Our Journey to Adulthood YAC class
undertook a pilgrimage this past summer (2008) to Prince Edward Island
and to a youthworks mission camp in Calais, Maine, and finally to a
retreat center for youth in Isleboro, Me. On the way home from the
pilgrimage they asked if they could put a service together based on the
theme of creation. In November 2008, they transformed our worship
space into the Garden of Eden. This is the sermon they presented which
wove together the lessons in Genesis and their pilgrimage experience.
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 Creation.
It is what our service today is based on and inspired by. It all started with
that beautiful Sunday morning on Prince Edward Island. The sun shone brightly, warm, filling each crack and
crevice on the island with light. The sky itself was blue, a clear blue, that
was a brighter and warmer shade of the inviting water below it. Small white
clouds dotted the horizon. The red earth stretched down into the water and
little purple flowers lined the cliff edge. Each shell and each piece of
driftwood were special and unique. Each color was vibrant and it created such a
peaceful environment.
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  That
day we held our Eucharist over a self-made altar on the
banks of the ocean. The beauty of it was astonishing. For
that short span of time, it was just us, God, and creation. It was so peaceful
and we were all really in-tune with our spiritual side that day, which made for
such a moving experience and fully heart-warming memories.
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  It
was on the first day of creation that God said “Let there be light”. It is the
day he separated light from dark, and good from evil. The day
he separated the extremes. On the first morning of our journey, we set
out ready and willing to encounter God. We were excited for the events to come
and the people we’d meet. As the day wore on we saw for ourselves some of the
differences of this world. The miles of road we drove on, took us from the busy
urban life of Woonsocket, through to the rustic tranquility of Maine. It was the first day our eyes were truly open to
extremes.
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 On
the second day of creation, God separated the water from the sky. He
took one whole and separated it into two reflecting opposites. Looking
out on the horizon, it looks like they meet, but never quite touch,
creating the allusion that they are still somehow connected. The day we
visited Hopewell rocks was a foggy day, combining the sky and the water
once again into a never ending stretch of grey. We learned that day that
at high-tide the forty foot rocks are part of the sea, but as the tide
goes out they rise up and become part of the sky. There was an
overwhelming sense of awe that came from knowing that these magnificent
rocks were shared between to two opposite things that were once one.
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On
the third day of creation, God separated the land from the sea and named the
dry land earth. From the earth sprouted plants with their own seeds, and fruit
trees with fruit containing seeds, so that their cycle of life would never end.
While we drove over the St.
Lawrence River to enter into
Canada and later on in our trip when we crossed the Confederation Bridge to get from New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island, we recognized the separation of sea and dry land.
Throughout our journey we were able to admire the beauty of the scenery all
around us. The earth is full of so many different varieties of plants and
trees, all of which are a large part of God’s creation, beginning with his
command and continuing and creating life from the seeds they produce. From many
of these seeds came fruit bearing trees and plants, giving us plenty to eat,
which McKay’s Wild Blueberry Stand took use of. We came across McKay’s while
traveling through Canada and were lucky enough to be able to stop for some amazing blueberry
pie. God’s intention for plants and fruits was not so they could sit there and
die out. They were meant to be admired, to spread, to become a larger part of
this earth, and to be put to good use.
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  On
the fourth day of creation, God separated night and day, and created different
lights to govern each. He had the greater light govern the day, and the lesser
light govern the night. During our pilgrimage, we encountered light and dark. Canada was such a beautiful clean place, where mankind
hadn’t destroyed creation. It was there we found people filled with happiness
and light, and where we found peace and beauty. In Calais,
Maine, we found darkness and poverty. A
sadness was settled over the town and we were there to help. We were
that lesser light. We tried to bring hope, love, and God to these people. We
discovered that even in darkness there is a small light that God created to
help us find our way.
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On
the fifth day of creation, God made creatures to fill the sky and the sea. He
made all kinds of birds and fish and told them to go out and increase in
number. He created them to have unrestricted freedom in the water and the sky.
We went sailing one night while in Calais,
Maine. It was a cloudy night, but despite the weather
forecast it wasn’t raining. It was when we were in the middle of the river that
we looked over and saw this solitary patch of sunlight streaming through the
clouds onto a church steeple on the bank of the river. The image before us was
so powerful that it was hard not to notice God’s presence. Minutes later, two
Porpoises swam by the boat, peeking their heads above
the water to stare straight at us. A little while later, a lone Bald Eagle
soared by into the evening sky. God’s creations were all around us: the water,
the sky, and the creatures of both.
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 On
the sixth day, God created all kinds of cattle, wild animals, and creeping
things, and in his divine image he created man. When we visited the
re-enactment of the fictional village of Anne
of Green Gables, we got to see and pet the farm animals they had there. Animals
are an essential part of God’s creation. They all play their own role in life
and in the continuation of God’s vision. Without them the world would be so
different and empty. Also on our trip, we met many kind people within whom the
spirit of God was obvious. These people were very caring and devoted to keeping
God’s creation alive and well. Together these species have formed their own
ways of life and done what they could to continually live in God’s image;
living and loving to their highest potential.
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  On the seventh day, God
rested. He had finished all that he had set out to do, and therefore allowed
himself a holy day devoted to rest because of all the hard work he had
completed. On the last day of our trip we traveled to Isleborough, Maine, a quiet and well-forested island about a fifteen
minute ferry ride off the coast. While there, we stayed at the Abby. A
wonderful house designed for teens to resemble a tree house. This was our time
to rest. Our work was finished and we were now resting and enjoying the final
day of our trip. On this day we had no worries and no work to do. We were
surrounded by the peacefulness of nature and all of God’s creation. We had
become a tight knit family and the love between was stronger now than ever
before.
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 On
our spiritual journey this summer, we were inspired by all that we encountered.
Each image reflected God and his creation. We saw light and darkness and
extremes. We saw vast expanses of water and sky, and how they are still
connected despite their separation. We walked on land that was rich with fruits
and plants. We saw God’s guiding light every day and every night. Each bird,
fish, and beast reflected God’s love, and each person we met was filled with
the Holy Spirit. Every image from this trip has stayed with us because through
them we saw God. It was creation that opened our eyes and God’s love that
opened our hearts.
For he spoke and it came to
be, he commanded and it stood firm. Amen. |