ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 16, 2022
Today I am with the JYF (Junior Youth Fellowship), 3rd–5th graders) on their short Mission Trip to Texas City. We started the JYF Mission Trip a few years before the Pandemic as a way of allowing the younger kids to get a taste of a mission experience before they went on a longer trip with Chi Rho (Middle School Youth). If you never went on a Mission Trip as a youth, as a sponsor or simply as a participant, it’s important to know that the experience is not simply about the work being done. There is something about the community building and a sense of common purpose, all done while conversing about faith. I give thanks to all those who volunteer locally, committed to doing amazing things through NAM, Boys and Girls Country, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Prison Ministry, Hope Center of Houston, or a whole range of other great organizations. But so often, we do the good work without taking time to reflect on it within the context of community. Hearing what others have to say about their experience can add depth and breadth to what is happening. Hebrews 13:16 reminds us, “Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices.” I think it pleases God because we are finding our truest selves as we give of ourselves, and doing it together creates an environment where we can think faithfully and critically about the experience.
Continue to help me explore what it means to be truly human. Holy God, I believe following in the ways of Jesus is where we begin to find ourselves. Amen.
