Sermon for Sunday May 11, 2008

In the reading from Corinthians we heard this passage: “There are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” Each person has distinctive qualities that set them apart from everyone else. Each person is unique. There is no other person like them. People are like snow flakes. No two patterns are the same. Our personalities make us individuals. We each have our own gifts, and we put these gifts to use in our own ways.

For example, I am a procrastinator, but my friend Alex is able to complete any homework assignment on the day it is assigned no matter if it is due the next day or in three weeks. He has the will power to come home from school and start doing school-related things all over again. No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to make myself do this, and I admire his work ethic.

Another one of my friends I admire is Kelly. I have never seen that girl upset about anything. She seems to let nothing bother her. She always has a smile on her face, and I can always count on her to just be “Kelly”.

In our group of friends, we call Sarianne and Lauren the honorary banders. In the past, they have come to support us at a lot of football games, marching band competitions, and concert festivals. They even came to our band banquet last night. They put up with us at lunch when we complain about band, and when we lost our chance to go to state this year, they threw a party to cheer us up. It takes a lot to put up with us sometimes, but no one could be better at it than they are.

My mom is another person who puts up with a lot. We may not always see eye to eye on things, but we still love each other. She has helped me with so much my senior year: staying up late with me to finish scholarship essays, taking me to visit college campuses, and when the colleges I picked out didn’t seem to fit me anymore, she helped me to find somewhere I liked much better. She calls me Goldilocks sometimes because I can hardly ever make up my mind, but she has the gift of patience to stick right there with me. I guess what I am trying to say is I love you, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day to you and all the mothers here today.

Life is a matter of attitude. I always try to look at things positively. My friend Josh has taught me a lot about attitude towards life. Josh was born prematurely, causing him to have several difficulties with his lungs. He lost his leg as a baby, and he has had breathing problems all his life. He has missed more than thirty days just this school year because he has been out for so many surgeries, but through it all he has kept a brave face. I am so proud of him! I have never heard him complain about his situation, and not a single day has gone by that he has not cracked at least one joke about his leg. Every day, my group of friends and I like to come up with new uses for his leg. Some of the best suggestions come from Josh himself. He likes to use his leg as a pillow and as a cup holder for his water bottle. He often takes off his leg to lend it to someone so that they may “threaten” someone with it, and our friend Nik likes to use it as a prop when he puts on an act for us. Even Josh’s nickname, Pegleg, suits him.

Josh was voted “Most Respected” in our senior class, and I do not know a single person who deserves that title more. There are no words to describe my admiration for Josh. I cannot even begin to imagine going through what he has gone through. He is the strongest person I know, and when I say he is my hero, I mean it. Josh truly has a gift. He can take on anything that is thrown at him, and he will do it all with a smile on his face. Knowing him has changed my outlook on life.

Here at Calvary, I have been able to share some of the gifts I was given with you all. For the past ten years, I have had the opportunity to serve as an acolyte. I began acolyting because I liked helping Father Ben at the 9:15 service so much. He would ask the kids to volunteer to help serve communion, and I always loved it when it was my turn. As my family got older, we started attending the 11:00 service, and I was disappointed I did not have the opportunity to be more involved in the service anymore. At a time when they were very few acolytes, I joined the team, and I have enjoyed it ever since.

My favorite part of an acolyte’s job is serving in the nave. I like the fact that Calvary offers communion from the nave because it includes everyone. No one is left out if they wish to receive. I like helping people, and when they need it, I am glad to offer them my assistance back to their pew.

Acolyting has directed me toward a career path of physical therapy. I want to help people walk better, and I believe this is the right thing for me. I thank you all for giving me this opportunity to share my gifts with you.

Sometimes, it amazes me how many different kinds of people with different gifts there are in this world, and then I remember that God is pretty amazing. As in Corinthians, “All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”

Amen

Haley Hensley

Youth Sunday/The Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday

May 11, 2008