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A Sermon Preached at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Oak Park, IL
on the First Sunday after Christmas, December 30, 2007: The Final Sermon in our Generation Y Preaching Series
by Haley Jordahl, a Freshman at Brown University

Readings:
Isaiah 61:10-62:3, Galatians 3:23-25 & 4:4-7, John 1:1-18, Psalm 147:13-21

Like most teenagers, I spent high school perpetually sleep-starved. Between homework, various extracurricular activities, and actually making contact with the outside world once in a while, little time remained for rest. Therefore, my greatest desire each Sunday morning rarely had anything to do with waking up at the early hour of nine-thirty to attend church; rather, it typically involved remaining in my bed.

A couple of years ago, shortly before the Journey to Adulthood pilgrimage to Ireland, my preference for staying at home evolved into a sort of skepticism. Frustration over attending church services transformed into a personal examination of the role of religion within my own life and the modern world. I tended to see worship as occurring only between the hours of ten-thirty and twelve on Sundays. That weekly hour and a half seemed very separate from the rest of my life. Additionally, I saw that life as rarely problematic. I enjoyed my friends and the activities in which I participated, and had no perception of any absence that enhanced involvement with religion might fill. I saw little connection between my pursuits during the week and the brief time I spent at church, and did not see how I could benefit from greater interaction between the two. To me, religion was simply another activity to which a certain amount of time was allotted.

Similarly, I failed to understand the positive effect of organized religious faith globally. I saw the increasingly publicized Islamic extremism as an indicator of a correlation between expression of strong religious beliefs and violence. In America, I saw the Christian faith used indirectly to sway legislation preventing certain groups from access to the same rights as others. Religion appeared to have few positive consequences; instead it seemed to result most evidently in violence and exclusion.

From such a perspective, I was unsure of the role I wanted Christianity to play in my life. I understood the Christian faith as primarily an institution, and had little personal comprehension of it. Sometime around my pilgrimage to Ireland, however, I began to gain greater understanding, and it is because of this understanding that I still fundamentally consider myself a Christian.

Traveling to Ireland offered an opportunity, and in fact seemed to necessitate religious reflection. As I met representatives of the faith, toured important religious sites, and simply took time to examine my own beliefs, I saw a side of Christianity that was distinct from the institution that I had previously predominantly focused on. I saw the moral values present throughout the Bible and exemplified by Jesus Christ reflected in the actions of individuals.

I still remember spending time with a group of nuns who had invited us to their home; their hospitality made a huge impression on me. As I contemplated my own religious beliefs, I realized that certain elements - the myriad biblical passages that were applicable to the period in which they were written but now are less relevant, or divisions within the church based on dissimilar interpretation - are far less important than the concept that forms the core of the Christian faith.

Today's readings mention certain attributes: grace, truth, and righteousness, to name a few. The importance placed upon those characteristics ultimately is the center of Christianity, but these traits are often forgotten. Today's Gospel speaks of the light, present from the earth's creation. It goes on, however, to state, "He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him." It is easy to disregard the light of God, perhaps because we see other aspects of life as more immediately important. However, from my perspective, only by attempting to embody that light through acts grounded in compassion, truth, and righteousness, can we truly act as Christians.

Therefore, as a teen who has grown up in the Christian church and, more broadly, within a rapidly changing world, I have come to understand faith as less distinct from the rest of my life as I originally imagined. Christianity, personally, has less to do with weekly worship than it does with the ways we choose to express faith in our own lives. At college, where organized religion plays a smaller role, I find that I see manifestations of Christian values in diverse ways.

A few months ago, to show support for oppressed individuals living in Burma, a protest was organized and held on the main green. Supporters wore red shirts, and gathered for a brief moment of silence. Such actions took minimal effort, but were recognized by many. The coordinator of a group of students against Burma spoke on ABC News, and the group's organization prompted a visit and lecture by a United Nations human rights investigator. The students' personal faiths may have been different, but all who participated expressed compassion and hope for others, and induced greater knowledge about a relevant issue, if not intensified action to confront it.

Over the past few years, my perspective on Christianity has changed drastically. Although I still enjoy sleeping on Sunday mornings, I view church as an opportunity for reflection. I tend now not to see Christianity for specific biblical passages and doctrines, or even, I suppose, for many of the principles that may appear most central. As stated in today's Gospel, "The law indeed was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." As an individual attempting to infuse a typically secular life with Christian faith, I believe that attempting to live a life of "grace and truth" is most important, and ultimately most rewarding.