Baccalaureate Sunday
THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 17:22-31 • Psalm 66:7-18 • 1 Peter 3:13-22 • John 14:15-21
Hello, if you don’t know me, my name is Abi Minor. I have been going to St. Pauls since I was about 4 years old and this place has become my home. I didn't realize how important to me it was until I couldn’t enter the building for most of a year. I bet some of you felt that way, too. But once I realized how vital it is to me, I became more involved than ever. Although it may sound like hyperbole, I do not exaggerate when I say that St. Pauls was the reason I was able to get through my last two years of high school. And especially this year. I am so thankful that I had St. Pauls as an anchor for my life during the stresses of the college admissions process.
Speaking of: the college admissions process has been the bane of my existence. It was never-ending. As soon as I had finished one application, there was another one for another school due eminently. And, once I had finished the regular applications, then I had to apply for scholarships or honors colleges. The worst part about all of it, however, was how alone I felt throughout it. It felt like no one around me was feeling the same way I felt. I know that other people had their own processes, but it seemed like their applications and essays were different from mine. It felt like everyone else who cared about me hadn’t gone through the same type of admissions process that I had. (Sorry mom and dad, I love you but applying to college on a computer is a lot different). And because the entire experience was never-ending, it felt like I went for months and months with no one who truly understood my desperation for wanting to leave. I didn't know what my plans were. It took me a long time to admit to myself that the University of Arkansas was the right choice for me. All of those things made me feel so alone. Looking back, the hardest lesson I needed to learn throughout this process was coming to the realization that I was not alone.
“I will not leave you orphaned.” Two months ago, when Evan and Curtis asked me to start thinking about this gospel lesson, I didn't realize how badly I needed to hear those words. “I will not leave you orphaned.” God didn't leave me alone. I felt isolated, but God had given me a place full of love and belonging. God made sure I found the people in this church that would help me through the challenges of my senior year of high school. God loves me so much that He made sure that I felt His love through other people. We are not meant to be alone in times of trouble. As people, we have to lean on each other from time to time but it can be difficult to find those people. I believe that God guides us to the people that we can lean on and that through those people, God comforts us during times of anguish.
In this week’s gospel, Jesus is talking to the disciples before he ascends to Heaven. Naturally, the disciples don’t want to lose Jesus again because they just got him back. They had experienced the pain and loss of his death already. The disciples don’t want to be alone again. And Jesus gives them words of comfort. Jesus wants his disciples to carry on his teachings and continue to spread the word of God. But he makes sure that they feel comforted by him first because feeling isolated and abandoned prohibits any and all work that can be done. Jesus knows that they cannot do the work that he has given them to do unless they realize that he would never abandon them. Jesus reminds them that they are not alone. They will always have him and God’s love within them because God is within those who He surrounds us with. That is what it means to be a Christian. That is what it means to belong to God. Jesus asks us to believe that we are loved like that–with a love that will never leave us orphaned.
I am in a season of change right now. And the most important thing about this season is surrounding myself with the people that I love and who love me. This past year I have felt that love more than ever before and I am eternally grateful for it. I can really feel that people are looking out for what is best for me and watching over me. The most comforting thing is that, for the first time in my life, I can feel God watching over me. God is watching over all of us even if we can’t feel it all the time. Feeling that love and comfort around me has allowed me to pour out my love onto all of those people around me. Because I have felt that love, I feel like it is my job to give back that love to the world.
Jesus calls us to love one another with a force greater than anything else in this lifetime. God wants us to love one another more than ourselves so that we can truly live in that love. Giving love like that allows us to grow into our best selves. There is no way we can reach our potential as humans if we don’t love one another as God has loved us because that is the image that God created us all in. At the end of each day, think to yourself, Did I love those around me? If the answer is no, then you know what to focus on the next day. If the answer is yes, then you are doing what God is asking of us. As Jesus says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments, and loving him means loving one another. Being faithful to God is as simple—and challenging—as loving one another as God has loved us.
I thought that I was alone for a long time. The reality is, that we are never alone, even if we don’t realize it. We are always loved. We are always cherished. God is always within those people around us. It is just so easy to forget that. We are naturally so hard on ourselves that we try to beat out any shred of love that comes our way. We have to let ourselves be loved. We are all loved. And, once we allow ourselves to be loved like that, we can love each other and surround others with that love. Recently, as this chapter in my life comes to an end, I have been trying to remember that I can also spread love in simple, almost forgettable ways. More hugs, more words of encouragement, more texts, more acts of love. I want to spread love in this world in order to counteract all the hate that is around us. My goal is to be a reminder that love actually is all around. The goal in life that Jesus gives us is to spread God’s love. And that is just what I am going to do and I think that is what we should all strive for. Love is a guarantee in this lifetime because God will not withhold his love from us.
© 2023 Abi Minor, FHS Graduating Senior
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Fayetteville, Arkansas