Sermon

Kelly Hunt
Youth Led Worship

February 11, 2007

This past summer I went to Kerrville, Texas for Pre-Teen Camp, which is the Austin Methodist District camp for kids who have completed third through fifth grade.I was so excited. I remembered how much fun I had when I was younger and attended it as a camper, and from my first year at camp I could not wait until after I had finished my freshman year in high school, to go back as a junior counselor. I just knew that I would have tons of fun reliving my old camp memories.

Also hoping, that the girls in my cabin would look up to me just like I had idolized the junior counselors I had. But then the reality set in, and at the counselor meeting I realized that this was going to be an entirely new experience. I had many new responsibilities that I did not have as a camper. Some of which were waking the campers all up, helping apply lots and lots of sunscreen and bug spray, getting the girls to and from meals, activities and worship. Believe me, with 10 girls in my cabin and one very leaky shower, these were often difficult tasks.

I went in to this experience hoping to have fun like I did as a camper but I came out with a totally different outlook. During those 4 days I acted as a leader, not only to the girls in my cabin, but also the boys and girls in my small group. I taught them the ways I serve God and helped them learn to serve Him too. I saw them all grow in their relationships with the Lord and each other as well. They all reflected their ever present love for Him in their actions as I did in mine. I hoped that maybe the children had learned a little bit of those actions from me and then I wondered, who had I learned them from?

The answer was clear to me after I thought about it for a little while. I have learned most everything I know about God growing up in this church. I have had so many opportunities to learn about God and act on what I know and want to tell other about. Things like Vacation Bible School,  Missions & Madness, our mission outreach program for fourth and fifth graders, Pre-Teen Camp, Confirmation, Youth Mission Trips, Sunday School and the congregation. If you take one look around you see so many different acts of faith going on, whether it's Mrs. Mollie helping anyone that needs it, Sunday school classes, the Russia and Honduras mission teams or just moving over a little bit in your pew to squeeze in just one more person on those crowded Sundays. 

One of my favorite worship songs we sing in Youth Chapel is called "I Will Not Forget You." When you hear this song listen carefully to these words, "And my sacrifice is not what You can give, But what I alone can give to you." These words speak to me that it is not what God can do for me that matters most, but what I can do for God. I will continue to give to God by serving him and doing deeds of faith. I realized that it is not about being the cool junior counselor, but acting on my faith and helping others to act on theirs; because actions that are not backed by faith are dead.