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Covenant Connections

“What Happens Now”

Jun 1, 2023

The following sermon was preached by Foothills Presbytery Youth Council Co-Moderators, Sophie deMaine and Eva Grow, on May 20th, 2023 at the Foothills Presbytery meeting at Camp Fellowship in Greenwood, SC. The sermon was based on Isaiah 43:1-3, 18-19, and Acts 2:1-21.

Sophie: Good morning! My name is Sophie deMaine. I am a senior at Riverside High School and I am headed to the University of South Carolina.I have served as Co-Moderator of PYC this past year, as well as serving as an Elder of the Session at John Knox Presbyterian. I am heavily involved in my home youth group, as well as the childrens ministry and the Fellowship Committee.

Eva: My name is Eva Grow and I am a senior at Greenville High School, headed to the University of St Andrews in Scotland this fall. I have served alongside Sophie as Co-Moderator of PYC. I currently serve as a Deacon on the Diaconate of Fourth Presbyterian Church. I serve on the Young Adult Committee as well as the AV Committee. I take an active role in the youth group at Fourth and enjoy being a part of the Presbyterian Women. As we begin, I invite you all to close your eyes and picture times when you have felt burnt out. Perhaps there is something in your life that once brought you joy, but no longer does. Maybe it’s a cause that you are passionate about, but it has begun to feel like a burden.

What was your passion that began to feel like a chore?
How did it make you feel?
Do you feel overwhelmed?
Do you feel like a lost sheep?

As you open your eyes, I invite you to look around. Look around and see all of your neighbors that have experienced the same feeling that you might have felt alone in.

Recently, I have been feeling burnt out in the church. I have felt that there is always something to do, and there is no direct answer to anything, and there is no one that is feeling this same feeling, and I should feel guilty about having these feelings, and the list goes on and on and on.

Sophie: My fire has been dwindling as well. We sit in fellowship halls, in sanctuaries, in conference rooms. We debate over HVAC units and hymnal covers. Countless hours are spent seated around tables with our siblings in Christ, only to end in frustration. Time seems to slow to a crawl, and we are itching to leave by the time we close in prayer.

Eva: In a season in which fire is among us, the story of Pentecost seems pertinent. This burnout within the church causes a sort of disunity. Because each of us have such strong opinions upon which we base our courses of action, there is a sense of standby in the battle of wills. We feel locked into place, unable to create change within our historically flawed systems of power.

Sophie: You all know the tale as old as time. Presbyterians tend to be on the slower side of bureaucratic action. There are committee meetings, and committee reports and committee votes, all to pass one action.
And I get it!
Ask anyone on PYC and they will tell you that Eva and I fall victim to the failure to delegate. At a recent retreat, a failure to delegate led to a lack of communication, resulting in a bit of confusion. As we planned and prayed over the weekend, our trivia game fell through the cracks. At the time, we thought it wasn’t a big deal, and it could be thrown together at the last minute, but boy were we wrong!! No wonder finding a replacement for Alex Trabec on Jeopardy was such a big to do!!
As we scrambled to put something together for these rambunctious teenagers, Eva and I were lost, tired, and confused, in massive need of help. We didn’t know how to communicate this to our team, and ended up more lost, tired, and confused. If we would have just asked for help rather than trying to do it on our own, things might’ve gone smoother. I know that this happens on a daily basis, especially in the church. There are pastors, moderators, clerks, elders, and so many other parts to this delicate machine. There is definite room for error.

Eva: The frustration that we are naming is centered in love. The love we have felt from leaders, fellow youth, and even other Presbyteries is overwhelming. We appreciate all of the hard work that it has taken to foster our faith as questioners, seekers, and passionate young adults.

Sophie: The church system as a whole, while flawed, is the reason I am able to stand before you today. My predecessors have found a way to create unity amongst division, and that is due to the support you have given them. We don’t stand up here due to any personal accomplishments of our own, but due to the accomplishments of the one who really matters; God.

Eva: Through God’s tongues of fire, the Almighty was able to create unity between those who only had their faith in common. The first thing these individuals spoke about, when given the ability to communicate with strangers, was the all encompassing works of God. They were not concerned about the temperature of the sanctuary, or the difficulty of engagement, but the pure radiance of our God.
Their spirituality came first.
Not the worldly matters.

