May 16, 2010, Youth Sunday

Trinity Episcopal Church

Preacher: Michael Bugas

In today’s Gospel reading, John tells us how Jesus prayed for his disciples. He prayed to give them strength, to stay united, and to make sure the world gets the message that God loves them. In short, He’s got their back.

I stand before you today as a high school senior who has been the recipient of a great deal of support from my family, my friends, my school, and especially my church. Just last Sunday, I received support in the form of your prayers for my 18th birthday.  I am deeply gratified for this collective appeal from my church family.  I always felt that Trinity ‘had my back’ in times of need.

As I head off to college in the fall, I will need your continuous encouragement, so please keep me and the other graduates: Will, James, and Charles, in your prayers.

In my short life, I have learned that support is a two-way street. For instance, on my soccer team, I play a position called stopper. I am usually the last man between my goalkeeper and the thundering horde of the attacking team.  I provide the next-to-last barrier between the shot and the back of the net. I enjoy playing defense. It gives me the opportunity to run my mouth at my teammates, the opposition, and occasionally, the referee.  I play a critical role of support for my team and I love it. However, when I find myself out-of-position or knocked to the ground, my wingmen are usually there to cover me.

When I was a sophomore, I had the opportunity to make a trip to New Orleans with several of my peers from Trinity. Our mission was to assist Hurricane Katrina victims by working with the Episcopal Relief of New Orleans.  I had no idea of what kind of actual assistance I would be providing once I got there, but it didn’t take long for me to find out.  The Lower 9th Ward looked like a war zone, nothing I have seen in my life. But, we rolled up our sleeves and proceeded to gut a damaged home with wrecking bars and hammers. We came to aid and support the citizens of New Orleans, and in a small way, accomplished this task.

One home that we worked on stands out in particular: the Ranzino residence. Mr. and Mrs. Ranzino are a retired Italian-American couple who had significant damage done to their house.  They had been living in a FEMA trailer for some time when we met them. We went to work on the outside of their house, scraping, caulking, and priming for a future paint job. We worked in the intense summer heat until the job was done. Mr. Ranzino was so grateful that he gave us a box of his homemade Italian sausages. We supported him with our sweat and he rewarded us with a fantastic lunch of peppers, onions, and sweet sausage.  We were given daily lunch by a local church group and Lil Penny fed us a remarkable dinner of New Orleans fare. We came to support the ravaged City of New Orleans, but New Orleans taught us the meaning of hope, love, and gratitude. We arrived back in Staunton a week later changed people, appreciative of what God has given us.

As I end my journey through high school, I find myself holding onto the valuable traits that Trinity has taught me. This place has provided me with a moral compass that I will use in my journey through life. This wonderful church has allowed me to grow as an individual, serving as a link to God. In a way, Trinity ‘has had my back’. Trinity been a constant in my life that I know will be there for me in times of need and prayer.

The strong spiritual background that I have learned from Trinity has enabled me to decipher right from wrong. While I have witnessed some of my peers choose an alternative path during their high school career, this place has been a moral backbone for me. I am always comforted by the humility, civility, and kindness that members of this parish have taught me. My time as a member of this perish will be characterized by the people who taught me that it is not what one does but rather it is who one is that matters most.

As I continue on my journey after Trinity, I will always remember and never forget the spiritual values I have learned in Staunton. When I leave this church for the last time in August before I head off to The University of Virginia, I will hold onto all of my youth group memories: the lock-ins, the progressive dinners, and most of all, the friendships I have made with my youth group peers. I know that the devout members of this congregation will have us in your prayers as John tells us to do in today’s reading. 

Thank you to all who have been there for me over the past 18 years. Your dedication and belief in us has meant the world to me. Thank you Muffie, Susanna, Elizabeth, Mike, Wendy, Dad, and others for the many years you have put into the development of our youth programs. You’ve always ‘had our backs’.

Sophocles once said, “"One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been." As my time in this community comes to a final close, I can say without reservation that the day has been well spent. Thank you all for everything.

Amen.