Happy 4th of July, Gloria Dei!
This weekend as our nation celebrates Independence Day, I’m giving thanks for the freedom that was won for us, particularly the freedom won for us on the cross of Jesus Christ. Freedom is a precarious idea and one that none of us should ever take for granted. It often comes from the sweat, blood, and tears of human beings who have given their lives in the service of others and in the service of the idea of freedom.
When it comes to Jesus, in his humanity, he sweat and bled and wept for all of humankind, including you and me. The freedom of Independence Day can point us to consider the even more complete freedom that comes from Christ. I hope that you can safely celebrate both things this weekend!
In addition to the 4th of July, we’re also celebrating and rejoicing with our Children, Youth, and Family team who are headed on a life-changing mission trip to San Francisco this week. The group leaves bright and early on Sunday morning and will be traveling back next Friday.
When I was a young high school kid, I wandered away from church and from faith. I didn’t really have the language or even full self-awareness to understand what that meant for me. But some people in my life did. And they invited me on a high school mission trip. My life was forever changed thanks to a simple invitation, a whole lot of love shown to me on that trip, and a new-found desire to serve those in need.
Youth mission trips are incredibly important. Sometimes I’m asked when I take an adult mission group to another part of the US or another country why we don’t do mission work here in our own community. My answer comes in two parts: 1) We do; and we love to do mission work here in our own backyard! 2) The stretching of comfort zones and the shared experience of serving somewhere completely different from what your everyday life looks like changes your life. I’ve seen it over and over and over again. In Nicaragua, in Haiti, in the Appalachian Mountains, on the Pine Ridge and Reservation, and in many other places in my own mission trips around the world. This is doubly true for youth mission trips. The formative nature of these trips, combined with the youthful openness to new experiences, has the ability to spark a life of faith and service that changes their young lives (and the lives of those they serve, of course).
I invite you to pray for our youth, our staff (Pastor Sarah and Ryan Woods), and our volunteer chaperones as they serve with one another. Pray for their safety, their shared experiences, their serving, and their faith!
Let’s GO Gloria Dei!
-Pastor Chris
