Crossover, death brings new life....

My name Anthony Sicilia, I am happy to share this day with each and every one of you. Today is Sunday March 1, 2009. I picked this day to be baptised in the blood of Christ for the second time in a testimony I would like to call crossover, death brings new life. I chose this day to be baptised again because I find it rather fitting that I begin my walk with Christ. It was nine years ago tomorrow that I first prayed. You may sit there and you may ask Anthony why did you chose that day to pray out of all the days you could have started. Why that day? It was March 2, 2000 and I as look over in the corner at my family I am sure they remember that day well. It was a day filled with black suits, hugs from family and friends, boards filled old pictures which are capturing memories. The day was also filled with enough tears to fill up Stratford’s Avon River. On this day my family had lost a great family member. Some people lost their grandmother, on that day some people lost their aunt, on that day some people lost their mother. It was on that I made which the seemed to be the longest walk that I’d ever have to make to say goodbye. It was on that night I bowed my head and said with tears in my eyes and said only three words. “DEAR GOD, WHY? I did not get the answer this question until just recently. I found out the answer this question while watching the film the Gospel of John. A particular scene caught my eye and stuck with me until I was able to reveal this on this day. At the river where John preformed his works of baptism Jesus professed to his disciples this, “Before I came John was sent. John was sent as lamppost to allow you to see the light.” I am the light of the world again spoken John 8:12 Jesus says I am the light of the world he who hath followed me shall not walk in the darkness but have the light of life. Now as I look in the very eyes of my family I say to them , I stand here and you are sitting there with your hands folded on your laps and inside you wonder why I would make the move to be baptised here today. I say this… The woman we lost was a grandmother, an aunt and a mother. In our lives as a family she was the lamppost to allow us to believe in Christ. She died that day so that God himself could himself know to us.
Furthermore I say to them John 5:35 “ You have sent John and he testified to the truth, but I mention it that you may be saved John was a lamp that gave light and you chose for a time to enjoy this light. John 6:26 says “I tell you the truth you looking for me not because you saw miracles but because you ate the loaves of bread and had your fill.”
I remember shortly after my grandmother death, I spoke with a friend, and told her that I was having problems sleeping because visions of her death haunted me.
She opened the bible and asked me to repeat this verse from Palms It was Palms 23: it says “The lord is Sheppard I shall not want. He lies me down in green pastures he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul and leads me to a path of righteousness. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death for thou is with me. Your rod and staff they comfort me surely goodness and mercy shall follow me and I shall dwell in the house of the lord forever.” John 4:48 says “Unless you see miracles you will not believe.” Ha! Is that the way the world sees Jesus today I am reminded of a Pastor out of Leeland Texas who preaches to youth. I heard his message through an audio clip found on his MySpace page. I am happy to have many friends here to be witness to this today, but I am most happy to have two friends here today. Nathan Innes and Ryan Scott, even though these two friends are not super Christians and they don’t possess any supernatural powers, although I think if given the opportunity they would love to have some. It would sure answer a lot of questions about their personality. How is their personality? Its all little over the top, They carry an enthusiastic energy anywhere they go. But at the end of the day they are just ordinary men, without them I would never get a chance to see the humility in humanity. Because of that friendship they became my pillar and post that would allow me to stand up straight with my head up and just continue with the rest of world despite my differences.
I ask you to look at me now , look how I stand today most of the world would see me today as a broken man. I tell you this On this day I have stood taller and straighter in my whole of existence. To any man who believes Cerebral Palsy would be traumatizing I say this, this is not a curse, this not the events of an accident at birth, this is my original form. This is how the world must see me. I spend my entire life racing, to be like everyone else because I was ridiculed for my physical appearance. To those of you who still believe that today you are looking at it the wrong way, I was given the gift from God so that I wouldn’t have to be like everyone else. I wouldn’t have to become part of this world. I wouldn’t have to become a member of the people of this world. I was given this for one reason so that I can stand here today and Thank God for allowing me to be different and for creating me in his original form and allowing the world to see as he does.

AMEN!