The Second Sunday after The Epiphany
Miqra participants - Hannah Clayton & Kathryn Rush
Grace Cathedral
01/18/09

Good morning! My name is Hannah Clayton and this is my fourth time attending Miqra.  Miqra, which means "reading," is a three day event for the youth of the diocese and, in my opinion, the highlight of the year.  Miqra challenges the participants to read the Bible, out loud, in seventy-two hours.  We started reading on Friday, and we'll end sometime tonight or in the early hours of tomorrow morning.  I’m excited.  It's always such a ridiculous and fantastic feeling of giddiness, knowing that we have accomplished such an incredible goal.

I am always encouraged and strengthened by words that come out of this weekend.  They guide me through the sadness and frustration that seems to come with being a human being.  Miqra gives me the courage to go on with Christ.  It is truly one of the most extraordinary and beautiful experiences in my life.

"O Lord, you have searched me out and known me.  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away."
  
You know, I love Psalms.  They’re full of human emotion; full of praise, doubt, passion, fear, life, sorrow, love… I know these emotions; I've lived through these feelings.  I can relate to them.  I think we all can.  And I think that's how God calls to us.  You see, God understands us.  He knows us.  He knows our hearts, our thoughts, our fears, our passions, our lives… He knows our very bones. 

I'm working on a piece of artwork for my senior portfolio.   It’s 72" x 30" and it's going to be a collage of a human skeleton, a skeleton just about my size.  It's almost a self-portrait, but not quite.  I'm going to fill the background in with pictures; pictures of my family - my sister and my brothers, of my friends - Sunny, and Caitlin, Ang, Grace, Ash, of places that I understand - youth events, Chicago, home, of everything and everyone I love…pictures that are my life and my heart.  And on the bones of this skeleton, I'm going to write.  I'm going to consume that body with the words of God.  The words of Psalms and Samuel, Matthew and Luke, Genesis and Revelations.   Because they remind me of who I am in God.  They confirm my faith in His goodness.  They give me hope in the chaos of life.  They bring out His unending and forgiving love.  And because they remind me that the word of God is etched into my very soul.

Miqra is always kind of a wake up call for me.  I am, more often than not, completely overwhelmed with a sense of joy and peace that only this weekend seems to bring.  It’s almost as though I can feel God, physically, pressing into my skin, breathing with me.  It is utterly awe-inspiring.  Time stops, for just a split second, and I can almost understand…

Thank God for Miqra.  Thank God for this beautiful doorway to faith.  Thank God for this incredible work of passion and love.  Thank God for the youth sharing this event with me.  And thank God for you, my friends, for you have given us the opportunity to learn in this place, in this beautiful cathedral, in this sacred home. 

Remember that we are all known, and loved, and cherished children of Christ.

Hi, my name is Kathryn Rush, and unfortunately this is only my second year attending Miqra. As Hannah has already mentioned, Miqra is a whirlwind of three days in which the youth of the diocese read the bible cover-to-cover. Miqra is so different than any other event we do throughout the year: of course it wouldn’t be a youth event without the family groups and the get-to-know-you games, and yet there is a very spiritual nature to the weekend that is always so prevalent to me, so unlike any other. Being able to experience God by actually listening to what He has to say can have a very grounding affect on a person, all the while feeling His love through the wonderful and talented people here this weekend. God’s people.

Last year, the Cathedral’s youth choir suprised us with a private performance in which they sang Compline for the evening. I can still remember every detail of it so vividly: the peaceful silence that could be felt as we filed our way into the pews, the lights softly dimmed, and the anticipation that could be seen by everyone as the ten or so singers made their way in front of us. They all took a deep breathe, and then the first chord rang throughout the hall, followed by a truly wonderful sequence of harmonies and solos. As those ancient and holy words filled the air, it was quite apparent that we were not alone. Well, let me just take a second to say that you have quite an excellent choir here. The ups and downs of the music left an almost celestial aura, so much so that when they had filed off the stage, they left behind them a good 2 minutes of awed silence- an eternity in a room full of teenagers.

Music very much speaks to me. I play the violin with a local church’s orchestra, and when we were trying to think of t-shirt ideas, I remember coming across a quote that really struck a chord with me: “God created music so that me might pray without words.” What an incredible concept- to be so spiritually in-touch with God without ever having to form a sentence. But then again, music is a very spiritual experience: it has been said that Mozart is God’s laughter; Beethoven, God’s fire, and Bach is his Word.

As many of us have heard before- God is in everything, he knows everything and loves everything; and yet there are still those times when it is so hard knowing and trusting in God. As so for many of us, but especially teenagers, it is very difficult believing and trusting in something so abstract as religion and the Holy Spirit, all the while being drilled in the fundamentals of Algebra and Chemistry. Faith is not an easy thing to have when so often in life we are disappointed or confused.

This is my last year attending Miqra as a youth- I’m starting to write scholarship essays, I got a microwave for my dorm for Christmas, and yet I can’t help but question the important decisions that I am making. However, one thing that I’ve come to be a big believer in is signs, and slowly but surely I have come to trust that God will call to me, just as he’s done before, and just as he did to Samuel. So when the time comes, hopefully I will be able to open my eyes and ears- weather to listen to a music note or my mom lecture at the dinner table- and follow.

Hearing the word of God, out loud, these past few days, has really renewed a sense of hope in me that is not uneasy to lose in such an uncertain world. The scriptures have reminded me of the hope and love God has for everything and everyone, reminded me of the help that will always be there should I ever need it; but now it is up to me to see, or hear, what will always be there.
Amen.