To listen to Emily give her homily, click here.

St. Charles Episcopal - St. Charles, IL

Seventh Sunday of Easter - Formation Graduation

June 5, 2011 - Worship in the Park

Guest Homilist: Emily Thomson, 2011 Ludtke Scholar

When I learned that I was receiving the Ludtke Scholarship, I was ecstatic. Then I became worried. What am I going to say in my Homily? So I started to ask myself a series of questions, like “When did church start to impact my life?” and “When did I really begin to understand why I went to church?”

I guess that happened when I entered middle school and started getting involved in church activities. One of the first things I became involved with was the “Hunger Doesn’t End with the Holidays” food drive. I helped out with and eventually ran the food drive with my friend, Aidan Manning. We collected cans and other food items and brought them to The Salvation Army. I learned something very valuable from doing this. I can help people and I can make a difference. It was an important lesson to learn and it inspired me to get even more involved.

That was when I started going to the New Beginnings and Happening retreats for junior high and high school students. It only took one weekend for me to get hooked. I viewed the retreats as a place where I could be with other people who believed the same thing I did. It was a way for me to pray, get closer to God, and grow in my faith. After participating, I decided to staff so I could help guide other students on their path of faith and help them grow closer to God as well. It was something I loved doing because I loved being able to help and relate to other kids my age. It’s even more special to me because I know that if I wasn’t part of this church I may not have been able to experience it. It was during this time in my life that I realized how much I enjoyed helping others become open to seeing God.

Since I enjoyed helping other people, I was really excited to go on the mission trip in high school. I loved going on the mission trip because I got to spend time with people I knew I could be myself around, and get closer to God through prayer. Most importantly though, I got to help people that really needed it. We did things like paint and build rooms and clean a house. Don’t ask me how but we even built showers. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling I got from lending a hand to people in need. This experience also taught me something important: you don’t only have to help people in your community. You can help so many people in other communities as well.

My most memorable experience, however, was the Pilgrimage. We traveled to Sewanee, Tennessee where we visited Rock City, saw a waterfall inside a mountain, and went on a rafting ride. The theme for the trip was seeing God in nature, but I have to be honest, I’m not sure if I saw God on that rafting ride! Aside from that part, I have never felt closer to God than I did on that journey. I learned yet another lesson from that trip: it is possible to see God in more than one way and in more than one place. And I definitely did. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life that I will treasure forever.

Another question I asked myself was “Who helped me see God?” But for me it wasn’t a matter of who helped me see God, but more of how and when did I see God. I guess I saw God whenever someone gave me advice or helped me with a problem I was facing. Anytime I witnessed kindness, whether it was toward me or someone else was when and how I saw God. Then it got me thinking about how I could help others see God. There really never is a good enough reason to be unkind to someone. That’s basically it. Always show kindness and help others grow in their faith when possible.

Speaking of which, it seems fitting that I thank the committee for awarding me the Ludtke Scholarship. I appreciate the support you have shown me through the years. And I will work hard to live out the faith you have placed in me by giving me this award.

I have learned so much from being part of this church. There are so many ways to see God, different ways to show faith, and endless possibilities of how to help other people. Having grown up in our church means that my present is great my future is bright.

It’s hard to believe that I have been part of this church for over 18 years. It feels like such a short amount of time to me until I look back on the things I’ve done. Many people here say that it’s amazing how much I have grown. I have to say I agree. But I’m not done yet. I want to continue growing into a better Christian and a better person.

Amen.