Lifelong Impact from a Sermon and Other Life Lessons

Stained by Pizza

This sermon impact is especially personal to me because it comes from my son when he was a teen.

I had gone along as a chaperone as we took a group of youth for a mission conference weekend with youth from many other churches. They were divided into groups and were sent out to do planned mission projects in the area. When back at the convention center, there was worship time, fun time, and guest speakers.

The next Sunday, our youth shared their experiences from the event. Many who had signed up early had gotten a t-shirt that said, 'Mission Possible.' Some of our youth said their shirts got stained while working. We made that the theme of their sharing: how they were stained or how they were impacted by the weekend.

They stood in a row and passed the microphone. and each said, "I was stained by..." and they told their specific recount of one moment of the weekend.

When the microphone came to my son, he said, "I was stained by pizza."

The congregation laughed. They anticipated a funny tale of youth enjoying pizza. That is NOT what they got. I had expected their reaction and had told him to wait to make sure they were paying attention and he took my advice. When they settled, he began to speak. He explained that one of the guest speakers told them about the time he went on a mission trip to a poor area of the country to do some building projects. One family had had a lot of work done on their home. The day after the work was completed there was to be a picnic celebration with all the families and the workers.

The evening before, the family showed up with a hot pizza for the workers to show their gratitude. They happily accepted the pizza.

The workers looked forward to seeing the family the next day at the picnic.

However, the family did not come to the picnic.

The workers learned that the family had used the last of their money to buy the pizza and bring it to them and did not have gas money to make another trip.

The family had given all they had to show their gratitude in what the workers had seen as just a nice gesture. The workers were overwhelmed to realize how little money these people had and that they were willing to spend it on them. Their hearts were stained by pizza.

The recounting of this event by the speaker moved my son. He has never gone hungry accept by choice. I never sent him to bed without supper.

Our congregation felt the impact as my son shared this and all were stained by pizza that day.

If you are blessed to have enough, then please help others.

People are hungry. They are hungry for food. They are hungry for love. They are hungry for acceptance. Give what you can.  And I hope you have been stained too.