, but not quite. The background will be filled in with
pictures: my family - my sister and my brothers; my friends; places
that I understand - youth events, Chicago, home; everything and
everyone I love. . .pictures that are my life and my heart. I will
write on the bones of this skeleton. They will be consumed with the
words of God: the words of Psalms and Samuel, Matthew and Luke, Genesis
and Revelations. Those words remind me of who I am in God. They
confirm my faith in His goodness. They give me hope in the chaos of
life. They bring out His unending and forgiving love. They remind me
that the word of God is etched into my very soul.
Miqra is
always wake up call for me. I am completely overwhelmed with joy and
peace that only this weekend can bring. I can feel God, physically,
pressing into my skin, breathing with me. It is utterly
awe-inspiring. Time stops, for just a split second, and I can almost
understand. . .
Thank God for Miqra. Thank God for this
beautiful doorway to faith. Thank God for this incredible work of
passion and love. Thank God for the youth sitting right in front of
me. And thank God for you, my friends, for you have given us the
opportunity to learn in the sacred home.
Remember that we are known, and loved, and cherished children of Christ.
* * *
Hi,
my name is Kathryn. Miqra is so different than any other diocesan youth
event: it has a prevalent spiritual nature unlike any other. I
experience God by listening to what He has to say and am grounded by
His love through the wonderful and talented people here this weekend.
God's people.
Last year, the Cathedral's youth choir surprised
us with a private performance in which they sang Compline. I remember
in vivid detail: the peaceful silence as we filed into the pews, the
dim light, and our anticipation as ten singers made their way to the
front. After a deep breathe, the first chord rang throughout the hall,
followed by a truly wonderful sequence of harmonies and solos. As those
ancient and holy words filled the air, we knew were not alone; the Holy
Spirit was with us. The ups and downs of the music left a celestial
aura, and when the choir filed off the stage, they left a good two
minutes of awed silence- an eternity in a room full of teenagers.
Music
very much speaks to me. I play the violin with a local church's
orchestra, and when we were trying to think of t-shirt ideas, I found
this quote: "God created music so that me might pray without words."
What an incredible concept--to be so spiritually in-touch with God
without ever having to form a sentence. But then again, music is a very
spiritual experience: it has been said that Mozart is God's laughter;
Beethoven, God's fire, and Bach is his Word.
As many of us have
heard before, God is in everything, he knows everything and loves
everything; and yet there are still those times when it is so hard to
know and trust in God. As so for many of us, but especially teenagers,
it is very difficult to believe and trust in something so abstract as
God and the Holy Spirit, particularly when at the same time we are
being drilled in the fundamentals of algebra and chemistry. Faith is
not easy to hold onto when we are so often disappointed or confused.
This
is my last year attending Miqra as a youth. I'm starting to write
scholarship essays and I'm off to college next year. I can't help but
question these important decisions. I'm certain of one thing, however:
signs. God will call me, just as he's called before, just as he called
Samuel. So when the time comes, I hope my eyes and ears are open to
listen to God, whether through music note or a dinner-table lecture by
my, and follow.
Hearing the word of God, out loud, these past
few days, has renewed a hope that will not be difficult to lose in our
uncertain world. But I will hold on. The scriptures have reminded me of
the hope and love God has for everything and everyone, reminded me of
the help that will always be there should I ever need it; but now it is
up to me to see, or hear, what will always be there. Amen.
Kathryn attends Saint Michael's and All Angels; Shawnee Mission, KS Hannah attends St. James Episcopal Church; Wichita, KS
You can learn more about Miqra in the Diocese of Kansas here: www.episcopal-ks.org/youth/miqra.html