A WORD FOR TODAY, July 1, 2024
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, July 1, 2024
“In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them and said, ‘Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a huge millstone were hung around his neck and that he were sunk in the depths of the sea. ‘Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!’” Matthew 18:1-7, WEB
Hundreds of young people from all over North America will be visiting our church this week for a Continental Youth Gathering. The theme is about belonging, not only to the church and community, but especially to God. We are His, and because we are His we are blessed to be a blessing. The week will be filled with worship and music, learning and bible study as well as fellowship opportunities. The youth and their sponsors will spend time serving our community and learning how to be kind and compassionate in several different mission opportunities. I’ve been seeing some posts online as churches are traveling to Texas to be part of this event. The youth and adults are really looking forward to the event.
We are excited about the event, too, and there are many ways we can be involved. I won’t be attending the whole event, but plan to go to help wherever possible at least some of the time. We don't know what to expect, since this is the first continental gathering for our denomination. It is going to be a hectic week, since they have things planned for nearly every hour of the day. There is some freedom to choose some of their activities, but it is our hope that they will take advantage of every moment. The workshops will be informative and formative; they are designed to help build their faith and practice of their faith. It is always our hope that the youth will return home anxious to share what they have learned with their congregation and community.
I have helped with other youth gatherings and one thing I enjoy is the child-like expression of faith we see from the youth. I laugh when I saw “child-like” because youth don’t think of their faith that way, after all they are nearly adults. My son once told me that I should not refer to teenagers as kids, “They don’t like it,” he said. “Kids are little children, and we aren’t little.”
But there is something very special about the way children express their faith. That includes youth. They have not been corrupted by the politics of church and they still see the stories as they did when they were small. Some may be uncertain, grappling with questions they do not really understand and answers that are even harder to understand. They may be questioning the whole idea of religion, the whole concept of faith. Yet, they listen with an open heart and an open mind. And they worship with a sense of freedom that most adults lost long ago.
I’m looking forward to this week. I am sure some of the adult sponsors are not looking forward to chasing those young adults all over town or trying to keep up with them for a few days. One friend who is coming with the youth of her church is not looking forward to grumbling about the heat of a Texas day, and she’s probably wondering how she will stay awake long into the night to ensure that they keep to their rooms when they should be there. There are other struggles when gathering in a large crowd like fighting crowds or finding seats. Youth are easily distracted by petty problems that can come up when so many people are sharing a space for such a long period of time.
However, all of that is meaningless compared to the joy we will see in their eyes and hear in their voices as they grow and learn and praise God together. They might be nearly adult, some are probably responsible, mature youth, but they will enjoy this week with genuine hearts as they grow in their faith. They will sing for joy and praise God with ease, unconcerned about time or what other people might think if they raise their hands or move to the music. They will enjoy their week because they still receive God's word like little children: humble, innocent and full of hope. We will enjoy their week because we will see faith lived out as God intends it to be lived, in freedom and His grace.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org