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Good morning –
Let us pray.
Dear God, we thank you for the youth of this church and for guiding them to this moment in time as they prepare for graduation, college, adulthood and a life beyond Wilton. May the future bring each of their dreams ever closer and may they always be secure in the knowledge that you will be with them every step of the way. May your spirit that glows so brightly in each of their hearts continue to light the path ahead and may their wisdom always guide them at every fork in the road.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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It is a tremendous privilege to be standing here this
morning as we recognize our High School Seniors as they prepare for not only
graduation, but also the world beyond the bubble that is Wilton, Connecticut. I
have to admit that I was somewhat taken aback when
To do justice to this moment – to send our very own flesh and blood off into the future with a blessing, hopefully some words of wisdom, and perhaps some inspiration? Surely there are many amongst you far better qualified than me to be up here?
I kid you not – I really shouldn’t be standing here, particularly when you consider the following:
First - I never went ‘off to college’ – not in the way that we think of going ‘off to college’ in this country - so I really don’t know what any of our seniors will be going through as the summer months draw to a close– Truth be known, I spent 9 months at a Polytechnic in the UK - a 30 minute commute each day from where I lived – and if you were to ask any member of my family here today – you know what? It doesn’t count Dad!
Second - I didn’t leave home until I was 26. Twenty-Six! No there was nothing wrong with me - just way too comfortable I think!
Third - This is all new to me! I have never had to put my arms around any of my sons to say goodbye and good luck as they take the first steps toward the rest of their lives. Nothing I can say or do can stop the march of time and the day will soon be here when I get to do just that! And the same goes for many of you here today. I have a terrible fear that I wont be any good at it – but the good news is that I have 3 attempts to get it just right – more hope than confidence quite frankly as the odds are surely stacked against me.
So there you have it – plenty of evidence that suggests someone else should be standing here in my place. But you’re not and I am. So here we are – and very soon, there will go our children.
The Old Testament reading this morning comes from the Book of Micah and is arguably one of the greatest passages in the Old Testament.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
During my preparation for this sermon, I learned that Micah was one of 12 Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. He was a contemporary of Hosea, Isaiah and Amos. He was preaching towards the end of what were considered ‘the good times’ and just before his nation fell apart. There had been 40 years of prosperity and peace, a time when people are perhaps more inclined to forget, ignore and even drift away from God. Micah spoke to the people of God just before the fall of Israel and Judah – just before life, as the people back then knew it began to fall apart. Perhaps there are parallels with our lives today – I hope not, but who is to say? What God required of his people thousands of years ago are no different from what we know God requires of us all today.
To do justice.
Love kindness.
Walk humbly with your God.
Pretty clear, straightforward and unambiguous.
To do justice/To have mercy – to ensure that fairness prevails – whether we are speaking of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the weak or the oppressed, we have a human responsibility to see that wrongs are righted and that justice is done. We all need mercy. Mercy means getting and giving not what we think we deserve but what we need. If justice and mercy are to become a way of life for us, then our hearts and minds have to change.
Love kindness. Compassion, sympathy, gentleness and helpfulness.
The ingredients that God requires of his disciples – towards family, friends,
work associates, classmates and the strangers that we meet every day. We see
many examples of all of these wonderful traits at
Walk humbly with your God. Jesus said that the greatest person in the kingdom of God was a person who was humble like a little child. Humility – sacrificing oneself to listen to the needs of others.
This wonderful passage from the Book of Micah is so fitting today as we celebrate our graduating seniors. Justice, kindness, walking humbly with God.
All too often we read in the papers about ‘the youth of today’. We see on the television features about ‘the youth of today’. We might overhear a conversation at the grocery store about ‘the youth of today’. The ‘youth of today’ this, and the ‘youth of today that’ and so on. And lets be honest with ourselves, there is in many respects a negative connotation attached to the very term ‘the youth of today’. Comparing them presumably with the ‘youth of yesterday’, as if we were so much better?
This past week I was reminded of the story about a furniture
factory in communist
“OK” said the guard, “dump it out.” Sure enough, there was nothing in there but sawdust and shavings. Well, this went on day after day with the same routine, the same questions and the same answers, nothing but sawdust and shavings being dumped on the floor. Finally the guard became so frustrated – he could stand it no more. He said to the worker, “Look, I know you’re stealing, and you know you’re stealing. If you tell me what you’re stealing I promise I wont arrest you.”
