We live by faith, not by sight

I am both happy and saddened to be standing before you today, as this is a goodbye to a church and a body of people that I have grown to call my home—my family. But I hope as I say goodbye, I may impart some wisdom.

I must admit, writing this sermon was no easy task. I debated talking about change, how each of us is at a time in our lives when change is inevitable. Seniors—we are embarking on a new journey, away from the comforts that we have found at Georgetown. Freshman, sophomores, and juniors—you are changing in more ways than one—you are growing and coming into your own.

Uncertainty stares each of us in the eye and howls. Our bones sag under the weight of pressures, decisions, and insecurities. But I will not talk to you about change, for you know with each season comes diverging winds and growing tides.

We live by faith, not by sight. It’s not an easy thing to do, to live by faith, for we rely on sight to determine danger and to find beauty. And yet there is a beauty in trusting in what we cannot see. We have faith that God will carry us through the unfamiliar—through the unimaginable. We believe that He will bring us through change and doubt. And He will, but we have to be all in.

Too many times, I’ve gone through the motions. I follow the tides as they pull me. I give half of me and not all of me. But faith will not accept half of you. God wants all of you. He is patient, yes, but he will not bend when it comes to giving yourself to Him.

Commit to Him and you will begin to see your life take form. Somewhere along the way, your life will be woven into Christ. That’s how it should be. It makes me think of home—how at night, when you drive past the lights of the city, and you make your way onto the country roads—if you stop and look out into the night sky, you cannot tell where the sky ends and the land begins. Where you end and He begins should not be visible.

We live by faith, not by sight. Give Him all of you and in return, you’ll find that He has already given you all of Him. Bet on him and I promise you’ll never lose.

I would like to close by saying thank you. Thank you Reverend Kesslyn, Minister Wendy, Rev. O, Tori, Phil, and last but not least, the lovely Gospel Choir. Each of you has blessed me. You have held me accountable and walked with me as I stumbled through growing in my faith. Without you, Georgetown would not have been the same. You are my family, for always. May God bless each of you. He has big plans for you.

Thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to speak to you.

Michelle Hernandez , COL ’14
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One of the senior sermons presented at the Gospel Choir Worship Service on April 27, 2014.