What Redeemer Means to Me
I was asked to write about what Redeemer means to me and after thinking about it for awhile, the best answer I can provide for you today is, well, ‘everything’. Redeemer means the world to me; it’s an everlasting part of who I am and what I stand for, and no distance I travel, no amount of time I’m away from Sarasota will ever change that. There is much to be said about the members of Redeemer: people whom I’ve grown up with, become friends with, and learned from. Without these people, Lord knows where I would be today. But my job here today isn’t to wonder what kind of person I would be having not grown up in our parish, rather, it’s to thank you all for playing an important role in my life: being my church family. You all have done a wonderful job up to this point of educating and raising me up in the way that I should go.
As members of the church, we are called to be a family. A good reminder of our calling is found in the service for Holy Baptism. As part of the Presentation and Examination of the Candidates, the Celebrant asks of the congregation, “Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?” Although I was not baptized at Redeemer, I have reaped the benefits of this baptismal promise. So many of you members have certainly done your part in supporting me over the years. It is comforting to know that my Church wants what is best for me. I think back on times past when members have invited me to clubs and groups of all sorts that they believe will make me a better Christian. It is this kind of support that makes Redeemer special and that has formed a lasting relationship between me and so many of you.
Apart from being a strong network of support, Redeemer has been a great educator to me. Education is a critical part of our faith because the knowledge we gain can be used to defend and promote our Christian values. Thirteen years of Sunday School have been the foundation of my education on Christ and his Church, and what a storehouse of information I have been fed over that period of time. Similar to Sunday School, I have always enjoyed the sermons and take for granted how blessed I have been to have Fr. Robinson and Fr. Marsden here for all of my sermon listening years to write and deliver a number of sermons. While all of the sermons have been different, they all have shared a common link: the doctrine. A doctrine rooted in tradition and the bible is important to me and thanks to Fr. Robinson and Fr. Marsden, I have grown up not only hearing about it in sermons but also witnessing it in so many other areas of Redeemer.
Redeemer has also provided me with a number of opportunities to strengthen my faith. I have been blessed with a strong faith in Christ, and believe it can only get stronger from where it is now. That being said, I try to make strengthening or renewing my faith an area of focus in my life. Two opportunities that the Church provided in the past were the mission trip to the Dominican Republic and the St. Michael’s Conference. The Mission trip put me in a similar spot to Jesus’ disciples. Much the same as them, I was placed in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar people and sent to spread the message of Jesus’ salvation and his love for humanity. Knowing that I helped others in the name of Christ, much the same as his disciples, was rewarding. St. Michael’s Conference has given me valuable one on one time with God. In my years there, self-examination as a part of a sacramental confession has helped me to know more about who I am as a Christian and where I am in my walk to eternal life. My faith has been strengthened each time by realizing that I am no where near perfect, and that Jesus is my only hope towards a more perfect life.
As ready as I am to leave this June for my first semester up at Florida State, there’s a part of me that wants to stay here so I can be at Redeemer on Sundays, but as you all know, there comes a time when a kid has to leave his family and go it alone. I’m confident that Redeemer has prepared me, not only to deal with the trials that are sure to come in these college years, but to vanquish them.
