Amanda:
Thank you to everyone that has joined us for this moment in our lives here at
Augie. This is going to be a little bit different than your average sermon. First of
all, there is going to be two of us giving today’s message, so there’s a plurality to
it. Second of all, it is Krista and I, and we are wearing the same thing. Well, here
we go….
The gospel we chose is so prominent in our lives because it advises us not to
worry even in the midst of tremendous uncertainty. Well, everyone has
uncertainties in their life. Where will I go to college? Should I really have tried a
quad piggy back ride with my choir friends? What am I going to do after
graduation? Should I really have eaten all those Augie bowls? Everyone has
these doubts and it is normal. With every question that we may have, there is
always someone we can turn to. A special friend. (turn to Crystal and point) A
friend in Jesus.
Through the walk of life we may feel abandoned, but we know God never leaves
us. You may not be able to see him directly, but you can see him in the faces
around us. In your professors, your family, and your friends. Krista and I have
been blessed to be able to find each other and become such great friends. I think
one of the biggest ways God helps us deal with uncertainty is through friendship,
and this is something I have experienced with Krista. Often times, God may not
be the first thing we turn to when we face uncertainties, but we do often turn to
our friends and those that we love because they often know your gifts better than
you do. I can see God through her and I know God has placed us together at
Augustana. We have been blessed with an amazing group of friends and have
shared many great memories.
Krista:
As we are talking about friendships, I remember being uncertain about my
friendship with Amanda. Freshman year, we were in the Elmen and she had her
shirt tucked into silky red shorts and had gigantic glasses. I was not sure if I was
going to be able to be friends with that, but God had a different plan and this one
uncertainty quickly became certain and we have been super close since.
Our sophomore year, Amanda and I had the opportunity to spend spring break in
Greece with Dave and Rocki. There was a night when we set out, headlamps
leading the way. We were setting out on an adventure, not knowing what awaited
us. We made our way toward the beach and found a black car that looked a bit
suspicious. Its lights were on, but it was not moving anywhere. We started down
the path towards the beach and the dark vehicle, uncertain of what was ahead.
As we headed down the path the car started to drive. Our group became scared
and we quickly ducked and dodged behind bushes, thinking we were safe under
the cover of darkness. We were uncertain of what or who was in the black car
and if we were going to see another day. Soon the car approached us and its
lights shined on us. At this point, the element of worry was overbearing. Amanda
and I looked at each other and sprinted back to the hotel. We nervously laughed
all the way back as our headlamps bobbed up and down. To this day we do not
know if it was a serious situation or if our imagination got the best of us, but
because of our uncertainties, we are giving you the sermon today.
We also have these moments when we are certain this is the place that God
wants us to be. Once we chose Augie, we were both certain that this was where
we were meant to be. We never had to think too far ahead to the future because
we knew that Augie was where we would return in the fall. One specific moment
that I recall a feeling of certainty came from our adventure in Greece. There was
a day in Greece when we were in the orange grove. I took off sprinting down the
rows and just started spinning in circles. It was the most perfect day. I knew at
that moment that I was in a great place with great people. I could not have been
more certain that I was supposed to take this trip.
Along with the certainty I felt about taking this trip, I took note of another great
thing that relates to the Gospel message today. Sometimes, we are so
overwhelmed by worry that we don’t take time to realize the blessings we have
and the goodness that God brings. During the entire trip, one thing that stuck out
to me were long tunnels with a light at the end. There were doorways entering
into a large dark room, but walk into the room and turn around and it may be dark
all around you, but the doorway is lit up with the sun. This relates to the Gospel
because it reminds us that there is always that light at the end of the tunnel,
regardless of how dim the light may be. God is the same way. We may not be
able to see him all the time, or the light may be small, but it is there. We just have
to find it. There was always a constant reminder that God is with us. I was
worried about traveling halfway across the world, but every time I noticed the
light, I was reminded again that I was not alone. There was the light, like always.
It was hard to always find the light, but when I needed it most, it was there.
Amanda:
So where does that leave us? We are all uncertain and we are never going to
know the outcome. The end. Have a great Friday. Well no. Yes there are going to
be uncertainties, but what is the best part? We are not alone. We live in uncertain
times and it’s comforting to know that the bible is full of uncertain stories…and
about people who lived in uncertain times. Whether it was Moses leading the
people out of slavery, David facing Goliath, Peter preaching to the crowds on the
Pentecost, all these people lived in times of uncertainty. Life is uncertain but God
is not. We don’t know WHAT tomorrow holds but we know WHO holds
tomorrow. The most important verse from the Gospel that stands out is the last
one, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself.” I have heard this my entire life and it is a great reminder but one of the
most difficult commands to follow. How can we not worry about our future? We
just received our senior augie pin and a card stating 100 days until
commencement...
No matter what happens, we need to have that foundational faith in God. We
have people around us and a God above us. Krista and I are seniors dealing with
different uncertainties, but none the less first year students are dealing with their
own. And we all know our faculty and professors are going through their own,
even if it is they are uncertain about our uncertainties.Beautiful thing about Augie
community: we have each other.
Krista:
So there is one more concept we want to introduce to you today. The real Augie
Advantage. We have all heard it. Macklemore in the Elmen- Augie Advantage.
Jane in the commons- Augie Advantage. Having parties at the president’s houseAugie Advantage. Jim Bies and his mustache- Augie Advantage. The best part
of all of these advantages is that we have each other, and most importantly we
have God. Amanda and I have found so much comfort in the Augustana
community. But, it is inevitable that we will all face new changes and go through
transitions throughout life. We are all apart of our communities at home, but we
are also apart of the Viking community. We have the uncertainties, but we also
have each other. The real Augie Advantage. When we are uncertain, it is
important to seek the people that God put in your life in the first place.
Amanda:
It is so easy to get caught up in the uncertainties of life. Trust us, we know. We
do not want all of you walking away from this message and thinking that we have
it all figured out, because that is simply not the case. This is more of a message
as a reminder to all of us. A reminder that God is with us throughout our lives and
even an ounce of light will overpower any amount of darkness. We know you
have all heard it before, but you have heard it so many times because we all
forget it and it is an important thing to remember.
Amanda:Remember the real Augie Advantage.
Krista: Remember the light at the end of the tunnels.
Together:
Remember to not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about
itself.