Caterpillar to Butterfly
Jeff Strite
Romans 12:1-5
(I was honored to preach the sermon at the Quinceanera (pronounced ‘‘kin-sin-yarra’’) of one of our Hispanic members. I wanted to do this right, so I studied a lot about this event means. I discovered that a Quinceanera is a celebration of the 15th birthday (Quinceanera literally means ‘‘15th year). In this celebration, this young lady transformed from a child into being a woman. I found that there are various traditions that are part of this festivity. Amongst these traditions is ‘‘the changing of the shoes’’ - changing from from flat shoes to high heels; the giving of the ‘‘last doll’’ as her last toy of her childhood; and (in this ceremony) her parents giving a ring to their daughter to symbolize her pledge to serve God.
These are all public declarations that this young girl had decided to be an adult. By taking part in this ceremony she was publicly declaring that she intended to become a mature young lady. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says (I modified it a bit) ‘‘When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a woman, I gave up childish ways.’’
Unlike an ordinary party to celebrate her 15th birthday this Quinceanera iss MORE than just an event... it’s a declaration of intent. (PAUSE) You see, you can’t stop your physical body from growing older. This young lady was going to be 15 whether or not she wanted to or not. But by taking part in this ceremony she is saying I HAVE DECIDED I want to be an adult; I want to grow up; I want to do something important with my life. I don’t want to be child forever.
Over the years, I’ve known people who have NEVER made that decision. They have never decided to grow up. They party... they drink... they play games all the time. They EXIST, but they don’t really do anything with their lives. In England there’s a cemetery where there’s a gravestone. On that stone you can read the name of the man buried there, when ...
Jeff Strite
Romans 12:1-5
(I was honored to preach the sermon at the Quinceanera (pronounced ‘‘kin-sin-yarra’’) of one of our Hispanic members. I wanted to do this right, so I studied a lot about this event means. I discovered that a Quinceanera is a celebration of the 15th birthday (Quinceanera literally means ‘‘15th year). In this celebration, this young lady transformed from a child into being a woman. I found that there are various traditions that are part of this festivity. Amongst these traditions is ‘‘the changing of the shoes’’ - changing from from flat shoes to high heels; the giving of the ‘‘last doll’’ as her last toy of her childhood; and (in this ceremony) her parents giving a ring to their daughter to symbolize her pledge to serve God.
These are all public declarations that this young girl had decided to be an adult. By taking part in this ceremony she was publicly declaring that she intended to become a mature young lady. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says (I modified it a bit) ‘‘When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a woman, I gave up childish ways.’’
Unlike an ordinary party to celebrate her 15th birthday this Quinceanera iss MORE than just an event... it’s a declaration of intent. (PAUSE) You see, you can’t stop your physical body from growing older. This young lady was going to be 15 whether or not she wanted to or not. But by taking part in this ceremony she is saying I HAVE DECIDED I want to be an adult; I want to grow up; I want to do something important with my life. I don’t want to be child forever.
Over the years, I’ve known people who have NEVER made that decision. They have never decided to grow up. They party... they drink... they play games all the time. They EXIST, but they don’t really do anything with their lives. In England there’s a cemetery where there’s a gravestone. On that stone you can read the name of the man buried there, when ...
There are 11504 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
