What Redeemer Means to me
Sitting down and writing this speech proved to be a rather daunting task for me. Not just because I’m a fourth quarter senior who has essentially, “dialed it in”, but also because the question asked is a difficult one to answer. If someone asks you what they mean to you, your mind immediately tries to think of the hundred things that make him or her special. Let me first address the fact that this parish has some of the most incredible individuals that I have ever met. My experience here would not have been anything without them. I have truly been blessed with the amount of wisdom I have received from these people since I was a wee lad. When I was young, there were always fun activities to look forward to. Not only did I get to go to Logos, but I heightened and sharpened my vocal skills with Mrs. Moe at a very young age. Yes, I still remember the great warm-up songs such as the Oreo song, and how could one forget the grab bag? It wasn’t all fun and games for this little tyke, though. One fateful day, I decided it would be a grand idea to take a dip in the Saint Francis fountain. And by “take a dip”, I mean fall head first into what seemed like a watery grave. Thankfully my shrieks of terror alerted some nearby spectators, and I was saved. To this day I still wonder how the heck I got in there. Nevertheless, I grew older and started to endure serious training for confirmation under the authority of the famous Father Marsden. Most people would poke fun at his war stories, but I actually enjoyed them. Amidst learning about the church’s history, it was refreshing to have a few action scenes. So, I grew older still, and, due to my involvement in the acolyte program, got to work personally with people such as Father Robinson. Now, I know for some of you his grand sermons and mentioning of tithing can make him seem less approachable. But, getting to know him as I developed into a young man has been amazing, and I’ve seen that all the priests at Redeemer are regular guys! Shocking, is it not?
On top of the copious amounts of wonderful people I have met here, I have also experienced a good chunk of what this church has to offer. And no, I’m not talking about the delicious cookies that each and every Sunday school student has had. I’ve grown up in this parish having to follow my multi talented brother. So, naturally, I wanted to be just as good as he was at everything. That is, acting in musicals, playing drums for musicals, singing in the choir, acolyting, and being a Vacation Bible school veteran. The whole 9 yards. What I realized, though, is that it wasn’t about the competition (although I am taller now…) it was about the experience. I’ve gone from a hairy Ishmaelite in “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” to Yurtle the Turtle in the classic, “Horton Hears a Who,” from a small, scared choirboy to the big bad thurifer, from that introverted kindergartener in VBS to a boisterous aide, and along the way gained memories and relationships that I will never forget. The comfortable nature of this place has been so helpful in my upbringing, and I will never take that for granted.
The point of my rambling nostalgia is this: Redeemer is a place that I have grown up in, and, consequently, felt right at home. What this means is that I have never felt uncomfortable in all my years here (well, at least while I was on dry land). It has become such an integral part of me that I can’t remember a time when it didn’t play a role in my life. Because of this, my spiritual ties and relationship with Jesus Christ have developed similarly. I have lived with this kind of natural spirituality that embodies the aura of Redeemer, and as a direct result, my spiritual ties have been naturally strengthened. Layer by layer over the course of my life, I have been blessed by this church and its people, and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to grow up in. Thank you