Sophie: In Isaiah, God tells us to forget the things of old. These “things of old” have built such a firm foundation, yet have recently become clouded. This is not to say that these worldly matters are trivial.
Do we depend on these tried and true methods of administration over the joyous promise of God?
Do we hide behind our motions and minutes instead of the precious gifts our Savior has given us?
In Pentecost God gave these individuals the gift to communicate, and the people took full advantage. The people speaking tongues of fire were overjoyed by God’s love so much to the point that observers thought they were drunk.

Why are we not taking full advantage?
What is holding us back?
We have been given the gift of unwavering love, so why are we not acting as such every minute.

Eva: In a world so divided, there is no hope but to find our commonalities. If you have paid attention at all during this worship service, you would see that each and every person up here is different.
Caroline is quiet and reserved, yet an important part of our council.
Tommy is loud and extroverted, yet an important part of our council.
Brianna is cheerful and thoughtful, yet an important part of our council.

Sophie: Lacie is observant,
Eva: Kathryn is joyful,
Sophie: Sara is passionate,
Eva: Ashlyn is empathetic,
Sophie: Madison has the qualities of a warm hug,
Eva: Hope is peaceful,
Sophie: Campbell is dedicated,
Eva: Lillian is zealous,
Sophie: Cameron is kind,
Eva: Jayden is considerate,
Sophie: Merrick is genuine,
Eva: and Jacob is dependable.
With all these different characteristics we have come together to create a well-functioning team. This incoming class of council members will exhibit these qualities and others under the one commonality of our Lord and Savior.

Sophie: As the season of change begins, we are met with gracious and comforting people supporting our every move thanks to our unity in Christ. Because of this, I have the utmost confidence and hope for my next step. The elders I served on Session with still excitedly ask what my plans for the future are. I, just as excitedly, ask how their most recent surgery went, or how that new grandbaby is doing. While it may seem that there is no common ground for this friendship, we are united in Christ, just as the people in our reading today were.

Eva: SO, what happens now?
We know there are issues in the church, in our communities, in our nation and our world that need some revision.
We know that the love of our God surrounds us all.
We know no matter what there is a common ground in Christ.
We know, most importantly, that we are not perfect.
This unity expressed in the speaking of tongues by the believers of every nation is not to be taken advantage of.
We have been given a gift, to go and do, not to sit and wait.
We have a calling to be part of this new thing.

Sophie: While we can sit here and point out the common ground between us, it does us no good if we don’t walk on it. We have to take a step forward in an attempt to do something with this gift. God did not give us this gift for it to lie unused. We need to work through these challenges and frustrations that we all face, even if that means choosing a different side or taking a different approach.

Eva: The ways in which we honor and serve God is drastically more important than any form of system of governance. As we reflect on our burnout and loss of hope, I ask you to think of the spark.
What made you passionate about that topic?
Why was it that you felt compelled to take it on?
How will you rekindle that love and passion in a different light?

Or perhaps, God is calling you to do a new thing?
How is God calling you to use your energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?

There is not just one way to do God’s work, there are many different paths that are all impactful to the church community as a whole. As we renew this passion, it is also important to take the time to reflect on your hard work. A large part of the burnout is feeling like you haven’t done anything. The work you have done, while sometimes seeming minimal, is crucial to the cause. Taking the time to be proud of our accomplishments and supportive of others will spark the fire that can arise again and streamline the process in a new direction.

Sophie: It is often not in our nature to be proud of ourselves. The message we hope you take home with you today is one of recognition. We recognize your hard work as leaders in the church and pray that you do as well. We recognize your desire to create loving communities and pray that you do as well. We recognize that although doing can sometimes be difficult, it is a necessary process, and pray that you do as well.
We recognize that we have been given the gift of fire to inspire and pray that you do as well. We recognize that finding common ground is key and pray that you do as well. Our imperfections, joyful action, and passion will lead us to the next step.

Eva: We thank you for the opportunity to further our faith journeys in leading worship today.

Sophie: We thank you for the opportunity to serve as leaders in this Presbytery and for bringing such a wonderful group of people into our lives.

Eva: We thank you for all the ways Foothills Presbytery supports youth ministry.

Sophie: We challenge you to continue making youth ministry a priority, to encourage young people to be a part of PYC and provide places for youth to be leaders in your churches.

Eva: And we challenge you to dream new dreams. To allow the Spirit to move you in new directions.

Sophie: Because God is calling us to do a new thing. Do you not perceive it?

Eva and Sophie: May it be so. Amen.