The CATHEDRAL TIMES The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · May 13, 2018
YOUTH SUNDAY SERMONS! Last Sunday, May 6, high school seniors John Czabala and Leo Culp preached at the 8:45 a.m. service. A portion of each of their sermons is below; the full text is available at stphilipscathedral.org/sermons. From John Czabala: ... It started with a Bible study on Tuesday nights. I was really kind of unsure whether or not I should attend this youth Bible study in August; however, I think my desire for pizza outweighed my uncertainties. ...All the friends I've made at the Cathedral this past year have helped me to discover my own faith. I started having faith in myself to do good and to succeed. I started having faith in my family and others. I found faith in God as well. I realized that he, too, will always be there to guide me through my life. The second thing I realized was that the pain of losing these three grandparents wasn't so painful anymore. This past year really helped me to overcome some of this pain. Jesus said, “Abide in my love.” ... Jesus's love exists within all of us, but it is our job to bring it out. It is our job as friends and family to show each other the love inside us all. Jesus appointed us to bear fruit that is long lasting. He means for us to build bonds with each other with the love he has given us that will never break. And this is a good thing. ... I know right now that I have three grandparents in heaven who are smiling upon me as I tell my story to a roomful of friends and family, who all love me. As I look at their faces, I can see that they're very proud of me. My journey through faith and love has been a rocky one, but really began because on a Tuesday night in August, I really wanted some pepperoni pizza. From Leo Culp: ... “Now remain in my love,” Jesus says. How do we remain in the love of Christ and the love of God, and how does this lead to joy? ... In between parish activities, the experiences I’ve been the most humbled by have been those in the diocese. When the gospel was discussing this idea of loving each other unconditionally, I don't think that I could understand the magnitude of this love had it not been for the Old Dining Hall at Camp Mikell, where probably the most important chapter of my life began. ... This chapter was marked by experiences at Happening, a retreat in North Georgia organized by high schoolers for high schoolers. It is built on this unconditional love and joy that was discussed in the gospel today, and honestly I have no idea where I would be without it. ... I went into my life after that weekend and I made changes to my attitude and how I went about my days. I changed how I carried myself and how I saw myself and how I saw others. You see, after that little progression from my home here at the Cathedral, I made a home at Camp Mikell in Toccoa, Georgia. And because of that literal progression, I made a progression within myself. ... I wanted to graduate from servant to friend, like the gospel says, and I was ready to make that jump. ... A lot of times, the youth can be looked down on in the real world for being naive or even ignorant. However, I would say that because of their relatively new and unchanged minds, they can show the true meaning of love through Christ better than maybe anyone else. They can show the true meaning of unconditional love in a way that can seem foreign to some adults.