The worker smiled and said “Wheelbarrows, comrade, wheelbarrows”.
The point is this – We are so fortunate and we don’t have to look too hard, because the ‘youth of today’ are right here before our eyes. Yes, right here in this church, next door at St. Matthews and at churches all across Wilton and beyond.
When I think of the youth of today, I think of the Katrina mission trips to Gulfport, Mississippi to help rebuild the homes of those whose lives were torn apart by the largest natural disaster in this country’s history.
When I think of the youth of today, I think of the Youth Group trips every February to feed and clothe those unfortunate souls on the streets of our nation’s capital.
When I think of the youth of today, I think of the annual summer trips up to rural Maine to make repairs to the homes of those who just don’t have the means to take care of their homes themselves.
When I think of the youth of today I think of those in this congregation who give their time at Christmas to make sure that many of the foster children of Bridgeport, CT know that there really is a Santa.
When I think of the youth of today, I think of the members of our Youth Groups who have participated in the KEVA program supporting individuals in places as far away as Indonesia, Cambodia and Costa Rica with micro loans to help them develop simple businesses to fuel their independence and to build a better life for themselves and for their children. I think of more than 100 Wilton teenagers raking leaves from the lawns of those unable to tackle the task themselves. Through the Gift of Christmas, our youth has helped tribes in Kenya, schools in Honduras, communities in the Bronx, nursing homes in Norwalk.
The list goes on and on and on. The youth of this church has already touched and will continue to touch the lives of many people known and unknown.
One of my fondest memories from our last Katrina trip back in December was when we went to work on the home of Miss Mamie Ramsey. Miss Mamie lives alone at the tender age of 85. She spent her entire life in the very house we were to work on, and to the best of her knowledge raised somewhere between 50 and 60 children single handedly. Many of these children were unceremoniously dumped on her doorstep by a single parent as they left for work in the morning. On more than one occasion, that parent never returned. Miss Mamie was the sweetest person you could ever meet. She spoke with the softest southern voice, and everyone was hanging on her every word. She exuded grace and humility. She was so grateful to the Lord for everything that he had given her in her life. And yet from our rose-tinted Fairfield County perspective, Miss Mamie had very little – but from her perspective, she had everything. She survived Katrina – her home too – and it is now back the way it was before the storm. She wanted to show us all something in her closet. She opened the doors – and just above eye level are painted the words “God Bless Your Day” – it’s the first thing she sees every morning, and the last thing she sees at night.
But there was work to be done – Our site coordinator Sam Glass from Houston, assigned tasks for us all to do - paint the window frames, put moldings between the walls and floors of the kitchen, paint the front porch, clear the trash from the front yard – you get the picture. Some time had passed and I took a break from some painting that I was doing inside the house. I was looking around for Drew to see what he was working on as I hadn’t seen him in a while - he likes to pace himself when the work starts! I couldn’t find him anywhere – until I looked out from of the kitchen window into the back yard and there he was deep in conversation with Miss Mamie. It was just as if they had known each other for years – the two of them were gathering pecans from under a tree in her garden. It was a beautiful sight!
Do Justice. Give Kindness. Walk humbly with your God.
This is what I think of when I think of the youth of today. Each and every one of our graduating seniors has shown just what it is to do justice, to give kindness and to walk humbly with our God. How blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our midst. As a congregation, and as a family we all have a tremendous amount to be proud of.
And so to Ally, Andrew, Anna, Chandler, Chris, Craig, Chris, David, Drew, Gordon and Justin as you prepare to head out into what many refer to as the big bad world, I would tell you that it really isn’t too big anymore, and as many of you know from your own experiences it isn’t so bad either. Continue to make your mark in this world, and go on making a difference in the lives of people known and unknown.
Thank you for showing many of us the way, and understand that no matter where you are and under what circumstances, be safe in the knowledge that God will be at your side every step of the way and so will we – a very grateful, appreciative and proud congregation.
And as for college remember the following:
You will have no money, so never say no to free food and always put a copy of the day’s paper at the bottom of your closet so you’ll know the age of the accumulated laundry pile.
Perhaps more importantly, Do Justice, Love Kindness and Walk humbly with your God.
Good luck and may God bless each and every one of you and please, don’t forget the way home!