A sermon by Hendrick Anthony, Cathedral youth
Easter 7 – Year B
Hey, y'all, I'm Hendricks Anthony. I'm a senior at The Lovett School. And today, I'll be doing this Sunday sermon. This has been a very weird year for all of us. COVID has affected our lives in different, unexpected ways that some of us may not be able to explain. As a senior in high school, this has been a very weird year, from not being able to have fans at high school football games, to not being able to eat in the cafeteria. And for me, even having high school dances taken away from us.
When I was asked to speak today, the idea of it was weird. I thought about the sermon for weeks, and did not have a clue on what to talk about today. What I thought would be an easy task turned into a challenging one. Hence, this is a common theme throughout my life. But if there's one thing that I've learned throughout the 18 years of my existence is that Christ always has a plan for you, no matter the circumstance. For most of us, college is a very important aspect of our lives, whether it's the relationship that people make throughout college, or the information that some of us may learn throughout the four or maybe five years that we're there, or even cheering on your school throughout highly intensive sporting events. Those are examples that most of us can relate to in the grand scheme of things.
Some of us may even remember the college admissions process. I know I always will, but I don't know if my parents or grandparents will, because they're getting a little old. What I thought would be a joyful and easy process turned into the opposite, and ended up being a nightmare and a really big challenge in my life. I was constantly in contact with my number one school, constantly emailing them and bothering them, and doing anything I could for them to notice me. It was kind of like when I was little and I was bothering my three older brothers.
Now, my number one school said that they would get back to me in the middle of March. But to say the least, that did not happen. After hundreds and hundreds of times, were checking my admissions portal to see if I had been accepted. There had simply been no response. Now, what do I do? Do I wait longer? Do I sit around and feel sorry for myself? Well, I will admit I did both of those things. And by the time all that happened, it was already April 30th, and I had to decide on what college to attend on May 1st. This was really mentally draining because I did not see myself at the back of schools that I had chosen. Then on May 1st, I spoke with the head of admissions, and she told me that I had been accepted into the university. All the waiting, all the feeling sorry for myself was gone, and I was finally content with myself after those long few months.
Now, I know this is the most typical Buckhead high schooler story. And that in the grand scheme of things, like, "Who really cares about a high schooler student's college decision?" But, I do believe that there's a huge lesson that can be learned here. The lesson is that Christ is always on our side, no matter the circumstance, whether it's a minor circumstance like mine, or if it's a huge, more serious circumstance that we may be faced with. I preach today, to acknowledge the fact that God will always have a plan for us, and that He knows what's best for us always. So no matter what, please, please, please, never lose your faith in God, even if times are looking really, really rough. God bless. Thank you. And War Eagle.