A wise man once told me that if you’re not nervous every time you preach, not even a little, then something is missing.  Nothing is missing today.

A few weeks ago, two lovely people asked me to deliver this sermon.  I accepted immediately, of course, and received the readings so I could begin writing.  I kept them in my purse, reading them every chance I got.  For many reasons, not all known to me, the second reading wedged itself into my mind the most.  I made the executive decision that, since the rules were already being bent by me delivering a sermon, that I would bend them a little bit more and base my sermon off of the second reading.  Here goes.

“Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.”

There are times when things will happen that will make you sink to your knees.  Maybe you’ll ask God what you did wrong.  Maybe you’ll pray silently, tears running down your cheeks- or maybe it’s been a while, and you’ll just try to remember how to pray.  I may be 17, but I’m no stranger to grief, struggles, or even “fiery ordeals.”

But the amazing thing about the moments that test you is that God knows you can handle it.  I could pull out many cliché phrases, but the one that comes to mind first is, “Bad things happen to good people because God knows they’re strong enough to handle it.”  Some tests may be harder than others to withstand.  Sometimes, you may not even notice a test.  Tests are God’s way of getting closer to us.  Like the second reading says, we may share Christ’s sufferings, but when it’s all over, we will also share his joy.

When I’m not serving on the altar, I’m teaching in the Pre-K & K classroom downstairs.  About a month after my Godly Play training, our classroom was settling down for work time, which is when the kids get a chance to explore the room a bit; to use the other stories, or maybe draw a picture.  One boy, who had just begun Kindergarten at the time and whose vocabulary is larger than mine, called me over politely.  “Miss Taylor?” he asked, “How do you spell ‘love?’”  Now, this boy had been particularly quiet that day, and when he was quiet, you knew something was wrong.

I sat down next to this boy as I asked him what he was making.  His eyes lit up as he said, “I’m making a card for my Mom!”  I said, “Well that’s very nice of you.  Is it her birthday?”  The boy furrowed his brow and looked very distraught.  “No,” he said, “My Dad says she has the flu.  That means she’s sick,” he said in a cute matter-of-fact tone.  I smiled and told him not to worry, and that lots of people get the flu this time of year.  He shrugged a little and smiled as he said simply, “I know she’ll be okay.  God will help her and God will help me.  Especially if you pray.”

Of course, I sat there dumbfounded as he went back to making his card.  Now, Mom having the flu may not seem like a “fiery ordeal” to us, but to a four year old, it’s a pretty hard and scary thing.  It’s times like those that make me believe that all we really need to know, we learned in Kindergarten.  When a four year old knows that God is always there for you, something is right.

Now, I want you all to think back over the past six months or so.  Think of all the tests you’ve been through.  All of the trials, the grief, the hard times.  I’m sure you can think of at least a few- I know I can.  Now think of all the times when you were truly happy, those times when you felt you’d never been that happy before.  It could be a time when you were laughing with a friend, or just after you’d accomplished something and you were proud.  Think of the times when you felt infinite.

Hopefully, the happy memories greatly surpass the unhappy ones.

The Gospel reads, “I glorified you on Earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.”

Now, your work might be as a lawyer, a teacher, a fisherman, a painter, or as a cashier at McDonald’s.  It doesn’t matter.  The work referred to in the Gospel, in my opinion, is not referring to your job.  It’s referring to your work as a Christian.  Your work as a person of faith.

I may not be trained to write sermons, yet, but I like to think that it runs in my blood.  My Grandfather was an Episcopalian priest, and you all know my father.  Through everything- through the times happy and sad, the times when all you can do is pray, and the times that you don’t really know what to do; think of this lesson.  Remember that God tests you, and remember that he does this because, with his help, you are strong enough to handle it.  Remember that this is your job.

As I finish, I hope that at least one thing I've said will stick with you.  If not, that’s okay, too.  I’m going to finish with a favorite quote of mine, the author anonymous, that is, quite possibly, the best advice one can give:

“Happy Moments: Praise God.
Difficult Moments: Seek God.
Quiet Moments: Worship God.
Painful Moments: Trust God.
Every Moment: Thank God.”

Amen.