Article after article lists "Public Speaking" as one of the top 10 most common fears people have. And yet, when asked to deliver a message for church one Sunday for our Youth Sunday worship, a thirteen year-old upcoming high school freshman, Emily Fitzgerald, did not bat an eye and agreed to preach that Sunday. I sat next to Emily near the pulpit that morning but she was so relaxed and chill you would never know she had never done this before. This is Emily's messagee to her church family.

A Message Delivered by Emily Fitzgerald on Youth Sunday, June 9, 2024

Good morning!

Our second lesson comes from Second Corinthians, chapter 4 verse 13 through chapter 5 verse 1.

I’ll be reading from Eugene Peterson’s “The Message.” Pastor Wrisley has used this book’s translation a few times this spring and I liked the simplicity of the wording.

We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not hand-made—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again.

“I believed, and so I spoke.”

Today on Youth Sunday, I’d like to speak about my interpretation of the text and how church has helped me in my life…that of an ALMOST rising high school freshman.

It’s very easy, especially in middle school, to get wrapped up in the negatives and only focus on the bad parts of our lives. The stress that we often feel can be overwhelming; feeling like the world is collapsing from underneath us and we have no control of it. In the passage I just read from Second Corinthians, it says, “Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace”.  These words are so powerful because sometimes all we need is someone to remind us that not everything is hard.

Most days, it seems like the only thing on the news is horrible stuff that might keep me up at night. I remember during the height of COVID I would hear all about it on the news and get sad that I couldn’t see my friends.  But my mom helped me realize that it was ok to feel that way and that if I looked for the little parts of my day that bring me joy, I could hold onto those moments and think of them whenever I feel like things are not going my way. Even on a seemingly bad day, I’ve been taught to look for God’s grace even in small ways.

Grace is something that we all need in our lives. For me, I look for it when I might not flash my rock-climbing project. (This means achieving the rock-climbing route on the first try without anyone telling me how to do it or watching someone do it.)  Or more recently when I don’t get all the questions correct on a practice algebra Regents exam.

In these moments, my grace is realizing that it’s ok to fail because failure teaches me things I didn’t know, like maybe having to hold a climbing hold a different way or work on a specific topic in algebra that I’m not as good at. Telling myself it’s ok to make mistakes and not do things perfectly is so important to have good mental health and be successful. If we harp over every detail, everything else we need to do is not going to get done.

But grace doesn’t have to be just what you give yourself, other people can too. A teacher could give an extra day to finish a homework assignment – that’s grace. Or a friend or loved one can support us even when we make mistakes – that’s grace. And most importantly, God always gives us grace every day. We are reminded of this in church when we say the declaration of forgiveness. We are saying out loud God’s promise to always forgive us and give us grace when we need it most.

Church has always been a big part of my life. It’s been a great source of volunteer hours that helped me get into the National Junior Honor Society, but more than that, it has given me a place where I can be myself and feel a part of something. From being in Christmas pageants to mastering the art of acolyting, or face painting at Trunk or Treat, it gives me a place to feel like I belong.

And even now church supports me differently. Helping and volunteering is so fun, but above all, it is so rewarding and humbling. Since joining the Earth Care Committee a couple years ago, I’ve learned how to share my thoughts on how we could help the environment as a ministry. Over the past year or so, I realized that church has helped me grow as a person. I am more confident taking chances and doing public speaking like being a liturgist or speaking here today.

I find myself going out of my way to be kinder, humbler, and more appreciative of the things and opportunities I have. Like right now I’m so honored to have the opportunity to tell you how this church community – people like you in the congregation – helps kids like me grow and succeed.

Because of the church, I have found the person I want to be: I want to be a helpful Christian community member, reach my full academic potential, and most importantly I want to be a good role model. God teaches us to love our neighbor and to give grace. I want to share with others that being kind matters, that it’s up to you to decide who you want the world to see, and that if you have a supportive community you can reach your goals and aspirations no matter what they are.

Thank you so much for creating this graceful, loving environment that helps the greater Glens Falls community, including our youth group and people like me.