Ariana Hernandez
St. Margaret's Episcopal Church & School
Good Morning! Have you ever felt so nervous, so many butterflies in your stomach so many thoughts rushing through your head -- that you just can’t seem to keep up with them? In all honesty, that’s exactly what I am feeling right now. Now, I’m 17 years old, 18 in one week April 1st, yet here I am, sharing God’s word with you. It’s such an amazing honor to be up here today and I thank you for giving me this wonderful moment. Some of you may be wondering, what’s she doing up here? What lesson can I possibly learn from her? And I can only hope to help you believe, I can only hope that you will all leave here with a little more faith, that same faith that let me know that I could do this today. And, that’s what I want to share with you. That’s what I found to be the most important message in this morning’s gospel. No matter where we go, what we do, we always have a home in Christ. And a place in His heart. St. Margaret’s has been such a blessing, in my life.
It all began when I was in the sixth grade, just after I started at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. I joined the youth choir along with the requirement of singing once a month for the Church’s Youth Day. That once a month Sunday, turned into every Sunday. And a year later, I was baptized into the Episcopal faith -- I started getting involved with the Acolytes, volunteering for the Cellar Door, the nursery and this year’s one day after school program. My love for this Church, continues to grow.
My parents can still remember their first Sunday at St. Margaret’s. They still remember the welcoming greeting from a complete stranger wanting to get to know them. And my father never went to church with my mother and I before St. Margaret’s. Yet, he was the first person in our family to say he loved the good feelings he got after the Sunday service at St. Margaret’s. Now, he and my mother are just as committed to the church as I am.
Now, as I prepare to embark on the next big stepping stone in my training, the college years, I can’t begin to describe how much like home this place has become. After the gospel story, squandering my father’s money and feeding the pigs, isn’t exactly part of my college plan. But, I know wherever I go, whatever choices I make, and either good or bad, I will always have a home to return to. In the same way as the younger son was able to come home to his father’s open arms. I have that sense of faith now.
Before St. Margaret’s, religion didn’t resound as deeply as it does now. Going to church was simply part of the day, I never got anything out of it, and I just followed my mom. But with St. Margaret’s and the youth program here, I’ve learned so much. A majority of my strongest friendships started right here. Marissa Bergman, Jennifer Yamada, Maggie Remboldt, just a few close friends that I don’t know where I’d be without!
Through St. Margaret’s, I’ve been blessed to have the support of a variety of people. I’ve had the greatest of mentors. Church leaders in the past, like Ben Phillips taught me how to read and to enjoy reading the Bible. Now, Shivaun Nelson, our Youth Minister, she’s become a great roll model, not just for me, but for all the kids she interacts with. Chet Hecht, our parish and family life director always has a smile on his face and works so hard to bring people together. John Wright was my choir director here in middle school, and sparked my love for choir. That love, I carried to high school when I joined the Chamber Singers at Palm Desert High School which led me to another church member, an adult choir member here, Craig Gahnz, the Chamber Singer’s new director leading us to Italy later this spring.
When I spent summer days helping out at the Cellar Door, I made unexpected friendships. Who knew I could talk to the other thrift store volunteers just as easily as I do with my friends at school! And, how could I ever forget, Father Dan’s love and support, especially when my family needed him the most. My grandmother passed away four years ago. He came to the hospital that very morning and prayed with us, comforted us, even this week when I was so afraid that I couldn’t stand behind this lectern. He reassured me!!
The people who have touched my life are all most sitting in this room right now. And, I am not listing them just to show what I have done with their help, but to show what adult support and guidance can do for any youth. What you can do for you. For those of you with children, grandchildren, or for any of you who have an influence in a child’s life, I encourage you to feed those children spiritually, provide them with spiritual food, and encourage them to be a part of St. Margaret’s or a part of the Episcopal Community. Because, when they are facing an obstacle or peer pressure, believe it or not, they’ll be thinking of you. For the youth here, you already know that you have people here you can turn to for guidance. That’s what makes St. Margaret’s so special. This is my spiritual home and I hope that you all here today may have that same feeling. Maybe not today, maybe not next week, but soon enough. So St. Margaret’s can do for you what it has done for me. And it will always be here to welcome you home.
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