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Foundry United Robert Blasdel, Foundry Youth |
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Youth Sunday Sunday, June 18, 2006 –
11:00 a.m. |
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Matthew 5: 13-16
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In writing this sermon I found myself inspired by
the life and works of a great peacemaker, Giovanni di Bernardone. By all accounts, this man was filled to the
brim with a light that he couldn’t hide if he wanted to. He was born the son of a wealthy cloth merchant
and was loved by all who knew him. And he truly loved them back – so much so
that he had this annoying and confusing habit (to his wealthy father anyway)
of giving away all of his stuff periodically.
Well, when his father finally got really tired of replacing his horse,
house, money, clothes, a young Giovanni started begging at his church’s doors
for the poor of In this vision he was instructed to rebuild the
dilapidated chapel where he happened to be praying. So he got a dozen of his closest friends
together and sold the last of everything he owned and everything of his
father’s that he could get his hands on, to get all of the materials he and
his brothers would need for Christendom’s first
combined ASP-VIM project. Many of the
people in the village that had allowed the chapel to deteriorate were so
inspired by the friars’ singing and joyful mood as they worked, a light that young
Giovanni had shared and could not be hidden, that they put down what they
were doing and pitched in. In another six months the village had a new chapel
and Giovanni, now Francisco, had moved on to another church they had heard
about with even more new brothers.
They did this three times before Francisco felt called to go to Like
young Giovanni, I have always found Foundry to be a light that would not be
hidden. As I grew up in this Church, I
have felt my heart strangely warmed by the generosity, kindness, compassion
and acceptance to be found here. It is
a preciously rare and beautiful thing to have a place that will take and love
everyone, no matter how goofy your hair is.
It is thus no mystery why we continue to grow in new members. Also,
like St. Francis’ family and more proudly rich friends and then his brothers,
we are sending forth many of our members to go and build and take our light
with them. Our Volunteers in Mission group is going to We are
also sending forth our youth to Hinton, West Virginia to rebuild homes and
hearts, that, like Giovanni’s chapel, have been left neglected and alone by
the rest of the country with the Appalachian Service Project. We are
also sharing three ministers with other congregations: Debra, Peter, and Vicky,
who will most certainly take the light they have shared with us and take it
to those who need it more. Then,
as you have seen, we have a number of seniors in the youth program who are
scattering across the country, including yours truly. I can only hope that we can bring a
fraction of the warmth and light to be found here with you. www.foundryumc.org |
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