The Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 1, 2008
~The Rev. Steve Smith

The wise man built his house upon the rock.  But the foolish man built his house upon the sand.

Today, I would like to say a few words to our Rite 13 honorees, Shannon Sullivan and  Leighanne Garlick.   And what I want to say to you two as we celebrate this special day in your life is that we are honored to have you here in our parish family.   We don’t have many teenagers at St. Mary’s, but those of you who are of this age bless us in ways you can’t even imagine.  You bring light, and hope, and joy to each one of us.

Being a teenager these days is not easy.  But you know something?  It has never been easy.  In fact, when I was thirteen years old, it was the hardest year of my life.  I didn’t like myself that much, my parents were always in my face, my friends were often mean, there were so many pressures.  Like you, I went to church, but I almost left out of anger and hurt.  And if it wasn’t for people like Connie and Barbara and your mentors who reached out to me at the time, I probably would have left, perhaps never to return.

Both of you, Leighanne and Shannon, are right now in the most important time in your life.  What happens to you over the next few years will shape so much of what you will experience as an adult. 

Think of it this way. You are building a foundation.  What you make of your life is like building a house, Jesus told us. When you build a house, what is most important is where you place the foundation.  If you place it on sand, it will stand secure, only until the storms come, and the floodwaters carry it away.  But it place your foundation on rock, when the storms and floods come, your house will hold firm.

Some of us were just down in New Orleans where Hurricane Katrina devastated so many lives and so many homes.  And what was so incredible about the devastation was that much of it was due to where people had built their homes, below sea level, or in flood plains, or in harm’s way.

So often, teenagers and adults, get into trouble, or lose their way, or have their lives overturned because they do not have a secure foundation.  The great blessing of your lives, Shannon and Lee Ann, is that have been given a strong foundation, in the love of your family, in this spiritual home of St. Mary’s, in your health, and your intelligence, in your character.

This foundation is the most precious gift you have been given.  And now you are being asked to build your life upon it.  Today, we are affirming together, that God is your foundation.  God is your refuge and strength, as we said a moment ago in our Psalm.  God will always be with you, in you heart of hearts, supporting you, giving you courage and strength.

Our prayers are with you today.  In our collect this morning we asked for those things that are profitable for us.   It is an interesting word, profit.  We think of it in monetary terms, but the word profit originally meant to make progress.  So what we are asking God for, really, is that we receive those things that will help us to progress, and help us grow.

Not so long ago, Leighanne and Shannon, when you were babies, your parents and godparents had you baptized.  They promised then to see that you will grow into the full stature of Christ.  Their great desire for you is that you will grow ever more fully into the young women that God intends you to be.

Now that you are thirteen, you are on the threshold of great things.  You have been given a foundation, a rock on which to build your house.  You have been given the love and grace to progress and grow into the full stature of Christ.

You know, when I was your age, I often missed what adults were trying to tell me.  And you can take everything I have said to you this morning with a grain of salt.  But now that I am considerably older, I often think about what I was learning when I was thirteen years old.  I often remember my grandmother and the songs she used to sing.  One of them is in our Lift Every Voice and Sing hymnal, and it says so much about building our foundation on the Rock of Jesus.  And this morning, I’d like us to sing it together as a way to encourage the two of you, Shannon and Leighanne, to build your house, and to grow into the women God intends you to be, full of grace and truth.   It’s hymn 99 in LEVAS;  “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”